एवं जिहासुर्नृप देहमाजौ
मृत्युं वरं विजयान्मन्यमानः ।
शूलं प्रगृह्याभ्यपतत् सुरेन्द्रं
यथा महापुरुषं कैटभोऽप्सु ॥१॥
Å›rÄ«-ṛṣir uvÄca
evaá¹ jihÄsur ná¹›pa deham Äjau
má¹›tyuá¹ varaá¹ vijayÄn manyamÄnaḥ
śūlaá¹ pragá¹›hyÄbhyapatat surendraá¹
yathÄ mahÄ-puruá¹£aá¹ kaiá¹abho 'psu
Å›rÄ«-ṛṣiḥ uvÄca - ÅšrÄ« Åšukadeva GosvÄmÄ« said; evam - thus; jihÄsuḥ - very eager to give up; ná¹›pa - O King ParÄ«ká¹£it; deham - the body; Äjau - in battle; má¹›tyum - death; varam - better; vijayÄt - than victory; manyamÄnaḥ - thinking; śūlam - trident; pragá¹›hya - taking up; abhyapatat - attacked; sura-indram - the King of heaven, Indra; yathÄ - just as; mahÄ-puruá¹£am - the Supreme Personality of Godhead; kaiá¹abhaḥ - the demon Kaiá¹abha; apsu - when the whole universe was inundated.
Åšukadeva GosvÄmÄ« said: Desiring to give up his body, Vá¹›trÄsura considered death in the battle preferable to victory. O King ParÄ«ká¹£it, he vigorously took up his trident and with great force attacked Lord Indra, the King of heaven, just as Kaiá¹abha had forcefully attacked the Supreme Personality of Godhead when the universe was inundated.
Although Vá¹›trÄsura repeatedly encouraged Indra to kill him with the thunderbolt, King Indra was morose at having to kill such a great devotee and was hesitant to throw it. Vá¹›trÄsura, disappointed that King Indra was reluctant despite his encouragement, took the initiative very forcefully by throwing his trident at Indra. Vá¹›trÄsura was not at all interested in victory; he was interested in being killed so that he could immediately return home, back to Godhead. As confirmed in Bhagavad-gÄ«tÄ (4.9), tyaktvÄ dehaá¹ punar janma naiti: after giving up his body, a devotee immediately returns to Lord Kṛṣṇa and never returns to accept another body. This was Vá¹›trÄsura’s interest.
