Sri Vasista

1. -2. O Rāma, you are active in this world with an intelligent mind.  You are endeavouring for the perfect purpose of liberation.  Do not follow the logic of ‘dāma vyalakata’.  Sit firmly with the logic of ‘bhima bhāsa’ and be free from grief.

Sri Rāma

3. -4. O Brahman, by avoiding the logic of ‘dāmavyālakata’ and living by the logic of ‘bhim bhāsa’, how can one escape the heat of ‘samsāra’?

5. Please enlighten me about this with your generous speech like a cloud which enlivens a peacock.

Sri Vasista

6. O Rāma, hear about them-the two logics and act the way you feel.

7. There lived in the excitingly charming netherworld ‘pātala’ a rakhsasa king called Sambara.  He was like an ocean full of witch-craft and deceptive psychic powers.

8. He could build beautiful cities and parks in the skies for his people.  He could create alternate artificial sun and moon for his regions.

9. He made his ‘dānava’ subjects rich and wealthy with mines and moutains of gems and diamonds like ‘padmarāgas’.

10. His harem contained women of rare ability for sweet music surpassing the sweet tones of even celestial women.  His regions are full of sporting fields and gardens embellished bright by moon-beams.

11. Spread with blue lotuses his rooms of romance were equipped for blustering love play.  The place was inviting golden hued ‘sārasa’ birds with the cooings of gemlike swans.

12. Beautiful golden hued lotus buds were seen atop the branches golden-coloured trees.

13. He conquered Indra with his ‘daitya’ army which was armed with ‘Turku’ machines.  He could build resting places in his gardens with cool flames.

14. His parks could excel Indra’s garden of ‘Nandana’.  He was stealing sandalwood on the ‘Malaya’ mountains guarded by fierce serpents.

15. His palace women were excelling the splendour of golden hue with their charming complexion.  His court yards were full of flower beds.

16. The pearls and gems in the city streets were so abundant that they appeared like stars when they flew about sky high.

17. Even at midnight his sky was filled with hundreds of moons.  People worshipped the wooden figures (of gods) with war-songs.

18. He was chasing away the elephant of Indra with his magic-created elephants.  His palaces and inner chambers were full of the wonders of the three worlds.

19. He was in possession of all kinds of riches and wealth.  He was a terrible ruler feared by his feudatories.

20. -22. The entire population of ‘asuras’ were safely resting protected by his broad shoulders.  Sambara was endowed with many good attributes and qualities.  He had an invincible army which could overwhelm the armies of Indra.  Celestial armies were swooping secretly on his armies only when he was away or asleep.

23. -24. Noticing this Sambara appointed two of his deputies, Mundikrodha and Drumāda, as commanders to protect the armies.  They were, however, killed by the armies of Indra in a guerilla attack.

25. -28. Then Sambara created some more commanders who were valourous and heroic.  Even they were killed by Indra’s armies.  Sambara became angry and decided to destroy heaven and its denizens.  Hearing this, all citizens of heaven took flight from their heaven like animals which were afraid of the lion which was the vehicle of Pārvati.  There they started weeping.  The faces of ‘apsaras’ were filled with tears.  Then heaven looked like the world at the time of dissolution.

29. -33. Seeing heaven totally empty, Sambara was terribly angry and smashed anything and everything in it that he could lay hands on.  He returned to his capital after burning down heaven.  As the enmity between ‘dānavas’ and ‘devatas’ grew in intensity, ‘devatas’ left the heaven and went underground.  Later they killed all the commandors of Sambara.  Sambara flew into a rage when this happened.  He was breathing flames.  He searched for the ‘devatas’ in all the three worlds without success.  He was like a sinner who could not lay hands on a treasure.

34. -37. Then Sambara created three Commandors who were of calm mind and of immense might.  They were fierce-looking.  They were equipped with all arts of witch craft and jugglery and deceit.  With their huge size they looked like mountains beaten by enormous wings.  They bore the names Dāma, Vyāla and Kata.  They were typal beings who performed assigned duties and no more.  Because of lack of any previous vāsanas, they had no fear, hesitation or urge to retreat or run away (from fight).  They are merely transcendental in their nature and responded only to such vibrations.

38. -42. Their body knows action.  There is nothing like mind in them.  They are born and driven by the power of ‘māya’.  They followed their nature blindly as if in a casual manner.  Their actions did not generate any vāsanas.  They moved there like a child who is semi-conscious or half-asleep.  They did not feel any self-respect (or any such feeling).  They did not notice (or concerned about) life, death, retreat or any attack on them.  They are not aware of victory or defeat.  They were concerned only with the enemy in front of them and would pound them to dust with their mighty blows.

43. -44. Sambara was very happy with these three creations of his.  He was sure that he could vanquish the armies of the enemy and felt that this armies were safe under the mighty shoulders of these three.