Third Skandha

Chapter 3(1): 45 shlokas

Chapter 3(2): 34 shlokas

Chapter 3(3): 28 shlokas

Chapter 3(4): 36 shlokas

Chapter 3(5): 51 shlokas

Chapter 3(6): 40 shlokas

Chapter 3(7): 42 shlokas

Chapter 3(8): 33 shlokas

Chapter 3(9): 44 shlokas

Chapter 3(10): 28 shlokas

Chapter 3(11): 41 shlokas

Chapter 3(12): 57 shlokas

Chapter 3(13): 51 shlokas

Chapter 3(14): 50 shlokas

Chapter 3(15): 50 shlokas

Chapter 3(16): 36 shlokas

Chapter 3(17): 31 shlokas

Chapter 3(18): 28 shlokas

Chapter 3(19): 38 shlokas

Chapter 3(20): 53 shlokas

Chapter 3(21): 56 shlokas

Chapter 3(22): 39 shlokas

Chapter 3(23): 57 shlokas

Chapter 3(24): 47 shlokas

Chapter 3(25): 44 shlokas

Chapter 3(26): 72 shlokas

Chapter 3(27): 30 shlokas

Chapter 3(28): 44 shlokas

Chapter 3(29): 45 shlokas

Chapter 3(30): 34 shlokas

Chapter 3(31): 48 shlokas

Chapter 3(32): 43 shlokas

Chapter 3(33): 37 shlokas

Chapter 3(1)

‘Shri-Shuka said, “Kshatta gave up his own home and prosperity and entered the forest. In earlier times, he asked the illustrious Maitreya these questions. 682 This residence was one where the illustrious lord of everything 683 had himself entered, after being dishonoured in the palace of the Indra among the Pouravas.”’

The king asked, ‘Where did Kshatta and the illustrious Maitreya meet? What did they converse about? O lord! Tell us this. Vidura’s atman was cleansed and this couldn’t have been about a trifling matter. It must have been a supreme question, praised by virtuous ones.’

Suta replied, ‘The noble rishi 684 was thus asked by King Parikshit. Extremely delighted in his soul, he answered, “Listen.”

‘Shri-Shuka said, “The king’s sons were wicked. However, because his foresight had been destroyed, he supported them in adharma. His younger brother’s sons had no guardian. When they entered the house of lac, it was set on fire. She was the queen of the lord among the Kurus. 685 His son performed the contemptible deed of dragging her to the assembly hall by her hair. Despite her being his daughter-in-law, the king did not restrain him. Her own tears washed away the kunkuma on her breasts. Through adharma, the virtuous one was defeated in gambling with the dice. He stuck to truth and went to the forest. Ajatashatru returned and asked for what had been pledged to him. However, overwhelmed by confusion, he 686 did not grant it to him. Requested by the Parthas, Krishna, the preceptor of the universe, went to the assembly hall. Some men present thought that his words were like amrita. However, the king, 687 with his store of good merits exhausted, did not think that this was the case. He, 688 best among advisers, was invited by his elder brother, who consulted him. Vidura went to his house and the advice he offered is known as Vaidurika. 689 ‘You must give Ajatashatru’s share to him. 690 You have caused terrible hardships to him and he has been patient. You are terrified of Vrikodara, who is hissing like a serpent, along with his younger brothers, because of this. The illustrious god, Mukunda, has accepted the Parthas and so have the gods and the gods on earth. 691 The god of all the lords of the Yadus 692 has vanquished all the kings of men and is now in his own city. You have lost all prosperity because you have turned yourself away from Krishna. You are nurturing him 693 because you take him to be your son. He is evil personified and has entered your house. He hates Purusha. For the sake of the lineage, you should swiftly cast him away.’ Kshatta, whose conduct was praised by the virtuous, spoke in this way. However, because of his increasing rage, Suyodhana’s lips quivered. With Karna, his younger brother 694 and Soubala, 695 he showed him disrespect. ‘Who has invited this deceitful person here? 696 This suta is a servant who has been nourished by our offerings. Yet, he acts against us and serves the cause of the enemy. Let him remain alive, but swiftly banish him from the city.’ In his brother’s presence, he was pierced in his inner organs and suffered severely from arrows that entered through the ears. 697 But he was not distressed or agitated, because he understood that all this was because of maya. He placed his own bow near the door and left. The Kouravas had obtained him because of their good deeds, but he departed. Having left Gajasahvya, he visited, one after another, places that were tirthas, on foot. To accumulate merit, he wished to visit spots where the one with one thousand forms had manifested himself. He travelled to cities, sacred groves, forests, mountains, bowers and the clear water of rivers and lakes. These were decorated with signs of the infinite one. He was unaccompanied by anyone else and travelled to all these tirthas. Alone, he wandered around the earth, pure in conduct. He bathed and lay down on the ground, like an avadhuta. He was alone and unnoticed and in the attire of an avadhuta. He observed vows to satisfy Hari. He thus roamed around Bharatavarsha. In the course of time, he went to Prabhasa. At that time, through the favours of the unvanquished one, 698 Partha 699 ruled the entire earth as an emperor, under one single umbrella. 700 There, he heard about the destruction of his well-wishers, 701 who were burnt down in the forest, just as the fire consumes a grove of bamboo, when one bamboo rubs against another. 702 He thought about their being burnt down and silently went to the Sarasvati, which flows in a western direction. He went to tirthas sacred to Trita, Ushanas, Manu, Prithu, Agni, Asita, Vayu, Sudasa, Go, 703 Guha and Shraddhadeva. There, he also went to many other temples that were constructed by the best among brahmanas and gods and dedicated to the many forms of Vishnu, marked by his many signs. Having seen them, one remembers Krishna. From there, he passed through prosperous tracts like Surashtra, Souvira, Matsya and Kurujangala. In the course of time, he reached the Yamuna and saw Uddhava, who was devoted to the lord, there.

‘“With deep affection, he embraced the fortunate and tranquil one, who followed Vasudeva and earlier, had been like Brihaspati’s son. 704 He asked him about his own relatives, who were the subjects of the illustrious one. ‘Are those two ancient Purushas, 705 who descended because they were requested by the one who was born from his navel, 706 well in Shura’s 707 house? Have they achieved their objective of ensuring the welfare of the world? O dear one! Is the beloved brother-in-law of the Kurus, Shouri, 708 happy? Like a father, he gives generously to his own sisters. He is supreme among those who are generous and causes satisfaction through his gifts. O dear one! Is the brave Pradyumna, the commander of the armies of the Yadus, happy? In an earlier life, he had been the god of life and through the illustrious one, Rukmini obtained him as a son, after worshipping brahmanas. Is the lord 709 of the Satvatas, Vrishnis, Bhojas and Dasharhas happy? He had given up hopes of being a king and had gone far away, but the lotus-eyed one 710 instated him again. O amiable one! The virtuous Samba is foremost among charioteers. He is Hari’s son and is just like him. In earlier life, he used to be Guha, 711 born in Ambika’s womb. Because Jambavati was firm in her vows, he has been born as her son. Is he well? Is Yuyudhana 712 well? He learnt the secrets of wielding the bow from Phalguna. By serving Adhokshaja, he swiftly attained an end that is extremely difficult for even mendicants to achieve. Is Shvaphalka’s learned and faultless son, 713 who has sought refuge with the illustrious one, well? Filled with love, he lost his mental equilibrium and rolled around on the dust in the road, marked by Krishna’s footprints. Is the daughter of Devaka, the Bhoja, well? 714 She gave birth to Vishnu and is like the mother of the gods. She bore the god in her womb, just as the three 715 contain the meanings that expand into sacrifices. Is the illustrious Aniruddha happy? He yields all the objects of desire for the Satvatas and has been thought of as the source of sound. 716 He rules the mind and is the fourth principle presiding over sattva. 717 O amiable one! Are Hridika, Satya’s 718 son, Charudeshna, Gada and the others well? They surround and follow him, 719 like the divinity who rules their atmans. Are they wandering around in peace? Is Dharma 720 using his own two arms and the two arms of Vijaya 721 and Achyuta to maintain the ordinances of dharma? Witnessing the prosperity of his kingdom, obtained through Vijaya’s service, Duryodhana was tormented in his assembly hall. How is Bhima? For a long time, he has sighed like a snake, intolerant and angry at those who had caused them injuries. In the field of battle, the earth could not tolerate the stride of his steps, when he roamed around with his club, executing wonderful modes of action. How is the famous one, the leader of arrays of chariots? He is the one who destroyed the enemy with his Gandiva bow. Once, when Girisha used his maya and arrived undetected, in the form of a hunter, he covered him with his deep and mysterious arrows. The twins were brought up as Pritha’s sons and were surrounded and protected by the eyes of the Parthas. After seizing their share from the enemy in the battle, they found delight, like Suparna from the mouth of the wielder of the vajra. 722 How wonderful! Pritha remained alive for the sake of her fatherless sons, though she was deprived of the noble royal sage. 723 He was a great and brave charioteer and alone, without using a second bow, conquered the four directions. O amiable one! I sorrow over the one who descended into darkness and acted against his brother, 724 after he left for the hereafter. Because he followed his sons, though I was a well-wisher, he drove me out of his city. Despite the scorn, I could see that Hari ordains the actions of men in this mortal world. Through his favours, undetected, I followed in his footsteps. Seeing all this, I wandered around, without any wonder. Indeed, if men seek refuge with him and desire to be freed of their afflictions, the lord frees them from the three kinds of wrong paths. 725 The Kurus repeatedly made the earth tremble with their armies, committing crimes. However, the illustrious one ignored them. He is the one without birth. He has been born to destroy those who tread along wrong paths. Though he has no acts to perform, he takes up acts for the sake of men. He is supreme and beyond the qualities and beyond the course of action. Why else does he resort to yoga and assume a body? Therefore, all the guardians of the world seek refuge with him. Though without birth, he has been born in the lineage of the Yadus for the sake of those who subject themselves to his control. His deeds are chanted about at tirthas. O friend! Recount his conduct to me.’”’

Chapter 3(2)

‘Shri-Shuka said, “The devotee of the illustrious one was thus asked about the news and welfare of the beloved one by Kshatta. However, he 726 remembered the lord and was filled with anxiety. He was not interested in replying. When he was a mere child of five and was invited by his mother to have breakfast, because he was serving him in his childhood pastimes, he was not interested in having it. 727 In the course of time, he continued to serve him until he became old. When he was asked and tried to reply, he remembered his master’s feet. He remained silent for a muhurta, extremely content at the nectar from Krishna’s lotus feet. The virtuous one withdrew and immersed himself in a deep act of bhakti yoga. Every limb in his body was in rapture. His eyes were closed and he wiped away the tears of grief. The signs were evident that he was completely submerged in his great love 728 and that his objective had been completely achieved. Gradually, he again returned from the world of the illustrious one to the world of men. He wiped his eyes. Smiling, Uddhava spoke affectionately to Vidura.

‘“Uddhava replied, ‘How can I speak about our welfare? Our houses have lost their prosperity. Krishna was like the sun and it has set. We have been swallowed by a boa constrictor. 729 This is indeed a great misfortune for this world, and especially for the Yadus. Like fish with the moon, 730 they dwelt with Hari and did not recognize him. The Satvatas possessed the wisdom of experience and could identify signs. However, they did not know him as the one who pervades all living beings, but only as a bull among the Satvatas. The wisdom of those who have surrendered their atmans to Hari’s atman is not confused by those who resort to wickedness and are touched by the god’s maya. He showed himself to men who had not performed austerities, thus possessing imperfect insight. He has now vanished, withdrawing his form from the sight of the world. He used his own yoga for pastimes in the mortal world. He assumed that form to exhibit the strength of his maya. The prosperity and opulence of his form is a reason for surprise. It is a supreme state, the best ornament among all the ornaments on the limbs. At the royal sacrifice performed by Dharma’s son, 731 all the three worlds could see that beautiful form and thought that all of Brahma’s 732 skills had been used up in creating the form that has now left. The women of Vraja were devoted to him. They were overwhelmed by his laughter, dalliances and pastimes. They followed him with their glances and their minds, leaving their tasks incomplete. He is compassionate towards those who are themselves peaceful, according to their own natures, but suffer at the hands of those who are otherwise. He is the lord of the highest and the lowest. 733 Though he has no birth, the illustrious one was born like the fire, 734 united with a part of Mahat. I grieve that the one who has no birth was born in a degraded state in Vasudeva’s house. He was himself infinite in valour. However, because of fear, he left the city and dwelt in Vraja. 735 I grieve when I remember that he worshipped the feet of his parents and said, “O father! O mother! We are extremely scared because of Kamsa. Since we have not been able to perform our duties towards you, please pardon us.” If a man has smelt the dust on the lord’s lotus feet, he will not be able to forget the lord. Like Death, he knit the eyebrows and chastised and removed the earth’s burden. Indeed, you have seen how Chedi hated Krishna, but obtained success at the royal sacrifice. 736 All the yogis desire this ultimate end and practise yoga. How can one tolerate separation from him? In that way, there were other brave ones in the world of men. In the battle, their eyes drank in Krishna’s lotus face, delightful to see. Purified by Partha’s weapons, they obtained his feet. He has no peer and is himself the lord of the three 737 and superior to them. His own kingdom is full of prosperity and all the objects of desire. All the guardians of the worlds offer sacrifices to him. Crores of diadems bow down before his hallowed feet. Thus, we were indeed his servants and attendants. O dear one! It pained us that he stood before Ugrasena, who was seated on a grand throne, addressed him as a lord and asked him to listen to him. Alas! The female crane 738 had virulent poison in her breasts. The wicked one wished to kill him and nurtured him with this. However, she obtained a state 739 that was appropriate for a proper nurse. Who is as compassionate as him? Which refuge will we go to? I think that the asuras are devotees of the illustrious lord of the three. They focused their intelligence along the path of enmity towards him, though they could see him descend with the weapon with the excellent nave, 740 on the shoulders of Tarkshya’s son. 741 He was born to Vasudeva and Devaki, in the prison of the Indra among the Bhojas. 742 This was because the one without birth 743 prayed and wished that the illustrious one should bring about peace. Thereafter, terrified of Kamsa, his father brought him to Nanda in Vraja. With Bala, 744 he dwelt there for eleven years, like a fire whose flames are hidden. He was surrounded by cowherds. The lord wandered around, tending to calves. He roamed around along the banks of the Yamuna, in groves where the trees were thick with the calling of birds. When he was young, his deeds, worthy of being seen, could only be seen by the residents of Vraja. He wept and he laughed. He was enchanting to behold, like a young lion. He tended to the wealth in the form of cattle, with white cows and bulls, Lakshmi’s abode. He herded them and the cowherds followed him and the tunes of his lovely flute. The king of Bhoja engaged those who could assume any form at will and were accomplished in maya. 745 However, he killed them in sport, like a child destroying a puppet. There were those who were distressed because they had drunk the poison of the lord of the serpents. 746 However, he chastised him, arose 747 and made the cows drink the water, to show that it had been restored to its natural state. With supreme brahmanas, he made the king of the gopas 748 perform a sacrifice dedicated to cattle. The lord desired to use the great wealth in this virtuous way. Enraged at the dishonour and extremely agitated, Indra showered down on Vraja. O fortunate one! Playfully, he showed his favours and saved them by holding up Govardhana like a mountain. The autumn evenings were radiant with the beams of the moon. He showed his respect for this by enjoying himself, singing melodious songs, with him at the centre and surrounded by a circle of women.’”’

Chapter 3(3)

‘“Uddhava said, ‘Desiring to ensure the welfare of his own parents, he went to the city with Baladeva. They brought down the leader of the enemies from his lofty seat. They killed him and energetically dragged him along the ground. Having heard them uttered only once, he studied and learnt all the Vedas from Sandipani. He granted him the boon of bringing his dead son back to life from Panchajana’s stomach. 749 There were those who had been invited by Bhishmaka for his daughter and were attracted by her beauty and complexion. 750 However, he carried her off as his own desire, intending to follow the conduct of gandharvas 751 and taking away his own share, like Suparna. 752 He placed his foot on the heads of others. In a svayamvara, he tamed bulls whose noses had not been pierced and married Nagnajiti. 753 There were ignorant and routed ones who desired her and they wielded weapons. Without being injured, he killed them with his own weapons. The lord behaved like an ordinary person and wished to please his beloved. Therefore, the lord seized the tree 754 from the king of the gods. Blind with rage, the wielder of the vajra rushed towards him, with his companions, like a male deer that has been urged on by its wives. 755 The earth saw that her son was about to devour the sky with his mouth and was crushed by the weapon with the excellent nave in a battle. 756 She prayed to him and he gave what was left of the kingdom to his son 757 and entered his inner quarters. There were daughters of kings who had been abducted by Kuja. 758 On seeing Hari, the friend of the afflicted, they were delighted and immediately arose. They glanced at him, eyes full of bashfulness and affection, and accepted him. 759 Those women were placed in different chambers. He used his maya and simultaneously, in the same muhurta, married all of them, following the respective prescribed rites. He desired to expand his Prakriti. Therefore, through each of them, he had ten sons each, who were like him in every possible way. Kala, 760 Magadha 761 and Shalva laid siege to the city 762 with their armies. He energized his own men with his divine energy and got them killed. 763 There were Shambara, Dvivida, Bana, Mura, Balvala and others like Dantavakra. He killed some himself and had others killed. 764 The lord had the kings who sided with your brothers’ sons, 765 making the earth tremble with their armies, brought down in Kurukshetra. Suyodhana listened to the wicked advice of Karna, Duhshasana and Soubala and was forced to lie down on the ground with his followers, robbed of his prosperity and lifespan. The powerful one’s thighs were shattered. However, on seeing this, he was not happy. “This great burden of the earth has been removed. 766 Eighteen akshouhinis have been uprooted by Drona, Bhishma, Arjuna and Bhima. However, there remains an invincible army of Yadus, born from my portions. They will quarrel with each other. They will be intoxicated by drinking and their eyes will turn coppery red. With the exception of this, there is no other way to destroy them. After I have vanished, this will automatically happen.” Having thought this, the illustrious one established Dharmaja 767 in his own kingdom. He delighted his well-wishers and showed virtuous people the path. Through Abhimanyu, Uttara bore the descendant of the Purus. He was burnt down by the weapon of Drona’s son, but was again brought back to life by the illustrious one. The lord made Dharma’s son perform three horse sacrifices. He followed Krishna and with his younger brothers, happily protected the earth. The illustrious one is the atman of the universe. He traversed the path of the Vedas, followed by the worlds. He enjoyed all the objects of pleasure in Dvaraka. However, he was non-attached and based himself on samkhya. His glances were gentle and smiling. His words were akin to nectar. His character was without blemish. His atman was Shri’s abode. He brought joy to this world and the next, especially to the Yadus. During the night, as a well-wisher, he gave short spans of time to the women and made them enjoy for a while. He thus found pleasure for many years. However, detachment towards the mode of life of householders set in. Objects of pleasure are subject to destiny. Man himself is subject to destiny. A person who follows the lord of yoga cannot find solace in such things alone. Once upon a time, the princes of the Yadus and the Bhojas were playing. The sages, who knew the intentions of the illustrious one, cursed them. Some months passed. Confounded by the god, the Vrishnis, Bhojas, Andhakas and others cheerfully went to Prabhasa on their chariots. They bathed there and offered the water to the ancestors, the gods and the rishis. They satisfied the brahmanas by giving them cows that possessed many qualities. They gave them gold, silver, beds, garments, hides, blankets, vehicles, chariots, elephants, maidens and land for sustenance. They gave them delicious food that had first been offered to the illustrious one. Those brave ones served cattle and brahmanas and bowed their heads down on the ground.’”’

Chapter 3(4)

‘“Uddhava said, ‘Having been permitted by them, they ate and drank varuni. 768 They were deprived of their senses and pierced each other’s hearts with harsh words. Because of the taints associated with the maireya, 769 they lost their mental equilibrium. There was a sound like that of bamboos rubbing against each other. The illustrious one saw what had been brought by his own maya. He touched the waters of the Sarasvati and sat down at the bottom of a tree. The illustrious one removes the afflictions of those who seek refuge with him. However, he desired to destroy his own lineage and told me to go to Badari. O destroyer of enemies! Though I knew about his intentions, I followed my master at the rear. I was incapable of distancing myself from his feet. I saw my beloved lord seated alone, thinking. The one who is Shri’s abode had found shelter near the Sarasvati, as if he was without a shelter. His clear and beautiful complexion was dark. His eyes, red like the rising sun, were tranquil. He could be recognized because of his four arms and his yellow silk garments. At that time, a devotee of the illustrious one arrived there. 770 He was devoted to him and was Dvaipayana’s friend and well-wisher. He had obtained success and had been travelling around the world, as he wished. The sage was attached to Mukunda. His mind was delighted and his shoulders were bent down. While he heard, he 771 smiled affectionately at me. He glanced at me. After I rested, he spoke to me.

‘“‘The illustrious one said, “I am inside all minds and know what you wish for. What I give you will be extremely difficult for others to obtain. O Vasu! 772 In ancient times, the creators of the universe 773 and the Vasus performed a sacrifice, desiring to obtain success from me. O virtuous one! This is your last birth, since you have obtained my favours. I am in this secluded spot, so as to leave the world of men, and you have come to me, fixed in your devotion. It is your good fortune that you have seen me. In ancient times, at the beginning of the original creation, I spoke to Aja, 774 who was situated in the lotus in my navel. This was supreme knowledge, indicating my greatness. The gods refer to this as the Bhagavata.” I was thus addressed by the supreme Purusha. I have obtained his favours at every instant. Because of my affection, my body hair stood up. My words faltered. I wiped the tears from my eyes, joined my hands in salutation and said, “Our lord! If a person serves at your lotus feet, which of the four objectives of the world 775 will be difficult to obtain? O great one! Even then, I am not asking for any of them. I am eager to serve at your lotus feet. You have no birth. But you have taken birth and have performed actions in this world. Fearing the enemy, you have run away and have sought shelter in forts. You are destiny, but you have sported with women in an ashrama. 776 Enjoyment is in your atman. In this world, the intelligence of the learned has been confused because of this. Without hesitation, you have summoned me for consultations. However, your knowledge is always complete. O lord! You are never confused or agitated, but you have asked. O god! Because of this, our minds are confused. Your own atman illuminates supreme knowledge. O illustrious one! Tell us everything that you told Ka. 777 O lord! If we are capable of receiving it, explain it to us in detail, so that we can cross over these miseries.” I thus expressed the desire of my heart to the supreme and illustrious one. The lotus-eyed one instructed me about the supreme state of his atman. I worshipped the tirthas of his feet. I studied the truth about the atman, the path of understanding. I bowed down at his feet and circumambulated the god. Separated from him and with my soul afflicted, I have come here. O lord! His sight is pleasure and I am afflicted at being separated from him. I will go to Badarikashrama, associated with him and loved by him. That is where the gentle god Narayana and the illustrious rishi, Nara, performed austerities for a long time, tormenting themselves for the welfare of the worlds.’”

‘Shri-Shuka said, “Kshatta heard from Uddhava about the death of his well-wishers and this was impossible to tolerate. Using his knowledge, the learned one pacified himself and controlled the increasing grief.

‘“Vidura said, ‘The lord, the lord of yoga, spoke to you about the supreme knowledge that illuminates the atman. The servants of Vishnu roam around for the sake of those who serve them. Therefore, if we deserve to hear it, tell us about it.’

‘“Uddhava replied, ‘For the truth, you must certainly worship the rishi Kousharava, who is nearby. When he was about to leave the world of mortals, the illustrious one instructed him himself.’”

‘Shri-Shuka said, “Thus, Aupavaga’s son 778 conversed with Vidura about the qualities of the one whose form is the universe. He was overwhelmed by anguish and this nectar pacified him for some time. He spent the night on the banks of the Yamuna and departed.”

‘The king asked, “The great charioteers, the best of the commanders and leaders among the Vrishnis and the Bhojas were destroyed after Hari, the lord of the three, 779 gave up his body. How did Uddhava alone remain?”

‘Shri-Shuka replied, “He wished to draw in his own lineage, which was excessively populated. He is the death who arrived in the form of the curse unleashed by the brahmanas. When he was about to give up his body, this is what he thought of. ‘There is knowledge that is vested in me. Right now, Uddhava is supreme among those who know about the atman. When I leave this world, he is the one who deserves to know about me. Uddhava is not inferior to me in any way. The lord is not disturbed by the qualities. Therefore, let him remain in this world, so that people get to know about me from him.’ Thus, he was instructed by the preceptor of the three worlds, the one who is the origin of the Vedas. Content, he went to Badarikashrama and meditated on Hari. Vidura heard from Uddhava about Krishna, the supreme atman, about how he had accepted a body for his pastimes and about his praiseworthy deeds. The account of his giving up his body increases the patience of those who are persevering. But it is extremely difficult for others to understand, since they are like animals whose souls are agitated. O best among the Kurus! He 780 knew that he had been in Krishna’s mind. When he 781 left, he meditated on the illustrious one and wept, distracted because of his love. O bull among the Bharata lineage! He passed a few days on the banks of the Kalindi. 782 He then went to the heavenly river, 783 where the sage who was Mitra’s son 784 was.”’

Chapter 3(5)

‘Shri-Shuka said, “Maitreya’s understanding was unfathomable and he was seated at the source of the heavenly river. 785 The undecaying one was perfect in his sentiments. Satisfied with his good conduct and qualities, Kshatta, bull among the Kurus, approached him and asked him.

‘“Vidura said, ‘O illustrious one! People perform acts for the sake of happiness. However, they do not obtain happiness or any other contentment. Instead, they obtain miseries through these. Please explain to us what is appropriate. People who have turned themselves away from Krishna are destined to be extremely miserable and prone to adharma in conduct. Indeed, fortunate and great beings wander around to show them Janardana’s favours. The illustrious one is in the hearts of men. O noble and virtuous one! Instruct us about the path whereby he is served. He grants purification to those who are devoted to the ancient accounts, through which, one learns about true knowledge. The illustrious one is the lord of the three. 786 He controls himself and assumes avataras to perform deeds. He is without desire. But he created the universe at the beginning, and establishing it, determined the mode for its sustenance and regulation. All of this will again enter into him, in the form of space. When he lies down, all of this will withdraw from activities and will be secreted within him. He is alone the lord of yoga and the lord of everything. He is the one who entered everything, in many different forms. For the welfare of brahmanas, cows and gods, he indulged in pastimes. He performed deeds in the form of different avataras. Our minds are not satisfied at hearing about these. The lord Punyashloka’s accounts are like amrita. The protector and lord of the worlds created many kinds of differences, the superior worlds, the inferior worlds and the guardians of the worlds. He is the one who devised the creation of every kind of existence and made it appear as if they occupy different kinds of forms. O noble brahmana! Narayana’s source is his own atman. He is the creator of the universe. He is the one who arranged many kinds of creatures, differentiated according to souls, activities, forms, names, seeds and varnas, including those who are not born. Tell us about this. O illustrious one! From Vyasa’s mouth, I have repeatedly heard about superior and inferior kinds of vows. I am content with that, but these bring about limited kinds of happiness. What can satisfy, but for the flood of amrita that results from Krishna’s account? How can one be satisified without hearing about the one whose feet are tirthas? The gods worship him through sacrifices. When it 787 enters a man through his ears, it severs the bondage of birth and existence as a householder. Your friend, Krishna, 788 described and spoke about the illustrious one’s qualities in Mahabharata. In that, people derive pleasure from mundane accounts. However, their minds are drawn towards Hari’s account. A man’s faith is thus increased and he becomes indifferent towards everything else. If he does not withdraw from remembering Hari’s feet, all his miseries are quickly destroyed. I sorrow about those pitiable ones. I grieve about those ignorant ones. Because of their sins, they turn away from Hari’s account. The god of time diminishes the lifespans of those who indulge in futile speech and physical and mental action. O Kousharava! Hari’s accounts bestow happiness. Distil out the essence from those accounts, like the essence is taken out of flowers. O friend of those who are afflicted! Tell us the auspicious accounts of the one whose deeds are like tirthas. For the sake of the creation, establishment and control of the universe, he invoked his powers. He performed superhuman deeds. Tell us about the lord’s deeds.’”

‘Shri-Shuka said, “The illustrious sage, Kousharava, was thus asked by Kshatta. Honouring him, for the sake of the great welfare of men, he started to speak.

‘“Maitreya replied, ‘O virtuous one! You have asked an excellent question and have thus shown your favours to the worlds and your inclinations towards virtue. Your atman is in Adhokshaja and your own fame will also spread throughout the world. O Kshatta! There is nothing surprising in this. You were born from Badarayana’s seed. Therefore, without being distracted by anything else, you have accepted the lord, Hari. You were the illustrious Yama, the controller of beings. Because of Mandavya’s curse, 789 you have been born as the son of Satyavati’s son, in his brother’s field, through a servant-maid. 790 You have always been respected by the illustrious one as one of his companions. When the illustrious one departed, he told me to instruct you about this knowledge. Progressively, I will describe to you the illustrious one’s pastimes and his yoga maya, used for the creation, preservation and destruction of the universe. As he wills, the lord is himself present in all atmans. In the beginning, the illustrious one was alone. One can perceive his atman through one’s own atman, following the many different kinds of signs. He is the seer. He is the lord of everything that can be seen. But at that time, he saw nothing. 791 He thought of himself as someone who was non-existent. His strength was asleep, but his sight was not asleep. He is the one who sees perfectly. He is the power behind cause and effect. O immensely fortunate one! This is named maya and the lord used this to create everything. Through the progress of time, Adhokshaja characterizes the gunas with his maya. Purusha is his own part and the valiant one uses his seed to impregnate. 792 Thus, urged by time, the Mahat tattva was manifested from what was not manifest. He manifested this body and the illumination that would dispel all the ignorance of darkness in the universe. His part, 793 the gunas and time are within the range of vision of the illustrious one. With a desire to create the universe, he manifested his atman in yet another form. 794 Mahat tattva was transformed and led to the creation of ahamkara—in the form of cause, effect and the sense of being the doer. These are based on the elements, the senses and the mind. These transformations are of three kinds—vaikarika, taijasa and tamasa. The ahamkara in the mind results from vaikarika. The divinities 795 and the perceptions of the senses also result from vaikarika. Taijasa results in the sense of knowledge and action. Tamasa results in the subtle elements 796 and space, which is the means of knowing the atman. The illustrious one looked at space, which came about through interaction between time, maya and his portion. Touch resulted from space. It went through modifications and led to the creation of air. Though it possessed the strength of space, air went through modifications. It created the tanmatra of form and light, the eye of the worlds, was produced from this. He glanced at the interaction between air and light. Through the association with time, maya and his portion, water and taste were created. He looked at water, which was created from light. Through the association with time, maya and his portion, earth and the attribute of smell were created. O virtuous one! The learned ones know that space and the other elements, progressively possess the attributes of the ones that have come before them. 797 In the hierarchy, each has been touched by the preceding one. The divinities of the elements, time, maya and the signs are all parts of Vishnu. Because they were engaged in their own individual actions, they were not able to perform. They joined their hands in salutation and addressed the lord. The divinities said, ‘O god! We bow down at your lotus feet. They are like an umbrella that subdues the heat of those who seek refuge with them. Great mendicants seek shelter there and fling away the miseries of this world. O supreme one! You are the creator and the lord. Living beings suffer from three kinds of torment 798 and cannot find peace. O illustrious one! They obtain shelter and knowledge at your feet and we are also seeking refuge there. The best of rivers, the cleanser of sins, 799 flows from there. Detached rishis turn their strides towards your feet and seek shelter there. Your feet are tirthas. The Vedas are like birds that search out and make their nests in your lotus mouth. We will hear about you. With faith and devotion, we will meditate on you in our hearts and be cleansed. Through knowledge, non-attachment, strength and perseverance, we will go to the lotus feet and seek sanctuary there. For the sake of the creation, preservation and destruction of the universe, you assume the forms of avataras. O lord! All of us will find shelter at your lotus feet, the remembrance of which grants freedom from fear to the men who are devoted to you. There are those who are bound down to non-permanent bodies and homes. They are deeply attached to the undesirable elements of “I” and “mine”. Though you reside within the body, such men are extremely far away from you. O illustrious one! We will worship at your lotus feet. O supreme lord! Those who are attached to futile objects in their conduct and to the senses are those whose minds are far away from the supreme. O great one! Therefore, they do not see the bliss at your feet, discerned by those who seek shelter there. O god! There are those who drink the nectar of your account. Their store of devotion is extensive. They obtain the comprehension that is the essence of non-attachment. They swiftly obtain their place in Vaikuntha. There are others who resort to samadhi yoga. Through that strength, they conquer the powerful Prakriti. Those persevering ones enter you, Purusha. However, theirs is a path of hardships, which doesn’t exist for those who are devoted to you. You were there before the creation of the worlds. Through the three qualities, 800 you have yourself progressively created us. All of us are separated and are acting for our own pleasures. Therefore, we are unable to render to you what belongs to you. O one without birth! At the right time, what offerings will we offer you, so that we can partake of the rest of the food? Without any difficulties, what offerings will the residents of the world offer both you and us, so that they can partake of the rest of the food? You are the mysterious, ancient and original Purusha. You are the cause behind the different kinds of gods. O god! The qualities, acts and births are based on your powers. O one without birth! You have impregnated all living beings with your seed. What can we and Mahat and the others do for you, so that we can accomplish the purpose for which we have been created out of your atman? O god! Grant us your insight and powers and show us your favours, so that we can do what we are supposed to.’”’

Chapter 3(6)

‘“The rishi said, ‘The lord of all movement heard the assembled ones and the fact that their powers to create the worlds were dormant. With the goddess, Urukrama entered the destructive force known as Kala. 801 He simultaneously entered the twenty-three tattvas. 802 Having entered the group, which were acting separately, the illustrious one acted so as to bring them together and awaken their dormant capacity to work. The capacity to work of that group of twenty-three was thus roused by the god. Urged, they contributed their individual parts and gave rise to Virat Purusha. A portion of the supreme one entered the group of those that would lead to the creation, but were hitherto agitated. They now combined with each other and created Virat Purusha. The worlds and mobile and immobile objects were in him. This Purusha was golden and contained all living beings. However, for one thousand years, he was inside the cosmic egg that was spread out in the waters. With creation inside him, Virat possessed the divine powers of knowledge, action and spirit. He was one, but divided himself into ten and three. 803 This 804 is infinite and the atman inside all creatures. He is himself part of the paramatman. He is the first avatara and the creation of the large number of entities is based on him. He has three forms—adhyatma, adhidaiva and adhibhuta. Virat has ten forms of prana, which connect as one in the heart. Adhokshaja, the lord, remembered what the principles of creation had asked of him. 805 Having thought about it, he had used his own energy to manifest Virat, so that their powers could be extended. Hear from me about how Virat performed austerities to create various places of residence for the divinities within himself. Agni, the guardian of the world, had a differentiated place of residence within his mouth, along with his power of words. Thus, speech could be expressed. Varuna, the guardian of the world, had a place of residence within Hari’s 806 palate, along with his power of tongue. Thus, taste was manifested. The two Ashvins, guardians of the worlds, had a differentiated place of residence within Vishnu’s 807 nostrils, along with their power of smell. Thus, the capacity to smell was manifested. Tvashta, the guardian of the world, had a differentiated place of residence within the lord’s eyes, along with his power of sight. Thus, the capacity to distinguish form was manifested. Anila, 808 the guardian of the world, had a differentiated place of residence within his skin, along with his power of prana. Thus, touch was manifested. When the ears were created, this was the differentiated place of residence for the divinities of the directions, along with the power of hearing. Thus, one can successfully experience sound. When the skin was created, 809 this was the differentiated place of residence for the divinities of the herbs, along with their parts of body hair. Through this, the sensation of itching is experienced. The penis was created and the divinity, Ka, 810 seated himself in this differentiated place of residence, along with the portion of semen. Through this, sexual pleasure is experienced. Purusha’s anus evolved and Mitra, the guardian of the world, entered there, along with his portion of the excretory organ. Through this, evacuation is ensured. The hands were created and Indra, the lord of heaven, entered there, along with his power of undertaking merchant transactions. Thus, men obtained a means of sustenance. The feet were created and Vishnu, the guardian of the world, entered there, along with his own portion of locomotion. Thus, men can reach their desired destinations. Intelligence was created and the lord who is the guardian of speech 811 entered there, along with his power of comprehension. Thus, the object of comprehension is experienced. The heart was created and the moon god entered there, along with his portion of the mind. Thus, many kinds of transformation can be understood. When the atman was created, the lord of abhimana 812 entered that spot, along with his portion of karma. Through this, the intended action is undertaken. Sattva was created and Mahat entered there, along with his portion of consciousness. Through this, correct understanding is obtained. The heavenly planets were created from his head, the earth from his feet and the sky from his navel. Surrounded by their gunas, the gods and the others became manifested there. 813 Gods obtained heaven because they have an excess of sattva. Those who have transactions with them, and their followers, remained on earth, because of their nature of rajas. 814 Those who possess the third kind of nature 815 inhabited the illustrious one’s navel. The space that is between the two 816 is inhabited by the large number of Rudra’s companions. O extender of the Kuru lineage! The brahman 817 emerged from Purusha’s mouth. Brahmanas, preceptors and foremost among the varnas, also emerged from the mouth. The power of protection emerged from the arms and so did the kshatriyas, who follow that vow. This varna was born from Purusha so that it could save from the mischief caused by thorns. 818 Production, trading and the means of subsistence were created from the lord’s thighs and so were vaishyas. This is how humans engage in trade transactions. Servitude that is necessary for attaining dharma was born from the illustrious one’s feet. Earlier, the shudras were also born from here and they please Hari through service. Following their own dharma, these varnas worship their own preceptor, Hari, from whom they were born. They follow their means of subsistence and faithfully purify themselves. O Kshatta! Who can dare to measure or describe the illustrious one’s divine deeds, atman and forms? Everything has resulted from the strength of his yoga maya. O dear one! Despite that, I have recounted according to my intelligence and according to what I have heard. It is for the purpose of purifying my speech that I have described Hari’s deeds. It is said that speaking about the qualities of Punyashloka and talking about Purusha is a supreme benefit. His forms and deeds have been properly described by the learned in sacred texts and these accounts are like nectar. O child! The first wise one 819 used his intelligence to perfect his yoga and meditated on him for one thousand years. Even after this, did he comprehend the greatness of his atman? The illustrious one’s maya confounds those who possess powers of maya. Since he himself doesn’t understand its course, how can others comprehend it? Words and mind are unable to reach him. Ego 820 and the other gods have failed and returned. I bow down to that illustrious one.’”’

Chapter 3(7)

‘Shri-Shuka said, “Maitreya said this. Vidura, Dvaipayana’s learned son, replied pleasantly, as if he was requesting.

‘“Vidura said, ‘O brahmana! The illustrious one is formed out of pure consciousness. How can he be subject to transformations? Even when he is engaged in pastimes, he is devoid of gunas and action that results from gunas. A child exerts itself to play because the desire to play comes from somewhere else. 821 He 822 is always satisfied within himself. He is non-attached and there is no one else. Through his own maya, the illustrious one has created the universe, consisting of gunas. He maintains it and repeatedly destroys it. The atman is unalloyed consciousness and is not affected by place, time and condition, either internal or external. How can it be united with maya? The illustrious one is one and is established in every body. How can he be subjected to the misfortune and hardships living beings face because of their karma? O learned one! I suffer from this calamity of ignorance and my mind is distressed. O lord! Therefore, remove this great illusion from my mind.’”

‘Shri-Shuka said, “The sage was thus urged by Kshatta, who wished to know about the truth. Free from arrogance and with his mind on the illustrious one, he smiled and replied.

‘“Maitreya answered, ‘This is the illustrious one’s maya and it is against all logic. The lord is free of all weakness and free of bondage. It may appear to a man 823 that he is facing a hardship and that his head is being chopped off. But all such things are not real. The trembling of the moon’s image in the water may be seen to be a quality of the moon. Similarly, a person who sees the atman ascribes qualities to it that do not belong to the atman. Through the dharma of non-attachment, Vasudeva’s grace and bhakti yoga towards the illustrious one, such misconceptions gradually disappear. When the senses of the seer are satisfied at seeing the atman in the supreme Hari, all hardships vanish, as in the case of a person who is asleep. If one repeatedly hears the qualities of Murari being spoken about, all miseries are pacified. What is the need to speak about those who have realized their atmans and are attracted to serving the dust of his lotus feet?’

‘“Vidura asked, ‘O lord! The sword of your excellent words has severed my doubts. My mind can now grasp both aspects of the illustrious one. 824 O learned one! You have virtuously explained that all these movements are because of Hari. They appear to be meaningless and without any foundation. However, the foundation of the universe is not outside. 825 The stupidest person in the world and the person who has obtained supreme intelligence both enjoy happiness. It is the person who is between the two who suffers from miseries. I have ascertained that even though all this appears to exist, it has no meaning. It is not the atman. By serving at your feet, I will be able to cast aside misconception. There are those who serve the illustrious and mysterious one, Madhu’s enemy. 826 If one has a deep urge to serve at their 827 feet, all afflictions are destroyed. There are those who are on the path towards Vaikuntha. That is a place where Janardana, god of the gods, is always glorified. However, those who are limited in austerities find it very difficult to serve them. At the beginning of creation, the lord progressively created Mahat and the others and their modification and having manifested Virat, entered there. This 828 is known as the original Purusha, with one thousand legs, thighs and arms. The universe, the worlds and their developments are located in him. There are ten types of prana in him and for the sake of the senses, the three kinds of organs of sense. 829 You have also explained about the varnas. Please tell us now about his powers. Everything was populated with his sons, grandsons, grandsons through the daughter, those from different gotras and subjects with many different kinds of form. Who was the lord of the Prajapatis? Who decided on the Prajapatis? What were the creations and the subsidiary creations? Who were the Manus and the lords of the manvantaras? O Mitra’s son! Which worlds exist above and below the earth? What is their position and size? Describe the earth to me. Tell us about the different categories of created beings—inferior species, humans, gods, reptiles, birds, those born from the womb, those born from sweat, those born from eggs and trees and herbs. Describe to us the extensive valour of the one who is Shri’s abode. He is the creator of the universe, sustains the creation and it is into him that everything merges after destruction. According to gunas, what are his various avataras? 830 According to form, conduct and nature, what are the various categories of varnas and ashramas? What about the birth and death of the rishis and the divisions of the Vedas? O lord! What are the details of sacrifices and the different paths of yoga? What about the naishkarmya 831 of samkhya and tantra, as expounded by the illustrious one? O brahmana! O unblemished one! Imperfect paths followed by heretics; the status obtained by the offspring of a pratiloma marriage; 832 depending on their qualities and deeds, the different destinations obtained by living creatures; dharma, artha, kama, moksha and the means of ensuring that there is no conflict between them; the different occupations; principles of punishment; the rituals described in the sacred texts; the rites for funeral ceremonies; the creation of the ancestors; the planets, nakshatras and stars; the duration of different measurements of time; the fruits of donations, austerities and auspicious acts like digging ponds; the dharma to be followed when one is away from home and when men face adversities; and the means whereby the illustrious Janardana, the source of dharma, is pleased—describe all this to me. O supreme among brahmanas! Preceptors are compassionate towards those who are distressed. Even without being asked, they explain things to followers, disciples and sons. O illustrious one! At the time of dissolution, in how many ways are the tattvas withdrawn? After this, who survives and worships him while he is asleep? What is the place for Purusha and what is his supreme state? What is the knowledge in the sacred texts? What is the need for an association between a guru and a shishya? 833 O unblemished one! In this world, what are the means whereby the wise can acquire knowledge? How does knowledge automatically develop in men who follow bhakti and non-attachment? I am asking you these questions because I wish to know about Hari’s deeds. I am ignorant. Tell me as a friend. Because of maya, I have lost my vision. O unblemished one! All the Vedas, sacrifices, austerities and donations do not amount to even a fraction of what is obtained by granting a living being freedom from fear.’”

‘Shri-Shuka said, “The foremost among sages was thus asked by the foremost among the Kurus about what is described in the Puranas. His delight was enhanced at having been urged to describe the illustrious one’s account. He smiled and replied.”’

Chapter 3(8)

‘“Maitreya said, ‘The lineage of the Purus should indeed be served by those who are virtuous. All these protectors of the world 834 regard the illustrious one as the foremost. You have been born in this lineage and step by step, you bring new ways of increasing the garland of fame of the unvanquished one. Men pursue trifling joy and misery and are immersed in great hardships. I will speak about the Bhagavata Purana, which the illustrious one himself narrated to rishis, for the sake of dispelling these. The sages, with Kumara 835 at the forefront, desired to know the truth about the supreme one. They asked the illustrious and original god, Samkarshana, who was unimpeded in knowledge and who was seated on the ground. At that time, he was himself respectfully meditating on the one who is known by the name of Vasudeva. His eyes were closed, like the bud of a lotus. However, out of compassion for the learned ones, he opened them. The matted hair on the heads of the sages was wet with the waters of the celestial river 836 and they lowered these and touched his feet, which were like cushions. These lotus feet are lovingly worshipped by the daughters of the king of serpents, with offerings, when they wish for desirable husbands. His one thousand diadems glowed with gems and there was illumination from his one thousand hoods. 837 They knew about his deeds and were devoted to him and they repeatedly praised these in gentle and well-articulated words. Sanatkumara followed the dharma of nivritti 838 and indeed, he told him about the excellent Bhagavata. O dear one! When asked, he repeated it to Samkhyayana, who was firm in his vows. 839 Samkhyayana was foremost among those who were paramahamsas. He desired to explain the powers of the illustrious one and recited it to our preceptor, Parashara, and then to Brihaspati. The sage Pulastya was kind and affectionate towards him. 840 Therefore, he told me about the original Purana. O child! That is what I will recite to you. You are faithful and always devoted to him. The entire universe was submerged in water. His eyes were closed in sleep, but yet not completely closed. He was alone, asleep on a bed consisting of the Indra among the serpents. 841 At that time, he was in bliss, within his own self, and there was nothing external. The subtle elements were subsumed within his body. He invoked his powers that were in the form of time. He was residing in his own abode within the waters, without displaying his energy, like fire hidden inside a piece of wood. He slept in the waters for one thousand aggregates of the four yugas. 842 With his own powers, he himself invoked what is known as time, so that action could be undertaken. He saw the worlds within his own dark body. He saw that the subtle elements were inside him. What was inside him was stirred by rajas. This guna followed time and was struck by it. Thus struck, it emerged from the area around the navel. The bud of a lotus flower appeared suddenly, urged by time to undertake action. With its own rays, this illuminated the extensive waters, like the sun. It emerged from the one who is his own source. Vishnu entered that universal lotus and it was imbibed with the radiance of all the gunas. From that lotus emerged the creator. 843 The Vedas are incarnate in him and we speak of him as Svayambhu. He was located on the stalk of the lotus and could not see any worlds. He cast his glance all around the sky and the four directions and thus obtained four faces. At the end of the yuga, there were storms that whirled around the waters and made the waves rise up. He sought shelter in the lotus. However, the original god could not comprehend the truth about the worlds 844 and about his own self. ‘Who am I, seated on the lotus? How has this solitary lotus sprouted in the waters? There must be something underneath it. There must indeed be something supporting it.’ Thinking this, he used the passage in the stalk of the lotus to enter inside the waters. However, despite going further and further down the stalk, Aja could not find the source of the lotus in the navel. Having not accomplished his wish, he returned. The god again returned to his own seat. He gradually restrained his mind and controlled his breath. He sat down there, immersed in samadhi yoga. Aja engaged in yoga for a period equal to a man’s lifespan 845 and developed his intelligence. What he had been unable to see earlier, could now automatically be seen within his heart. He saw a being lying down alone, using the body of Shesha, which was as white as the fibre of a lotus, as the couch. The darkness of the waters at the end of a yuga was dispelled by the radiance of the gems that were on the umbrella-like hoods. The evening clouds on the slopes are like a garment on the summit of a mountain of green emeralds. But his beauty surpassed that. 846 The golden peaks are a store of beautiful herbs, garlanded with trees. The bamboos are like arms and the trees are like legs. 847 The length, breadth and measure of his body encompassed the three worlds. He was attired in colourful divine ornaments and silk garments. His beautiful body was rendered even more beautiful by the ornaments and garments. There are men who, on their own, desire the path of devotion, and alone worship him in agreeable ways, serving his lotus feet, which yield all the objects of desire. Out of compassion, he shows them his feet, with toes like the moon. A lustre radiated from the extremely beautiful nails on his fingers. His smiling face removed the afflictions of the world and was made radiant by the dazzling earrings. His face was tinged red because of his lower lip, which had the hue of bimba fruit. His extremely well-formed nose and extremely well-formed brows were beautiful. O child! His garments were yellow, like the pollen of the kadamba flower. He adorned himself with a girdle around his hips. There was an extremely valuable necklace on his chest, which was marked with the beloved mark of shrivatsa. He wore extremely expensive armlets studded with the best of jewels. His arms stretched out, like a tree with one thousand branches. He was like an Indra among trees, encompassing the universe, but the roots could not be seen. The coils of the great serpent covered his shoulders. The illustrious one was like a large mountain, supporting mobile and immobile objects. He was surrounded by the deep waters and was a friend of the Indra among serpents. There were one thousand diadems that were like golden peaks. The Koustubha gem, born from the waters, was displayed on his chest. Hari wore a garland made out of wild flowers. The hymns of the Vedas surrounded his beautiful form and chanted his own glories. The sun, the moon, Vayu and Agni find him to be unapproachable. The weapons of the three worlds can’t approach him and only circle around him. The creator 848 saw the lake in his navel and the lotus sprouting from it. He saw himself, the waters, the wind and the sky. The god looked at the universe and there was nothing beyond this. There was no other world and the insight about creation manifested itself in him. He was impregnated with rajas and the seed of action. Having seen what there was to see, he desired to create subjects. He fixed his mind on the god who was not manifest and worshipped him for the sake of creation and subsidiary creations.’”’

Chapter 3(9)

‘“Brahma said, “I have got to know you today, after a very long time. It is a great defect to possess a body and such people do not get to know about the movements of the illustrious one. O illustrious one! Nothing other than you exists. Nothing else is pure. You are supreme, but appear differently because of maya and the mixture of the gunas. This form is of your eternal and internal powers. Through your favours to the virtuous, you dispel tamas. 849 You assumed this original avatara and it is the seed of a hundred others. I have myself been generated from an abode in the lotus in your navel. O supreme one! I do not see any form of yours that is superior to this one. It is full of bliss and without any transformations. Its radiance is not diminished in any way. You are the creator of the universe. You are the atman of the universe. You are the source of the elements and the senses. I seek refuge with you. O one who is auspicious for the universe! For the sake of welfare, you have shown yourself to the devotees who are meditating on you. O illustrious one! Therefore, we follow the rules and bow down before you. But you are not respected by those who are evil in their adherences 850 and are headed towards hell. There are those who inhale the fragrance that is in your lotus feet. The wind conveys chants from the sacred texts to their ears. They devotedly seize your supreme feet. O protector! For their sake, never be separated from the lotus-like hearts of men who are devoted to you. There are those who suffer fear on account of wealth, physical bodies, well-wishers, grief, desire, dishonour and excessive greed. The reason for their affliction is their false sense of ‘mine’. Until they seek shelter at your lotus feet, they will not obtain freedom from fear. Destiny destroys their intelligence. Their senses are averse to hearing about you, something that removes all kinds of inauspiciousness. Those distressed ones pursue desire, for a happiness that is only brief and fleeting. Their minds are overcome by avarice and they are always after the inauspicious. O Urukrama! They repeatedly suffer from hunger, the three dhatus, 851 cold, heat, wind, rain and other such disturbances, the fire of sexual desire and an anger that is impossible to quench. On seeing them, I also become despondent. O lord! Because of the strength of the illustrious one’s maya, people pursue their senses and perceive themselves as being distinct from the atman. As long as this continues, this cycle of worldly existence will not vanish. Instead, futile action performed for fruits will bring along miseries. O god! During the day, they perform deeds that lead to distress. During the night, they cannot sleep. The intelligent pursue many kinds of wishes. At every instant, the sleep is disturbed. Even rishis are affected by destiny and are averse to an association with you. Therefore, they roam around in this cycle of life. O protector! But there are indeed men who are completely immersed in bhakti yoga. They follow the path of listening to your glories. They obtain insight and you reside in their lotus hearts. O powerful one! Because of your favours towards these virtuous ones, you manifest yourself in whatever form their intelligence thinks of. He 852 is not satisfied if he is worshipped with expensive objects, nor if he is worshipped by large numbers of gods who are bound by some desire in their hearts. He is pleased by compassion towards all beings, which is a trait impossible to find in the wicked. He can be perceived in many kinds of beings. He is the well-wisher inside their atmans. There are many kinds of pious activities that people undertake. They perform rituals, they donate, they perform fierce austerities and they serve devotedly. O illustrious one! They worship you through such virtuous deeds. This dharma is rendered unto you and it never perishes. Your own form is eternal. It is free from all differences and confusion. You are knowledge and intelligence. I bow down to the supreme one. It is for the sake of your pastimes that you indulge in the universe’s creation, preservation and destruction. We offer our obeisance to this lord. The qualities of his avataras are the consequences of his mysterious deeds. At the time of death, if a person involuntarily chants these names, he can instantly give up the sins accumulated through many births and proceed to immortality, which is opened up. O unborn one! I seek refuge with you. I bow down before the illustrious one who is the cosmic tree. For the sake of creation, preservation and destruction, you yourself are the source for me, Girisha and the lord himself. 853 There is a single tree that has divided itself into three, with many branches. You restrain people who are negligent about their welfare and perform perverse deeds. You have yourself articulated deeds meant for your worship. But if their desire for remaining alive in this world remains strong, they ignore this and you instantly sever those hopes. I bow down to him. I have myself obtained a state of lordship that lasts for two parardhas. But I am terrified, 854 even though the region I inhabit is revered by all the worlds. Desiring to obtain you, I have tormented myself through austerities for many years. O illustrious one! I bow down to you. You are the lord of sacrifices. With a desire to preserve the ordinances, you have yourself created inferior species, humans, gods and other living creatures. You find pleasure in this, though you are not affected by material objects. You manifest yourself in the form of these bodies. O illustrious one! O Purushottama! I bow down before you. You do not suffer from the five kinds of ignorance in conduct. 855 Preserving all the worlds inside your stomach, you assume a state of sleeping inside the water. You sleep on the body of the serpent and find this touch to be pleasurable, though there are garlands of terrible waves around you. You do this for the sake of the happiness of the people. O one who should be worshipped! I was manifested from my abode in the lotus in your navel. Through your favours, I am an instrument for the creation of the three worlds. I bow down to you. All of creation is inside your stomach. Now that the yoga of your sleep is over, your eyes have opened like blooming lotuses. He is alone the atman and well-wisher for the entire universe. He is the illustrious one who brings happiness through his powers of sattva. Let him grant me insight, so that I can now create, so that everything is as it used to be before. 856 I prostrate myself before the beloved one. He is the one who grants boons to those who seek refuge with him. With Rama, 857 he uses his own powers to do everything. He assumes the gunas of the avataras. For the sake of creation, let his own valour be imbibed by my heart. Let it be united with me, so that I am freed from the material consequences of my action. 858 When Purusha was lying down, there was water in the pool in his navel. He is infinite in powers and I was created as vijnana shakti. 859 I am now engaged in manifesting all his many different kinds of forms. Let the Vedas not vanish before me and let me be correct in uttering them. The illustrious one is infinite in his compassion. Let him open his lotus eyes, filled with great affection. Let the ancient Purusha arise and for the sake of creating the universe, remove all our miseries through his sweet speech.’”

‘“Maitreya said, ‘Through his austerities, learning and meditation, he saw the source of his own creation. He praised him through his thoughts and words. As if exhausted, he then stopped. Madhusudana discerned Brahma’s intentions and saw that he was distressed in his mind, with everything submerged in devastating waters at the end of a kalpa. He 860 was anxious that he did not know enough about creating the worlds. He spoke to him in deep words, so that all his dejection could be pacified.

‘“‘The illustrious one said, “O Vedagarbha! 861 Do not yield to lassitude. Exert yourself for the sake of creation. What you prayed to me for, has already been obtained by you. Perform austerities yet again. Resort to me for knowledge. O Brahma! Through this, you will see all the worlds displayed inside your heart. O Brahma! When you meditate with devotion, you will see me pervading the worlds, me, the worlds and yourself in me. I am situated inside all creatures, like fire inside a piece of wood. When people see me in that way, they instantly cast off all sins. When a person sees that his atman is independent of the elements, the senses and the gunas, he realizes his own form and obtains me, the sovereignty that he desires. You wish to create and extend many kinds of subjects and lay down deeds for them. In this regard, because my favours towards you will increase, you will never suffer from exhaustion. You are the first rishi and the sins of rajas guna will not bind you down, even when you are creating subjects. That is because your mind is firmly fixed on me. Those with bodies find it extremely difficult to know me. However, you have got to know me today. You have understood that I am not attached to bhutas, senses, gunas and ego. Using the stalk, you searched for the source of the lotus in the water and were unsuccessful in your search. I showed myself to you inside, in your own atman. O dear one! You addressed words of praise to me, about my deeds and my signs. That and your devotion towards austerities are both because of my favours. O fortunate one! I am nirguna. But desiring to be successful, you prayed to me in words describing my gunas. I am pleased with you. I am the supreme granter of boons and yield all the objects of desire. If a man always praises me, using the words you have used in your prayer and worships me, I will swiftly show him my favours. Those who know about the truth are of the view that good deeds, austerities, sacrifices, yoga and samadhi practised by men become supremely successful when they satisfy me. I am myself the controller of all atmans. I am the most loved of everything that is loved. One should only be attached to me. The body and everything else are loved for that reason alone. All the Vedas are vested in your atman and your atman has been generated from my atman. Create the subjects who are inside me, so that everything is as it used to be earlier.’”

‘“Maitreya said, ‘After instructing the creator of the universe, who was generated from the navel, the lord of Purusha and the foremost one, vanished inside his own form.’”’

Chapter 3(10)

‘“Vidura asked, ‘When the illustrious one disappeared, how many different types of beings did the lord Brahma, the grandfather of the worlds, create from his body and his mind? O illustrious one! O one who is extremely learned! Please tell me progressively the details of what I have asked and dispel all my doubts.”’

Suta said, ‘O Bhargava! Sage Kousharava was thus urged by Kshatta. Pleased, he replied to the questions that were deep inside his 862 heart.

‘Maitreya said, “Thereafter, Virinchi 863 performed austerities for one hundred divine years. As instructed by the one who has no birth, he fixed his atman on the illustrious one’s atman. At that time, the one who was born from the lotus saw that the lotus on which he was seated and the waters were agitated by a wind that was extremely strong in force. His austerities enhanced his knowledge and stabilized his atman. As the strength of his knowledge increased, he swallowed the wind and the waters. He saw that the lotus on which he was seated extended everywhere. He thought that he would use this to create the worlds that had been submerged in the deluge. Urged to act by the illustrious one, he entered the bud 864 of the lotus. It was one and he divided it into three and later into fourteen. 865 Thus, the divisions and habitations of the worlds of the living were brought about. Parameshthi’s pure region 866 is for those who perform acts of dharma without any desire for the fruits.”

‘Vidura said, “O brahmana! O lord! You have said that Hari, wonderful in his deeds, has many different forms. Please describe to us the signs and divisions of time.”

‘Maitreya replied, “It 867 has form because of the modifications of the gunas. It has no special characteristics and is not dependent on anything else. Purusha himself created it, as support for his pastimes. This universe is the brahman, established in Vishnu’s maya. It is divided by the lord into time, which does not have any embodied form. This is exactly as it used to be in the past and it will be exactly the same in the future. There are nine different kinds of creation, resulting from Prakriti and vikriti. 868 Depending on time, matter and gunas, there are three kinds of destruction. 869 The first creation was Mahat, resulting from a disequilibrium in the gunas. The second creation was ahamkara, resulting from material objects, material knowledge and material action. The third creation was that of the subtle elements and the tanmatras, possessing the capacity to create the gross elements. The fourth creation was of the senses, of knowledge and of action. The fifth creation was vaikarika and the mind evolved from this. O lord! The sixth creation was tamas and perverse intelligence resulted from this. These six creations result from Prakriti. Now hear about the creations that result from vikriti. These result from the illustrious one who has assumed the attribute of rajas, 870 who reflects Hari’s intelligence and pastimes. In the seventh creation, the foremost ones are the six kinds of immobile objects—trees, herbs, 871 creepers, hollow plants, 872 strong creepers 873 and trees with fruits and flowers. 874 All of these draw up their nourishment from below and are full of tamas. In particular, their sense of touch is inside them. The eighth creation is of inferior animals and it is said that there are twenty-eight different kinds of these. They are ignorant and extremely full of tamas. They have a sense of smell, but are incapable of remembering anything in their minds. O excellent one! O Kshatta! They are the cow, goat, buffalo, black antelope, pig, gavaya, 875 the ruru antelope, 876 two-hooved animals like sheep and camels; and one-hooved 877 animals like the donkey, horse, mule, goura, 878 sharabha 879 and yak. O Kshatta! Hear about the five-nailed animals—the dog, jackal, wolf, tiger, cat, hare, porcupine, lion, ape, elephant, tortoise, lizard and makara. 880 The birds are the heron, vulture, crane, hawk, bird of prey, 881 owl, peacock, swan, sarasa, 882 ruddy goose and uluka. 883 O Kshatta! In the ninth creation, sustenance flows from top to bottom. Humans are the only variety here. They are dominated by rajas and are engaged in acting. Even if they are miserable, they think that they are happy. O excellent one! There are three kinds of vaikarika creation and the creation of gods is also of this type. The creation of the Kumaras 884 is said to be of both types. 885 The creation of gods is of eight types—vibudhas, 886 ancestors, asuras, gandharvas, apsaras, siddhas, yakshas, rakshas and charanas. 887 O Vidura! There are also bhutas, pretas, pishachas, vidyadharas and kinnaras. These are the ten categories 888 created by the creator of the universe. After this, I will tell you about the lineages and the manvantaras. In this way, at the beginning of every kalpa, Hari’s atman is suffused with rajas and becomes the creator. His resolve to create is invincible and he creates himself out of his own atman.”’

Chapter 3(11)

‘Maitreya said, “There is an ultimate particle characterized by the trait that it cannot be divided further. It alone is combined with others. This is known as paramanu. When this is aggregated, 889 men are confused and take the aggregate to be the ultimate. When objects exist, they remain in their own forms inside them. Their solitary forms are supreme, great and eternal. 890 O excellent one! Time is measured both in subtle and gross forms. The illustrious lord is not manifest. However, he controls and enjoys all manifestations and states. The amount of time taken to occupy an atom is atomic time. The duration of time required to enjoy complete existence is known as supreme and great. Two paramanus make up one anu and three anus are said to constitute a trasarenu. This can be discerned to rise up in the net of the sun’s rays through the lattice of a window. The time required to occupy three trasarenus is called a truti. One hundred trutis constitute a vedha. Three vedhas are said to be a lava. Three lavas are known to constitute a nimesha and three nimeshas make up a kshana. Five kshanas are known to be one kashtha and fifteen kashthas are one laghu. Fifteen laghus are referred to as one nadika. Two nadikas are one muhurta and six or seven nadikas constitute one prahara for men and this is also known as a yama. Let there be a copper vessel that is six palas in weight, with sides measuring four angulas. Let a hole that is four angulas in length be made in it and let a golden wire four angulas long and one masha in weight be inserted into it. 891 The time taken for this to be submerged in water is one nadika. In the world of the mortals, there are four yamas during the day and four yamas during the night. O revered one! There are two pakshas, shukla and krishna, and each of these has fifteen days. Two of these make up a month, which is a day and a night for the ancestors. Two months make up a ritu. 892 Six months constitute an ayana and there are two of these—uttara and dakshina. 893 An ayana is said to be a day for the residents of heaven. 894 Twelve months constitute a year. One hundred years has been determined as the lifespan of humans. The lord eternally regulates the circling of the universe, beginning with paramanu and encompassing orbits of planets, nakshatras and stars and years. O Vidura! It is said that there are periods of samvatsara, parivatsara, idavatsara, anuvatsara and vatsara. 895 He is the power behind creation. 896 In different ways, he is the one who uses his own powers to invigorate. He is the one who moves in the sky and drives away darkness for humans. He is the one who extends the elements. He is known as time. Through the extension of sacrifices, he is full of gunas. One should offer sacrifices to the one who has determined the five different kinds of years.”

‘Vidura said, “The maximum lifespans for ancestors, gods and humans has been determined. 897 Please tell me about the progress of those who are outside the kalpa. 898 O illustrious one! You certainly know about the progress of the illustrious one. Persevering ones who possess the insight of yoga can see everything in the universe.”

‘Maitreya replied, “The four yugas are krita, treta, dvapara and kali. The duration has been carefully determined as twelve thousand years of the gods. 899 Being with krita, the progressive duration is four thousand, three thousand, two thousand and one thousand years. Twice that number is again added, but in hundreds of years. The intervening period is known as sandhya and amsha and the duration is in hundreds of years. Those who know about the truth have determined the dharma for each specific yuga. In krita, humans nurtured dharma with all of its four feet. But in the other yugas, as adharma flourished, one foot was progressively diminished. 900 Outside the three worlds, one thousand yugas 901 is one of Brahma’s days. O son! That is also the duration of the night and the creator of the universe sleeps during this period. When the night is over, the creation of the worlds proceeds afresh, from the beginning. Fourteen Manus exist during one of the illustrious one’s days. 902 Each Manu respectively enjoys a period that is a little more than seventy-one. 903 In every manvantara, there are lineages of men, rishis, gods, saptarshis and gandharvas, in due order. Simultaneously, there are lords of the gods and those who follow them. 904 During each of Brahma’s days, the three worlds, which circle around, are created. Depending on their deeds, they are born as inferior species, humans, ancestors and gods. In each manvantara, the illustrious one manifests sattva in his different forms, such as Manu and the others. Thus Purusha preserves the universe which has been created. He then resorts only to tamas and withdraws all his powers. Everything comes under the subjugation of time and there is silence at the end of the day. The three worlds, the earth and the others, vanish into that darkness. They are completely enveloped in that night, without the existence of the sun and the moon. The powerful fire that emerges from Samkarshana burns down the three worlds. Bhrigu and the others are afflicted by the heat and go to janaloka from maharloka. At the end of the kalpa, the three worlds are deluged by the waters. There is a violent turbulence in that flood and terrible waves because of the fierce winds. Hari lies down in those waters, on the couch that is Ananta. Praised by the residents of janaloka, his eyes are closed in his sleep of yoga. These are the signs of time, with these kinds of night and day. One’s maximum lifespan of one hundred years comes to an end. 905 Half of his 906 lifespan is known as parardha. The first parardha has passed and the subsequent parardha is passing now. At the time of the previous parardha, there was the great kalpa known as Brahma-kalpa. Brahma was born then and he was known as Shabda-Brahma. At the end of that kalpa, there was the kalpa known as Padma-kalpa. This was because the cosmic lotus was generated out of the waters in Hari’s navel. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! This kalpa of the second parardha 907 is famous as Varaha-kalpa, because Hari assumed the form of a boar. The duration of two parardhas is measured as the blinking of the eye. 908 He is the infinite one who is not manifest. He is the one who does not change and has no beginning. He is the atman of the universe. The period from a paramanu to the end of the two parardhas is controlled by the lord of time, who has power over all those who pride themselves on their habitations. However, this lord 909 has no control over the supreme one. This cosmic egg is united with transformations and their various manifestations. On the outside, it extends for fifty crore. 910 Each sheath 911 is ten times larger than the preceding one. When they enter together, they are like a paramanu. 912 Crores of other such universes are seen to be inside him. This is said to be the brahman, who is without decay. He is the original cause behind all causes. This is the supreme abode of Vishnu. He is himself the great-souled Purusha.”’

Chapter 3(12)

‘Maitreya said, “O Kshatta! The paramatman’s manifestation as time and his greatness have thus been described to you. Now understand from me about Vedagarbha’s 913 creation. He first created the various kinds of conduct associated with ignorance—andha-tamisra, tamisra, mahamoha and moha. 914 On seeing that this creation was wicked, Brahma was not proud of himself. He purified his mind by meditating on the illustrious one and created again. The one who was self-created created the sages Sanaka, Sananda, Sanatana and Sanatkumara. However, they were not interested in action and held up their seed. The self-created one spoke to his sons. ‘O sons! Generate offspring.’ But being devoted to Vasudeva and the dharma of emancipation, they were not interested in this. His sons disregarded him and refused his instructions. An intolerable rage was generated in him and he tried to control this. Though Prajapati used his intelligence to try and control it, it emerged from between his eyebrows. From this anger, a child who was blue and red 915 was instantly born. The illustrious Bhava, who preceded the gods, started to weep. ‘O creator! O preceptor of the universe! Give me a name and a place to reside in.’ The illustrious one who was born from the lotus honoured these words. He assured him in comforting words and replied, ‘Do not cry. I will do so. O best among the gods! Since you have cried like an anxious child, subjects will address you by the name of Rudra. 916 I have already thought of places for you to reside in—the heart, the senses, the breath of life, the sky, the wind, fire, water, the earth, the sun, the moon and austerities. Manyu, Manu, Mahinasa, Mahan, Shiva, Ritadhvaja, Ugrareta, Bhava, Kala, Vamadeva and Dhritavrata. 917 O Rudra! Your wives are Rudranis and they are Dhi, Vritti, Ushana, Uma, Niyut, Sarpi, Ila, Ambika, Iravati, Sudha and Diksha. Accept these names and places. With your wives, as a lord, create a large number of offspring.’ The illustrious Nilalohita was thus instructed by his own preceptor. He created offspring who were like him in spirit, form and nature. In every direction, the fierce offspring created by Rudra were about to devour the universe. Witnessing these innumerable hordes, Prajapati was scared. He said, ‘O supreme among the gods! Enough. There is no need to create subjects who are like this. Along with me, their blazing eyes are burning down the directions. O fortunate one! Resort to austerities that bring happiness to all creatures. It is only through austerities that you will be able to create a universe that is just like what it used to be before. It is only through austerities that a man can obtain the supreme light that is Adhokshaja. He resides in the hearts of all beings.’ Addressed in these words by the one who created himself, he circumambulated the lord and agreed. He entered the forest to perform austerities. While thinking about creation, because he possessed the powers of the illustrious one, he 918 had ten sons, who would be responsible for populating the worlds—Marichi, Atri, Angiras, 919 Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, Bhrigu, Vasishtha, Daksha and Narada as the tenth. Narada was born from Svayambhu’s lap, Daksha from the thumb, Vasishtha was born from the breath of life, Bhrigu from the skin, Kratu from the hand, Pulaha from the navel, the rishi Pulastya from the ears, Angiras from the mouth, Atri from the eyes and Marichi was born from the mind. Dharma was born from the right breast, where Narayana himself resides. Adharma was generated from the back and Death, fearful to the worlds, results from him. Desire was from the heart, anger from the eyebrows, avarice from between the lips, speech from the mouth, the rivers from the penis and Nirriti, the source of all sin, from the anus. Kardama, the lord who was Devahuti’s husband, was born from his shadow. The entire universe resulted from the mind and body of the creator of the universe. O Kshatta! He had a beautiful daughter, the goddess of speech, who was not interested in desire. However, we have heard that she captivated Svayambhu’s mind and he was driven by desire. The sons saw that their father had made up his mind to perform an act of adharma. With Marichi at the forefront, these sages sought to respectfully dissuade him. ‘What you are trying to do now has not been done by anyone else before, 920 nor will it ever be attempted by anyone else hereafter. O lord! You are not controlling your desire and wish to have intercourse with your own daughter. O preceptor of the universe! You are energetic, but such acts are not applauded through excellent shlokas. People who follow such conduct are not among those who deserve to find peace. We bow down before the illustrious one. All this is in his atman and he manifested everything through his own radiance. He is the one who can save dharma.’ He saw his sons, the Prajapatis, speaking in this way before him. The lord of all these Prajapatis 921 was ashamed and gave up his own body, which was accepted by the directions. An extremely terrible mist developed, known as darkness. Once, when the one with the four faces was meditating about creation, and about how all the assembled worlds should be as they had been earlier, the Vedas manifested themselves. The four kinds of officiating priests, the Upavedas, the four feet of dharma and the conduct in the four ashramas also manifested themselves.”

‘Vidura said, “O store of austerities! The Vedas manifested themselves from the mouths of the creator of the universe. Tell me about what the god created from where.”

‘Maitreya replied, “The Rig, Sama, Yajur and Atharva Vedas, the sacred texts, 922 oblations, chants of praise and rites of atonement were progressively generated from the face that was towards the front. He progressively also created Ayurveda, Dhanurveda, Gandharva-veda and the Vedas that are about architecture and sculpture also from the face that was towards the front. The lord who had insight about everything created the fifth Veda of Itihasa and Puranas from all his mouths. Shodashi, uktha, purishi, agnistuta, 923 aptyorama, atiratra, vajapeya and gosava 924 were created from the face that was towards the front. He created dharma’s feet in the form of knowledge, donations, austerities and truth. He created the different kinds of ashramas, along with the conduct that should be followed in each of them—savitra, prajapatya, brahma and brihat; 925 varta, sanchaya, shalina and shila-unccha for householders; 926 for the forest, vaikhanasa, valakhilya, audumbura and phenapa; 927 in renunciation, kutichaka, bahvoda, hamsa and nishkriya. 928 Rules of logic, the three objectives, 929 norms for subsistence, the rules for punishment and the vyahritis were manifested. 930 Pranava 931 was manifested from his heart. The metres Ushnik, Gayatri, Trishtubh, Anushtubh, Jagati, Pankti and Brihati were respectively manifested from the lord Prajapati’s body hair, skin, flesh, muscles, bones, marrow and breath of life. The consonants are said to be the being’s sense organs and the vowels are his body. 932 The sibilant letters 933 are the strength of his atman. The seven notes of music resulted from Prajapati’s pastimes. Shabda-Brahma is the illustrious one’s atman and this atman is beyond the conceptions of being manifest and not being manifest. Brahma is his complete manifestation and is invested with many kinds of powers. Later, assuming another body, 934 he turned his mind to the task of creation. The rishis possessed a great deal of valour. But despite this, creation was limited. O Kourava! Having discerned this in his mind, he started to think again. ‘This is extraordinary. Though I am always extending myself everywhere, yet, there aren’t enough subjects. It is certain that destiny is causing the obstruction.’ While he was thus engaged and thinking about destiny, Ka saw his body divide itself into two parts. This was known as Kaya. From these two divided forms, a couple was generated. The male part became the self-ruling Svayambhuva Manu. The female part became Shatarupa and she was the queen of the great-souled one. Following the dharma of sexual intercourse, they started to increase subjects. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! He had five children through Shatarupa. The sons were Priyavrata and Uttanapada. The three daughters were Akuti, Devahuti and Prasuti. He bestowed Akuti in marriage on Ruchi, the one in the middle 935 on Kardama and Prasuti on Daksha. The universe was populated in this way.”’

Chapter 3(13)

‘Shri-Shuka said, “O king! After hearing these extremely pure words from the sage, Kouravya, who loved to hear about Vasudeva’s account, asked him again.

‘“Vidura asked, ‘The emperor Svayambhuva was Svayambhuva’s beloved son. 936 O sage! What did he do after having obtained a beloved wife? O excellent one! He was the first king and a royal sage. I am full of respect. Tell me about his conduct and about his resorting to Vishvaksena as a refuge. There are those who hold Mukunda’s lotus feet in their hearts. The act of listening to their complete qualities is praised by the wise ones as yielding fruits equal to those obtained by men who study the sacred texts with a great deal of time and effort.’”

‘Shri-Shuka continued, “Vidura humbly requested this, as if he had used the feet of the one with one thousand heads 937 as a pillow. Asked to recite the illustrious one’s account, the sage’s body hair stood up. Urged in this way, he started to speak.

‘“Maitreya said, ‘Syavambhuva Manu was born, along with his own wife. He joined his hands in salutation, bowed his head before Vedagarbha and said, “You alone are the father who has given birth to all beings and has given them a means of subsistence. Therefore, how can we subjects serve you? Command me. I am bowing down before you. O revered one! Depending on my capacity, what will I do, so that my fame spreads everywhere in this world and so that I obtain a proper destination in the world hereafter?” Brahma replied, “O son! I am pleased with you. With a pure heart, you have rendered yourself to me and have asked for instructions. O brave one! This is the kind of conduct that one should exhibit towards a senior. If one does this without distraction and to the best of one’s capacity, the senior must gladly accept this, without any malice. Through her, have children who are like your own self in qualities. Follow dharma and rule the earth. Use sacrifices to worship Purusha. O king! The greatest service to me will come about through protecting the subjects. If you are a protector of the subjects, the illustrious Hrishikesha will be satisfied with you. The illustrious Janardana represents the limbs of the sacrifice. If he is not satisfied with a person, that person’s efforts are in vain and he shows disrespect to his own atman.” Manu answered, “O destroyer of sins! O illustrious one! I will abide by your instructions. O lord! Tell me about a place where I, and my offspring, can reside. The earth, the habitation of all beings, is submerged in this great mass of water. O god! Arrange for some efforts so that this goddess can be raised up.” Parameshthi also saw that the earth was submerged in water. “How can it be raised up?” He thought about this for a long time. “While I was creating, the earth was flooded by water and sank down to rasatala. What can we, engaged in the act of creation, possibly do? I was born from the lord’s heart. Let him instruct me.” O unblemished one! While he was thinking in this way, a boar emerged from his nostril and it was the size of a thumb. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! While he looked on, an extraordinary wonder occurred. Stationed in the sky, in an instant, it 938 increased to the size of an elephant. With the brahmanas, Marichi as the foremost, the Kumaras 939 and Manu, on seeing the form of the boar, he began to debate in many kinds of ways. “What is the spirit that is pretending to be a boar in the sky? It is extremely wonderful that it should have emerged from my nose. When it emerged, it was seen to be as small as a thumb. In an instant, it has become as large as a boulder. Is it the illustrious lord of sacrifices who is agitating my mind in this way?” In this way, while Brahma debated it with his sons, the illustrious Purusha, the lord of sacrifices and as large as a mountain, roared. Lord Hari delighted Brahma and the excellent brahmanas with his roar, which echoed in all the directions. They heard that tumultuous roar, which dispelled all their exhaustion. He had used his maya to adopt the form of the boar. The sages who were residents of janaloka, tapoloka and satyaloka praised him with sacred chants from the three. 940 His form is expounded in the Vedas and it is his qualities that are extolled in the form of the brahman and the devotees chanted this. Knowing this, out of compassion for those gods, he entered the water, sporting like a gigantic elephant. He traversed the sky, with the stiff hair on his tail raised up. The hair on his back quivered. Struck by his hooves, the clouds were dispelled. His tusks were white and his eyes were radiant and shining. The illustrious one is the saviour of the earth. He searched out the earth with his sense of smell. Though his body was the sacrifice, he assumed the form of a boar with terrible tusks. The brahmanas were praising him and he gently glanced towards them, entering the water. His body was as hard as a mountain made out of diamonds. As he fell into the water with great force, spreading out his arms, turbulent waves were created. The lofty waves were like arms stretched out in suffering, screaming, “O lord of sacrifices! Save me.” His hooves were as sharp as razors and he clove through the waters with these. The lord of sacrifices 941 went to the furthest limits of the waters. He saw the earth, the abode of all creatures, sleeping there, as it used to do earlier. 942 He raised it up himself. He raised the submerged earth up on his own tusks and appeared in a resplendent form in the waters. 943 A daitya, invincible in valour, rushed towards him, wielding a club. 944 However, his blazing rage was like the weapon with the excellent nave. 945 Toying with him in the water like a lion, he killed this obstruction. His cheeks became red from the clotted blood, as if an Indra among elephants had been digging up the earth 946 with its tusks. His complexion was as blue as a tamala tree. His white tusks were curved and sporting like an elephant, he raised the earth up on his tusks. With Virinchi at the forefront, they understood that he was the lord. They joined their hands in salutation and chanted hymns from the Vedas to pray to him.

‘“The rishis said, ‘Victory to you. O one who cannot be vanquished! Victory to you. O creator of sacrifices! We bow down before you. You are shaking your body, formed out of the three. 947 Your pores and body hair are the sacrifices. We bow down to the one who assumed the form of a boar to raise up the one who was hidden. 948 O god! This is your form as sacrifices. 949 Those who are wicked in their deeds find it extremely difficult to see this form. The metres are your skin, the kusha grass is your body hair, the clarified butter is your eyes and the four types of officiating priests are your feet. O illustrious one! The sacrificial altar is your tongue, the ladles are your nose, the plates are your stomach, the spoons are your ears, the prashitra 950 is your mouth, the graha 951 is your throat and what you chew is agnihotra. Your repeated births are the initiation of the sacrifice, the upasads are your neck, prayaniya and udayaniya are your tusks. 952 The pravargya 953 is your tongue, kratu is your head, both sabhya and avasathya. The bricks arranged for the sacrificial ceremony are your breath of life. The soma juice is your semen and the ablutions are your seat. O god! The seven kinds of sacrifice 954 are the elements of your body. All the sacrificial sessions are the joints of your body. You are the sacrifices and kratus, the ishtis are the tendons of your body. We bow down to you. You yourself are all the mantras, gods, all the sacrificial objects, kratus and rites. We bow down to you. You are the knowledge that can be obtained through non-attachment, devotion and the perception that results from conquering one’s atman. For the sake of learning, we repeatedly bow down before the preceptor. O illustrious one! O one who has held up the earth! With all its mountains, you have held up the radiant earth on the tips of your tusk. It looks like a lotus, with its leaves, resting on the tusks of a crazy and giant elephant that has just emerged out of the water. This is your form as a boar, full of the three. 955 You have held up the circle of the earth on your tusks and it shines like a mountain surrounded by the clouds. It looks as radiant as a kulachala. 956 For the sake of the people, establish this world, which is like a mother to the mobile and immobile objects. She is your wife and you are their father. Together with you, we bow down in obeisance before you. You have deposited your own energy in her, like fire in a piece of kindling. O lord! Who but you could decide to raise up the earth, which was submerged deep in the waters? However, this does not cause wonder, since you are the wonder behind this universe. Using your maya, you have performed the extremely wonderful act of creation. The Vedas constitute your body and we, the residents of janaloka, tapoloka and satyaloka, have been sanctified by the pure drops of water from your bristling body hair when you shook yourself. O lord! We have been sprinkled and have been extremely sanctified. There is no end to your deeds. A person who seeks to enumerate your deeds is confounded in his intelligence. You are full of yoga maya and the entire universe is confounded by the qualities of your maya. O illustrious one! Bestow good fortune on us.’

‘“Maitreya said, ‘He was thus praised by the sages who knew about the brahman. His hooves had agitated the water. He stabilized it and placed the earth there. Thus, in his pastimes, the illustrious Vishvaksena Prajapati raised up the earth from the deep and placed it in the waters. Thereafter, Hari departed. Hari destroys all miseries. Hari is full of maya and his extremely fortunate deeds are worthy of being recounted. If a person hears them, or makes others hear them, Janardana, who is inside the heart, is immediately pleased. When the lord of all benedictions is pleased, there is nothing that is impossible to obtain. There is no need for trifling gains. Barring the worship of the one who is hidden everywhere, there is nothing else that is worthy of being seen. For those who are devoted to him, he himself confers the supreme destination, vested in him alone. The ancient accounts of the illustrious one are accounts full of nectar. They destroy all desire for material objects. Other than a person who is worse than human, who can refuse to drink this in through the ears? In this world, there are no other objectives of human existence.’”’

Chapter 3(14)

‘Shri-Shuka said, “Vidura, firm in his vows, heard what Kousharava described, about Hari’s account and about why he had assumed the form of a boar. However, he was still not completely satisfied. Therefore, he joined his hands in salutation and asked yet again.

‘“Vidura asked, ‘O best among sages! We have heard that the first daitya, Hiranyaksha, was slain by Hari in his form of a sacrifice. 957 O brahmana! In his pastimes, when he raised up the earth on the tips of his tusks, why was there a clash between him and the king of the daityas?’

‘“Maitreya replied, ‘O brave one! You have asked a virtuous question about Hari’s avatara. The truth about the account you have asked severs the bondage of death for mortals. When he was a child, Uttanapada’s son 958 heard the sage 959 sing about this account. After this, he placed his feet on death’s head and ascended to Hari’s abode. There is a history about this. In ancient times, I have heard it described by Brahma, the god of the gods, when the gods had asked him about this. O Kshatta! Diti, Daksha’s daughter, had Kashyapa, Marichi’s son, as a husband. In the evening, she was afflicted by desire and approached him, desiring a child. He was then meditating, controlled, seated in the place where the fire is worshipped. He had offered oblations into the tongues of the fire and had worshipped Purusha, the lord of sacrifices. The sun was about to set. Diti said, “O learned one! Kama’s arrows are making me suffer and I desire you. I am distressed and miserable. It has attacked me, like a mad elephant attacks a plantain tree. O fortunate one! I am tormented because my co-wives are prosperous because they have children. Do this for me and show me your favours. The fame of women who are respected by their husbands spreads throughout the world. You are my husband and in the form of my sons, it is you who will be born through me. My illustrious father, Daksha, loved his daughters. In earlier times, he separately asked each of us, ‘O daughter! Whom do you desire to choose as a husband?’ However, since he knew about the thoughts of his children, he knew what his daughters wanted. He handed over thirteen of us to you, the possessor of good conduct, and we have followed you. O lotus-eyed one! Therefore, fulfil my desire and make me fortunate. If an afflicted person approaches a great being, the wishes should not remain unsatisified.” O brave one! Miserable, she spoke many words to Marichi’s son. Thanks to Ananga, her desire was increasing and he replied to her in words of entreaty. “O beloved one! O timid one! I will do whatever you desire. The three objectives of human existence are for you and who will refuse your wish? A ship can be used to cross the ocean. Like that, a person with a wife follows the norms of his own ashrama and crosses over this ocean of grief, 960 thus serving the objective of all the ashramas. O proud lady! A wife is said to share half in whatever beneficial acts a person undertakes. Entrusting all his own burdens over to her, a man can roam around, freed of all anxiety. Seeking refuge with the wife, one can conquer the enemies that are the senses. Those in other ashramas find them extremely difficult to vanquish. We can vanquish them easily, like the lord of a fort driving away bandits. O mistress of the house! It is impossible for us to obtain all the kinds of powers you possess, in this life and other lives. Nor can others who appreciate your qualities. Therefore, I will indeed satisfy your desire and give you offspring. However, so that I am not reproached, you must wait for the right muhurta. This is a terrible time. Everything is horrible and fearful to look at. The bhutas, the companions of the lord of the bhutas, are wandering around. O virtuous one! This is evening. The illustrious creator of bhutas and king of the bhutas, 961 is travelling around on his bull, surrounded in all directions by bhutas who are his attendants. Your husband’s younger brother, the god with the three eyes, 962 is looking at us. 963 His pure and golden body is completely covered with ashes. His shining mass of matted hair is dishevelled, tawny because duststorms in cremation grounds have covered him with smoke. In this world, there is no one who is his relative. But there is no one who is not a relative either. He does not favour anyone, nor does he reprimand anyone. We follow the vow of serving at his feet, respectfully worship him and enjoy his leftover food. 964 Learned ones who desire to cast away the veil of ignorance chant praises about his unblemished conduct. There is no one who is his equal or his superior. He is the destination of virtuous ones, but has adopted the conduct of a pishacha. He finds delight in his own atman. However, extremely unfortunate ones do not know the reason behind this conduct and laugh at him. They adorn themselves with garments, garlands, ornaments and unguents, while he is immersed in his own atman and eats the food of dogs. Brahma and the others observe the ordinances set by him. He is the cause behind this universe and maya. Those who follow the conduct of pishachas follow his commands. The wonderful conduct of the lord is mysterious.” Though her husband educated her in this way, her senses were agitated by Manmatha. 965 Without any sense of shame, like a prostitute, she seized the brahmana rishi’s garments. He got to know that his wife was obstinately going to perform the perverse act. Having bowed down to destiny, in a secluded place, he lay down with her. After this, he touched water and controlled his speech and his breath of life. He meditated and chanted hymns about the pure brahman, the eternal light. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! Diti became ashamed of the perverse act. She approached the brahmana rishi. With her face lowered, she spoke to him. Diti said, “O brahmana! May the embryo not be killed by the bull among the bhutas, Rudra. He is the lord of all creatures and I have committed an offence against him. I bow down to the great Rudra. He is the fierce god who fulfils all desires. I bow down to Shiva. In his rage, he exerts the rod of punishment. May he cast aside that rod of punishment. May my sister’s illustrious husband be pleased and show me his favours. 966 He is the god who is Sati’s husband. Even hunters show compassion towards women.” Hoping for the welfare of her own offspring in the world, she was trembling. Having completed the evening rites, Prajapati spoke to his wife. Kashyapa said, “Your atman was polluted. There was a taint due to the wrong muhurta. You disobeyed my command and you disregarded the gods. O unfortunate one! You will therefore have two unfortunate sons who will be the worst among those who have been produced from wombs. O insolent lady! They will repeatedly make the three worlds and their guardians shriek. Creatures will be slaughtered and innocent ones will be distressed. Women will be abducted and great-souls will be enraged. The illustrious one, the creator of the worlds, the lord of the universe, will be enraged. He will then descend and slay them, just as the wielder of the weapon with one hundred joints 967 shatters a mountain.” Diti replied, “O lord! I desire that my sons should be killed by the generous and illustrious one himself, wielding the weapon with the excellent nave 968 himself. May they not be slain by angry brahmanas. If a person causes fear to beings and is burnt down by the rod of punishment exerted by brahmanas, the residents of hell do not show him any compassion, nor does the species into which he happens to be born.” Kashyapa said, “You are grieving and repenting over what you have done, having carefully thought about it. You have now affectionately shown your respect towards the illustrious one, 969 Bhava and me. Therefore, a son born from your two sons will be revered by virtuous ones. They will chant about his pure fame and his glory will be like that of the illustrious one. Just as inferior gold is purified, virtuous ones will follow his good conduct and purify themselves, such as by not engaging in enmity. Everyone in the universe will be pleased with him, since the illustrious one will be himself pleased with him. He will use the intelligence in his atman to be devoted to no one else. He will be extremely fortunate and great-souled. He will be great in his sentiments and will be the greatest of the great. Through his increased devotion, when he gives up this life, he will enter Vaikuntha and find bliss there. He will not be lustful. He will be a store of good conduct and a store of qualities. He will be happy when others are happy and miserable when others are miserable. He will have no enemies in this world and he will be the reliever of all sorrows. He will be like the king of the stars, 970 relieving the heat of the summer. Both inside him and outside him, he will see the unblemished lotus-eyed one, who assumes the form desired by his own devotees. Your grandson will see the lord’s ornamented form, the one that delights Shri, with his form adorned by dazzling earrings.” Hearing that her grandson would be devoted to the illustrious one, Diti was extremely delighted. She was also extremely happy that both her sons would be killed by Krishna.’”’

Chapter 3(15)

‘“Maitreya said, ‘Diti was anxious about the energy of others and suspected that the gods might cause suffering. 971 Therefore, she bore Prajapati’s seed for one hundred years. Because of this, 972 light disappeared from the worlds and darkness enveloped the directions. The guardians of the worlds lost their energy. They went and reported this to the creator of the universe. The gods said, “O lord! You know about this darkness. This is causing us great agitation. Your progress is not impeded by time and there is nothing that is not known to an illustrious one like you. O god of the gods! O creator of the universe! O supreme jewel among the protectors of the universe! You know about the thoughts of creatures who have come before us and will come after us. We bow down before you. Knowledge is your valour. You have obtained your body through maya. You have accepted the guna 973 for the sake of differentiation. Your origin is from the one who is not manifest. We bow down before you. There are those who do not deviate and meditate on you, the source of everything. Cause and effect and the superior worlds are interwoven into your atman. There are those who have ripened themselves through yoga and have conquered their breaths of life, their senses and their atmans. They have obtained your favours and are never vanquished. Just as a cow is tethered with a rope, all the subjects are bound to your words. 974 You are foremost among the ones who obtain a share in sacrifices. We bow down before you. O lord! You are the one who ensures good fortune. Because of the darkness, all the rites have ceased. We are afflicted and you should glance towards us, the unfortunate ones. O god! This is because of Diti’s foetus, with the energy of the seed deposited by Kashyapa. Like a fire into which kindling has been offered, it is growing and enveloping the directions with darkness.” O mighty-armed one! The illustrious one, who can be approached through the use of words, the one who created himself, smiled. He replied in gentle words.

‘“‘Brahma said, “Sanaka and the others were my sons through my mental powers and were born before you. Without any desires, they travel through the sky and go to all the worlds and the residents there. They once went to Vaikuntha, where the illustrious one with the unblemished atman resides. All the worlds revere Vaikuntha. All the people who reside in Vaikuntha have a form like Vaikuntha. 975 They are not driven by any material aspirations, but worship Hari because of dharma. The original and illustrious Purusha is there and he can be approached through the use of words. He accepts the pure form of sattva and the foremost confers happiness on us, his devotees. There is a grove named Naishreya 976 there. It has trees that yield all the objects of desire. In every season, it is radiant and prosperous. It is like the embodied form of emancipation. With their women, the residents always roam around in vimanas. Devoid of everything inauspicious, they chant praises of their lord. There are fragrant and blossoming madhavi 977 flowers in the water. The breeze wafts this scent along and tries to distract their concentration. There are the loud calls of pigeons, cuckoos, cranes, chakravakas, gallinules, swans, parrots, partridges and peacocks. These cease only when the lord of the bees loudly chants Hari’s account. There are trees like mandara, kunda, kuraba, utpala, champaka, arna, punnaga, naga, bakula, ambuja and parijata. 978 However, because of the austerities she 979 performed, the extremely good-minded one revers her a lot and is satisfied with the fragrance of a garland of tulasi leaves. In Hari’s abode, those who bow down to him can see many vimanas made out of lapis lazuli, emeralds and gold. There are women with large hips and beautiful smiles on their faces. However, despite their allurements, they cannot stimulate desire in those whose atmans are in Krishna. Their forms are as beautiful as that of Shri and anklets tinkle on their lotus feet. Free from all sins, they play with lotuses in Hari’s abode and seem to be sweeping the walls, which are seen to be made out of crystal, encrusted with gold. They take extreme care to obtain his favours. The banks of the lakes are made out of coral. The sparkling water is like amrita. Surrounded by her servants, in her own grove, Shri worships her lord with tulasi leaves. One can see her face, with beautiful hair and a raised nose. O dear ones! It is as if she is being kissed by the illustrious one. There are people who listen to compositions and renderings about other subjects. 980 These are perverse accounts and destroy the intelligence. They cannot approach the place where the destroyer of sins resides. Men who listen to these are robbed of their fortune and the essence of truth. Without any refuge, they are flung into a darkness 981 and destroyed. Birth as humans is desired even by us, because one can then obtain true knowledge, while following dharma. However, after this, if one does not worship the illustrious one through rites, one is confounded and enveloped in a pervasive maya. There are those who follow the foremost one. Through their self-restraint and conduct, they keep Yama away and aspire to reach a place that is above that of gods like us. 982 Lovingly, they converse with each other about the great glories of the lord. They are in ecstasy and tears flow from their eyes. On all their limbs, their body hair stands up. Through their yoga and the strength of their maya, the sages 983 reached Vaikuntha, a place that they had not reached earlier. They were delighted to reach the abode of the preceptor of the universe, a place worshipped by the worlds. It was divine and wonderful, illuminated by the vimanas of the learned ones. Without being attracted, the sages passed through six decorated chambers and reached the seventh. They saw a pair of gods there. They were equal in age and wielded clubs. They were attired in beautiful garments and the upper parts of their bodies were ornamented with bracelets, earrings and diadems. Garlands of wild flowers hung around their necks, spread in between their four blue arms, and intoxicated bees hovered around. There were arched eyebrows on their faces. Their nostrils were wide and their eyes were red. They looked at them, as if their minds were agitated. Without asking these two doorkeepers, the sages entered. As before, in front of them, they saw doors made out of diamonds everywhere. Without any distinction, these sages roamed around as they willed. Since they were without any sense of fear, they were not obstructed. 984 The four Kumaras were naked. Though aged, they seemed to be only five years old and had grasped the truth about the atman. The doorkeepers laughed because of their strength and did what they should not have done, since it was against good conduct. Acting contrary to the wishes of the illustrious one, they used their canes to obstruct them. While the gods looked on, they were thus restrained by Hari’s two doorkeepers, though they should have been respected. In their eagerness to see their beloved well-wisher, the eyes of the sages were suddenly agitated by rage, the younger brother of lust. They said, ‘Who are you? You have obtained this position by having served the illustrious one earlier. Though you dwell in a place meant for the followers of dharma, there is a discordant trait in your natures. The tranquil Purusha is beyond all enmity. Other than yourselves, who can suspect anything like deceit? Here, there is no difference between the illustrious one and everything else. Learned ones see their atmans in his atman, like a small bit of space 985 inside larger space. We can see that you possess the marks of gods. 986 That is the reason a fear has arisen in you and you can discern differences within the stomach. 987 Therefore, we need to do something for the supreme lord of Vaikuntha and bring you benefit too. Let us consider what can be done for those like you, who are wicked in intelligence. Since you see differences inside a place like this, go to a different world, where the three evil enemies 988 exist.’ Hari’s attendants were extremely terrified. They understood the terrible purport of the words that had been spoken in the form of a brahmana’s curse and this could not be countered through weapons. Extremely distressed, they prostrated themselves and seized their feet. ‘O illustrious ones! Let the punishment be inflicted on wicked ones like us. It will absolve us of any sins that remain because we have disregarded the god. We are repentant. As we leave this place and go to the regions below, let us not be confounded, so that we no longer remember the illustrious one.’ At that time, the illustrious Aravindanabha 989 got to know that his attendants had committed a transgression against noble and virtuous ones. Paramahamsas and great sages seek out his feet and with Shri, he used these to go to the spot. They saw him advance, with his own attendants and objects. He is the object of vision and those who are fortunate can see him in their meditations. His white umbrella was like the moon. The two whisks were as beautiful as swans and led to an auspicious and gentle breeze that made drops of water that were like pearl drops from the ends of the umbrella. The one with the beautiful face is the source of all favours and is the desired refuge. His affectionate glance expands and touches every heart. Shri was radiant on his blue and broad chest and was like jewel worn on the head, extending good fortune throughout the illustrious one’s abode. There was a radiant girdle over the yellow garment around his broad hips. He wore a garland of white flowers and bees hummed around it. There were beautiful bracelets around his wrists and one of his hands was placed on the shoulder of Vinata’s son. 990 The other hand twirled a white lotus. His cheeks, which deserved to be decorated, were ornamented with earrings in the shape of makaras and their brilliance surpassed that of lightning. Because of his prominent nose, his face was beautiful. There were gems on his diadem. The Koustubha jewel was around his neck and a beautiful and expensive necklace also hung between his four thick arms. The goddess of fortune possessed a beauty to be proud of. However, his devotees used their intelligence to decide that his beauty surpassed that of hers. For the sake of me, Bhava and you, 991 he assumed a form that deserved to be worshipped. They were not satisfied and kept looking at him. From the toes of the lotus feet of the lotus-eyed one, the fragrant air carried the smell of tulasi leaves and this entered through their noses, agitating their minds and bodies, though their minds were attached to the one without decay. 992 The lord’s face was as beautiful as the inside of a blue lotus. The smile on his charming lips was like a kunda flower. They glanced at him and obtained his benedictions. They glanced again at his two lotus feet, with red nails that were like rubies, and meditated on them. In this world, men use the path of yoga to search him out as a destination. As a result of meditation, he shows his extremely revered human form, which is delightful to the eyes and is eternally praised. However, this is only accessible to a person who possesses the eight kinds of siddhis. The Kumaras said, ‘You are in the hearts of evil-souled ones, but are not visible to them. O infinite one! However, we have obtained you today, in front of our eyes. Our father, 993 born from you, described your mysteries to us. This entered our hearts through our eyes and we used our intelligence to grasp it. O illustrious one! We know you as the truth, as the paramatman. You are the one who uses sattva to create affection in those who have obtained your mercy and have comprehended you through firm bhakti yoga. Sages who have severed the bonds of attachment know you in their hearts. There are those who have a great desire for emancipation. They obtain your favours, not to speak of those who are scared of the knitting of your eyebrows and have given themselves up to other things. 994 O dear one! They have taken shelter before your lotus feet and seek out accounts about your deeds. They are experts in savouring these glories, which are like tirthas. Because of our sinful deeds, even if we find ourselves in hell, we desire that, like black bees, our minds should continue to find delight in your lotus feet. May our words be like tulasi leaves and become beautified by your lotus feet. Let a multitude of your qualities be chanted and fill our ears. You have shown us this greatly revered form. O lord! We have obtained satisfaction at having been able to see this form, which is impossible for those who have not controlled themselves to see. Therefore, we offer our worship to this illustrious form. The illustrious one has been seen by us.’”’”’

Chapter 3(16)

‘“‘Brahma said, “The sages, who followed the dharma of yoga, praised him in this way. The lord, whose abode is in Vaikuntha, greeted them and said the following.

‘“‘The illustrious one said, “These two attendants of mine are Jaya and Vijaya. They have slighted me and have also committed a great offence against you. They have also disregarded the gods. O sages! Therefore, the punishment you have imposed on them has my approval. Since brahmanas are supreme divinities for me, I seek your pardon. I think that the offence caused to you by these men is like an offence caused to you by me. When a servant commits a crime, people take the name of the master and his reputation suffers because of this blame, like disease affecting the skin. I am Vaikuntha. Hearing about my fame is like immersion in unblemished amrita. It instantly purifies the universe, even a svapacha. 995 I have obtained the fame of being an excellent tirtha from people like you. If my own arm acts against you, I will have no hesitation in severing it. It is because I serve you that the dust on my lotus feet has become purified and can instantly cleanse all sin. That is how I have obtained good conduct. That is the reason Shri does not leave me, even though I am not attached to her. Everyone else observes vows to obtain the favour of her glances. I do not relish the oblations offered by those who sacrifice into the sacrificial fire and the clarified butter mixed with food, as much as I relish a brahmana offering me the fruits of his action, having satisfied himself after eating the food. I alone bear the complete and unobstructed power of my yoga maya, but I bear the pure dust of their 996 feet on my diadem. The water that has washed their feet instantly purifies the worlds, including the one who wears the moon. 997 Who will not tolerate brahmanas? The best brahmanas, milk-yielding cows and other creatures who have not obtained a refuge are no different from me. It is only the ignorant who perceive a difference. Those who perceive such a difference from me have impaired vision. They will be torn apart by the messengers of the supervisor of punishments. 998 They are like angry vultures and their rage is like that of serpents. Even if brahmanas speak harshly, there are those who use their intelligence to worship them and satisfy them with joyous hearts, their faces like lotuses that are wet with the nectar of smiles. Using loving and affectionate words, they address them as one would speak to a son and praise and pacify them. I am won over by such people. Not knowing their own master’s intentions, these two have offended you and are headed downwards. Show me your favours so that after going through this, they should immediately return to my presence. Let it be such that these two servants are not exiled for a long time.”’

‘“‘Brahma continued, “He spoke in this way to the noble rishis, as if the goddess Sarasvati was in the speech. 999 The sages were tainted by anger. Even though they heard these words, they were not satisfied. They heard those well-composed words attentively. They were deep in import and not easy to comprehend. They immersed themselves in these deep and fathomless words. However, they did not understand what he wished to do. Through his yoga maya, Parameshthi’s greatness had been revealed to them. The brahmanas were delighted and their body hair stood up. They joined their hands in salutation and said, ‘O illustrious one! O god! We do not know what you desire. You are supreme and you have spoken as if we have done you a favour. O lord! You have said that brahmanas are supreme divinities and that brahmanas are also superior to you. O god! O illustrious one! But you yourself are the divinity for both gods and brahmanas. Eternal dharma flows from you and is protected by your forms. In our view, you are not subject to change. You are mysterious and supreme dharma. It is through your favours that yogis withdraw from action and conquer death. It is not possible for anyone else to show you favours. Others desire the occasional favours of the goddess of prosperity and apply the dust of her feet on their heads. The king of bees has a place on the garland of fresh tulasi leaves at your feet and she wishes to be in that fortunate position. She is pure and is devoted to you in conduct. But you are not as attached to her as you are to your devotees. How can you be purified by the dust on the path travelled by brahmanas, or how can you be purified by the sign of shrivatsa? You yourself are the reservoir of everything that is excellent. O illustrious one! O Triyuga! 1000 You yourself are the feet of dharma in the three yugas. For the sake of gods and brahmanas, you protect everything that is mobile and immobile. Indeed, using sattva, you have destroyed and driven away rajas and tamas. Yours is the body that confers boons on us. O best protector! O one who is worshipped! O god! If you do not protect the excellent lineages of the brahmanas, your auspicious path will be destroyed. People accept the behaviour of the best as a yardstick. O store of sattva! You do not desire or like the idea of the best being destroyed. For the welfare of people, you use your powers to destroy the enemy. You are the lord of the three worlds. You are the protector of the universe. Your energy is not diminished because you are bowing down. You are doing this because it pleases you. O lord! Whatever punishment you inflict on these two is approved by us. Without any duplicity, we will accept whatever births you determine for them. Impose a suitable punishment on us, since we have inflicted a curse on those two innocent ones.’ The illustrious one replied, ‘They will instantly obtain a birth that is inferior to that of gods. However much their anger increases, they will be firmly bound to meditation through yoga. They will then soon return to my presence. O brahmanas! I was the reason behind the curse you inflicted on them.’ Thus, the sages saw Vaikuntha, who brought delight to the eyes, in his self-resplendent abode of Vaikuntha. They circumambulated the illustrious one, bowed down before him and took his leave. Full of joy, they returned, praising the Vaishnava glory. The illustrious one told his servants, ‘Depart. Do not be frightened. Find happiness. Though I am capable of countering the energy of brahmanas, this has my approval and I do not wish to do so. This was ordained earlier, when Rama 1001 was enraged. On an earlier occasion, when I was resting, she wished to enter and you prevented her at the gate. Because of rage, you will immerse yourselves in yoga and tide over the offence of having disrespected brahmanas. Within a very short period of time, you will again return to my presence.’ Instructing the doorkeepers in this way, the illustrious one entered his own abode, which was ornamented with arrays of vimanas and was marked everywhere with signs of great prosperity. Because of the curse of brahmanas, extremely difficult to resist, those two bulls among divinities were dislodged from Hari’s world. They were deprived of their prosperity and lost their happiness. O sons! As they were falling down from Vaikuntha’s abode, great sounds of lamentation arose from those who were in those vimanas. Hari’s two excellent attendants have now obtained Kashyapa’s powerful seed and have entered Diti’s womb. You are now suffering because of the energy of those twin asuras and this has certainly agitated your energy. However, this has been ordained by the illustrious one. He is the reason behind the creation, preservation and destruction of the universe. Even lords of yoga also find it impossible to cross his yoga maya. The illustrious one, the lord of the three worlds, will arrange for our welfare. That being the case, what purpose will be served by our thinking about the matter?”’”’

Chapter 3(17)

‘“Maitreya said, ‘Having heard about the reason recited by the self-born one, all the residents of heaven were freed of their fear and returned to heaven. Because of what her husband had foretold, Diti was scared. After a full one hundred years were over, the virtuous one gave birth to twin sons. The earth, with its mountains, trembled. All the directions blazed. Meteors and thunder showered down. Comets and evil portents manifested themselves. A wind that was extremely harsh to the touch started to blow, repeatedly making a tumultuous noise. Large trees were uprooted and the whirlwinds raised banners of dust. There were masses of clouds and the lightning was like laughter. The stellar bodies disappeared. Darkness enveloped the sky and not a single spot could be distinguished. The ocean was distressed and shrieked, with lofty waves and its inside agitated. Waterbodies and rivers were also agitated and lotuses dried up. There were repeated bouts of mist. Rahu attacked the moon and the sun. There was thunder and sounds like that of clattering chariots emerging from inside caves. Inside the villages, female jackals vomited terrible fire from their mouths and howled in hideous and inauspicious tones, accompanied by owls and male jackals. Raising up their heads, here and there, dogs barked in many kinds of ways. They seemed to sometimes sing and sometimes weep. O Kshatta! Herds of maddened donkeys rushed around wildly, braying harshly and striking the ground with their hooves. Birds were terrified by the donkeys. They shrieked and flew out of their nests. Domestic and wild animals released urine and excrement. Cows were terrified and yielded blood instead of milk. The clouds showered down pus. The images of the gods wept. Though there was no wind, the trees were uprooted. Auspicious planets were surpassed by the others. 1002 The stellar bodies blazed, followed retrograde paths and fought with each other. The subjects witnessed these great and ominous portents. With the exception of Brahma’s sons, they did not know about the truth. They were frightened and thought that the time for the universe to be submerged had arrived. Those two original daityas quickly manifested their virility. Their bodies were as hard as stone and they grew up, resembling large mountains. They stood there and the crests of their golden diadems touched the sky. They blocked the directions with arms decorated with shining armlets. At every step, their feet made the earth tremble. The excellent girdles around their waists surpassed the sun. Prajapati 1003 gave them names. The first son born from his body was Hiranyakashipu. People knew the elder son as Hiranyaksha. 1004 Because of Brahma’s boon, Hiranyakashipu did not fear death from anyone. He used his arms to subjugate the three worlds and their guardians. He was arrogant. Hiranyaksha was loved by his younger brother, who always did what brought him pleasure. With a club in his hand, he 1005 went to heaven, looking for an opportunity to fight. They 1006 saw him, irresistible in his speed. Golden anklets tinkled around his feet. He was adorned with a vaijayanti garland 1007 and the huge club rested on his shoulder. Because of the boon, he could not be countered and was proud of his physical and mental prowess, without any fear. On seeing him, the gods were terrified and hid themselves, like scared snakes before Tarkshya. 1008 When he saw that Indra and the large number of gods had gone into hiding because of his great prowess, the intoxicated king of the daityas roared loudly. He returned and roared in a terrible voice. Wishing to play, the great being immersed himself in the ocean, like a crazy elephant. When he entered there, Varuna’s soldiers, the aquatic creatures, became distressed. Though they were not struck by him, they were scared because of his radiance and suffering, fled a long distance away. O son! The immensely strong one spent many years there, roaming amidst the mighty waves repeatedly made turbulent by the wind of his breathing. He beat these down with his iron club. He then reached Vibhavari, the city of Prachetas. 1009 Having reached Prachetas, lord of the large number of aquatic creatures and the protector of the world of the asuras, he smiled. Like an inferior person indulging in jest, he bowed down and said, “O great king! Grant me a fight. You are the guardian of the world. You are an emperor and your fame is extensive. You are the one who takes away the valour of brave and arrogant ones who consider themselves to be invincible. You have conquered all the worlds, with the daityas and the danavas. O lord! Earlier, you have thereafter performed a royal sacrifice.” The illustrious lord of the waters was thus bitterly spoken to by an insolent enemy who mocked him. Using his intelligence, he pacified his rising rage and replied, ‘O dear one! I am old and resort to tranquility now. O bull among asuras! I do not see anyone other than the ancient Purusha who can fight with you and give you satisfaction. You are accomplished in the ways of fighting. Learned ones like you also praise him. When you reach that brave one, you will be swiftly robbed of your pride. You will lie down on a bed meant for heroes, surrounded by dogs. Exhibiting his favours to the virtuous and depending on his wishes, he adopts many kinds of forms to pacify wicked ones like you.’”’

Chapter 3(18)

‘“Maitreya said, ‘He heard what the lord of the waters had said. But the immensely proud and extremely haughty one paid little heed to these words. O dear one! He got to know from Narada where Hari was. 1010 Therefore, he quickly entered rasatala. He saw the victorious one there, holding up the earth. The earth was being raised up on the tips of the tusks. His own radiance was diminished by his 1011 reddish eyes. He laughed, “Aha! This is a vanagochara animal. 1012 O ignorant one! Let go of the earth and come to me. The creator of the universe has granted the residents of the nether regions to us. While I look on, you cannot go away safely with this. 1013 O worst among the gods! You have assumed the form of a boar. Have our enemies nurtured you? Do you use your maya to remain invisible and kill asuras? O one who is limited in virility! You are one who uses the strength of yoga maya. O foolish one! After taking care of you, I will wipe away the sorrow of my well-wishers. You will lie down, with your head shattered by my club. My arms will release it towards you. The gods and the rishis offer you oblations. Even if they remain, they will no longer have their foundation.” He was struck by the words of the enemy, which were like javelins. He saw that the earth, balanced on the tips of his tusks, was frightened. Tolerating the pain, he arose from the water, like a male elephant with a female elephant that has been seized by a crocodile. As he emerged from the water, Hiranyakesha 1014 followed him, like an elephant pursued by a crocodile. With horrible teeth and a voice like thunder, he said, “Have you no shame? What can shame a wicked and reprimanded person?” He raised the earth out of the water and laid it down, within his range of vision, investing it with his own spirit. He was praised by the creator of the universe 1015 and the satisfied gods showered down flowers on him, while the enemy still looked on. He was followed closely at the rear by the one who was adorned with golden ornaments, wearing golden and colourful armour and wielding the giant club. He 1016 continued to continuously strike him with harsh words that pierced the inner organs.

‘“‘The illustrious one pretended to be angry. He laughed at him and said, “It is true that we are vanagochara animals. We are searching for dogs like you. Brave ones are free of the bondage of death. O fortunate one! They pay no attention to your self-praise. We are taking away what belongs to the residents of the nether regions. We are shameless and have been driven away by your club. Nevertheless, somehow or the other, I have to remain on the field of battle. Having generated enmity with a powerful one, where can we possibly go? You are indeed the lord of leaders of foot soldiers. Quickly take steps to defeat us. Having shown us our proper place, wipe away the tears of your own. If a person does not accomplish his pledge, he is not fit to obtain a place in an assembly.” Thus abused and ridiculed by the illustrious one, who seemed to be angry, he became filled with rage, like a king of snakes that was being toyed with. The rage led to his sighing agitatedly and his senses were in a whirl. The daitya quickly rushed forward and struck Hari with the club. With force, the enemy hurled the club towards his chest. But just as one immersed in yoga avoids death, the illustrious one stepped aside and avoided this. Enraged, Hari rushed forward, displaying his rage by biting his lips. However, he seized his club again and started to whirl it around repeatedly. O amiable one! Using his club, the lord struck the enemy on his right eyebrow. But he was accomplished in fighting with clubs and struck him back. In this way, Haryaksha 1017 and he used heavy clubs to fight against each other. Extremely angry and desiring victory, they struck each other. As they rivalled each, their bodies were struck by the clubs. The smell of the blood that flowed increased their anger even more. Desiring victory, they roamed around in different modes of movement. It seemed as if two bulls were fighting for the sake of a cow. O Kouravya! The great-souled one, whose limbs are sacrifices, had used maya to assume the form of a boar. He and the enemy, the daitya, fought for the sake of the earth. Desiring to see this, the one who was his own ruler 1018 arrived, surrounded by the rishis. The daitya was full of power and devoid of fear. He fought back and his great valour was irresistible. On seeing this, the illustrious one, who was the leader of thousands, 1019 addressed Narayana, in his form of the original boar. Brahma said, ‘O god! He causes offence to gods, brahmanas, Surabhi’s children 1020 and innocent creatures who seek the refuge of your feet. He causes fear and his conduct is evil. This asura has obtained a boon from me. Searching for someone to fight with, he roams around the world and is like a thorn. He knows the use of maya, insolent, unrestrained and worst among the wicked. O god! Do not play with him, like a child with a snake that has presented itself. O god! O Achutya! Before his own terrible time arrives and he resorts to his own maya, kill this evil one. O lord! This terrible evening is approaching. O one who is everyone’s atman! Ensure victory for the gods. This is the auspicious conjunction known as Abhijit and it lasts for two muhurtas. 1021 For the welfare of your well-wishers, swiftly destroy this invincible one. With his death ordained, it is good fortune that he has himself come before you. Use your valour to slay him in the battle and bring about the peace of the worlds.’”’