॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
॥ चतुर्थोऽध्यायः - ४ ॥
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Discourse IV
A description of the Lord's Descents (Preamble)
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राजोवाच ।
यानि यानीह कर्माणि यैर्यैः स्वच्छन्दजन्मभिः ।
चक्रे करोति कर्ता वा हरिस्तानि ब्रुवन्तु नः ॥ १॥
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King Nimi said : Pray, narrate to us those various deeds which Śrī Hari performed in this world during His different incarnations, assumed according to His free will and tell us those deeds also which He is performing now or will perform (in future). (1) (1)
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द्रुमिल उवाच ।
यो वा अनन्तस्य गुणाननन्ता-
ननुक्रमिष्यन् स तु बालबुद्धिः ।
रजांसि भूमेर्गणयेत्कथञ्चित्
कालेन नैवाखिलशक्तिधाम्नः ॥ २॥
भूतैर्यदा पञ्चभिरात्मसृष्टैः
पुरं विराजं विरचय्य तस्मिन् ।
स्वांशेन विष्टः पुरुषाभिधान-
मवाप नारायण आदिदेवः ॥ ३॥
यत्काय एष भुवनत्रयसन्निवेशो
यस्येन्द्रियैस्तनुभृतामुभयेन्द्रियाणि ।
ज्ञानं स्वतः श्वसनतो बलमोज ईहा
सत्त्वादिभिः स्थितिलयोद्भव आदि कर्ता ॥ ४॥
आदावभूच्छतधृती रजसास्य सर्गे
विष्णुः स्थितौ क्रतुपतिर्द्विजधर्मसेतुः ।
रुद्रोऽप्ययाय तमसा पुरुषः स आद्य
इत्युद्भवस्थितिलयाः सततं प्रजासु ॥ ५॥
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The sage Drumila said : He who seeks (completely) to count the endless qualities of the infinite Lord is really a person of puerile understanding. One may (possibly) count anyhow in course of time the particles of dust on earth, but in no case the excellences of the omnipotent Lord. (2)
When Lord Nārāyaṇa the first and foremost Deity, created, with the five primary elements evolved by Himself, the universe as His body and entered into it by a part of His (as Its Inner Controller), then He acquired the name of Puruṣa. (3)
The three worlds constitute His body; through His organs come into being the twofold organs (of action and knowledge) of all creatures, and by Himself He is Consciousness; His breath is the source of the bodily and organic strength and activity of the world; through Sattva and other qualities (Rajas and Tamas) He is the first author responsible for the creation, subsistence and destruction of universe. (4)
United with Rajas, that most ancient Person appeared in the beginning as Brahmā for the creation of this universe; in association with the quality of Sattva the same Lord appeared as God Viṣṇu for the continuity of the universe and for the maintenance of Dharma among the twice-born and for giving the fruit of sacrifices; endowed with Tamas He appeared as Rudra for the destruction of the universe. Through these (Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Rudra) proceed the creation, preservation and destruction of the creatures in each Kalpa. (5) (2-5)
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धर्मस्य दक्षदुहितर्यजनिष्ट मूर्त्यां
नारायणो नरऋषिप्रवरः प्रशान्तः ।
नैष्कर्म्यलक्षणमुवाच चचार कर्म
योऽद्यापि चास्त ऋषिवर्यनिषेविताङ्घ्रिः ॥ ६॥
इन्द्रो विशङ्क्य मम धाम जिघृक्षतीति
कामं न्ययुङ्क्त सगणं स बदर्युपाख्यम् ।
गत्वाप्सरोगणवसन्तसुमन्दवातैः
स्त्रीप्रेक्षणेषुभिरविध्यदतन्महिज्ञः ॥ ७॥
विज्ञाय शक्रकृतमक्रममादिदेवः
प्राह प्रहस्य गतविस्मय एजमानान् ।
मा भैष्ट भो मदन मारुत देववध्वो
गृह्णीत नो बलिमशून्यमिमं कुरुध्वम् ॥ ८॥
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He was born as the foremost of the Ṛṣis, possessed of perfect tranquillity, viz., Nārāyaṇa and Nara, of Mūrti, daughter of Dakṣa and wife of Dharma. They preached that kind of action (viz., worship of the Lord) which leads to the knowledge of the Self and themselves practised it. Their feet are worshipped by the best of Ṛṣis and even today They (Nara-Nārāyaṇa) are performing that (very) action. (6)
Suspecting that the sage (Nārāyaṇa) desired to take possession of his domain (heaven), Indra sent Kāmadeva (the god of love) with his attendants to Badarikāśrama (which owed its name to its grove of jujube trees). Kāmadeva did not know His prowess and he went there with a bevy of celestial nymphs, soft breezes and the spring season, and tried to disturb His mind with the arrow-like amorous glances of the women. (7)
Nārāyaṇa, knowing that Indra had done that misdeed, loudly laughed and without astonishment or haughtiness said to the trembling visitors, "O (powerful) Kāmadeva, O wind-god and celestial damsels ! do not be afraid. Accept our hospitality and fill this hermitage by your presence." (8) (6-8)
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इत्थं ब्रुवत्यभयदे नरदेव देवाः
सव्रीडनम्रशिरसः सघृणं तमूचुः ।
नैतद्विभो त्वयि परेऽविकृते विचित्रं
स्वारामधीरनिकरानतपादपद्मे ॥ ९॥
त्वां सेवतां सुरकृता बहवोऽन्तरायाः
स्वौको विलङ्घ्य परमं व्रजतां पदं ते ।
नान्यस्य बर्हिषि बलीन् ददतः स्वभागान्
धत्ते पदं त्वमविता यदि विघ्नमूर्ध्नि ॥ १०॥
क्षुत्तृट्त्रिकालगुणमारुतजैह्वशैश्ना-
नस्मानपारजलधीनतितीर्य केचित् ।
क्रोधस्य यान्ति विफलस्य वशं पदे गो-
र्मज्जन्ति दुश्चरतपश्च वृथोत्सृजन्ति ॥ ११॥
इति प्रगृणतां तेषां स्त्रियोऽत्यद्भुतदर्शनाः ।
दर्शयामास शुश्रूषां स्वर्चिताः कुर्वतीर्विभुः ॥ १२॥
ते देवानुचरा दृष्ट्वा स्त्रियः श्रीरिव रूपिणीः ।
गन्धेन मुमुहुस्तासां रूपौदार्यहतश्रियः ॥ १३॥
तानाह देवदेवेशः प्रणतान् प्रहसन्निव ।
आसामेकतमां वृङ्ध्वं सवर्णां स्वर्गभूषणाम् ॥ १४॥
ओमित्यादेशमादाय नत्वा तं सुरवन्दिनः ।
उर्वशीमप्सरःश्रेष्ठां पुरस्कृत्य दिवं ययुः ॥ १५॥
इन्द्रायानम्य सदसि शृण्वतां त्रिदिवौकसाम् ।
ऊचुर्नारायणबलं शक्रस्तत्रास विस्मितः ॥ १६॥
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O king ! when Nārāyaṇa made them fearless and spoke thus, (Kāmadeva and) the (other) gods bent their heads with shame, and said to the merciful Lord, "If You remained unaffected (by the attacks of Kāmadeva) it is no matter for surprise, as You are beyond Māyā and subject to no change. Your lotus-feet are adored by hosts of sages who have conquered their senses and revel in the Self. (9)
When persons worshipping You transcend the region of the gods and rise to Your supreme Abode, deities put many obstacles in their path. But the other one is not (so) obstructed—he who offers to the deities their shares in the form of oblations into the sacred fire. (Yet,) You being the Protector, the devotee tramples over all obstacles. (10)
Some people get over us in the guise of hunger and thirst, cold, heat and rain (the distinguishing features of the cold and the hot weather and the rains), control the air, the palate and the sexual urge, which are (so) difficult to cross like endless oceans; but they fall victims to futile anger and thus render useless their hard austerities. They are like persons who having crossed oceans get drowned in the hollow caused by a cow's hoof." (11)
When Kāmadeva, Spring etc., thus praised Him, the almighty Nārāyaṇa (produced and) displayed women of wonderful beauty, fully adorned (with ornaments), waiting upon Himself (And thus the pride of Kāmadeva and his retinue was humbled). (12)
Those attendants of Indra saw these women, as beautiful as Goddess Lakṣmi, and got enchanted by the fragrance of their bodies; they found their own beauty faint when compared with their surpassing beauty. (13)
Lord Nārāyaṇa laughingly told the humbled Kāmadeva and others that they might choose from among those women one like themselves who would be an ornament to heaven. (14)
Obeying this command with the word "Amen!" Indra's attendants offered their respects to Nārāyaṇa and choosing Urvasi, the best of those celestial damsels, returned to heaven following her. (15)
They bowed to Indra in the court of the gods, and described to them, eager to hear, the prowess of Nārāyaṇa, hearing which Indra was astonished and got dismayed. (16) (9-16)
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हंसस्वरूप्यवददच्युत आत्मयोगं
दत्तः कुमार ऋषभो भगवान् पिता नः ।
विष्णुः शिवाय जगतां कलयावतिर्ण-
स्तेनाहृता मधुभिदा श्रुतयो हयास्ये ॥ १७॥
गुप्तोऽप्यये मनुरिलौषधयश्च मात्स्ये
क्रौडे हतो दितिज उद्धरताम्भसः क्ष्माम् ।
कौर्मे धृतोऽद्रिरमृतोन्मथने स्वपृष्ठे
ग्राहात्प्रपन्नमिभराजममुञ्चदार्तम् ॥ १८॥
संस्तुन्वतोऽब्धिपतितान् श्रमणानृषींश्च
शक्रं च वृत्रवधतस्तमसि प्रविष्टम् ।
देवस्त्रियोऽसुरगृहे पिहिता अनाथा
जघ्नेऽसुरेन्द्रमभयाय सतां नृसिंहे ॥ १९॥
देवासुरे युधि च दैत्यपतीन् सुरार्थे
हत्वान्तरेषु भुवनान्यदधात्कलाभिः ।
भूत्वाथ वामन इमामहरद्बलेः क्ष्मां
याच्ञाच्छलेन समदाददितेः सुतेभ्यः ॥ २०॥
निःक्षत्रियामकृत गां च त्रिःसप्तकृत्वो
रामस्तु हैहयकुलाप्ययभार्गवाग्निः ।
सोऽब्धिं बबन्ध दशवक्त्रमहन् सलङ्कं
सीतापतिर्जयति लोकमलघ्नकीर्तिः ॥ २१॥
भूमेर्भरावतरणाय यदुष्वजन्मा
जातः करिष्यति सुरैरपि दुष्कराणि ।
वादैर्विमोहयति यज्ञकृतोऽतदर्हान्
शूद्रान् कलौ क्षितिभुजो न्यहनिष्यदन्ते ॥ २२॥
एवंविधानि कर्माणि जन्मानि च जगत्पतेः ।
भूरीणि भूरियशसो वर्णितानि महाभुज ॥ २३॥
इति श्रीमद्भागवते महापुराणे पारमहंस्यां
संहितायां एकादशस्कन्धे चतुर्थोऽध्यायः ॥ ४॥
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Appearing for the good of the worlds in (varying) digits as the divine Swan, Lord Dattatreya, the sages Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanātana and Sanatkumāra, and our father, Lord Rṣabha, the immortal Lord Viṣṇu Himself taught the knowledge of the Self. In the form of Hayagriva He killed (the demon) Madhu and recovered the Vedas (from him). (17)
In His descent in the form of the divine Fish the Lord rescued at the time of universal dissolution the Manu (named Satyavrata) and protected the earth as well as (the seeds of) the (different) foodgrains. Lifting the earth from (the bottom of) the ocean in His descent as the divine Boar, He killed the demon (Hiranyāksa). In the form of the divine Tortoise, He supported the mountain (called Mandara) on His back when the ocean was being churned for nectar, and rescued the distressed king of elephants from (the jaws of the) alligator when the former sought Him (for protection). (18)
The Lord rescued the Rṣis (known as the Vālakhilyas) who (being of the size of a thumb and) having grown weak through austerities had fallen into a pit (as though into the sea) and had been duly praising Him. (Similarly) He saved Indra, who had incurred the sin of Brahmanicide by having killed Vṛtra (a Brāhmaṇa by birth), and further rescued helpless celestial women who stood imprisoned in the houses of Asuras. And during His descent as the Man-Lion (Lord Narasimha) He killed Hiranyakaśipu (the ruler of the Asuras) in order to rid His devotees (like Prahlāda) of fear. (19)
And in the war between the gods and demons He killed the demon chiefs for the sake of the gods, and in different Manvantaras through (different) part manifestations protected the worlds. Assuming the form of the divine Dwarf (Vāmana) He obtained on the pretext of asking for alms the earth from Bali and gave it to the gods (the sons of Aditi). (20)
Descending as Paraśurāma, the fire born of the Bhārgava race for the destruction of the Haihayas, He swept the Kṣatriyas off the surface of the earth thrice seven times. And (in His descent) as Śrī Rāma (the Spouse of Sītā) He bridged the ocean and killed the ten-headed demon (Rāvaṇa) and destroyed (his capital) Laṅkā. He is (always) victorious everywhere and His fame destroys the sins of the people. (21)
Though birthless, the Lord will appear in the race of Yadu in order to remove the burden of the earth, and perform deeds which cannot easily be accomplished even by the gods. (Then appearing as Lord Buddha) He will bewilder (and confuse) by His arguments those who perform sacrificial rites though unqualified for them. And (appearing as Kalki) at the end of the Kali age, He will destroy the Śūdra kings. (22)
O king of mighty arms! many such descents and deeds of the Lord of the universe, of immense glory have been recounted (by the wise). (23)
Thus ends the fourth discourse in Book Eleven of the great and glorious Bhāgavata-Purāṇa, otherwise known as the Paramaharhṣa-Sarhhitā. (17-23)
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