Chapter 18

The holy one said, “After the krita-yuga had elapsed, the gods, desirousof performing a sacrifice, duly made preparation for one according to thedirections laid down in the Vedas. They collected clarified butter andthe other requisites. And they not only devised what the requisites oftheir sacrifice should be, but also determined those amongst themselvesthat should have a share in the sacrificial offerings.

Not knowing Rudra truly, the celestials, O king, assigned no share forthe divine Sthanu. Seeing that the celestials assigned to him no share inthe sacrificial offerings, Sthanu, clad in deer skins, desired to destroythat Sacrifice and with that object constructed a bow. There are fourkinds of Sacrifices: the loka Sacrifice, the Sacrifice of special rites,the eternal domestic Sacrifice, and the Sacrifice consisting in thegratification derived by man from his enjoyment of the five elementalsubstances and their compounds. It is from these four kinds of Sacrificethat the universe has sprung. Kapardin constructed that bow using asmaterials the first and the fourth kinds of Sacrifices. The length ofthat bow was five cubits. The sacred (mantra) “vashat,” O Bharata, wasmade its string. The four parts, of which a Sacrifice consists, becamethe adornments of that bow.

Then Mahadeva, filled with rage, and taking up that bow, proceeded tothat spot where the celestials were engaged in their Sacrifice. Beholdingthe unfading Rudra arrive there attired as a brahmacari and armed withthat bow, the goddess Earth shrunk with fear and the very mountains beganto tremble. The very wind ceased to move, and fire itself, though fed,did not blaze forth. The stars in the firmament, in anxiety, began towander in irregular courses. The Sun’s splendour decreased. The disc ofthe Moon lost its beauty. The entire welkin became enveloped in a thickgloom. The celestials, overwhelmed, knew not what to do. Their Sacrificeceased to blaze forth. The gods were all terrified. Rudra then piercedthe embodiment of Sacrifice with a fierce shaft in the heart. Theembodied form of Sacrifice, assuming the shape of a deer, fled away, withthe god of fire. Approaching heaven in that form, he blazed forth inbeauty. Rudra, however, O Yudhishthira, pursued him through the skies.After Sacrifice had fled away, the gods lost their splendour. Having losttheir senses, the gods were stupefied.

Then the three-eyed Mahadeva, with his bow, broke in rage the arms ofSavitri, and plucked out the eyes of Bhaga and the teeth of Pushana. Thegods then fled away, as also all the several parts of Sacrifice. Someamongst them, reeling as they sought to fly away, fell down senseless.The blue-throated Rudra, having agitated them thus, laughed aloud, andwhirling the horn of his bow, paralysed them. The celestials then uttereda cry. At their command, the string of the bow broke. The string havingbroken, the bow became stretched into a line. The gods then approachedthe bowless god of gods and, with the embodied form of Sacrifice, soughtthe protection of the puissant Mahadeva and endeavoured to gratify him.

Gratified, the great god threw his wrath into the water, O king, thatwrath, assuming the form of fire, is always employed in consuming thatliquid element. He then gave unto Savitri his arms, Bhaga his eyes, andPushana his teeth. And he also restored the Sacrifices themselves, OPandava! The world once more became safe and sound. The gods assignedunto Mahadeva all the libations of clarified butter as the share of greatdeity. O monarch, when Mahadeva had become angry, the whole world hadthus become agitated: when he became gratified everything became safe.Possessed of great energy, the god Mahadeva was gratified withAshvatthama. It was for this that thy sons, those mighty car-warriors,could be slain by that warrior. It was for this that many other heroes,the Pancalas, with all their followers, could be slain by him. Thoushouldst not suffer thy mind to dwell on it. It was not Drona’s son thataccomplished that act. It was done through the grace of Mahadeva. Do nowwhat should next be done.”