Vṛtrāsura’s Teachings - The Heart of a Devotee in a Demon’s Body

This article presents a thematic survey of Vṛtrāsura's heroic challenge to Indra, his philosophy of absolute dependence on the Supreme Lord, and his fervent prayers for pure devotional service. It organizes the profound verses found in the Vaniquotes category Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Verses Spoken by Vṛtrāsura.

Vṛtrāsura is a fascinating character who defies the stereotypical dichotomy of "gods vs. demons." Although possessing a terrifying demoniac form, his heart is filled with pure bhakti. His battlefield instructions to Indra serve as a lesson on detachment, duty, and the ultimate goal of life. Vṛtrāsura demonstrates that a devotee sees the hand of Kṛṣṇa in every situation, even in his own imminent death.

The Challenge to the Demigods

When the demigods, led by Indra, attack Vṛtrāsura's army, the demoniac soldiers flee in fear. Vṛtrāsura rebukes his own soldiers for their cowardice and then challenges the demigods, calling them insignificant and proud.

Rebuking the Cowards

Vṛtrāsura questions the value of living a life of fear. He argues that death is inevitable for everyone, so to die fleeing like a coward is shameful. A true hero should face death with dignity, knowing that the soul is eternal and bodily death is merely a change of dress.

  • "He (Vṛtrāsura) called to the heroes of the demons, 'O Vipracitti! O Namuci! O Pulomā! O Maya, Anarvā and Śambara! Please hear me and do not flee.'"
  • "O demigods, these demoniac soldiers have taken birth uselessly. Indeed, they have come from the bodies of their mothers exactly like stool. What is the benefit of killing such enemies from behind while they are running in fear?"
  • "One who considers himself a hero should not kill an enemy who is afraid of losing his life. Such killing is never glorious, nor can it promote one to the heavenly planets."

Challenging Indra

Vṛtrāsura dares Indra to fight him face-to-face, mocking the demigods' pride. He points out that their so-called heroism is dependent on the Lord's mercy, yet they puff themselves up as independent doers. Vṛtrāsura, though a demon, sees through their false prestige.

  • "O insignificant demigods, if you truly have faith in your heroism, if you have patience in the cores of your hearts and if you are not ambitious for sense gratification, please stand before me for a moment."
  • "O King of the demigods (Indra), since I (Vṛtrāsura), your enemy, am standing before you, why don't you hurl your thunderbolt at me?"
  • "You are naturally cruel. If the other demigods, unaware of my prowess, follow you by attacking me with raised weapons, I shall sever their heads with this sharp trident."
  • "With those (Demigods) heads I shall perform a sacrifice to Bhairava and the other leaders of the ghosts, along with their hordes."
  • "Now I shall pierce your body with my trident, and after you die with great pain, even fire will not touch you; only the vultures will eat your body."
  • "If in this battle you cut off my head with your thunderbolt and kill my soldiers, O Indra, O great hero, I (Vṛtrāsura) shall take great pleasure in offering my body to other living entities (such as jackals and vultures)."

Condemning Indra's Sin

Vṛtrāsura reminds Indra of his grievous sin of killing Viśvarūpa, a brāhmaṇa and guru. He exposes Indra's hypocrisy: although Indra poses as the king of heaven and a maintainer of dharma, he committed the most abominable sin merely to secure his material throne, proving that materialists will stop at nothing for sense gratification.

  • "Śrī Vṛtrāsura said: He who has killed a brāhmaṇa, he who has killed his spiritual master - indeed, he who has killed my brother - is now, by good fortune, standing before me face to face as my enemy."
  • "He (Vṛtrāsura's elder brother) was your (Indra's) spiritual master, but although you entrusted him with the performance of your sacrifice, you later mercilessly severed his heads from his body the way one butchers an animal."
  • "Only for the sake of living in the heavenly planets, you killed my elder brother - a self-realized, sinless, qualified brāhmaṇa who had been appointed your chief priest."
  • "Indra, you are bereft of all shame, mercy, glory and good fortune. Deprived of these good qualities by the reactions of your fruitive activities, you are to be condemned even by the man-eaters (Rākṣasas)."
  • "Vṛtrāsura said, 'O most abominable one, when I pierce your stonelike heart with my trident, I shall be freed from my debt to my brother.'"

Philosophy of Dependence (The Wooden Doll Analogy)

In the heat of battle, Vṛtrāsura preaches to Indra about the absolute control of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He explains that everyone is merely an instrument in the hands of the Lord.

The Controller of All

Vṛtrāsura asserts that no one is independent; all are controlled by the Lord like birds in a net. He smashes the false ego of the living entity who thinks he is the doer. The material body, mind, and demigods are all inert matter or subordinate souls; only the Supreme Lord is the actual mover.

  • "As a wooden doll that looks like a woman or as an animal made of grass and leaves cannot move or dance independently, but depends fully on the person who handles it, all of us dance according to the desire of the supreme controller, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. No one is independent."
  • "All living beings in all the planets of this universe, including the presiding deities of all the planets, are fully under the control of the Lord. They work like birds caught in a net, who cannot move independently."
  • "The material nature, the total material energy, the false ego, the five material elements, the material senses, the mind, the intelligence and consciousness cannot create the material manifestation without the direction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead."
  • "The three puruṣas - Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu and Kṣīrodakaśāyī-Viṣṇu, cannot create the material manifestation without the direction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead."
  • "Our sensory prowess, mental power, bodily strength, living force, immortality and mortality are all subject to the superintendence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Not knowing this, foolish people think the dull material body to be the cause of their activities."
  • "The Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself creates and devours the living beings through other living beings."
  • "A foolish, senseless person cannot understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Although always dependent, he falsely thinks himself the Supreme."

The Gambling Match of Providence

He describes the battle as a game of chance where the result is determined by destiny, not just skill. A devotee knows that the results of action are not in his hands; therefore, Vṛtrāsura remains equipoised in victory or defeat, knowing that the Lord's will is supreme.

  • "Consider this battle a gambling match in which our lives are the stakes, the arrows are the dice, and the animals acting as carriers are the game board. No one can understand who will be defeated and who will be victorious. It all depends on providence."
  • "Being dependent and being obliged to accept material bodies, belligerent subordinates are sometimes victorious and sometimes defeated."
  • "Since everything is dependent on the supreme will of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one should be equipoised in fame and defamation, victory and defeat, life and death. In their effects, represented as happiness and distress, one should maintain oneself in equilibrium, without anxiety."
  • "One who knows that the pure soul is simply an observer of the actions and reactions of these qualities (goodness, passion, ignorance), should be understood to be a liberated person. He is not bound by these qualities."

Encouraging Indra to Kill Him

When Indra's club is cut by Vṛtrāsura, Indra becomes despondent and drops his weapon. Surprisingly, Vṛtrāsura encourages him to pick up the thunderbolt and kill him, revealing his desire for liberation.

The Power of the Thunderbolt

Vṛtrāsura knows that the thunderbolt is empowered by Viṣṇu and Dadhīci and will grant him liberation. He urges Indra to act as an instrument of the Lord, understanding that this weapon is meant to release him from his demoniac body and return him to his original constitutional position.

  • "He (Indra) dared not pick up his weapon again. Vṛtrāsura, however, encouraged him, saying, 'Take up your thunderbolt and kill your enemy. This is not the time to lament your fate.'"
  • "Although your attack upon me with your club was certainly useless, like a request of money from a miser, the thunderbolt you carry will not be useless. You need have no doubts about this."
  • "O Indra, King of heaven, the thunderbolt you carry to kill me has been empowered by the prowess of Lord Viṣṇu and the strength of Dadhīci's austerities."
  • "Since you (Indra) have come here to kill me in accordance with Viṣṇu's order, there is no doubt that I shall be killed by the release of your thunderbolt. Lord Viṣṇu has sided with you. Therefore your victory, opulence and all good qualities are assured."
  • "By the force of your thunderbolt, I shall be freed of material bondage and shall give up this body and this world of material desires. Fixing my mind upon the lotus feet of Lord Saṅkarṣaṇa, I shall attain the destination of such great sages as Nārada Muni."

The Inevitability of Death

Vṛtrāsura philosophizes on the nature of death. He explains that since the body is material and temporary, it must be annihilated; no amount of struggling can save it. Therefore, an intelligent person accepts death as the mercy of the Lord and does not lament.

  • "Vṛtrāsura continued: O Indra, no one is guaranteed of being always victorious but the original enjoyer, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Bhagavān. He is the cause of creation, maintenance and annihilation, and He knows everything."
  • "Vṛtrāsura said: All living entities who have taken birth in this material world must die. Surely, no one in this world has found any means to be saved from death. Even providence has not provided a means to escape it."
  • "If one thinks, 'According to one's previous fruitive actions, one's material body is created by the father and mother, and the same body is annihilated by another agent, as another animal is devoured by a tiger,' this is not proper understanding."
  • "Just as a person not inclined to die must nonetheless give up his longevity, opulence, fame and everything else at the time of death, so, at the appointed time of victory, one can gain all these when the Supreme Lord awards them by His mercy."

The Glory of Dying in Battle

Vṛtrāsura explains that dying on the battlefield is one of the two glorious ways to die. The śāstras approve of a kṣatriya dying in battle because it demonstrates fearlessness and detachment, qualities that are essential for spiritual elevation.

  • "There are two ways to meet a glorious death, and both are very rare. One is to die after performing mystic yoga, especially bhakti-yoga, by which one can control the mind and living force and die absorbed in thought of the Supreme Personality of Godhead."
  • "The second is to die on the battlefield, leading the army and never showing one's back. These two kinds of death are recommended in the śāstra as glorious."
  • "Under the circumstances, death being inevitable, if one can gain promotion to the higher planetary systems and be always celebrated here by dying a suitable death, what man will not accept such a glorious death?"

The Prayers of Vṛtrāsura (Pure Devotion)

In the midst of the battle, Vṛtrāsura offers four prayers that capture the essence of pure devotion (śuddha-bhakti). He expresses his intense longing for the Lord and his detachment from all material rewards.

Desire for Service to Devotees

Vṛtrāsura prays to become the servant of the servant. He understands that one cannot approach Kṛṣṇa directly; one must serve those who serve Him. This desire for the association of vaiṣṇavas is the hallmark of a sincere soul who wants to escape the cycle of birth and death.

  • "O my Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, will I again be able to be a servant of Your eternal servants who find shelter only at Your lotus feet?"
  • "O Lord of my life, may I again become their servant so that my mind may always think of Your transcendental attributes, my words always glorify those attributes, and my body always engage in the loving service of Your Lordship?"
  • "O my Lord, my master, I am wandering throughout this material world as a result of my fruitive activities. Therefore I simply seek friendship in the association of Your pious and enlightened devotees."
  • "Persons who fully surrender at the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and always think of His lotus feet are accepted and recognized by the Lord as His own personal assistants or servants."

Rejection of Material Opulence

Vṛtrāsura rejects all forms of liberation and heavenly pleasure. Vṛtrāsura declares that without the service of the Lord, even the position of Brahmā or sovereignty over the universe is useless. This proves that a pure devotee has no tinge of material desire, not even for mukti.

  • "O my Lord, source of all opportunities, I do not desire to enjoy in Dhruvaloka, the heavenly planets or the planet where Lord Brahmā resides, nor do I want to be the supreme ruler of all the earthly planets or the lower planetary systems."
  • "I do not desire to be master of the powers of mystic yoga, nor do I want liberation if I have to give up Your lotus feet."
  • "Our Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, forbids His devotees to endeavor uselessly for religion, economic development and sense gratification."
  • "The Lord never bestows upon such servants the brilliant opulences of the upper, lower and middle planetary systems of this material world."
  • "O Indra, one can thus infer how kind the Lord is. Such mercy is obtainable only by unalloyed devotees, not by persons who aspire for material gains."

Yearning for the Lord (The Three Analogies)

Vṛtrāsura uses three poignant analogies to describe his longing: a baby bird, a hungry calf, and a morose wife. These examples illustrate the natural, instinctive, and desperate need the soul has for the Supersoul, a need that supersedes all other bodily demands.

  • "O lotus-eyed Lord, as baby birds that have not yet developed their wings always look for their mother to return and feed them, I always yearn for the opportunity to render direct service unto You."
  • "As small calves tied with ropes await anxiously the time of milking, when they will be allowed to drink the milk of their mothers, I always yearn for the opportunity to render direct service unto You."
  • "As a morose wife whose husband is away from home always longs for him to return and satisfy her in all respects, I always yearn for the opportunity to render direct service unto You."

Detachment from Family

Vṛtrāsura prays to cut the knots of attachment to his body and family. He realizes that the so-called happiness of home and society is merely a spell of māyā meant to keep the soul bound. He yearns to break these shackles and fix his mind solely on the Supreme.

  • "My attachment to my body, wife, children and home is continuing by the spell of Your external energy, but I wish to be attached to them no longer. Let my mind, my consciousness and everything I have be attached only to You."
  • "One goes through much endeavor to increase and maintain his possessions, and he suffers great unhappiness when he loses them."
  • "When one possesses material opulence in any of these three divisions (upper, lower and middle planetary systems) of the universe, his possessions naturally increase his enmity, anxiety, mental agitation, pride and belligerence."

Final Words

  • "I have already been defeated, for my weapon and arm have been cut to pieces. You have already overwhelmed me, but nonetheless, with a desire to kill you, I am trying my best to fight. I am not at all morose, even under such adverse conditions."
  • "According to his position and the time and circumstances, Vṛtrāsura, the hero among heroes, spoke words that were much to be appreciated by thoughtful men."
  • "I shall thus be relieved of my obligations to the reactions of my karma, and my fortune will be to receive the dust from the lotus feet of great devotees like Nārada Muni."

Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani

This article is a thematic compilation of the teachings presented in the Vaniquotes category Bhagavatam Verses Spoken by Vrtrasura. We invite you to visit the link to read the complete collection of verses presented in alphabetical order.

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