Shloka 21
देव–विष्णु–संवादः । कालेयगणस्य समुद्राश्रयः । अगस्त्योपसर्पणम्
Devas and Viṣṇu on the Kāleyas; Approach to Agastya
वहाँ क्रमश: दीर्घकालतक उपायचिन्तनमें लगे हुए उन असुरोंने यह घोर निश्चय किया कि जो लोग विद्वान् और तपस्वी हों, सबसे पहले उन्हींका विनाश करना चाहिये। सम्पूर्ण लोग तपसे ही टिके हुए हैं। अतः तुम सब लोग तपस्याके विनाशके लिये शीघ्रतापूर्वक कार्य करो। भूमण्डलमें जो कोई भी तपस्वी, धर्मज्ञ एवं उन्हें जानने-माननेवाले लोग हों, उन सबका तुरंत वध कर डालो। उनके नष्ट होनेपर सारा जगत् नष्ट हो जायगा। इस प्रकार बुद्धि और विचारसे हीन वे समस्त दैत्य संसारके विनाशकी बात सोचकर अत्यन्त हर्षका अनुभव करने लगे। उत्ताल तरंगोंसे भरे हुए वरुणके निवासस्थान रत्नाकर समुद्ररूप दुर्गका आश्रय लेकर वे उसमें निर्भय होकर रहने लगे
tatra kramaśaḥ dīrghakālatakopāyacintaneṣu lagnāḥ te asurā idaṃ ghoraṃ niścayaṃ cakruḥ—ye lokā vidvāṃsaḥ tapassvinaś ca, teṣām eva prathamaṃ vināśaḥ kartavyaḥ. sarve lokāḥ tapasā eva tiṣṭhanti. ataḥ yūyaṃ sarve tapasāṃ vināśāya śīghrataraṃ karma kuruta. bhūmaṇḍale yaḥ kaścid api tapassvī, dharmajñaḥ, tathā tān jānantaḥ mānayantī ca ye lokāḥ, teṣāṃ sarveṣāṃ sadyaḥ vadhaṃ kuruta. teṣu naṣṭeṣu sarvaṃ jagat naśyati. evaṃ buddhi-vicāra-hīnāḥ te sarve daityāḥ saṃsāra-vināśaṃ cintayitvā atyanta-harṣam anubabhūvuḥ. uttāla-taraṅgaiḥ pūrṇasya varuṇa-nivāsasya ratnākara-samudra-rūpasya durgasya āśrayaṃ gṛhītvā te tatra nirbhayāḥ avasan.
After long deliberation on stratagems, those Asuras arrived at a dreadful resolve: “First, the learned and the ascetics must be destroyed. The whole world stands supported by austerity; therefore act swiftly to ruin tapas. On the earth, whoever is an ascetic, a knower of dharma, and even those who recognize and honor such people—kill them all at once. When they are destroyed, the entire world will collapse.” Thus, bereft of sound judgment and reflection, all those Daityas, imagining the destruction of the world, felt intense delight. Taking refuge in the ocean-fortress—the jewel-bearing sea, Varuṇa’s abode, filled with towering waves—they dwelt there fearlessly.
लोगश उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage asserts that tapas (austerity) and dharma-knowledge are pillars of cosmic stability; attacking sages and the culture that honors them is portrayed as an attack on the world’s very foundation, marking the Daityas’ intent as profoundly adharmic.
The Asuras/Daityas, after prolonged plotting, decide to begin their campaign by killing ascetics, dharma-knowers, and their supporters, believing this will cause the world to collapse; they then take shelter in the ocean—Varuṇa’s realm—conceived as a fortified stronghold.