Chapter 5 - (Mahābhārata 12.325.1-4)

Bhīṣma said:

1 Having reached the white great island, Nārada, the divine sage, saw those persons, white and resplendent like moonlight and holy.

2–3 He worshipped them with head and heart and also was worshipped by them. Wishing to see [Nārāyaṇa], holding the one fit to be chanted about as supreme, having taken up the vow of Sarvakṛccra [an expiatory rite], being one-pointed in mind and having his arms raised, that great sage, the brāhmaṇa recited this eulogy to that all-pervading, attribute-less Great Soul.

Nārada said:

4A Salutations to you God of gods (devadeva)^[1] [1]
Beyond action (niṣkriya)^[2] [2]
Beyond attributes (nirguṇa)^[3] [3]
Witness of the world (lokasākṣin)^[4] [4]
Knower of the field (kṣetrajña)^[5] [5]
Infinite (ananta)^[6] [6]
Puruṣa (puruṣa)^[7] [7]
Great Puruṣa (mahāpuruṣa)^[8] [8]
Having three attributes (triguṇa)^[9] [9]
Principal (pradhāna) [10]
4B Immortal (amṛta) [11]
Sky (vyoma) [12]
Eternal (sanātana) [13]
Gross and subtle, manifest and unmanifest (sadasadvyaktāvyakta) [14]
The abode of cosmic order (ṛtadhāman) [15]
Ancient, primeval God (pūrvādideva) [16]
Bestower of wealth (vasuprada) [17]
Creator (prajāpate) [18]
Good Creator (suprajāpate) [19]
Lord of herbs (vanaspate) [20]
4C Great Creator (mahāprajāpate) [21]
Lord of energy (ūrjaspate) [22]
Lord of speech (vācaspate) [23]
Lord of the mind (manaspate) [24]
Lord of the world (jagatpate) [25]
Lord of the sky (divaspate) [26]
Lord of wind (marutpate) [27]
Lord of waters (salilapate) [28] Lord of earth (pṛthivīpate) [29]
Lord of direction (dikpate) [30]
4D The primeval existent (pūrvanivāsa) [31]
Priest of Brahman (brahmapurohita) [32]
Having the body of Brahman (brahmakāyika) [33]
Having a great body [i.e., the universe as the body] (mahākāyika) [34]
Belonging to a great king (mahārājika) [35]
Belonging to four great kings (caturmahārājika) [36]
Effulgent one (ābhāsura) [37]
Greatly efflugent one (mahābhāsura) [38]
Endowed with seven great effulgences (saptamahābhāsura) [39]
yāmya = related to yāma, a measure of Time [***][40]
4E mahāyāmya = the great yāmya [***] [41]
Perception and non-perception (saṃjñāsaṃjña) [42]
Happy one (tuṣita) [43]
Greatly happy one (mahātuṣita) [44]
(pratardana) [45]
The Created (parinirmita) [46]
Being [Self] Controlled (vaśavartin) [47]
Uncreated (aparinirmita) [48]
Sacrifice (yajña) [49]
Great Sacrifice (mahāyajña) [50]
4F Born of Sacrifice (yajñasaṃbhava) [51]
Womb of Sacrifice (yajñayone) [52]
Womb of Sacrifice (yajñagarbha) [53]
Heart of Sacrifice (yajñahṛdaya) [54]
Praised in Sacrifice (yajñastuta) [55]
Recipient of Sacrificial portion (yajñabhāgahara) [56]
Sustainer of pañcayajña (pañcayajñadhara) [57]
One who is in the goal of pañcakāla (pañcakālakartṛgate) [58]
Belonging to pañcarātra (pañcarātrika) [59]
Unobstructed (vaikuṇṭha)^[10] [60]
4G Unvanquished (aparājita) [61]
Born of the Mind (mānasika) [62]
Supreme Lord (paramasvāmin) [63]
Well-bathed (susnāta) [64]
Swan (haṃsa) [65]
Supreme Swan (paramahaṃsa) [66]
The ultimate sacrificer (paramayājñika) [67]
sāṃkhyayoga (sāṃkhyayoga) [68]
Sleeping in Ambrosia (amṛteśaya) [69]
Sleeping in Gold (hiraṇyeśaya) [70]
4H Sleeping in the Vedas (vedeśaya) [71]
Sleeping on Kuśa grass (kuśeśaya) [72]
Sleeping in Brahman (brahmeśaya) [73]
Sleeping on a Lotus (padmeśaya) [74]
Lord of the universe (viśveśvara) [75]
You are the continuation of the universe (tvaṃ jagadanvayaḥ) [76]
You are the Manifester of the universe (tvaṃ jagatprakṛtiḥ) [77]
Agni is your mouth (tavāgnir āsyam) [78]
Horseheaded Fire (vaḍavāmukho’gniḥ) [79]
You are the Oblation (tvam āhutiḥ) [80]
4I You are the charioteer (tvaṃ sārathiḥ) [81]
You are the utterance “Vaṣaṭ” (tvaṃ vaṣaṭkāraḥ)[82]
You are “om” (tvam oṃkāraḥ) [83]
You are the mind (tvaṃ manaḥ) [84]
You are the moon (tvaṃ candramāḥ) [85]
You are the foremost eye (tvaṃ cakṣur ādyam) [86]
You are the Sun (tvaṃ sūryaḥ) [87]
You are the elephant of the cardinal directions (tvaṃ diśāṃ gajaḥ) [88]
The sun of the directions (digbhāno) [89]
Horse-headed one (hayaśiraḥ) [90]
4J First of the three sauparṇas (prathamatrisauparṇa) [91]
Consisting of five fires (pañcāgne) [92]
(triṇāciketa) [93]
Six-fold scripture (ṣaḍaṅgavidhāna) [94]
Belonging to the eastern light (prāgjyotiṣa) [95]
The Oldest sama singer (jyeṣṭhasāmaga) [96]
Bearer of the Sāmika vow (sāmikavratadhara) [97]
Having the Atharva Veda as his head (atharvaśiraḥ) [98]
(pañcamahākalpa) [99]
Teacher of the foam-drinkers (phenapācārya) [100]
4K (vālakhilya) [101]
(vaikhānasa) [102]
Of unbroken union (abhagnayoga) [103]
Of unbroken omission (abhagnaparisaṃkhyāna) [104]
Beginning of the Eon (yugāde) [105]
Middle of the Eon (yugamadhya) [106]
End of the Eon (yuganidhana) [107]
Indra (ākhaṇḍala) [108]
The primeval embryo (prācīnagarbha) [109]
Of Kuśika (kauśika) [110]
4L Praised profusely or in various ways (puruṣṭuta) [111]
Invoked in various ways (puruhūta) [112]
Having the universe as his form, of Manifold form (viśvarūpa) [113]
Having the Infinite as the goal (anantagate) [114]
Of Infinite enjoyment (anantabhoga) [115]
Infinite one (ananta) [116]
Without a beginning (anāde) [117]
Without a middle (amadhya) [118]
Of unmanifest middle (avyaktamadhya) [119]
Of unmanifest end (avyaktanidhana) [120]
4M Abode of vows (vratāvāsa) [121]
Having the sea as the abode (samudrādhivāsa) [122]
Abode of fame (yaśovāsa) [123]
Abode of austerity (tapovāsa) [124]
Abode of Lakṣmi (lakṣmyāvāsa) [125]
Abode of Learning (vidyāvāsa) [126]
Abode of Fame (kīrtyāvāsa) [127]
Abode of Śrī (śrīvāsa) [128]
Abode of All (sarvāvāsa) [129]
Son of Vasudeva (vāsudeva) [130]
4N Having all the meters, having all likings (sarvacchandaka) [131]
Lion headed (harihaya) [132]
Having brilliant intellect (harimedha) [133]
Great recipient of sacrificial portion (mahāyajñabhāgahara) [134]
Boon giver (varaprada) [135]
Upholder of probhibitions (yama) and regulations (niyama), great regulations, also upholder of rules regarding kṛchhra (name of an expiatory rite), atikṛcchra, mahākṛcchra, and sarvakṛcchra rites (yamaniyamamahāniyamakṛcchrātikṛcchramahākṛcchrasarvakṛcchraniyamad hara) [136]
One who is the goal of exposition of the dharma of Nivṛtta (the renunicated one) (nivṛttadharmapravacanagate) [137]
One who has set into motion vedic ritual (pravṛttavedakriya) [138]
Unborn (aja) [139]
Omnipotent (sarvagate) [140]
4O Omniscient (sarvadarśin) [141]
Beyond comprehension (agrāhya) [142]
Immovable, firm (acala) [143]
Of great power (mahāvibhūte) [144]
Having the body of Greatness (māhātmyaśarīra) [145]
Pure (pavitra) [146]
Greatly sacred (mahāpavitra) [147]
Golden (hiraṇmaya) [148]
Great (bṛhat) [149]
Beyond logic (apratarkya) [150]
4P Incomprehensible (avijñeya) [151]
Of Supreme Brahman (brahmāgrya) [152]
One who is the Creator of all beings (prajāsargakara) [153]
One who causes dissolution of all beings (prajānidhanakara) [154]
Wielder of great illusion i.e. this manifest world (mahāmāyādhara) [155]
citraśikhaṇḍin [156]
Giver of boons (varaprada) [157]
Taker of portion of Puroḍasa, i.e., sacrificial bread (puroḍāśabhāgahara) [158]
One who is on the way (gatādhvan) [159]
One who has cut off craving (chinnatṛṣṇa) [160]
4Q One who has dispelled doubts (chinnasaṃśaya) [161]
One who has renounced everything (sarvatonivṛtta) [162]
Of the form of a Brāhmaṇa (brāhmaṇarūpa) [163]
One who is dear to brāhmaṇas, and to whom brāhmanas are dear (brāhmaṇapriya) [164]
Having the universe as his form (viśvamūrte) [165]
Having a great form (mahāmūrte) [166]
Relative, brother (bāndhava) [167]
Lover of devotees (bhaktavatsala) [168]
The lord of all things related to brahman (brahmaṇyadeva) [169]
I am your devotee desirous of seeing You (bhakto’haṃ tvāṃ didṛkṣuḥ ekāntadarśanāya namo namah) [170]
Salutations to You, who can be seen with single-minded devotion. [171]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Nīlakaṇṭha reads devadeva as devadeveśa, which he interprets as: one who playes (divyati) with the deva, that is, the sense organs. The lord of devadeva is the one who resides within, the antaryāmin.

[2]:

Nīlakaṇṭha: Due to the state of being the pervader.

[3]:

Nīlakaṇṭha: Due to the state of non-attachment.

[4]:

Nīlakaṇṭha: Being of the nature of knowledge which is unperturbed.

[5]:

akaṇṭha: Jīva which illuminates the two bodies.

[6]:

Nīlakaṇṭha: has Puruṣottama here, whereas Ananta is the seventh name. He connects two and says: Puruṣottama is antecedent to śarīra (body) and jīveśa (the Lord of the Soul) and hence he is without limits (infinite). The Infinite is that cannot be delimited spatially, temporally and materially.

[7]:

Puruṣa: One who burns down the puras [cities or bodies], that is, gross, subtle or causal [bodies of the] individual. Therefore he is called Ananta, the infinite.

[8]:

Nīlakaṇṭha: The Great Puruṣa who burns down the collective gross, subtle and causal bodies [that is, the universe].

[9]:

Nīlakaṇṭha:

[10]:

Srinivasan, “Early Vaiṣṇava Imagery,” 44: “keen or penetrating irresistible.”