“Markandeya said, ‘Thus addressed by Utanka, that unvanquished royal
sage, with joined hands, O thou foremost of the Kuru race, replied unto
Utanka, saying, ‘This visit of thine, O Brahmana, will not be in vain.
This my son, O holy one, known by the name of Kuvalaswa is endued with
steadiness and activity. In prowess also he is unequalled on earth.
Without doubt he will accomplish all this that is agreeable to thee,
aided by all his brave sons endued with arms like unto iron maces. Give
me leave to retire, O Brahmana, for I have now given up my weapons.’ Thus
addressed by the king, that Muni of immeasurable energy replied unto him,
saying, ‘So be it.” And the royal sage Vrihadaswa then, having commended
his son to obey the behest of the high-souled Utanka saying, ‘Let it be
done by thee,’ himself retired into an excellent forest.’
“Yudhishthira said, ‘O holy one, O thou possessed of the wealth of
asceticism, who was this Daitya of great energy? Whose son and whose
grandson was he? I desire to know all this; O thou possessed of the
wealth of asceticism I never heard of this mighty Daitya before. I desire
to know all this truly, O holy one, and with all particulars in detail, O
thou of great wisdom and ascetic wealth!’
“Markandeya said, ‘O monarch, know everything as it happened, O ruler of
men, as I narrate the particulars truly, O thou of great wisdom! When the
world became one broad expanse of water and creatures mobile and immobile
were destroyed, when, O bull of the Bharata race, the entire creation
came to its end. He who is the Source and Creator of the Universe, viz.,
the Eternal and unfading Vishnu, He who is called by Munis crowned with
ascetic success as the Supreme Lord of the Universe, that Being of great
holiness, then lay in Yoga sleep on the wide hood of the Snake Sesha of
immeasurable energy, and the Creator of the Universe, that highly-blessed
and holy Hari, knowing no deterioration, lay on the hood of that Snake
encircling the whole Earth and as the Deity lay asleep on that bed, a
lotus, endued with great beauty and effulgence equal unto that of the
Sun, sprang from his navel. And from that lotus possessed of effulgence
like unto the Sun’s, sprang the Grandsire Brahma, that lord of the worlds
who is the four Vedas, who hath four forms and four faces, who is
invincible in consequence of his own energy and who is endued with mighty
strength and great prowess and as the Lord Hari of wondrous frame,
possessed of great lustre and decked with a crown and the Kaustubha gem
and attired in purple silk, lay stretched for many a yojana on that
excellent bed furnished by the hood of the snake itself extending far and
wide, blazing, O king, in his beauty and the lustre of his own body like
a thousand Suns concentrated in one mass. He was beheld some time after
by two Danavas of great prowess named Madhu and Kaitabha and beholding
Hari (in that posture) and the Grandsire with eyes like lotus-leaves
seated on that lotus, both Madhu and Kaitabha wandered much and they
began to terrify and alarm Brahma of immeasurable prowess, and the
illustrious Brahma alarmed by their continued exertions trembled on his
seat, and at his trembling the stalk of the lotus on which he was seated
began to tremble and when the lotus-stalk trembled, Kesava awoke. And
awakened from his slumber, Govinda beheld those Danavas of mighty energy,
and beholding them the Deity said unto them, ‘Welcome, ye mighty ones! I
am gratified with you! Therefore, I will grant you excellent boons!’ And
thereupon both those proud and mighty Danavas, O king, laughingly replied
unto Hrishikesa, saying, ‘Ask boons of us, O Divine one! O thou that art
the Supreme Deity, we are disposed to grant thee a boon. Indeed, we will
grant thee a boon! Therefore, ask thou of us anything that cometh to thy
mind.’ Thus addressed by them the holy one spoke, ‘Ye brave ones, I will
accept a boon from you. There is a boon that I desire. Both of you are
possessed of mighty energy. There is no male person like unto any of you.
O ye of unbaffled prowess, submit ye to be slain by me. Even that is what
I desire to accomplish for the good of the world.’ Hearing these words of
the Deity, both Madhu and Kaitabha said, ‘We have never before spoken an
untruth; no, not even in jest; what shall we say of other occasions! O
thou foremost of male Beings, know that we have ever been firm in truth
and morality. In strength, in forms, in beauty, in virtue, in asceticism,
in charity, in behaviour, in goodness, in self control, there is no one
equal unto either of us. A great danger, O Kesava, hath approached us.
Accomplish thou, therefore, what thou hast said. No one can prevail over
Time. But, O Lord, there is one thing that we desire to be done by thee.
O thou best and foremost of all Deities, thou must slay us at a spot that
is absolutely uncovered. And, O thou of excellent eyes, we also desire to
become thy sons. This is the boon that we desire, know then, O chief of
the gods! Let not that O Deity, be false which thou hadst at first
promised to us.’ The Holy One then replied unto them saying, ‘Yes, I will
do as ye desire. Everything will be as ye wish!’
“Markandeya continued, ‘Then Govinda began to reflect but uncovered space
found he none and when he could not discover any spot that was uncovered
on earth or in the sky, that foremost Deity then beheld his thighs to be
absolutely uncovered. And there, O king, the illustrious Deity cut off
the heads of Madhu and Kaitabha with his keenedged discus!’”