Bhagavatapurana 3.24: atha caturviṃśo'dhyāyaḥ

3.24.1

/0 maitreya uvāca
nirveda-vādinīm evaṃ manor duhitaraṃ muniḥ /
dayāluḥ śālinīm āha śuklābhivyāhṛtaṃ smaran //

Maitreya said: / To Manu's modest daughter who spoke thus with worldly indifference, / the compassionate sage spoke, remembering what had been said by the pure Lord.

1. Maitreya said:—To the worthy daughter of Manu who thus made known to him her renunciation, the merciful sage Kardama, remembering the words of Vishnu, said as follows:—

3.24.2

/0 ṛṣir uvāca
mā khido rāja-putrīttham ātmānaṃ praty anindite /
bhagavāṃs te 'kṣaro garbham adūrāt samprapatsyate //

The sage said: / Do not torment yourself thus concerning your self, O blameless princess; / the imperishable Lord will enter your womb before long.

2. The Rishi said:—(O faultless one), do not make thyself uneasy, O princess; the glorious Lord denoted by the word of three letters will before long enter thy womb.

3.24.3

dhṛta-vratāsi bhadraṃ te damena niyamena ca /
tapo-draviṇa-dānaiś ca śraddhayā ceśvaraṃ bhaja //

You have kept your vows; all auspiciousness to you! With restraint and regulation, / with penance, gifts of wealth, and faith, worship the Lord.

3. Thou art constant in thy observances; may good betide thee; with control over thy senses, with attention to *Niyama*, do thou worship the Lord, performing Tapas with perfect faith, and giving away your wealth in charity (be charitable).

3.24.4

sa tvayārādhitaḥ śuklo vitanvan māmakaṃ yaśaḥ /
chettā te hṛdaya-granthim audaryo brahma-bhāvanaḥ //

Worshiped by you, that pure Lord, spreading my renown, / born of your womb, revealing Brahman, will cut through the knot in your heart.

4. The Lord Vishnu, the Pure, being worshipped by thee, will be born of thy womb (as thy son) in order to extend my

fame; He will root out the doubt and ignorance in thy mind and He will give precepts to the world regarding Brahman.

3.24.5

/0 maitreya uvāca
devahūty api sandeśaṃ gauraveṇa prajāpateḥ /
samyak śraddhāya puruṣaṃ kūṭa-stham abhajad gurum //

Maitreya said: / Devahūti also, accepting with great reverence the instruction of the Prajāpati, / having full faith, worshiped the unchangeable Guru, the Supreme Person.

5. Maitreya said:—With great regard and faith in the message (words) of the wise Prajapati, Devahuti also worshipped the changeless Person, the father of the world.

3.24.6

tasyāṃ bahu-tithe kāle bhagavān madhusūdanaḥ /
kārdamaṃ vīryam āpanno jajñe 'gnir iva dāruṇi //

After a long period of time, the Lord, the slayer of Madhu, / having entered the semen of Kardama, was born [from her] like fire from wood.

6. After the lapse of a long period the glorious Lord Madhu-sudana manifested himself through Kardama’s energy, even as Agni does in a piece of wood.

3.24.7

avādayaṃs tadā vyomni vāditrāṇi ghanāghanāḥ /
gāyanti taṃ sma gandharvā nṛtyanty apsaraso mudā //

Then heavenly clouds sounded musical instruments in the sky; / Gandharvas sang to him, and Apsarases danced with joy.

7. At that hour the raining clouds in the sky sounded the celestial instruments of music; the Gandharwas sang and Apsaras-women danced in delight.

3.24.8

petuḥ sumanaso divyāḥ khe-carair apavarjitāḥ /
praseduś ca diśaḥ sarvā ambhāṃsi ca manāṃsi ca //

Divine flowers dropped, showered down by the sky-dwellers; / and all the directions, the waters, and the minds of beings grew serene.

8. Celestial flowers fell showered by the gods and others passing through the sky; and all the directions, all waters, and all minds became serene.

3.24.9

tat kardamāśrama-padaṃ sarasvatyā pariśritam /
svayambhūḥ sākam ṛṣibhir marīcy-ādibhir abhyayāt //

To that hermitage of Kardama bordered by the Sarasvatī, / the self-born Brahmā went together with the sages, Marīci and the rest.

9. Brahma went along with Marichi and other Rishis to the hermitage of Kardama surrounded by the Saraswati.

3.24.10

bhagavantaṃ paraṃ brahma sattvenāṃśena śatru-han /
tattva-saṅkhyāna-vijñaptyai jātaṃ vidvān ajaḥ svarāṭ //

Knowing that the Lord, the Supreme Brahman, had taken birth in an amorous portion through purity / in order to explain the enumeration of truths, O slayer of foes, the unborn, self-ruling Brahmā,

10—11. O Vidura, the vanquisher of enemies, Brahma naturally possessed of perfect wisdom knew that it was the glorious Supreme Being Para Brahman who had through Satva manifested Himself as the son of Kardama for imparting the true knowledge of the Sankhya Sastra (_i e._ of the Tattvas or fundamental principles), and in his pure mind praising His purpose and with all his senses excited by intense joy—(Brahma) said to Kardama and (Devahuti) as follows:—

3.24.11

sabhājayan viśuddhena cetasā tac-cikīrṣitam /
prahṛṣyamāṇair asubhiḥ kardamaṃ cedam abhyadhāt //

honoring with a pure mind what He intended to do, / his vital breaths overflowing with delight, addressed Kardama thus:

3.24.12

/0 brahmovāca
tvayā me 'pacitis tāta kalpitā nirvyalīkataḥ /
yan me sañjagṛhe vākyaṃ bhavān mānada mānayan //

Brahmā said: / Worship has been rendered to me by you, dear child, without deceit, / in that you accepted my word, honoring it, O giver of honor.

12. Brahma said;—O my child, thou hast truly performed my puja (worship) in that thou didst receive my words with a candid heart and with deference, O Defender of honour.

3.24.13

etāvaty eva śuśrūṣā kāryā pitari putrakaiḥ /
bāḍham ity anumanyeta gauraveṇa guror vacaḥ //

Just this much obedience should be rendered to a father by his sons: / that one should assent with reverence to the words of the elder, saying, 'So be it!'

13. This is the service which ought to be rendered by one’s sons to their father, namely, that they should gladly and without any question agree to do the words (bidding) of their father.

3.24.14

imā duhitaraḥ satyas tava vatsa sumadhyamāḥ /
sargam etaṃ prabhāvaiḥ svair bṛṃhayiṣyanty anekadhā //

These virtuous daughters of yours of slender waists, my child, / will expand this creation in many ways through their own powers.

14. O worthy Kardama, O my child, these beautiful daughters of thine will swell this creation in several ways (by becoming mothers of several prolific races) with their descendants.

3.24.15

atas tvam ṛṣi-mukhyebhyo yathā-śīlaṃ yathā-ruci /
ātmajāḥ paridehy adya vistṛṇīhi yaśo bhuvi //

Therefore, bestow your daughters today upon the foremost sages / according to character and according to preference, and spread your renown on earth.

15. Therefore, with due regard to their character and their liking do thou now thyself bestow thy daughters on the great Rishis.

3.24.16

vedāham ādyaṃ puruṣam avatīrṇaṃ sva-māyayā /
bhūtānāṃ śevadhiṃ dehaṃ bibhrāṇaṃ kapilaṃ mune //

I know that the primal Person has descended through His own creative power, / bearing a body that is a treasure-house for living beings, as Kapila, O sage.

16. O sage, I know thy son Kapila is the First Supreme Person who has made an avatara through His *Maya*, and assumed a body the source of blessings for all beings.

3.24.17

jñāna-vijñāna-yogena karmaṇām uddharan jaṭāḥ /
hiraṇya-keśaḥ padmākṣaḥ padma-mudrā-padāmbujaḥ //

Severing the tangled knots of actions by the yoga of knowledge and realization, / He has golden hair, lotus-eyes, and lotus-feet marked with the sign of the lotus.

17 and 18. O Manavi, He is Hari the slayer of Kaitabha having golden hair, lotus-like eyes and lotus-like feet bearing the figure of a lotus; He came into thy womb for pulling out the roots of Karma by means of Sastraic knowledge and direct realisation, [The Lord will impart to Asuri the Sankhya-knowledge obscured by time,] and He will range the earth cutting the knot of the heart (Avidya or nescience).

3.24.18

eṣa mānavi te garbhaṃ praviṣṭaḥ kaiṭabhārdanaḥ /
avidyā-saṃśaya-granthiṃ chittvā gāṃ vicariṣyati //

This slayer of Kaiṭabha has entered your womb, O daughter of Manu; / cutting through the knot of ignorance and doubt, He will wander the earth.

3.24.19

ayaṃ siddha-gaṇādhīśaḥ sāṅkhyācāryaiḥ susammataḥ /
loke kapila ity ākhyāṃ gantā te kīrti-vardhanaḥ //

This master of the hosts of Siddhas, highly honored by the teachers of Sāṅkhya, / will be known in the world by the name Kapila, enhancing your renown.

19. He is the great Lord of the Siddha classes (those that have attained wisdom) and most revered by the Sankhya teachers; He will be known in the world by the name of Kapila and spread thy fame.

3.24.20

/0 maitreya uvāca
tāv āśvāsya jagat-sraṣṭā kumāraiḥ saha-nāradaḥ /
haṃso haṃsena yānena tri-dhāma-paramaṃ yayau //

Maitreya said: / Having comforted the two of them, the creator of the universe, together with the Kumāras and Nārada, / the pure sage went to the highest threefold realm upon his swan vehicle.

20. Maitreya said:—Having thus comforted the couple, Brahma the Maker of the world, rode on the swan, his vehicle, and along with the Kumaras (Sanaka and others) and Narada returned to Satyaloka which is far above Swarga the third region.

3.24.21

gate śata-dhṛtau kṣattaḥ kardamas tena coditaḥ /
yathoditaṃ sva-duhit-ḥ prādād viśva-sṛjāṃ tataḥ //

When Brahmā of a hundred sacrifices had departed, O Vidura, Kardama, instructed by him, / then gave his daughters to the creators of the universe according to what had been spoken.

21. O Vidura, after the departure of Brahma, Kardama as directed by him and as laid down in the Sastras gave his daughters to Marichi and other progenitors (of the world).

3.24.22

marīcaye kalāṃ prādād anasūyām athātraye /
śraddhām aṅgirase 'yacchat pulastyāya havirbhuvam //

He gave Kalā to Marīci, and Anasūyā to Atri; / he gave Śraddhā to Aṅgiras, and Havirbhū to Pulastya.

22 to 24. He gave Kala to Marichi, Anasuya to Atri, Sraddha to Angiras, and Havirbhu to Pulastya; and he gave to Pulaha Gati worthy of him and the chaste Kriya to Kratu, Khyati to Bhriugu and Arundhati to Vasishtha; And to Atharvan he gave Santi by whom *Yajna* is made to extend in the world; and he propitiated all these great men of wisdom who had married, as well as their wives with due and kind attentions.

3.24.23

pulahāya gatiṃ yuktāṃ kratave ca kriyāṃ satīm /
khyātiṃ ca bhṛgave 'yacchad vasiṣṭhāyāpy arundhatīm //

To Pulaha he gave the suitable Gati, and to Kratu the virtuous Kriyā; / and to Bhṛgu he gave Khyāti, and to Vasiṣṭha also Arundhatī.

3.24.24

atharvaṇe 'dadāc chāntiṃ yayā yajño vitanyate /
viprarṣabhān kṛtodvāhān sadārān samalālayat //

To Atharvan he gave Śānti, by whom the sacrifice is performed. / Having married these best of brahmins, he honored them along with their wives.

3.24.25

tatas ta ṛṣayaḥ kṣattaḥ kṛta-dārā nimantrya tam /
prātiṣṭhan nandim āpannāḥ svaṃ svam āśrama-maṇḍalam //

Then those sages, O Kṣattṛ, having taken wives, took leave of him / and departed, filled with joy, each to his own circle of hermitages.

25. Thereupon, O Vidura, having got married, the Rishis took leave of him (Kardama) and in great joy they set out, each towards his hermitage.

3.24.26

sa cāvatīrṇaṃ tri-yugam ājñāya vibudharṣabham /
vivikta upasaṅgamya praṇamya samabhāṣata //

And recognizing that the Lord of three yugas, the foremost of the gods, had descended, / he approached Him in a solitary place, bowed down, and addressed Him:

26. Having understood his son to be the Avatara of Vishnu the Lord of the gods, Kardama approached Him in solitude, bowed and said :—

3.24.27

aho pāpacyamānānāṃ niraye svair amaṅgalaiḥ /
kālena bhūyasā nūnaṃ prasīdantīha devatāḥ //

"Ah, toward those suffering torments in hell on account of their own inauspicious deeds, / after a long time the gods surely become gracious in this world.

27. Pity ! Only after a long time, are the gods pleased with the souls who are burning in hell on account of their sinful deeds.

3.24.28

bahu-janma-vipakvena samyag-yoga-samādhinā /
draṣṭuṃ yatante yatayaḥ śūnyāgāreṣu yat-padam //

That state which ascetics strive to see in desolate dwellings / by the samādhi of complete yoga ripened over many births—

28. By proper courses of devotion and meditation well developed through many lives, ascetics endeavour to see Thy feet in solitude.

3.24.29

sa eva bhagavān adya helanaṃ na gaṇayya naḥ /
gṛheṣu jāto grāmyāṇāṃ yaḥ svānāṃ pakṣa-poṣaṇaḥ //

that very Lord today, disregarding our faults, / has been born in the homes of worldly men, He who nourishes the party of His own devotees.

29. And adorable as Thou art, Thou art now born in the house of humble creatures without reckoning the humiliation thereof ; for Thou art bent upon promoting the cause of Thy *Bhaktas*.

3.24.30

svīyaṃ vākyam ṛtaṃ kartum avatīrṇo 'si me gṛhe /
cikīrṣur bhagavān jñānaṃ bhaktānāṃ māna-vardhanaḥ //

To make Your own word true You have descended into my home, / wishing to impart knowledge, O Lord who increases the honor of Your devotees.

30. Thou hast made an Avatara in my house to prove Thy word true, as well as to impart the Sankhya-knowledge (to the world) ; for Thou art the glorious Lord intent upon advancing the veneration for Thy *Bhaktas*.

3.24.31

tāny eva te 'bhirūpāṇi rūpāṇi bhagavaṃs tava /
yāni yāni ca rocante sva-janānām arūpiṇaḥ //

Those forms of Yours are indeed suitable forms, O Lord, / whatever ones are pleasing to Your own people, though You are formless.

31. O glorious Lord, destitute of physical forms, what forms of Thine are liked by Thy Bhaktas are the excellent forms which Thou also likest.

3.24.32

tvāṃ sūribhis tattva-bubhutsayāddhā sadābhivādārhaṇa-pāda-pīṭham /
aiśvarya-vairāgya-yaśo-'vabodha- vīrya-śriyā pūrtam ahaṃ prapadye //

To You, whose footstool is ever worthy of worship by the wise desiring to know the truth, / full of sovereignty, dispassion, fame, knowledge, power, and splendor, I surrender.

32. I take refuge in Thee, whose footstool is fit to be always worshipped by wise men seeking to know the truth in Thee who are perfect in Thy supreme power, self-denial, renown, understanding, energy and wealth.

3.24.33

paraṃ pradhānaṃ puruṣaṃ mahāntaṃ kālaṃ kaviṃ tri-vṛtaṃ loka-pālam /
ātmānubhūtyānugata-prapañcaṃ svacchanda-śaktiṃ kapilaṃ prapadye //

To the supreme, primal matter, the Spirit, the cosmic intellect, time, the seer, the threefold ruler of the worlds, / who pervades the universe through self-realization, whose power is unrestrained—to Kapila I surrender.

33. I take refuge in Kapila who is the Supreme Lord and who is in the form of Prakriti, Purusha (presiding over Prakriti), the Mahat-tatva, Time, Ahankara, and the protectors of the world ; in whom the whole gross universe lies withdrawn by the intelligent power of Atman (Self) ; who is the Omniscient Being and on whom all powers (Saktis) depend.

3.24.34

a smābhipṛcche 'dya patiṃ prajānāṃ tvayāvatīrṇarṇa utāpta-kāmaḥ /
parivrajat-padavīm āsthito 'haṃ cariṣye tvāṃ hṛdi yuñjan viśokaḥ //

Today I ask permission of You, the Lord of living beings; with my debt discharged through You, my desires attained, / I shall take to the path of the wandering ascetic and wander free of sorrow, fixing You in my heart."

34. I now ask something of Thee, the Lord of all beings, as I am relieved of all the three debts by Thine avatara as my son ; and all my desires being fulfilled, I shall hereafter follow the path of Sanyasins and shall go about (to holy places) contemplating Thee in my heart, and free from all sorrows.

3.24.35

/0 śrī-bhagavān uvāca
mayā proktaṃ hi lokasya pramāṇaṃ satya-laukike /
athājani mayā tubhyaṃ yad avocam ṛtaṃ mune //

The Lord said:
"Indeed, what is spoken by Me is the standard of authority for people in both spiritual and worldly matters; / therefore I was born to you, in order that what I spoke to you would be true, O sage.

35. The Lord said:—Whatever I say is of authority for the world in matters both spiritual (vaidika) and temporal: and so I am born of thee, O sage, to make true what I have told thee (promised thee).

3.24.36

etan me janma loke 'smin mumukṣūṇāṃ durāśayāt /
prasaṅkhyānāya tattvānāṃ sammatāyātma-darśane //

This birth of Mine in this world is for the sake of setting forth the enumeration of the principles, / intended for self-realization by those who seek liberation from the difficult material mind.

36. This birth (avatara) of Mine in this world is intended for affording a true exposition of the knowledge of the Tattvas admittedly tending to the realisation of Atman (Self) for those who seek deliverance from the _lingadeha_ (दुराशय).

3.24.37

eṣa ātma-patho 'vyakto naṣṭaḥ kālena bhūyasā /
taṃ pravartayituṃ deham imaṃ viddhi mayā bhṛtam //

This unmanifest path of the self was lost over a long time; / know that this body has been assumed by Me in order to set it in motion.

37. This subtle course of knowledge leading to Atman has been lost through long ages; know that I have assumed this body to restore that knowledge (to the world).

3.24.38

gaccha kāmaṃ mayāpṛṣṭo mayi sannyasta-karmaṇā /
jitvā sudurjayaṃ mṛtyum amṛtatvāya māṃ bhaja //

Go as you wish, with My permission, offering your actions to Me; / having conquered death, which is so difficult to conquer, worship Me for the sake of immortality.

38. Thou art permitted by Me; go thou as it pleases thee. And, performing duties dedicated unto Me, do thou conquer _Mrityu_ (Samsara) difficult to conquer; and worship Me (be devoted to Me) for the sake of Moksha (immortality).

3.24.39

mām ātmānaṃ svayaṃ-jyotiḥ sarva-bhūta-guhāśayam /
ātmany evātmanā vīkṣya viśoko 'bhayam ṛcchasi //

Seeing Me, the self, the self-effulgent, dwelling in the cave of the heart of all beings, / within the self alone by means of the self, free from sorrow you will attain fearlessness.

39. Through the mind in thine own self realise Me who am the Supreme Atman, the absolute Light abiding in the heart of all beings, and thou wilt be rid of all misery and attain to Moksha (the fearless state.)

3.24.40

mātra ādhyātmikīṃ vidyāṃ śamanīṃ sarva-karmaṇām /
vitariṣye yayā cāsau bhayaṃ cātitariṣyati //

To my mother I shall bestow the spiritual knowledge that puts an end to all karmas, / by which she too will completely cross beyond fear."

40. I shall impart to My mother the knowledge relating to Atman, which eradicates all Karma and thereby she will get over the fear (of Samsara.)

3.24.41

/0 maitreya uvāca
evaṃ samuditas tena kapilena prajāpatiḥ /
dakṣiṇī-kṛtya taṃ prīto vanam eva jagāma ha //

Maitreya said:
Having been addressed in this manner by that Kapila, the lord of creatures, / circumambulating Him with joy, went indeed to the forest.

41. Maitreya said:—The Prajapati (Kardama) rejoiced to be thus graciously directed by the sage Kapila and having gone round him, straightway went to the forest.

3.24.42

vrataṃ sa āsthito maunam ātmaika-śaraṇo muniḥ /
niḥsaṅgo vyacarat kṣoṇīm anagnir aniketanaḥ //

Having undertaken the vow of silence, having the self as his sole refuge, the sage / wandered the earth without attachment, without sacred fire, and without a fixed abode.

42. He devoted himself to the vow (of harmlessness) of Munis (hermits) and sought shelter only under Paramatman, and free from all attachments wandered through the world, having renounced fire and home.

3.24.43

mano brahmaṇi yuñjāno yat tat sad-asataḥ param /
guṇāvabhāse viguṇa eka-bhaktyānubhāvite //

Fixing his mind on Brahman, which is beyond being and non-being, / devoid of qualities though manifesting through qualities, realized by single-minded devotion,

43—44. Setting his mind upon Brahman who is distinct from cause and effect, who is devoid of qualities but manifests Himself as if endowed with them, and who is realised only by means of unswerving devotion to Him alone; having rid himself of Ahankara, attachments, and the disturbance of the opposite states (of cold and heat, honour and dishonour, etc.,) having ceased to see differences and riveted his mind on Atman alone he attained wisdom, with his thoughts becalmed and centered in Brahman within, and shone like the ocean that is perfectly still without waves.

3.24.44

nirahaṅkṛtir nirmamaś ca nirdvandvaḥ sama-dṛk sva-dṛk /
pratyak-praśānta-dhīr dhīraḥ praśāntormir ivodadhiḥ //

free from egoism and possessiveness, free from the pairs of opposites, seeing equally, seeing the self, / his intellect turned inward and tranquil, steadfast like an ocean with its waves calmed,

3.24.45

vāsudeve bhagavati sarva-jñe pratyag-ātmani /
pareṇa bhakti-bhāvena labdhātmā mukta-bandhanaḥ //

in the Lord Vāsudeva, the all-knowing inner self, / through supreme devotion he realized the self, freed from bondage.

45 & 46. Having secured his mind by concentration on the Atman of the *jiva*, the glorious Lord Vasudeva, by means of intense devotion and being rid of the tie (of Agnana), he saw the glorious Atman present in every being and also all the beings resting in the glorious Atman.

3.24.46

ātmānaṃ sarva-bhūteṣu bhagavantam avasthitam /
apaśyat sarva-bhūtāni bhagavaty api cātmani //

He saw the self, the Lord, abiding in all beings, / and all beings in the Lord and in the self.

3.24.47

icchā-dveṣa-vihīnena sarvatra sama-cetasā /
bhagavad-bhakti-yuktena prāptā bhāgavatī gatiḥ //

Free from desire and hatred, with an equal mind everywhere, / endowed with devotion to the Lord, he attained the divine destination of the Lord.

47. By him who had no likes and dislikes, and who regarded everything equally and was filled with intense devotion to the Lord, the divine attainment was realised.