Text 18] Vrtrasura’s Glorious Death 233

TRANSLATION

O my enemy, consider this battle a gambling match in which our
lives are the stakes, the arrows are the dice, and the animals acting
as carriers are the game board. No one can understand who will be
defeated and who will be victorious. It all depends on providence.

TEXT 18

MYR STI
gl FAT: aT AUASATTAT |
qaeas: «ede ATT: IZ

Sri-Suka uvdca
indro vrtra-vacah Ssrutva
gatalikam apijayat
grhita-vajrah prahasams
tam dha gata-vismayah

Sri-Sukah uvdca—Sri Sukadeva Gosvami said; indrah—King Indra;
urtra-vacah—the words of Vrtrasura; srutvd—hearing; gata-alikam—
without duplicity; apijayat—worshiped; grhita-vajrah—taking up the
thunderbolt; prahasan—smiling; tam—unto Vrtrasura; a@ha—said;
gata-vismayah—giving up his wonder.

TRANSLATION

Sukadeva Gosvami said: Hearing the straightforward, instruc-
tive words of Vrtrasura, King Indra praised him and again took the
thunderbolt in his hand. Without bewilderment or duplicity, he
then smiled and spoke to Vrtrasura as follows.

PURPORT

King Indra, the greatest of the demigods, was astonished to hear the
instructions of Vrtrasura, who was supposed to be a demon. He was
struck with wonder that a demon could speak so intelligently. Then he
remembered great devotees like Prahlada Maharaja and Bali Maharaja,
who had been born in the families of demons, and thus he came to his
