महाप्राणो महावीर्यो महासर्प इव द्विपम् । कृत्वाधरां हनुं भूमौ दैत्यो दिव्युत्तरां हनुम् । नभोगम्भीरवक्त्रेण लेलिहोल्बणजिह्वया ॥ २७ ॥ दंष्ट्राभि: कालकल्पाभिर्ग्रसन्निव जगत्त्रयम् । अतिमात्रमहाकाय आक्षिपंस्तरसा गिरीन् ॥ २८ ॥ गिरिराट् पादचारीव पद्भ्यां निर्जरयन् महीम् । जग्रास स समासाद्य वज्रिणं सहवाहनम् ॥ २९ ॥
maha-prano maha-viryo maha-sarpa iva dvipam krtvadharam hanum bhumau daityo divy uttaram hanum nabho-gambhira-vaktrena leliholbana-jihvaya damstrabhih kala-kalpabhir grasann iva jagat-trayam atimatra-maha-kaya aksipams tarasa girin giri-rat pada-cariva padbhyam nirjarayan mahim jagrasa sa samasadya vajrinam saha-vahanam
- maha-pranah
- very great in bodily strength
- maha-viryah
- showing uncommon prowess
- maha-sarpah
- the biggest snake
- iva
- like
- dvipam
- an elephant
- krtva
- placing
- adharam
- the lower
- hanum
- jaw
- bhumau
- on the ground
- daityah
- the demon
- divi
- in the sky
- uttaram hanum
- the upper jaw
- nabhah
- like the sky
- gambhira
- deep
- vaktrena
- with his mouth
- leliha
- like a snake
- ulbana
- fearful
- jihvaya
- with a tongue
- damstrabhih
- with teeth
- kala-kalpabhih
- exactly like the time factor, or death
- grasan
- devouring
- iva
- as if
- jagat-trayam
- the three worlds
- ati-matra
- very high
- maha-kayah
- whose great body
- aksipan
- shaking
- tarasa
- with great force
- girin
- the mountains
- giri-rat
- the Himalaya Mountains
- pada-cari
- moving on foot
- iva
- as if
- padbhyam
- by his feet
- nirjarayan
- crushing
- mahim
- the surface of the world
- jagrasa
- swallowed
- sah
- he
- samasadya
- reaching
- vajrinam
- Indra, who carries the thunderbolt
- saha-vahanam
- with his carrier, the elephant
Vrtrasura was very powerful in physical strength and influence. He placed his lower jaw on the ground and his upper jaw in the sky. His mouth became very deep, like the sky itself, and his tongue resembled a large serpent. With his fearful, deathlike teeth, he seemed to be trying to devour the entire universe. Thus assuming a gigantic body, the great demon Vrtrasura shook even the mountains and began crushing the surface of the earth with his legs, as if he were the Himalayas walking about. He came before Indra and swallowed him and Airavata, his carrier, just as a big python might swallow an elephant.