Chapter 18 - Description of Various Continents (Varṣa)

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Śrī Śuka continued:

1. So also, there live in the continent of Bhadrāśva, a son of Dharma, Bhadraśravas by name, and the foremost members of his retinue (who are the heads of important families and great votaries of the Lord). They establish in their hearts, with supreme concentration of mind, the beloved form of the glorious Lord Vāsudeva himself, called Hayaśiras who is righteousness incarnate. (While muttering the mantra: Om namo bhagavate dharmāyā'tma-viśodhanāya namaḥ. They sing the following prayer:

Bhadraśravas and his people pray:

2. “Salutations to the glorious Dharma, the embodiment of righteousness, represented by the sacred syllable OM, the purifier of the mind (and jīva).

3. Oh wonderful! How mysterious and strange are the ways (acts) of the Lord! (Thereby) this world perceives Death, the destroyer of all, and yet fails to cognise it (as such) (For) a man contemplates (to commit) a sin for the enjoyment of insignificant, unreal pleasures and wishes (to continue) to live on the wealth of his father and the son (the old and the young), even after cremating him.

4. The learned persons, assert (on the authority of Śāstras) that the world is evanescent. The masters of spiritual science who have realized the Self within them, see (actually) that it is so. They, however, are deluded by your Māyā (Potency), Oh birthless Lord! (One above the cycle of birth and death). Highly miraculous (and inscrutable) is your working (giving up all the labour of Śāstric studies and meditational processes) I (simply) pay my obeisance to you.

5. The Vedas attribute to you the authorship of the creation, preservation and destruction of the universe, even though you are not the doer, nor conditioned in any way (by Māyā). This is quite reasonable. There is nothing wonderful in your case as (through your Māyā) you are everything, and the cause of all effects, though factually you are essentially different from all things.

6. He (i.e. you) assumed the form of Man-horse (Hayagrīva), and recovered from the nether-worlds the Vedas which were concealed thereby the demon (Madhu), at the end of the Yuga (i.e. the time of the dissolution of the universe) and returned them to the suppliant sage Brahmā. I bow to him (you) whose will is never futile.”

7. And in (the continent called) Harivarṣa, the Lord abides in the form of Man-lion (Nṛsiṃha). I shall describe to you the reason of his assumption of that form later (in Skandha VII). That beloved form is propitiated by Prahlāda along with the inhabitants of that continent (Harivarṣa)—Prahlāda who is the abode of the excellent qualities of exalted Souls, a great devotee of the Lord, whose virtuous character and behaviour purify the race of Daityas and Dānavas, and who is unsurpassed in uninterrupted and undivided devotion (unto the Lord). He (along with the men of that Varṣa), recites the following prayer:

8. “Salutations to Lord Narasiṃha who is denoted by the sacred syllable OM. I bow to the Light of all lights. Oh Lord, manifest yourself completely. Oh Lord of adamantine claws and adamantlike fangs, completely burn down our latent deeds and desires. Please swallow up all the darkness (of our ignorance). We offer our worship to you (Oṃ svāhā). Please confer on me the state of absolute fearlessness. Oṃ kṣraum (a mystical syllable sacred to Lord Narasiṃha).

9. May the universe be blissful aṇd happy! May the wicked give up their wickedness and be pure-minded! May all beings wish well of each other! May our mind resort to (the path of) goodness. May our thoughts as well as that of other beings enter into and concentrate on Lord Viṣṇu, without any ulterior motive.

10. May we be unattached to our home, wives, children, wealth and kinsmen. If there be any attachment (at all in us) may it be to the votaries who love the Lord. He who is satisfied with bare means of subsistence, achieves Liberation at no distant future. Not so does one who likes (the objects of) senses.

11.^[1] The holy waters remove the external dirt of the body by constant ablutions. But the birthless glorious Lord who enters into the mind through the ears of those who having got into the company of devotees, frequently listen to the extra-ordinary, hallowing exploils of Lord Viṣṇu, removes the impurities of the mind. Who will not then, wait upon such votaries?

12. Gods with all their excellences (like knowledge, righteousness) abide in the heart of a person whose devotion. unto the Lord is not motivated by any desire. How can a person not devoted to Hari possess the qualities of the great Souls, if he runs after worthless external objects of senses, attracted by desires.

13. For the glorious Lord Hari himself is the beloved Soul of all embodied beings just as water being the mainstay of its life is beloved to the fish. Howsoever a person may be otherwise great, if he forgets Hari and is attached to the householder’s life, his greatness is like advancedness in age (and not in excellences) as in the case of married couples.

14. Hence, Oh Asuras, you renounce the householder’s life which is the root cause (i.e. original source) of passions, attachment, despondency, wrath, pride, desire, fear, humiliation and anguish and which continues the cycle of births and deaths and take shelter at the feet of Lord Narasiṃha, the abode of fearlessness.

15. Even so in the continent called Ketumāla, the glorious Lord abides in the form of the god of Love, with the desire of pleasing the goddess Lakṣmī (his consort) and the rulers of that continent (Varṣa) viz. the sons (presiding deities of the day) and the daughters (female deities presiding over the night) of Prajāpati, Saṃvatsara (a year) whose number equals the days and nights comprising the full span of human life (i.e. 100 years X 360 days per year = 36000). The embryos (of these daughters) are discharged still born at the end of every year as the minds of the daughters are agitated and terrified at the dazzling splendour of the mighty missile (Sudarśana) of the Supreme Being (Viṣṇu).

16. He (Kāmadeva) delights his own senses while bringing ecstatic joy to goddess Lakṣmī with the splendour of his lotuslike face which is enchanting on account of his beautiful brows which are slightly raised, and by his playful glances and winsome gentle smiles, the charmingness of which is heightened by his extremely graceful gait.

17. At night, in the company of the presiding deities of night, the daughters of Prajāpati Saṃvatsara and at day time accompanied with their husbands (the male deities presiding over the day), goddess Ramā (Lakṣmī) propitiates the blissful form^[2] of the Lord, and recites this (the following mantra).

18. “Om! Hrāṃ, Hrīṃ, Hrūṃ^[3] Oṃ. Salutations to the glorious Lord Hṛṣīkeśa (the Ruler of Senses) symbolised by the sacred syllable Om. You are distinguished by all of your excellent special attributes. You are the Supreme Master of my conative organs and cognitive^enses and of my internal organ (consisting of mind, ego, intelligence and understanding) along with their specialities (objects and functions).. You are the Ruler of sixteen Kalās (eleven senses and five objects—this is the ‘subtle body’.) You are the Vedas incarnate. You are the food that sustains the body. You are the blissful summum bonum itself. You are all-pervading and the source of mental strength, physical potency and power. You are the Beloved Lord, Love personified. I bow to you here and here- after (with the bīja mantra: Om! Hrāṃ, Hriṃ Hrūṃ!).

19. By observing (various) vows, (unmarried) women propitiate you, the Lord of all senses, and beseech from you another person as a protector (i.e. husband). But they (the earthly ‘protectors’ or husbands) are really incapable of protecting their beloved child, wealth or life and are hence themselves poor dependents.

20. He is the real husband or protector who himself is above fear from any quarter, and protects, in all respects, other persons stricken with fear. You alone are such a master. You do not regard anything more joyful than the realization of your own self, (otherwise you would not have any independence, if your happiness depended on someone else). There would be fear from each other (if there were more than one independent rulers).

21. A woman who knows that you are such a Lord and loves to offer worship to your lotus-like feet (without entertaining any desire for something in return), secures all her desired objects. But if you are worshipped and sought for a desired boon, you grant that desired object only. Oh Lord, if, however the sought-for-object (granted by the Lord) is lost or exhausted (in enjoyment), she feels tormented.

22. God Brahmā, Śiva, gods, demons aṇd others whose heart is attached to object of senses, perform austere penance for winning my favour. But no person, except one who is exclusively attached to your feet, attains to me and is favoured by me. For, Oh Invincible one! My heart is set on you (hence, being dependent on you, I glance with favour your devotees only).

23. Oh Acyuta (Lord Viṣṇu)! Your lotus-like hand is lauded as a showerer of desired objects. Be pleased to place that praiseworthy hand of yours on my head—your hand which you have placed, out of grace, on the crown of the head of your devotees. Most excellent Lord! You bear me as an emblem on your chest (which shows that you do not entertain any disrespect forme). But strangely enough you show mere respect to me but extend your highest grace to your votaries). Who can comprehend the working of your divine Māyā?”

24. In the Ramyaka continent, its ruler, Vaivasvata Manu, to whom the Lord manifested his beloved Fish incarnation formerly (while he was in the birth of King Satyavrata), even still adores him with intense; constant demotion and praises him as follows:

25. “Salutations to the Divine Lord denoted by (the syllable) Om! I bow to him who is the life-giving principle; is pure Sattva incarnate; and is (the fountain head of) the power of the senses, the power of the mind and the strength of the body! I pay my obeisance to the Great Fish^[4]

26. Though you move about inside (as the vital breath of all beings), and outside (as the atmosphere or wind), making a loud noise (in the form of Vedas), your form is (invisible to and hence) unseen by all the guardian deities of the world. Just as a person controls a wooden doll (by means of strings), you, the Supreme Ruler, have brought this universe under your control, by (the strings in the form of prescriptions and prohibitions given under) the designation of Brāhmaṇas.

27. (You, being the vital breaṭh, are the real Protector and Controller of the creation). Discarding you (the vital breath of all), the guardian deities of the world, being feverish with jealousy, tried but could not protect both severally and jointly, the bipeds and quadrupeds, reptiles and the immobiles—in fact whatever is seen in the world.

28. Oh birthless Lord! Piloting this earth, the abode of herbs and creepers, along with me (Manu, then in birth of Satyavrata) you sported enthusiastically and vigorously on the ocean of deluge surging with heavy billows. I bow to you who are the controller of all multitudes of beings in this universe.”

29. In Hiraṇmaya continent also, the Lord abides assuming the form of the Tortoise. Aryaman, the ruler of the manes (departed forefathers), along with the inhabitants of this continent (varṣa) worships this most beloved form (of the Lord) and continuously repeats the following Mantra:

30. “Salutation to the glorious Lord, the (Divine) Tortoise, designated by the symbol Om. Your form is specially characterised by pure Sattva. Your position is beyond perception (due to your submarine activities). Bow to you who are above the limit of Time. Obeisance to you who are Omnipresent and the support of all.

31. This visible objective universe which appears in innumerable forms and which cannot be enumerated due to its being an illusion, is really your own form (inseparable from you and) manifested by your Māyā. I bow to you whose form is thus indescribable.

32. It is you alone that are designated as a mammal, a sweat-born being, an oviparous being, a plant, a mobile or immobile creature, a god, a sage, a departed ancestor (Pitṛ) a goblin, the world as perceived by senses, the celestial region, the sky, the earth, a mountain, a river, an ocean, an islandcontinent, a planet and a star.

33. The number (viz. twenty-four principles) has been presumed by sages (like Kapila) in you, even though you possess innumerable specialities, names, forms or shapes. In the light of true knowledge, the number (automatically) disappears. I bow to you who are of the nature of real knowledge or the real essence of the Sāṅkhya doctrine.”^[5]

34. Assuming the form of a boar, the glorious Lord, the presiding deity of Sacrifice, stays in the region called the Northern Kurus. The goddess of the Earth along with the Kurus (the inhabitants of that country) adores him with unswerving devotion. She constantly repeats the following, the most sacred, secret mystical mantra:^[6]

35. “I pay obeisance to the Supreme Lord symbolised by the sacred syllable Om—the Lord who can be truly comprehended only through the mantras (Vedic texts); who is of the form of both types of sacrifices—performed with or without the use of sacrificial posts; every limb of whose person is constituted (of different kinds) of great sacrifices^[7] (e.g. aśvamedha). Salutations to you, Oh Supreme Person. I bow to him (who as a performer of sacrifices) is of pure actions, and who is called tñyuga (manifest in three yugas, due to the absence of sacrifices in the Kṛta Age, or their neglect and discontinuance in the Kali Age.

36.^[8] Just as learned experts (in sacrificial lore) ignite fire latent in pieces of (Śamī) wood, by means of friction, so do sages, eager to see you (i.e. your real form) lying concealed in actions and their results (due to their attachment), find you out in (the discipline of) body and the senses which are the product of guṇas. They discover you with the help of the churning rod in the form of the discriminative faculty of the mind. I bow to you who manifest your real form this way.

37. You, the Supreme Self, are discerned to be an independent absolute reality, distinct from the products of the Māyā, viz. gross matter (elements), sense-activities, the presiding deities of senses, the body, the controller (Time) and ego, by those whose intellect has been sharpened and discerning through deep contemplation and the practice of the (various) stages of Yoga (Yama, Niyama etc.).

38. By means of its guṇas, Māyā, though inert (jaḍa), brings about the creation, preservation and destruction of the universe through his presence, just as a piece of iron moves about (due to the presence of) a load-stone with its face towards it. This is meant only for the jīvas (by you) and not desired for himself. I bow to you who stand a mere witness to the guṇas and the working of the Māyā.

39. You are the primeval Boar, the cause of the universe. Just as an elephant crushes its rival elephant, you killed the demon (Hiraṇyākṣa) in the battle. Placing me on the tip of your tusk, you emerged from the lowest region in the ocean of deluge, playing (all the while) like an elephant. I pay my obeisance to you the Omnipotent Lord.”

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Vr. gives an alternative explanation:

The company of his beloved votaries confers the capacity to meditate over the Lord and his extra-ordinary exploits. Those who properly dwell upon his hallowing fame constantly find that the Lord has occupied their minds through the ears (through constant listening to his exploits) and he purifies the mind of (mental) dirt. What man will abstain from listening to and meditating upon Lord Viṣṇu’s exploits?

[2]:

Māyā-mayaṃ rūpam—The form which he can assume at will—Padaratnāvalī

[3]:

Mystical syllables regarded as the seeds of Mantras, the utterance of which is supposed to be extremely efficacious. These bīja-mantras show the influence of Tantrism on the Bhāgavata Purāṇa

[4]:

For the Fish-incarnation of the Lord see infra Skandha VIII.

[5]:

Bhāgavata Candrikā: Salutation to you who are object of true knowledge which removes the idea of the limited numbers (viz. twenty-four).

[6]:

oṃ namo bhagavate mantra-tattva-liṅgāya yajña-kratave mahā-dhvarāvayavāya mahā-puruṣāya namaḥ kaṣma-śuklāya tri-yugāya namaste /

[7]:

In explanation of the different limbs of this Lord of Sacrifices Bhāgavata Candrikā quotes: sruktuṇḍa āsīt, sruva īśa nāsāyor iḍodare camasāḥ karṇa-randhre / Supra Bhāgavata Purāṇa 3.13.36.

[8]:

Learned persons who know the Reality as propounded in the Vedānta realize, after deep thinking, your real form unmanifest yet the controller of the body and its sense organs, a product of three guṇas by means of their mind or reasoning faculty.... I salute to you who are designated differently as Indra etc. when invoked in sacrifices—Padaratnāvalī