Harivamsha 32

English (machine translation) 32

Language: English

32.1

Vaiśaṃpāyana said: / Hear from me of Viṣṇu's universality and his nature as Hari in the Kṛta Yuga, / his nature as Vaikuṇṭha among the gods, and his nature as Kṛṣṇa among men.

32.2

Hear truly, O king, this profound course of deeds of that sovereign lord, / past, present, and future.

32.3

Unmanifest, residing in the manifest sign, this blessed master, / Nārāyaṇa, is indeed the infinite self, the source and the imperishable.

32.4

Becoming Nārāyaṇa, he was eternal Hari, / Brahmā, Śakra, Soma, Dharma, Śukra, and Bṛhaspati.

32.5

Attaining also sonship to Aditi, the delighter of the Yadus / became known as this Viṣṇu, younger brother to Indra.

32.6

That birth as a son to Aditi was born of the all-pervading lord's grace, / for the slaying of the enemies of the gods—the Daityas, Dānavas, and Rākṣasas.

32.7

In ancient times, this lord, having the nature of the primary source, created Brahmā; / that first Puruṣa created the Prajāpatis in a former aeon.

32.8

Spreading their bodies there into unsurpassed lineages of Brahmā, / the eternal brahman arose in many forms from those great-souled ones.

32.9

This proclamation of the wondrous deeds of Viṣṇu, / who is worthy of praise, has been proclaimed; listen to it being proclaimed by me.

32.10

When the slaying of Vṛtra had passed, dear one, during the Kṛta Yuga, / there occurred the battle over Tārakā, famous throughout the three worlds.

32.11

There the terrible Dānavas, all arrogant in battle, / were slaying the gods along with the Gandharvas, Yakṣas, Uragas, and Cāraṇas.

32.12

Being slaughtered, turning away, their weapons exhausted in battle, / in their minds they went to the lord god Nārāyaṇa as their protector.

32.13

At that moment, clouds with the splendor of extinguished coals, / covering the vault of heaven along with the sun, moon, and host of planets,

32.14

shot through with flashes of flashing lightning, making terrible rumbles, / striking against each other's fury, the seven winds blew.

32.15

With falls of blazing thunderbolts with water, and winds filled with the fire and speed of the vajra, / the sky roared with terrible portents, as though burning.

32.16

Thousands of meteors fell, sky-faring beings fell as well, / and aerial chariots tumbled downward and hurtled upward.

32.17

Whatever terror comes to the worlds at the change at the end of a caturyuga, / formless forms appeared in that sign of portent.

32.18

All was lusterless through darkness; nothing could be discerned; / encompassed by a flood of gloom, the ten directions did not shine.

32.19

Black night in embodied form entered, veiled in dark clouds; / the sky did not shine, its sun overpowered, shrouded in frightful darkness.

32.20

Casting aside those masses of clouds with their darkness by his two arms, the lord / Hari displayed his divine body, a dark body,

32.21

resembling a raincloud or collyrium, with hair like rainclouds, / dark by his brilliance and his body, like a dark mountain,

32.22

wearing blazing yellow garments, adorned with refined gold ornaments, / his body dark as smoke, risen like the fire at the end of a yuga,

32.23

with eight broad shoulders, his head covered by a diadem, / bound with golden bracelets, adorned with weapons,

32.24

endowed with the rays of the sun and moon, lofty like a mountain peak, / holding the sword Nandaka gladdening his hand, bearing arrows like venomous serpents,

32.25

variegated with a spear, terrible with a plow, bearing the conch, discus, and mace, / the mountain that is Viṣṇu, rooted in forbearance, having the śrīvṛkṣa, crowned by the horn of the Śārṅga bow.

32.26

On a chariot yoked with tawny horses, adorned with the Suparṇa banner, / fashioned with the wheels of the sun and moon, its axle held by Mount Mandara,

32.27

endowed with infinite reins, difficult to gaze upon, having Meru for its pole, / patterned with the stars as its flowers, framed with the planets and lunar mansions,

32.28

granting safety in fears, standing in the sky upon the chariot consisting of the divine world, / the gods, defeated by the Daityas, beheld the god.

32.29

All those gods, preceded by Śakra, with folded hands, / shouting cries of victory, went for refuge to the refuge.

32.29x485-1

And they praised the lord of the world, the god Nārāyaṇa, Hari:

32.29x485-2

"Victory, O god, lord of the world! Victory, O god Janārdana!

32.29x485-3

Victory, O divine lord Viṣṇu! Victory, O bearer of the conch and mace!

32.29x485-4

Homage to you, Hṛṣīkeśa! Homage, O god Janārdana!

32.29x485-5

First god, lord of the world, creator of the creator of beings!

32.29x485-6

Homage to you, lord Viṣṇu! Homage to the sovereign lord of beings!

32.29x485-7

Homage to the primal seed! Homage, homage to the Puruṣa!"

32.29x485-8

Homage to you, Lord of the World! Homage again to the Great-Souled One!

32.29x485-9

Or what use is this salutation, Lord of the World, Keśava?

32.29x485-10

Protect all of us gods, bound fast in the nooses of the Daityas!

32.30

Hearing that speech of theirs, Viṣṇu, beloved deity,
set his mind upon destroying the Dānavas in a great battle.

32.31

Standing in the sky and assuming a supreme form,
Viṣṇu spoke this pledged word to all the deities:

32.32

"Attain peace! May good fortune be yours! Fear not, hosts of the Maruts!
All the Dānavas are conquered by me; take back the threefold world!"

32.33

Pleased by the words of that true-pledged Viṣṇu,
the gods attained supreme delight, as if having obtained the highest nectar.

32.34

Then the darkness was rolled away, and the clouds vanished;
auspicious winds blew, and the ten quarters became clear.

32.35

The heavenly lights, radiant with good luster, circled clockwise around the moon,
and glowing radiances circled clockwise around the sun.

32.36

The planets waged no war, and the rivers and seas ran serene;
the three pathways, beginning with the path of heaven, shone free of dust.

32.37

The streams flowed as they ought, and the oceans did not churn;
the senses of men became auspicious within their inner selves.

32.38

Free of sorrow, the great seers chanted the Vedas aloud,
and at the sacrifices the fire received the sweet and auspicious oblation.

The worlds, restored to active dharma, rejoiced in their minds;
all the worlds were filled with joy
and were exceedingly glad,
endowed with highest delight, upon hearing the speech of the god of gods, the ruler of the earth,
Viṣṇu, who had made his vow to destroy their enemies:

32.39x488

"I will slay the arrogant Dānavas, along with their physical forms, on your behalf!"

32.39x489

At that speech, they regarded the fierce Dānavas as already slain in battle.

Linked texts (1)

Harivaṃśa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit