Chapter 71 - Lord’s Incarnation

Vyāsa said:

1-9. Having bowed to Viṣṇu, the lord of Devas, I shall mention the story. Obeisance to the powerful ancient Puruṣa, to the unchanging permanent lord.

Obeisance to the lord in the form of four arrays; to the lord without attributes and to the lord with attributes; to the excellent one, to the weightied one; to the most excellent one, to the unmeasured one; to the deity forming part of the Yajña, to the part of all; to one attainable by Vedas etc; there is nothing minuter than that lord. There is nothing larger than that unborn lord by whom this universe is pervaded—the universe consisting of mobile and immobile beings. The universe is of peculiar nature different from what is manifest and what is unmanifest. It appears and vanishes. They say that such a world is created by the lord and in the same way it is withdrawn by him.

With great concentration I bow down to Brahmā the primordial lord. Obeisance to one without aberration, to the pure one, to permanent and greatest Ātman, to the deity who has the same sole form always; to Viṣṇu the conqueror of every one.

Obeisance to Hiraṇyagarbha (Brahmā), Hari and Śaṅkara to Vāsudeva, the essential one, to the cause of creation, sustenance and dissolution.

Obeisance to the single-formed and multi-formed deity; obeisance to the gross-formed and subtle-formed deity; obeisance to the manifest and unmanifest-formed deity; obeisance to Viṣṇu the cause of salvation.

Obeisance to Viṣṇu who is identical with the universe and who is the root cause of creation, sustenance and dissolution of the universe. Obeisance to the greatest Ātman.

10-13. I bow down to Acyuta, Puruṣottama who is the support of the universe; is the minutest of all minute beings; who is stationed in all living beings; whose form is that of knowledge, Who is extremely devoid of impurities in fact but who stands in the form of objects as a result of erroneous perception. I bow down to Viṣṇu who swallows the universe and who is competent to create and sustain the universe; I bow down to the lord of world who has no beginning, who is unborn, who has no decline and who has no change. (After bowing down thus) I shall recount in the same manner as the lotus-born deity Brahmā said when formerly he was asked by Dakṣa and sages.

14-15. After bowing down to the lord Brahmā who sanctifies the three worlds by uttering the Ṛk and Sāman mantras through his mouths who came out of the vast sheet of water and whose behest is certainly carried out by Asuras and human beings, I shall mention fully the opinion of Brahmā born of unmanifest one.

16-20. Holy rites are revealed by him after directing creation The waters are called Nāras by the sages, the seers of the principles since waters constitute his place of resort (Ayana) of lord Viṣṇu as Nārāyaṇa.

Nārāyaṇa, the omnipresent lord, envelops everything. Brahmā who is both Saguṇa (with attributes) and Nirguṇa (attributeless) is stationed in four forms. One form cannot be specifically mentioned. Learned men see it in white form, encircled by clusters of flames. It is the form which Yogins steadfastly adhere to. It should be known as staying nearly as well as far off. It is beyond the Guṇas (attributes). It is called Vāsudeva. It appears free from the felling of myness. Forms, colours and similar things, that are conceive, but not real are not present in it. It is always pure, single-formed and well-established.

21-25. The second form called Śeṣa upholds the Earth with its head. It stands below in the nether rigions. It is called Tāmasa (having Tamas attribute) and hence assumed the status of a lower species of animal.

The third form is interested in protecting the subjects and it performs activities. It should be known as predominantly possessing Sattva attribute. It is the cause of stabilizing Dharma.

The fourth farm is stationed in the middle of waters. It lies on the couch of a serpent. Its attribute is Rajas. It always creates.

The “third form of Hari is interested in protecting the subjects invariable. It establishes virtue on the Earth. It destroys the haughty Asuras who break the laws of virtue.

26-28. It protects Devas and Gandharvas and all those who are interested in protecting virtue.

Whenever there is any drawback in virtue and evil gains the upper hand, this form creates itself, that is, it takes up incarnations.

Formerly, it assumed the form of a Boar. With its snout it pierced through the water and lifted up the Earth with single curved fang as though it was a lotus plant. After assuming the form of a man-lion Hiraṇyakaśipu was killed by it.

29-35. Other Dānavas too such as Vipracitti were struck down by it. He assumed the form of a Dwarf; bound Bali by his Māyā. Covered the three worlds with his steps and defeated the sons of Diti.

The valorous son of Jamadagni was born in the family of Bhṛgu. Remembering the murder of his father, Paraśurāma killed Kṣatriyas. Born as Dattātreya, the valorous son of Atri, he related the eightfold Yoga to the noble Alarka. The same lord became Rāma the valorous son of Daśaratha and in a battle killed Rāvaṇa who had terrified the three worlds.

When the lord of Devas, the lord of the universe was lying asleep in the vast sheet of water be adopted the Yogic slumber on the couch of the serpent for the period of a thousand Yugas. He was established in his own greatness.

He had kept the three worlds in his belly, the whole universe consisting of mobile and immobile beings. He was then eulogised by Siddhas and sages who were in the world of Janaloka.

36-42. From his umbilicus there grew up a lotus. The quarters were its petals with which it was adorned. It had the refulgence of fire and the sun. It was embellished by the mountains that acted as the filaments. The winds were its blossoms. It was the excellent abode of Brahmā. It was there that four-faced lord of Devas, Brahmā was born.

At that time, two Dānavas, Madhu and Kaiṭabha were born of the impurities from his ears. Those two Dānavas of great strength and prowess attempted to kill Brahmā. The lord got up from his bed in the ocean and killed them. I do not attempt to enumerate these and other activities fully. But the incarnation of the unborn lord at Mathurā is relevant to the context now.

Thus the form of Sattvaguṇa undertakes incarnations. It is called Pradyumna and is engaged in the activity of protection. It can assume the forms of Devas, human beings and lower animals. It will have the respective nature (of the species where incarnation is taken). It is due to the will of Vāsudeva.

O excellent brahmins, if it is worshipped it bestows desired benefits. Though the lord is contented he undertakes the form as human beings. Listen to the sequal now.