"Lomasa said, 'The Kalakeyas then having recourse to that receptacle of
waters, which is the abode of Varuna, began their operations for the
destruction of the universe. And during the darkness of the night those
angry Daityas began to devour the Munis they found in woody retreats and
sacred spots. And those wicked wretches devoured in the asylum of
Vasishtha, Brahmanas to the number of a hundred and eighty, besides nine
other ascetics. And, proceeding to the asylum of Chyavana that was
inhabited by many _Brahmacharis_, they devoured a century of Brahmanas
that lived upon fruit and roots alone. And they began to do all this
during the darkness of the night, while they entered the depths of the
sea by day. And they slew a full score of Brahmanas of subdued souls and
leading a Brahmacharya mode of life and living upon air and water alone,
in the retreat of Bharadwaja. And it was thus that those Danavas the
Kalakeyas, intoxicated with prowess of arms and their lives nearly run
out, gradually invaded all the asylums of the Rishis during the darkness
of the night, slaughtering numerous Brahmanas. And, O best of men,
although the Danavas behaved in this way towards the ascetics in woody
retreats, yet men failed to discover anything of them. And every morning
people saw the dead bodies of Munis emaciated with frugal diet, lying on
the ground. And many of those bodies were without flesh and without
blood, without marrow, without entrails, and with limbs separated from
one another. And here and there lay on the ground heaps of bones like
masses of conch shells. And the earth was scattered over with the
(sacrificial) contents of broken jars and shattered ladles for pouring
libations of clarified butter and with the sacred fires kept with care
by the ascetics. And the universe afflicted with the terror of the
Kalakeyas, being destitute of Vedic studies and _vashats_ and
sacrificial festivals and religious rites, became entirely cheerless.
And, O king, when men began to perish in this way, the survivors,
afflicted with fear, fled for their lives in all directions. And some
fled to caverns and some behind mountain-streams and springs and some
through fear of death, died without much ado. And some who were brave
and mighty bowmen cheerfully went out and took great trouble in tracking
the Danavas. Unable, however, to find them out, for the Asuras had
sought refuge in the depths of the sea, these brave men came back to
their homes gratified with the search. And, O lord of men, when the
universe was being thus destroyed, and when sacrificial festivals and
religious rites had been suspended, the gods became deeply afflicted.
And gathering together with Indra in their midst they began, from fear,
to take counsel of one another. And repairing unto the exalted and
uncreate Narayana--that unvanquished god of Vaikuntha--the celestials
sought his protection. And bowing unto the slayer of Madhu, the gods
addressed him, saying, "O lord, thou art the creator, the protector, and
the slayer of ourselves as well as of the universe. It is thou who has
created this universe with its mobile and immobile creatures. O thou of
eyes like lotus leaves, it was thou who in days of yore hadst for the
benefit of all creatures raised from the sea the sunken earth, assuming
also the form of a boar. And, O best of male beings, assuming also the
form of half-man and half-lion, thou hadst slain in days of yore that
ancient Daitya of mighty prowess known by the name of Hiranyakasipu. And
that other great Asura also, Vali by name, was incapable of being slain
by any one. Assuming the form of a dwarf, thou exiledest him from the
three worlds. O lord, it was by thee that that wicked Asura, Jambha by
name, who was a mighty bowman and who always obstructed sacrifices, was
slain. Achievements like these, which cannot be counted, are thine. O
slayer of Madhu, we who have been afflicted with fear, have thee for our
refuge. It is for this, O god of gods, that we inform thee of our
present troubles. Protect the worlds, the gods, and Sakra also, from a
terrible fear."'"