Destruction of the Sacrifice

Brahma said

In the battle with Vishnu, immensely strong Virabhadra remembered Shankara, remover of all hardships, in his mind. The crusher of all enemies mounted his divine chariot, took up his supreme weapons and roared like a lion. Powerful Vishnu blew his big conch Panchajanya loudly, heartening his own side. Hearing the conch the gods who had left the field and fled came back. Roaring like lions the powerful guardians of the world with Vasava fought Virabhadra and his ganas. The duels between ganas and guardians were fearful and tumultuous, with lion roars. Shakra fought Nandi and Anala fought Ashman. Powerful Kubera fought Kushmandapati. Indra struck Nandi with the hundred-spiked vajra, and Nandi struck Shakra back between the breasts with his trident. These two powerful ones fought each other cheerfully, each hoping to defeat the other. Shuchi in anger struck Ashman with a javelin, and also struck Pavaka back with a sharp trident. Mahaloka, foremost of the ganas, fought Yama, and in that clash the brave one remembered Mahadeva and was happy. Chanda, supreme among the strong, went at Nirriti, fought with his supreme weapons and discomfited him. Immensely strong, brave Munda was Varuna's equal, and fought with an excellent spear that amazed the three worlds. Vayu struck Bhringi with his very energetic weapon, and strong Bhringi struck Vayu back with a trident. Brave, powerful Kushmandapati meditated on Maheshvara in his heart and clashed with Kubera. The great leader of the bhairavis, surrounded by a circle of yoginis, shattered all the gods and drank their blood, which was extraordinary. In the same way Kshetrapala devoured the bulls among gods, and Kali shattered many and drank their blood.

Then immensely energetic Vishnu, slayer of enemies, began to fight. He flung his chakra with great force and it seemed to burn the ten directions. Kshetrapala saw it coming with great force, rushed to the spot, and violently devoured it. Vishnu, destroyer of enemy cities, saw the chakra swallowed, seized his enemy by the throat and made him vomit it out. Having got his chakra back, the greatly honourable one who alone preserves the world was filled with great rage. Angry, he picked up many weapons and fought the brave ones, cheerfully, in that great battle, showing terrible valour and hurling many tumultuous weapons. Bhairava and the others fought a great deal. The supremely energetic ones were angry and let loose many weapons. Seeing them fight infinitely energetic Hari, the powerful one withdrew from his own duel and fought him. Vishnu raised his greatly energetic chakra, and so he fell senseless. Then Bhagavan Madhava fought Virabhadra, a clash extremely terrible, enough to raise the hair on the body. By the power of yoga of Vishnu, lord of gods who lies on the water, many brave warriors arose from his body, innumerable and terrible, holding conches, chakras and maces. They roared and fought Virabhadra. These hordes were as powerful as Vishnu, held many kinds of weapons, and were brave and as radiant as Narayana. But Virabhadra remembered Lord Shiva and with his trident struck them and burned them to ashes. As if playing on the battlefield, immensely strong Virabhadra then struck Vishnu on the chest with a trident. Violently struck, Purushottama Hari lost his senses and fell to the ground.

A wonderful energy then rose from the sacrifice, like the fire of dissolution, fierce and consuming the three worlds, terrifying even the brave. The prosperous lord rose again, eyes red with rage, the bull among beings standing ready to strike with his chakra, terrible and as bright as the sun at the time of destruction. But Lord Shiva had given Virabhadra freedom from fear and he was not distressed. By the powers of Shambhu, lord of maya, the immensely radiant chakra was numbed and did not move from Hari's hand. Virabhadra, leader of the ganas, said to Vishnu, "Stay stupefied so, like a mountain summit." So Vishnu was stupefied by Virabhadra. In his mind the wielder of the Sharnga bow recited the mantras that free one from stupefaction, and Rama's lord was freed. Angrily he seized his Sharnga bow and arrows, but in that instant Virabhadra struck the bow in Hari's hand with three arrows and cut it in three. A voice told Vishnu that the radiance of the great ganas could not be withstood. Knowing it in his mind, he vanished from the spot. He understood everything that was going to happen because of what Sati had done, which no one else could tolerate. So he remembered self-ruling Shiva, lord of everything, and returned to his own world. Suffering and grieving for my son, I also went to Satyaloka, wretched, wondering what I should do.

Vishnu, I, the gods and the sages left. Everyone still at the sacrifice was beaten by the ganas. The sacrifice itself saw the calamity and the ruin of the great sacrifice, and terrified it took the form of a deer and fled. As it fled through the sky in deer form, Virabhadra seized it and cut off its head. Then the brave great gana seized Prajapati Dharma, Kashyapa, Arishtanemi, lord of sages, with his many sons, the sage Angiras, Krishashva and Datta, bull among sages. He flung them down and kicked them on the head. With the tips of his hands powerful Virabhadra cut off the nose tips of Sarasvati and the mother of the gods. The other gods and rest were thrown down on the ground and crushed. His eyes full of rage, Virabhadra crushed the foremost gods and sages. Even then he was not pacified; like the king of serpents his wrath was easily roused. He seized the enemy as a maned lion seizes a forest elephant, then looked in various directions, examining, "Who else is here?"

Meanwhile powerful Manibhadra uprooted Bhrigu, kicked him in the chest and tore off his beard. Chanda forcibly pulled out Pushan's teeth, which he had shown in joy when Hara was cursed earlier. In rage Nandi plucked out Bhaga's eyes and threw them on the ground, since Bhaga had used them to wink at Daksha when he spoke the curse. The leaders of the ganas harassed Svadha, Svaha, Dakshina, the Mantras, Tantras and the others present. In wrath the ganas showered excrement and spread it over the sacrificial fires. Those brave ganas made the sacrifice impure. Afraid of the powerful ones, Daksha had hidden inside the sacrificial altar. Virabhadra ordered him dragged out, seized him by the head and tried to cut it off with a sword, but because of Daksha's yoga powers it could not be cut. He learned that the head could not be severed by any astra or shastra, so he kicked Daksha in the chest and tore off the head with his hands. Daksha was wicked and hated Hara. Virabhadra, foremost of the ganas, threw his head into the fire pit. Wandering about trident in hand, Virabhadra shone. The angry Ranaksha and Samvarta, blazing like mountains, were easily killed by Virabhadra, who flung them into the fire like moths into a blazing flame. Seeing the foremost of Daksha's side burned, he roared with laughter that filled the three worlds, surrounded by the prosperity that befits all heroes. A divine shower of flowers fell from Nandana on Virabhadra and his ganas. Fragrant cool breezes blew gently and gave happiness, and excellent celestial drums sounded at the same time. Having accomplished his supreme task, the brave one returned to Kailasa as fast as the sun, firm destroyer of all darkness. Seeing Virabhadra succeed, Shambhu was pleased in mind, and Parameshvara made him leader of the valiant ganas.