shri-sannanda uvaca
shankhasuro maha-daityah
pura naimittike laye
svapato brahmanah so 'pi
veda-drug daitya-pungavah
jitva devan brahmalokad
dhritva vedan gato 'rnave
gateshu teshu vedeshu
devanam ca gatam balam
shri-sannandah uvaca —Shri Sannanda said; shankhasurah —Shankhasura; maha-daityah —the great demon; pura —before; naimittike —at the regular; laye —time of cosmic devastation; svapatah —sleeping; brahmanah —from Brahma; sah —he; api —even; veda —of the Vedas; druk — —the enemy; daitya —of demons; pungavah —the greatest; jitva —defeating; devan —the demigods; brahmalokat —from Brahmaloka; dhritva —taking; vedan —the Vedas; gatah —went; arnave —in the ocean; gateshu —gone; teshu —them; vedeshu —the Vedas; devanam —of the demigods; ca —also; gatam —gone; balam —the strength.
Shri Sannanda said: As Brahma slept during a regularly scheduled period of cosmic devastation, the great conch demon Shankasura, a sworn enemy of the Vedas, defeated the demigods, stole the Vedas, and hid in the ocean. When the Vedas were gone the demigods' strength was also gone.
Text 22
tada sakshad dharih purno
dhritva matsyam vapuh param
naimittika-layambhodhau
yuyudhe tena yajna-rat
tada —then; sakshat —directly; dharih —Lord Hari; purnah —perfect; dhritva —taking; matsyam —of Lord Matsya; vapuh —the form; param —transcendental; naimittika —regular; laya —of cosmic devastation; ambhodhau —on the ocean; yuyudhe —fought; tena —with him; yajna-rat —the king of yajnas.
Then, assuming the form of a fish, perfect Lord Hari, the master of all yajnas, fought with him in the ocean of cosmic devastation.
Text 23
shulam cikshepa haraye
shankho daityo maha-balah
sva-cakrena harih sakshat
tac-chulam shatadhakarot
shulam —tridfent; cikshepa —threw; haraye —at Lord Hari; shankhah —Shankhasura; daityah —the demon; maha-balah —very powerful; sva-cakrena —with Hiis cakra; harih —Lord Hari; sakshat —directly; tac-chulam —that trident; shatadha —in a hundred pieces; akarot —made.
The very powerful demon Shankhasura threw a trident at Lord Hari. With His cakra Lord Hari broke the trident in a hundred pieces.
Text 24
harim tatada shirasa
shankho vishnum urah-sthale
tasya murdha-praharena
na cacala parat parah
harim —Lord Hari; tatada —struck; shirasa —with his head; shankhah —Shankhasura; vishnum —Lord Vishnu; urah-sthale —on the chest; tasya —of Him; murdha —of the head; praharena —with the blow; na —not; cacala —moved; parat —than the greatest; parah —greater.
With his head Shankhasura struck Lord Vishnu on the chest. Although struck by his head, Lord Hari, who is greater than the greatest, did not waver.
Text 25
tada gadam samadaya
matsya-rupa-dharo harih
prishthe jaghana tam daityam
shankha-rupam maha-balam
tada —then; gadam —a club; samadaya —taking; matsya-rupa-dharah —assuming the form of a fish; harih —Lord Hari; prishthe —on the back; jaghana —struck; tam —him; daityam —the demon; shankha-rupam —in the form of a conch; maha-balam —very powerful.
Taking a club, Lord Hari in the form of a fish struck the powerful conch demon on the back.
Text 26
gada-prahara-vyathitah
kincid-vyakula-manasah
punar utthaya sarvesham
mushtina sa tatada ha
gada —of the club; prahara —by the blow; vyathitah —wounded; kincit —somewhat; vyakula —distresed; manasah —in mind; punah —again; utthaya —rising; sarvesham —of all; mushtina —with a fist; sa —he; tatada —struck; ha —certainly.
Wounded by the club, and now unhappy at heart, the demon rose again and with his fist struck the Lord.
Text 27
tada vishnuh sva-cakrena
sa-shringam tac-chiro dridham
jahara kupitah sakshad
bhagavan kamalekshanah
tada —then; vishnuh —Lord Vishnu; sva-cakrena —with His cakra; sa-shringam —with its horn; tac-chirah —his head; dridham —hard; jahara —took; kupitah —angry; sakshat —directly; bhagavan —the Supreme Personality of Godhead; kamalekshanah —lotus eyed.
With His cakra angry lotus-eyed Lord Vishnu then severed the demon's hard horned head.
Text 28
jitva shankham deva-varaih
sardham vishnur vrajeshvara
prayagam etya sa harir
vedams tan brahmane dadau
jitva —having defeated; shankham —the conch demon; deva-varaih —by the great demigods; sardham —with; vishnuh —Lord Vishnu; vrajeshvarah —O king of Vraja; prayagam —to Prayaga; etya —going; sa —He; harih —Lord Hari; vedamh —the Vedas; tan —them; brahmane —to Brahma; dadau —gave.
O king of Vraja, after defeating the conch demon, Lord Vishnu, accompanied by the great demigods, went to Prayaga and returned the Vedas to Brahma.
