Canto 8 - Chapter 8: The manifestation (in a personal form) of the Lord's (own) enchanting potency

Discourse VIII

The manifestation (in a personal form) of the Lord's (own) enchanting potency

Śrī Śuka resumed: On the poison having been drunk by Lord Śiva (who bears the emblem of a bull) the aforesaid gods and demons, full of joy, churned the ocean (of milk) with (redoubled) vigour; and from the said act of churning came forth the cow of plenty (the store-house of milk, ghee and so on, the principal substances fit for being offered as oblation into the sacred fire). (1)
Seers who were exponents of the Vedas (and engaged in sacrificial performances) took that cow (the source of milk etc., fit for being poured as oblations into the sacred fire) for (obtaining) sacred material (milk, ghee and so on) to be used in sacrificial performances capable of taking (the sacrificer) to the path of gods (leading to Brahmaloka and so on), O king ! (2)
Next sprang forth the (celebrated) horse, Uccaīḥśravā by name, which was white as the moon. Bali longed for (took) it and not Indra because of the admonition given by the Lord. (3)
Then issued forth the (moon-white) king of elephants, Airāvata by name, which by its four tusks (resembling the four peaks of a mountain) obscured the splendour of Kailāsa (the white mountain forming the abode) of Lord Śiva. (4)
Next rose from the ocean (of milk) a jewel of the ruby type, bearing the name of Kaustubha. Śrī Hari (Himself) longed for (took) that gem as an adornment for His breast. (5)
Then appeared (the tree known by the name of) Pārijāta, the ornament of the celestial world, which incessantly gratifies petitioners with the objects sought for, even as you (Parikṣit) do it on earth. (6)
Then came forth the Apsarās (celestial nymphs) adorned with gold necklaces and clad in excellent robes, who delight the denizens of heaven with their charming gait and playful glances. (7)
Then, again, appeared Goddess Ramā (Lakṣmī), who is Affluence personified and is devoted to the Lord, and who illumined the quarters with Her splendour like (a streak of) lightning flashing against the crystalline mountain-range called Sudāmā. (8)
All including gods, demons and men conceived a longing for Her*, their mind overpowered (through astonishment) by the glory of Her comeliness, nobility, (young) age and (fair) complexion. (9)
The great Indra (the lord of paradise) brought for Her a most wonderful throne, while the principal rivers (Gaṅgā and so on) in their personal form brought sacred water (for Her ablutions) in jars of gold. (10)
(Mother) Earth gave (Her) all (kinds of) herbs required for Her ablutions. The cows yielded to Her their five sacred products (viz., milk, curds, ghee, excrement and urine); and Spring yielded (Her) the produce of the two vernal months (in the shape of flowers and fruits appropriate to that season). (11)
Ṛṣis (seers) laid down the procedure of Her ablutions according to the scriptural ordinance. Gandharvas (celestial musicians) sang auspicious songs and their wives (too) danced and sang. (12)
(Spirits presiding over) clouds sounded with great force clay tomtoms, tabors, drums, double drums and clarionets, that produced a tumultuous fanfare—as well as conchs, flutes and lutes. (13)
Then the elephants guarding the (four) quarters bathed Goddess Śrī, who held a lotus in one of Her hands and was an embodiment of virtue, with (gold) jars full of water to the accompaniment of hymns chanted by Brāhmaṇas. (14)
(The god presiding over) the ocean offered Her two pieces of yellow silk (one for being wrapped round Her loins and lower body and the other round Her upper limbs). Varuṇa (the god of water) gave Her a garland called Vājayanti, accompanied by black bees drunk with the honey of its flowers. (15)
Viśwakarmā, a lord of created beings, offered Her wonderful ornaments; Saraswati (the goddess presiding over speech and learning), a necklace of pearls; Brahmā (the birthless creator), a lotus; and Nāgas (serpent-demons) a pair of ear-rings. (16)

Holding in one of Her hands a wreath of lotuses with (a swarm of) black bees humming about it, and wearing a most charming face with a bashful smile playing on it and (brilliant) ear-rings hanging against Her lovely cheek, Goddess Śrī, who (in the form of a golden streak) had (already) taken Her (permanent) abode in the auspicious bosom of Śrī Hari, moved about (in search of a match of Her choice). (17)
Having a pair of symmetrical and closely set breasts, painted with sandal-paste and saffron, and marked with an exceedingly slender waist and moving hither and thither (in that distinguished assemblage) accompanied by the sweet jingling of anklets, She shone like a (mobile) creeper of gold. (18)
Looking out among the Gandharvas, Yakṣas, Asuras, Siddhas, Cāraṇas, gods (lit., the denizens of heaven) and others for a husband for Her—a husband free from blemish, eternal and possessed of everlasting virtues, She did not find any. (19)
(She said to Herself:—) "There is no full control of anger in him of whom asceticism can be surely predicated. (Likewise) wisdom is found in some individuals; but it is not free from attachment. A third one is great (no doubt); but there is no complete mastery of concupiscence in him. And how can he be a lord, who depends (for his existence and power) on another? (20)
There is righteousness in some; but there is no love for living beings in them. (Again) there is liberality in some individuals; but in their case it is not conducive to Liberation (their liberality being actuated by some interested motives). (Similarly) there is prowess in a certain individual; but it is not immune from the ravages of Time. (And) surely he who is (entirely) free from attachment to the objects of senses cannot be a (fit) companion (inasmuch as he will choose to remain absorbed in abstract meditation and will have nothing to do with me). (21)
There is long life in some; but there is no amiability nor auspiciousness (of the kind coveted by women). In some (others) there is amiability and auspiciousness too; but the duration of their life cannot be (easily) known. In some rare individual both these qualities (longevity as well as amiability) exist; but he too is inauspicious (in outward conduct). (Of course) there is one who is very auspicious too (besides being long-lived and amiable); but he does not long for me." (22)

• Here it should be noted, as a learned and saintly commentator points out, that all those present in that assembly coveted Goddess Lakṣmī only because they knew that. She being the deity presiding over fortune, Her grace would make them masters of fortune. Otherwise they were all great devotees, as is evident from the fact that they all offered presents to Her as a token of reverence and homage (vide verses 10 to 16).

Having thus deliberated, Goddess Ramā (Lakṣmī) chose for Her husband (none other than) Lord Viṣṇu (the Bestower of Liberation), the most worthy of all from the point of view of His everlasting virtues (such as righteousness and wisdom) and (absolute) independence, who is beyond the (three) Guṇas (modes of Prakṛti) and was coveted by Her, nay, who is wooed by all excellences, even though He does not feel interested in anyone. (23)
Placing on His shoulders the charming wreath of fresh lotuses resonant with the humming of swarms of maddening black-bees, and having attained to His bosom, Her own (permanent) abode, through Her (lotus-like) eyes blooming with a bashful smile, she stood by His side (awaiting His grace as it were). (24)
Lord Viṣṇu (the Father of the three worlds) made His bosom the permanent abode of Goddess Śrī, the Mother of the three worlds and the Source of (all) riches. Ensconced there, Lakṣmī promoted (the welfare of) Her creation, the three worlds and their rulers, by Her benignant look. (25)
A great noise issued forth from conchs, clarionets and clay tomtoms and other musical instruments, as well as from Gandharvas (attendants of the gods) and their wives singing (on that occasion). (26)
All the creators of the world, headed by Brahmā, Rudra (the god of destruction) and the sage Aṅgirā, celebrated the Lord by means of sacred texts purporting to describe Him and representing the bare truth, and showered flowers on Him. (27)
Looked at by Śrī, the gods and other created beings including the lords of creation became rich in amiability and other qualities and attained supreme felicity. (28)
The Daityas and Dānavas (on the other hand) became dispirited, rapacious, effortless and devoid of shame, O Parikṣit, when they were overlooked by Lakṣmī. (29)

Then appeared the goddess presiding over the wine called Vāruṇī, in the form of a maiden with lotus-like eyes. The aforesaid Asuras (Daityas and Dānavas) caught hold of her, of course, with the approval of Śrī Hari. (30)
Next arose from the ocean even as it was being churned by gods and Asuras (the sons of the sage Kaśyapa), seeking nectar, O great king, a most wonderful personage with long and plump arms, a conch-shaped neck and reddish eyes, dark-brown (of hue), youthful (in age), wearing a wreath of flowers and adorned with all (kinds of) ornaments. (31-32)
He was clad in yellow, had a broad chest, was graced with a pair of very bright ear-rings made of gems, wore glossy and curly hair-tips (on his head) was charming (of every limb) and possessed of the gait of a lion. (33)
He carried (in his hands) a jar full of nectar and was decked with a pair of bracelets. Indeed he had emanated from a minute ray of Lord Viṣṇu Himself. (34)
He was known by the name of Dhanvantari; (it was) he (who) revealed (to the world) the science of medicine and he enjoys a share in the sacrificial offerings. Perceiving him as well as the jar brimful with nectar, all the Asuras, who were eager to secure everything (churned out of the ocean), quickly snatched away the (precious) jar. On the aforesaid jar containing nectar being carried away by the Asuras, the gods felt dejected at heart and resorted for protection to Śrī Hari. Noticing their helplessness as aforesaid, the Lord, who grants the wishes of His servants (devotees), said, "Do not feel depressed; I shall accomplish your purpose by stirring up feud among them as well as through My own deluding potency (in the form of a bewitching damsel). (35-37)

A quarrel arose in their ranks inter se, O king, their mind being seized with a thirst for nectar. "I shall have it first, I shall have it first; not you, not you!" This is what they said to one another. (38)
"The gods, who have equally contributed to this consummation through (their) exertion, deserve their share in this prize as much as in (the merit resulting from) a sacrificial performance* undertaken by a community for common weal: such is the eternal law". (39)
In these words indeed did the weaker Daityas, in whom jealousy was aroused (by the selfishness of the usurpers) repeatedly protest against the stronger ones, that had taken possession of the jar, O Parikṣit. (40)
In the meantime Lord Viṣṇu, who knows (all) expedients, assumed the most amazing form of a damsel, which could not be described (in words). (41)
It was worth looking at intently, blue as an Utpala (a variety of lotuses) and comely of every limb. Its well-matched ears were decked with ornaments (ear-rings); its face was marked with lovely cheeks and a prominent nose. (42)
It had a waist slender (as it were) due to the weight of breasts fully developed as a mark of budding youth. Its eyes looked frightened by the humming of black bees attracted by the fragrance of its mouth. (43)
It bore on its head of hair a wreath of full-blown Mallikās (a species of jasmine); its neck was embellished with a necklace and the form was (further) graced with a pair of armlets worn round its shapely arms. (44)
(Nay,) it looked exceptionally charming due to its girdle that added to the beauty of its broad hips covered by a loin-cloth which was spotless white; and a pair of anklets adorned its feet that walked in a winsome manner. (45)
(Again,) it incessantly kindled passion in the breast of Daitya generals by its bashful smiles, dancing brows and amorous glances. (46)

Thus ends the eighth discourse entitled "The manifestation (in a personal form) of the Lord's (own) enchanting potency", in Book Eight of the great and glorious Bhāgavata-Purāṇa, otherwise known as the Paramahārṣa- Saṃhitā.