इत्युक्ते नृपतौ तस्मिन् व्यासेनाद्भुतकर्मणा। वासुदेवो महातेजास्ततो वचनमाददे॥ तं नृपं दीनमनसं निहतज्ञातिबान्धवम्। उपप्लुतमिवादित्यं सधूममिव पावकम्॥ निर्विण्णमनसं पार्थं ज्ञात्वा वृष्णिकुलोद्वहः। आश्वासयन् धर्मसुतं प्रवक्तुमुपचक्रमे॥
When Vyasa of wonderful deeds had concluded his speech to the king, the highly powerful son of Vasudeva (Krishna) also addressed him. Knowing the king, the son of Pritha, afflicted in mind, and bereft of his relatives and kinsmen killed in battle, and appearing crest-fallen like the sun darkened by eclipse, or fire smothered by smoke, that support of the Vrishni race (Krishna), comforting the son of Dharma, tried to address him thus.
वासुदेव उवाच सर्व जिह्यं मृत्युपदमार्जवं ब्रह्मणः पदम्। एतावान् ज्ञानविषयः किं प्रलापः करिष्यति॥
Vasudeva said All crookedness of heart brings on destruction, and all rectitude leads to Brahma. This and this only in the aim and object of all true wisdom, what can mental distraction do (to him).
नैव ते निष्ठितं कर्म नैव ते शत्रवो जिताः। कथं शत्रु शरीरस्थमात्मनो नावबुध्यसे॥
Your deed has not yet been destroyed nor have your enemies been subjugated, for you do not yet know the enemies that live within your own body.
अत्र ते वर्तयिष्यामि यथाधर्मं यथाश्रुतम्। इन्द्रस्य सह वृत्रेण यथा युद्धमवर्तत॥
I shall (therefore) relate to you truly as I have heard it, the story of the war of Indra with Vritra as It happened.
वृत्रेण पृथिवी व्याप्ता पुरा किल नराधिप। दृष्ट्वा स पृथिवीं व्याप्तां गन्धस्य विषये हते॥ धराहरणदुर्गन्धो विषयः समपद्यत। शतक्रतुशुकोपाथ गन्धस्य विषये हृते॥ वृत्रस्य स ततः क्रुद्धो घोरं वज्रमवासृजत्।
Formerly, the Earth, O king, was encompassed by Vritra, and by this abstraction of earthly matter the seat of all smeil, there arose bad odours on all sides, and the Performer of a Hundred Sacrifices (Indra), being much incensed by this deed, hurled his thunderbolt at Vritra.
स वध्यमानो वज्रेण सुभृशं भूरितेजसा॥ तोयं जग्राह विषयं ततः।
And being deeply wounded by the thunderbolt of powerful Indra, Vritra entered into the (waters), and by doing so, he destroyed their property.
अप्सु वृत्रगृहीतासु रसे च विषये हते।॥ शतक्रतुरतिक्रुद्धस्तत्र वज्रमवासृजत्।
The waters being seized by Vritra, their liquid property left them. At this Indra became wroth and again smote him with his thunderbolt.
स वध्यमानो वज्रेण तस्मिन्नमिततेजसा॥ विवेश सहसा ज्योतिर्जग्राह विषयं ततः।
And he (Vritra) smitten by the thunderbolt by the most powerful Indra went to the luminous matter and abstracted its inherent property.
व्याप्ते ज्योतिषि वृत्रेण रूपेऽथ विषये हृते।॥ शतक्रतुरतिक्रुद्धस्तत्र वज्रमवासृजत्। स वध्यमानो वज्रेण तस्मिन्नमिततेजा॥ विवेश सहसा वायुं जग्राह विषयं ततः।
The luminous matter being over whelmed by Vritra and its property, colour and form being thereby lost, the angry Indra again hurled his thunderbolt at him. And thus wounded again by Indra of great power, Vritra entered all on a sudden into the gaseous matter, and thereafter made away with its inherent property.
व्याप्ते वायौ तु वृत्रेण स्पर्शेऽथ विषये हृते॥ शतक्रतुरतिक्रुद्धस्तत्र वज्रमवासृजत्। स वध्यमानो वज्रेण तस्मिन्नमिततेजसा।॥ आकाशमभिदुद्राव जग्राह विषयं ततः। आकाशे वृत्रभूतेऽथ शब्दे च विषये हृते॥ शतक्रतुरभिक्रुद्धस्तत्र वज्रमवासृजत्।
And this matter being overpowered by Vritra and its property, touch being lost. Indra became again angry and flung his thunderbolt at him. And wounded therein by the powerful (Indra), he overwhelmed the ether, and took away its inherit property, and the ether being overwhelmed by Vritra, and its property, sound, being destroyed, the God of a Hundred Sacrifices highly enraged, again sinote him with his thunderbolt.
स वध्यमानो वज्रेण तस्मिन्नमिततेजसा॥ विवेश सहसा शक्रं जग्राह विषयं ततः।
And thus smitten by the powerful Indra, he suddenly entered into his (Shakra's) body, and took away its essential attributes.
तस्य वृत्रगृहीतस्य मोहः समभवन्महान्॥ रथन्तरेण तं तात वसिष्ठः प्रत्यबोधयत्। ततो वृत्रं शरीरस्थं जघान भरतर्षभ। शतक्रतुरदृश्येन वज्रेणेतीह नः श्रुतम्॥ इदं धन॑ रहस्यं वै शक्रेणोक्तं महर्षिषु। ऋषिभिश्च मम प्रोक्तं तन्निबोध जनाधिप।॥
And overtaken by Vritra, he was filled with great illusion. And, O venerable sir, the most powerful of Bharata's race, we have heard that Vasishtha comforted Indra and that the God of a Hundred Sacrifices killed Vritra in his body by means of his invisible thunderbolt, and know, O prince, that this religious mystery was recited by Shakra to the great sages, and they in turn told it to me.