Bhagavatapurana 6.9: atha navamo'dhyāyaḥ

6.9.1

/0 śrīśuka uvāca
tasyāsan viśvarūpasya śirāṃsi trīṇi bhārata /
somapīthaṃ surāpīthamannādamiti śuśruma //

Śrī Śuka said: / That Viśvarūpa had three heads, O Bhārata: / one for drinking soma, one for drinking wine, and one for eating food, as we have heard.

1. Sri Suka said:—That Viswarupa had three heads, O Bharata, for drinking Soma, Sura and for eating food; so we are told.

6.9.2

sa vai barhiṣi devebhyo bhāgaṃ pratyakṣamuccakaiḥ /
adadadyasya pitaro devāḥ sapraśrayaṃ nṛpa //

Upon the sacrificial grass he openly and loudly offered their share to the gods, / whose ancestors were gods, O king, with deference;

2. To the gods their respective shares he offered into the fire directly and loudly said with due respect "This is to Indra, this is to Agni and so on." For the gods were his fathers.

6.9.3

sa eva hi dadau bhāgaṃ parokṣamasurān prati /
yajamāno 'vahadbhāgaṃ mātṛsnehavaśānugaḥ //

Yet he secretly gave their share to the demons; / performing the sacrifice, he carried their share, yielding to the influence of affection for his mother.

3. Himself the sacrificer he gave under cover a share of the offerings to Asuras, being influenced by his love for his mother.

6.9.4

taddevahelanaṃ tasya dharmālīkaṃ sureśvaraḥ /
ālakṣya tarasā bhītastacchīrṣāṇy acchinadruṣā //

Noticing that offense to the gods, a hypocrisy against dharma, / the ruler of the gods, terrified, swiftly severed those heads in anger.

4. Indra, the ruler of the gods, noticed that contemptuous treatment of the gods and his pretended righteousness, and being afraid of him, he suddenly in anger cut off Viswarupa's heads.

6.9.5

somapīthaṃ tu yat tasya śira āsīt kapiñjalaḥ /
kalaviṅkaḥ surāpīthamannādaṃ yat sa tittiriḥ //

The head with which he drank soma became a francolin partridge; / that with which he drank wine became a sparrow, and that with which he ate food became a black partridge.

5. That head with which he drank Soma became the kapinjala bird; and that with which liquor was drunk became kalavinka (a bird) and that with which he ate food became Tittiri (a bird).

6.9.6

brahmahatyāmañjalinā jagrāha yadapīśvaraḥ /
saṃvatsarānte tadaghaṃ bhūtānāṃ sa viśuddhaye //

Although he was the lord, he received the sin of killing a brāhmaṇa with folded hands; / at the end of a year, for the purification of all beings, that sin

6. & 7. Though powerful to ward it off Indra accepted the Brahmahatya (the sin of killing a brahmin) with his own hands; and at the end of a year, wishing to cleanse himself of that sin (in the opinion of other beings), Indra divided it in four parts among the earth, water, trees and women. The earth received a fourth of it along with the boon (or on the condition) that the hollow caused by digging should again become filled up.

6.9.7

bhūmyambudrumayoṣidbhyaścaturdhā vyabhajaddhariḥ /
bhūmisturīyaṃ jagrāha khātapūravareṇa vai //

Hari divided into four parts among the earth, water, trees, and women. / The earth accepted a fourth in return for the boon that its holes would be filled.

6.9.8

īriṇaṃ brahmahatyāyā rūpaṃ bhūmau pradṛśyate /
turyaṃ chedaviroheṇa vareṇa jagṛhurdrumāḥ //

Its form of the sin of killing a brāhmaṇa is seen on earth as barren ground. / The trees accepted a fourth in return for the boon of growing again after being cut down;

8. The saline soil another fourth; for Brahmahatya is seen in a distinct form on the ground itself. [But Brahmahatya in relation to the earth is seen as saline soil]. Trees accepted a fourth of it along with the boon of growing again when cut.

6.9.9

teṣāṃ niryāsarūpeṇa brahmahatyā pradṛśyate /
śaśvatkāmavareṇāṃhasturīyaṃ jagṛhuḥ striyaḥ /2/

Among them, the sin of killing a brāhmaṇa is seen in the form of sap. / Women accepted a fourth of the sin in exchange for the boon of constant sexual desire;

9. The sin in relation to them is seen as gum; (and) women accepted a fourth of it along with the boon of ever cherishing the passion of love.

6.9.10

rajorūpeṇa tāsvaṃho māsi māsi pradṛśyate /
dravyabhūyovareṇāpasturīyaṃ jagṛhurmalam //

Among them, that sin is seen month after month in the form of menstrual blood. / In return for the boon of increasing in volume, water took a fourth of the impurity;

10. The sin in relation to them is seen in the form of monthly discharges; waters accepted a fourth of the sin along with the boon of their increasing the volume or quantity of the substance with which they are mixed (the boon of becoming increased in volume when mixed with other liquids) [D. predominence among the five Bhutas.]

6.9.11

tāsu budbudaphenābhyāṃ dṛṣṭaṃ taddharati kṣipan /
hataputrastatastvaṣṭā juhāvendrāya śatrave //

In it, that [sin] is seen as bubbles and foam; throwing it out, it removes it. / Then Tvaṣṭṛ, whose son was killed, performed a sacrifice for an enemy to Indra.

11. In waters the sin appears as bubbles and foam; and he who removes them cleanses the waters of the sin. Thereupon Twashta who lost his son poured offerings into the fire for the destruction of Indra, his enemy (in the following manner).

6.9.12

indraśatro vivardhasva mā ciraṃ jahi vidviṣam /
athānvāhāryapacanādutthito ghoradarśanaḥ //

“O enemy of Indra, grow! Without delay, slay the foe!”
Then from the Anvāhāryapacana fire arose one of terrifying appearance,

12. "O enemy of Indra, do thou grow powerful; do not delay: kill the enemy;" thereupon from the fire called Anvaharyapachana rose a spirit of fearful appearance.

6.9.13

kṛtānta iva lokānāṃ yugāntasamaye yathā /
viṣvag vivardhamānaṃ tamiṣumātraṃ dine dine //

like the end of all worlds at the time of cosmic dissolution.
Growing every day in all directions by the length of an arrow,

13. Like the god of Death who may appear unto beings at the destruction of the world, people saw him growing every day in every direction to the extent of an arrow's throw.

6.9.14

dagdhaśailapratīkāśaṃ sandhyābhrānīkavarcasam /
taptatāmraśikhāśmaśruṃ madhyāhnārkogralocanam //

resembling a burnt mountain, radiant as a host of evening clouds,
with crest and beard like molten copper and eyes fierce as the midday sun,

14. & 15. Looking like a burnt hill and (dark) like the clouds at sunset, with his hair and beard red like burning copper, with eyes as fierce as the midday sun; and dancing as if he held up the earth and heaven pierced with his brilliant trident, and roaring loud and shaking the earth with his foot;

6.9.15

dedīpyamāne triśikhe śūla āropya rodasī /
nṛtyantamunnadantaṃ ca cālayantaṃ padā mahīm //

piercing heaven and earth upon his blazing trident,
dancing, roaring, and shaking the earth with his stride,

6.9.16

darīgambhīravaktreṇa pibatā ca nabhastalam /
lihatā jihvayarkṣāṇi grasatā bhuvanatrayam //

drinking the sky with his cave-deep mouth,
lapping the stars with his tongue, swallowing the three worlds,

16. Who seemed to swallow the whole sky with his mouth deep like a mountain cave, to lick up the stars with his tongue, and to devour the three worlds;

6.9.17

mahatā raudradaṃṣṭreṇa jṛmbhamāṇaṃ muhurmuhuḥ /
vitrastā dudruvurlokā vīkṣya sarve diśo daśa //

yawning again and again with immense, dreadful fangs—
seeing him, all people fled in terror in the ten directions.

17. Who frequently yawned displaying his terrible tusks, all the creatures were frightened at the sight of whom and took to flight in (all) the ten directions;

6.9.18

yenāvṛtā ime lokāstapasā tvāṣṭramūrtinā /
sa vai vṛtra iti proktaḥ pāpaḥ paramadāruṇaḥ //

Because these worlds were enveloped (vṛta) by him through the austerity of Tvaṣṭṛ’s form,
he was called Vṛtra, sinful and exceedingly terrible.

18. That most terrible creation of Twashta is truly called Vrithra (he who covers), by whom these worlds are covered with the darkness constituting the form of Twashtri's creation.

6.9.19

taṃ nijaghnurabhidrutya sagaṇā vibudharṣabhāḥ /
svaiḥ svairdivyāstraśastraughaiḥ so 'grasat tāni kṛtsnaśaḥ //

The chiefs of the gods, with their hosts, rushed and attacked him
with their divine missiles and weapons, but he swallowed them all entirely.

19. The great gods with their followers fell on him and struck him with their several missiles; but he swallowed them all.

6.9.20

tataste vismitāḥ sarve viṣaṇṇā grastatejasaḥ /
pratyañcamādipuruṣamupatasthuḥ samāhitāḥ //

Then, all astonished, despondent, and stripped of their splendor,
they concentrated their minds and approached the innermost, primordial Person:

20. Thereupon they were all astounded, and became despondent having lost their energy; then collecting their mind (wits) they offered their prayers to the first Great Person who is the Antaryamin.

6.9.21

/0 śrīdevā ūcuḥ
vāyvambarāgnyapkṣitayastrilokā brahmādayo ye vayamudvijantaḥ /
harāma yasmai balimantako 'sau bibheti yasmādaraṇaṃ tato naḥ //

The gods said:
Wind, sky, fire, water, earth, the three worlds, and we beginning with Brahmā, out of fear
offer tribute to [Time]; that very Ender fears [Him]—may He be our refuge!

21. The gods said:— May our protection be realised only from Him of whom that destroyer (Yama) is afraid, to whom Vayu (wind), Water, Fire, the sky and the earth, the three worlds, Brahma and others and these we pay homage in great fear.

6.9.22

avismitaṃ taṃ paripūrṇakāmaṃ svenaiva lābhena samaṃ praśāntam /
vinopasarpaty aparaṃ hi bāliśaḥ śvalāṅgulenātititarti sindhum //

He is never bewildered, His desires are fully satisfied, He is equal through His own gain, and tranquil;
whoever bypasses Him to approach another is indeed a fool trying to cross the ocean holding a dog’s tail.

22. An ignoramus is indeed he who thinks of crossing the ocean by means of dog's tail and to such a fool he is to be likened who seeks for his protection some one, other than the Supreme Lord who is not touched by Ahankara (or curiosity, or, feeling of wonder), and by passions, who is perfect in His own realistion and unlimited

by conditions.

6.9.23

yasyoruśṛṅge jagatīṃ svanāvaṃ manuryathābadhya tatāra durgam /
sa eva nastvāṣṭrabhayāddurantāt trātāśritān vāricaro 'pi nūnam //

Just as Manu tied his boat, the earth, to His immense horn and crossed the impassable peril,
He alone, even as an aquatic creature, will surely protect us who take refuge from this insurmountable dread of Tvaṣṭṛ’s son.

23. Certainly the same Lord in the form of Matsya to whose horn Manu, Satyavratha moored his ship of the earth and got over the great danger of deluge (Pralaya) may protect us His dependents from this insuperable fear of Twashtri’s creation.

6.9.24

purā svayambhūrapi saṃyamāmbhasy udīrṇavātormiravaiḥ karāle /
eko 'ravindāt patitastatāra tasmādbhayādyena sa no 'stu pāraḥ //

Long ago, even the Self-born [Brahmā], fallen from the lotus into the waters of dissolution
terrifying with the roar of fierce wind-driven waves, crossed beyond that danger alone through Him—may He be our deliverance!

24. May that Lord be our pilot with whose help (through whose grace), of yore, even the lonely Brahma tumbling (as it were) from the lotus of His navel in the flood of deluge terrific with the boisterous waves tossed by wild winds, got over that fear.

6.9.25

ya eka īśo nijamāyayā naḥ sasarja yenānusṛjāma viśvam /
vayaṃ na yasyāpi puraḥ samīhataḥ paśyāma liṅgaṃ pṛthag īśamāninaḥ //

He, the one Lord, created us by His own creative power, and through Him we create the universe in turn;
yet, imagining ourselves independent lords, we do not see His sign even though He acts right before us.

25. That one Supreme Ruler who has by His Maya created us, with whose help, and imitating whom, we create the Universe and whose form, though present in our front, we, each proud as an independent god, cannot see.

6.9.26

yo naḥ sapatnairbhṛśamardyamānān devarṣitiryaṅnṛṣu nitya eva /
kṛtāvatārastanubhiḥ svamāyayā kṛtvātmasāt pāti yuge yuge ca //

When we are severely harassed by our enemies, He who is eternal
takes incarnations through forms among the gods, sages, beasts, and men by His creative power, claims us as His own, and protects us age after age.

26. Who, eternal as he is, makes, through His mercy and power, Avataras, (with forms assumed) among the gods, Rishis, lower animals and human beings, in every Yuga, protects us when we are badly beaten and harassed by our enemies and keeps us under His own power.

6.9.27

tameva devaṃ vayamātmadaivataṃ paraṃ pradhānaṃ puruṣaṃ viśvamanyam /
vrajāma sarve śaraṇaṃ śaraṇyaṃ svānāṃ sa no dhāsyati śaṃ mahātmā //

To that very God, our own deity, the Supreme, the Pradhāna, the Person, the universe, and beyond,
we all go for shelter, to the one worthy of shelter; that Great Self will bestow auspiciousness upon His own.

27. That One God alone, our own Deity who, perfect, who is Pradhana and Purusha and all, and yet different and the One fit to be resorted to as the asylum, we seek to be our protector; that glorious Being will (may) bestow happiness on us who are His devoties.

6.9.28

/0 śrīśuka uvāca
iti teṣāṃ mahārāja surāṇāmupatiṣṭhatām /
pratīcyāṃ diśy abhūdāviḥ śaṅkhacakragadādharaḥ //

Śrī Śuka said:
O Great King, as the gods were thus offering worship,
there appeared in the western quarter He who bears the conch, discus, and mace,

28. Sri Suka said:— O great king, when the gods were thus praying to Him, the Lord who wields Sankha, Chakra and Gada revealed Himself in the west.

6.9.29

ātmatulyaiḥ ṣoḍaśabhirvinā śrīvatsakaustubhau /
paryupāsitamunnidra śaradamburuhekṣaṇam //

attended by sixteen attendants equal to Himself, save for the Śrīvatsa and Kaustubha,
with eyes like blooming autumnal lotuses.

29. & 30. On seeing the Lord who was waited upon by sixteen persons like unto Himself but without Srivatsa and Kaustubha and whose eyes were like the full-blown lotus in autumn, all the gods were overpowered with joy and fell prostrate like a rod on the ground, O king, and slowly rising, offered their praises.

6.9.30

dṛṣṭvā tamavanau sarva īkṣaṇāhlādaviklavāḥ /
daṇḍavat patitā rājañ chanairutthāya tuṣṭuvuḥ //

Beholding Him, all fell prostrate like rods on the ground, overwhelmed with joy at the sight, O King,
and slowly rising, they praised Him.

6.9.31

/0 śrīdevā ūcuḥ
namaste yajñavīryāya vayase uta te namaḥ /
namaste hy astacakrāya namaḥ supuruhūtaye //

The gods said:
Homage to You whose power is sacrifice, and homage to You as Time!
Homage to You who have hurled the discus! Homage to You who are invoked by the best hymns!

31. The gods said:— We bow to Thee whose power is Yagna, (who confers Swarga and other fruits of Yagnas performed); we bow

to Thee who art our age (i.e., who art in the form of Time that defines the various fruits to be attained); we bow to Thee who hast sent forth Thy chakra to (to make havoc of) our enemies; we bow to Thee who art addressed under many names describing Thy glorious deeds.

6.9.32

yat te gatīnāṃ tisṛṇāmīśituḥ paramaṃ padam /
nārvācīno visargasya dhātarveditumarhati //

O Creator, that supreme abode of Yours, who rule the three courses of being,
no creature belonging to this lower creation is able to comprehend.

32. O Lord, we bow to Thee whose highest nature no one of the later creation is fit to know, since Thou art the Ruler of the three courses of Satva, Rajas and Tamas, and Thou art the highest goal to be reached by working through them.

6.9.33

oṃ namaste 'stu bhagavan nārāyaṇa vāsudevādipuruṣa mahāpuruṣa mahānubhāva paramamaṅgala paramakalyāṇa paramakāruṇika kevala jagadādhāra lokaikanātha sarveśvara lakṣmīnātha paramahaṃsaparivrājakaiḥ parameṇātmayogasamādhinā paribhāvitaparisphuṭapāramahaṃsyadharmeṇodghāṭitatamaḥkapāṭadvāre citte 'pāvṛta ātmaloke svayamupalabdhanijasukhānubhavo bhavān //

Oṃ, homage be to You, O Lord, Nārāyaṇa, Vāsudeva, primordial Person, Great Person, of supreme majesty, supreme auspiciousness, supreme benevolence, supremely compassionate, one without a second, support of the universe, sole protector of the worlds, Lord of all, Lord of Lakṣmī! You are He whose inherent bliss of self-experience is personally attained in the consciousness of supreme wandering ascetics—a consciousness whose door-panels of darkness have been flung wide open by the dharma of the supreme ascetic, made fully manifest through contemplation in the supreme samādhi of the yoga of the self—where the realm of the self is unveiled.

33. (1) Our salutation to Thee, O omnipotent Narayana, Vasudeva, the First Person, Supreme Person, most powerful One, supreme and auspicious Lord, highest Bliss, most merciful One, pure Intelligence, Support of the world, Only protector of the Universe, Ruler of all, Lakshmi's Consort, deeply contemplated by Parmahamsa ascetics in their highly developed concentration in Atmayoga; Thou art the realisation of that bliss which becomes manifest of itself in the inner light, breaking, when thrown open, in the mind, the door of darkness, burst by the most sincere devotional duties of Paramahamsa life.

6.9.34

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duravabodha iva tavāyaṃ vihārayogo yadaśaraṇo 'śarīra idamanavekṣitāsmatsamavāya ātmanaivāvikriyamāṇena saguṇamaguṇaḥ sṛjasi pāsi harasi //

This course of Your divine play is difficult to comprehend: without support, without a physical body, disregarding any assistance from us, devoid of qualities, You create, sustain, and withdraw this universe possessed of qualities solely by Yourself, who remain unchanging.

34. (2) This course of Thy sport (of creation) is almost beyond the range of understanding, since Thou hast nothing or nobody to depend upon, no help to expect from us, no attributes and yet Thou, by (Thy power of) Thine own unchanging Self, createst, protectest, and destroyest this (Universe) of qualities constituted of Satva, Rajas and Tamas.

6.9.35

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atha tatra bhavān kiṃ devadattavadiha guṇavisargapatitaḥ pāratantryeṇa svakṛtakuśalākuśalaṃ phalamupādadāty āhosvidātmārāma upaśamaśīlaḥ samañjasadarśana udāsta iti ha vāva na vidāmaḥ //

Therefore, we certainly do not know whether You here, like an ordinary person, having entered into the creation of the qualities, experience through dependence the good and bad results of Your own deeds, or whether, delighting in the self, of peaceful nature, and possessing impartial vision, You remain indifferent.

35. (3) Further we do not indeed know whether Thou, worshipful Lord, hast fallen into this creation of gunas like Devadatta (i.e.) like any Jiva dependent upon other forces and reapest the good or

bad fruit of Thine own action or Thou remainest delighted in Thyself, naturally unagitated in Thy undiminished and unaffected spiritual essence and indifferent witness of all.

6.9.36

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na hi virodha ubhayaṃ bhagavaty aparimitaguṇagaṇa īśvare 'navagāhyamāhātmye 'rvācīnavikalpavitarkavicārapramāṇābhāsakutarkaśāstrakalilāntaḥkaraṇāśrayaduravagrahavādināṃ vivādānavasara uparatasamastamāyāmaye kevala evātmamāyāmantardhāya ko nvartho durghaṭa iva bhavati svarūpadvayābhāvāt //

Indeed, there is no contradiction between the two in the Lord, who possesses an infinite multitude of qualities, the Master whose greatness is unfathomable, who leaves no room for dispute among debaters clinging tenaciously to the turbid intellect of modern doubts, arguments, sophistry, and false logic, in whom all that is made of creative power has ceased; for He is purely one, and once He sets aside His creative power, what purpose indeed could be difficult to reconcile, since there are no two separate natures in Him?

36. (4) Indeed there is no contradiction or contrariety; for both the positions are explicable in Thee, omnipotent and absolute Lord of infinite and excellent attributes, in the Ruler of rulers, of incomprehensible glories, far beyond the range of the controversies of those that dispute by force of strong prejudices abiding in theirmind confounded with sastras full of later doubts, reasoning, conclusions, authorities and bad logic; for in Thee that art untouched by all powers of Maya and of absolute nature, what is it that cannot be conceived to be, as Thou canst make Thy own Maya to intervene and produce any phenomenon, and there are no two things at all.

6.9.37

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samaviṣamamatīnāṃ matamanusarasi yathā rajjukhaṇḍaḥ sarpādidhiyām //

You conform to the conception of those with balanced or biased minds, just as a piece of rope conforms to the notions of a snake and the like.

37. (5) Thou showest Thyself according to the view of men as they are of straight or crooked thinking, just as a piece of rope appears to those who are thinking of the serpent or of any other like thing.

6.9.38

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sa eva hi punaḥ sarvavastuni vastusvarūpaḥ sarveśvaraḥ sakalajagatkāraṇakāraṇabhūtaḥ sarvapratyagātmatvāt sarvaguṇābhāsopalakṣita eka eva paryavaśeṣitaḥ //

For He alone is the true essence in every object, the Lord of all, the cause of all causes of the entire universe; being the innermost self of all, indicated by the appearances of all qualities, He alone remains as the ultimate residue.

38. (6) That Lord Himself is in every thing and He is the very essence of every thing that truly exists, the Ruler of all, the cause of all the causes of Universe and being the Antaryamin of all, He is the One indicated by every light afforded by objects. He is the One true existence conclusively shown by denying every other existence.

6.9.39

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atha ha vāva tava mahimāmṛtarasasamudravipruṣā sakṛdavalīḍhayā svamanasi niṣyandamānānavaratasukhena vismāritadṛṣṭaśrutaviṣayasukhaleśābhāsāḥ paramabhāgavatā ekāntino bhagavati sarvabhūtapriyasuhṛdi sarvātmani nitarāṃ nirantaraṃ nirvṛtamanasaḥ kathamu ha vā ete madhumathana punaḥ svārthakuśalā hy ātmapriyasuhṛdaḥ sādhavastvaccaraṇāmbujānusevāṃ visṛjanti na yatra punarayaṃ saṃsāraparyāvartaḥ //

Moreover, O Slayer of Madhu, the supreme Bhāgavatas, exclusive devotees, whose minds are deeply and unceasingly tranquil in the Lord, the beloved friend of all beings and the Self of all—having tasted but once a drop of the ocean of the nectar of Your greatness, through the uninterrupted bliss welling up in their own minds, they have forgotten even the semblance of the slightest pleasure from seen or heard sense-objects; how indeed would these virtuous ones, who know their true self-interest and have You as their beloved friend and self, abandon constant service to Your lotus feet, where there is no further return to this cycle of rebirth?

39. (7) Therefore, O Slayer of Madhu, how could those righteous votaries that are intensely and absolutely devoted to Thee, give up the service of Thy lotus-like feet, having reached which there is no returning to this whirlpool of Samsara— the votaries who, having tasted but once a drop of the nectarine sea of Thy glories and realising the uninterrupted stream of delight produced by it in their heart, forget the seeming and trifling pleasures arising from the objects of the eye and the ear and who in their mind and heart feel incessantly and completely happy in realising Thy glorious self, the intimate friend of all beings and Antaryamin of all, (Thy votaries) who are skilful in working towards their high purpose and who find in Thee both a friend and a well-wisher.

6.9.40

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tribhuvanātmabhavana trivikrama trinayana trilokamanoharānubhāva tavaiva vibhūtayo ditijadanujādayaścāpi teṣāmupakramasamayo 'yamiti svātmamāyayā suranaramṛgamiśritajalacarākṛtibhiryathāparādhaṃ daṇḍaṃ daṇḍadhara dadhartha evamenamapi bhagavan jahi tvāṣṭramuta yadi manyase //

O You whose abode is the three worlds, O Trivikrama, O Trinayana, O You whose majesty enchants the three worlds! The descendants of Diti and Danu are also Your manifestations; yet when the time comes to check them, You, the wielder of the rod of punishment, assume forms through Your own creative power—blends of god, human, beast, and aquatic creature—and mete out punishment according to the transgression. In the same way, O Lord, slay this son of Tvaṣṭṛ, if You deem it fit.

40. (8) O Lord, who art the three worlds' essence, who abidest in them and art the soul and support, O One of three wonderful steps, guide of the three worlds, O One of majestic power that charms the Universe, Thy own forms are these sons of Dithi and Danu and others; considering that this is not the turn of time for them, O Chastiser, Thou hast often taken and used the rod of punishment according to the character of their faults by displaying through Thy own will and power, various forms as gods, men, beasts; accordingly if Thou thinkest fit, O Omnipotent Lord, destroy this creation of Twashtri also.

6.9.41

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asmākaṃ tāvakānāṃ tatatata natānāṃ hare tava caraṇanalinayugaladhyānānubaddhahṛdayanigaḍānāṃ svaliṅgavivaraṇenātmasātkṛtānāmanukampānurañjitaviśadaruciraśiśirasmitāvalokena vigalitamadhuramukharasāmṛtakalayā cāntastāpamanaghārhasi śamayitum //

O Father, O protector, we are Yours, bowed before You, O Hari, our hearts bound by the chain of meditation on Your pair of lotus feet, claimed as Your own through the manifestation of Your divine forms; O Sinless One, deign to quell our inner burning with Your bright, charming, cool smile and gaze imbued with compassion, and with the nectar-stream of Your sweet voice flowing from Your mouth.

41. (9) O father, O grand-father, O Faultless One, May Thou be pleased to cure the fever within our heart with Thy bright, charming, soothing, smiling looks rendered still more gracious by Thy compassion and with the drops of nectar of the sweet accents proceeding from Thy lips, since we are Thine own and Thy devoties fallen at Thy (lotus-like) feet, our heart being chained to Thy (glorious) revelations and (consequently) ever given to the contemplation of Thy lotus-like feet!

6.9.42

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atha bhagavaṃstavāsmābhirakhilajagadutpattisthitilayanimittāyamānadivyamāyāvinodasya sakalajīvanikāyānāmantarhṛdayeṣu bahirapi ca brahmapratyagātmasvarūpeṇa pradhānarūpeṇa ca yathādeśakāladehāvasthānaviśeṣaṃ tadupādānopalambhakatayānubhavataḥ sarvapratyayasākṣiṇa ākāśaśarīrasya sākṣāt parabrahmaṇaḥ paramātmanaḥ kiyān iha vārthaviśeṣo vijñāpanīyaḥ syādvisphuliṅgādibhiriva hiraṇyaretasaḥ //

Therefore, O Lord, whose divine play through creative power is the cause of the creation, maintenance, and dissolution of all worlds; who, both within the hearts of all living beings and externally, in the form of Brahman as the inner self and in the form of primordial matter, experiences according to distinct places, times, and bodily states, as the revealer of their material cause; who are the witness of all mental states, whose body is like the sky, the direct Supreme Brahman, the Supreme Self—what particular need could we possibly report to you here, like sparks to the sacred fire?

42. (10) Therefore, O Almighty Lord, to Thee who art amusing Thyself through Thy divine maya which becomes the cause of the creation, existence and destruction of the Universe, who realisest all the peculiarities of place, time and conditions of the body as supplying their material cause in the form of Pradhana as well as in Thy perfect form of Antaryamin both within and without the hearts of all Jeevas, who is the witness of all thought, whose body is Akasa, who is directly the Parabrahman and Paramatman, what is the extent of information [to be specially presented by us even like the sparks of fire to the God of fire] we have to convey to Thee just as the sparks of fire have to the God of fire?

6.9.43

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ata eva svayaṃ tadupakalpayāsmākaṃ bhagavataḥ paramagurostava caraṇaśatapalāśacchāyāṃ vividhavṛjinasaṃsārapariśramopaśamanīmupasṛtānāṃ vayaṃ yatkāmenopasāditāḥ //

Therefore, do you yourself arrange that for us, who have approached the shade of your lotus feet, O Supreme Preceptor, O Lord—a shade that relieves the fatigue of the cycle of rebirth with its diverse miseries—prompted by whatever desire we have approached you.

43. (11) Therefore may Thou be pleased to bestow on us that, seeking which we have approached Thee, since we have sought the shade of Thy grand lotus-like feet, which refresh Thy devoties from the fatigue of Samsara consisting of various sinful courses, since Thou art the omnipotent Lord and the most exalted preceptor and father!

6.9.44

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atho īśa jahi tvāṣṭraṃ grasantaṃ bhuvanatrayam /
grastāni yena naḥ kṛṣṇa tejāṃsy astrāyudhāni ca //

Therefore, O Lord, slay this son of Tvaṣṭṛ who is devouring the three worlds, / by whom our splendors, missiles, and weapons have been swallowed, O Kṛṣṇa!

44. Therefore without delay be pleased to do away with Twashtra who, seizing the three worlds, has already swallowed, O Krishna, our powers as well as weapons.

6.9.45

haṃsāya dahranilayāya nirīkṣakāya kṛṣṇāya mṛṣṭayaśase nirupakramāya /
satsaṅgrahāya bhavapānthanijāśramāptāv ante parīṣṭagataye haraye namaste //

To the swan-like sage, dwelling in the small lotus of the heart, the observer, to Kṛṣṇa, of spotless fame, who acts without effort, / the refuge of exalted devotees, the destination sought at the end in reaching one's true home for the wanderer on the path of worldly existence—to Hari, obeisance to you!

45. We bow to Thee who art Hari, the most worthy goal to be reached at last when refuge is sought with Thee by the wanderers in Samsara, who art always accessible to the righteous, who art without a beginning, and of delightful glory, the abode of unlimited bliss, the seer of all, the dweller in the heart and the absolutely pure One.

6.9.46

/0 śrīśuka uvāca
athaivamīḍito rājan sādaraṃ tridaśairhariḥ /
svamupasthānamākarṇya prāha tān abhinanditaḥ //

Śrī Śuka said: / Then, having been thus praised with reverence by the thirty gods, O King, / Hari, having listened to their hymn of praise, addressed them with pleasure.

46. Sri Suka said:— Thus praised in great earnestness, O king, by the gods, Sri Hari heard the prayer offered to Him and, being highly pleased, said to them.

6.9.47

/0 śrībhagavān uvāca
prīto 'haṃ vaḥ suraśreṣṭhā madupasthānavidyayā /
ātmaiśvaryasmṛtiḥ puṃsāṃ bhaktiścaiva yayā mayi //

The Lord said: / I am pleased with you, O best of the gods, by this prayer consisting of knowledge addressed to me, / by which human beings remember their own divine mastery and obtain devotion to me.

47. The Lord said:— O great gods, I am very much pleased with you for the way in which you have prayed to Me: that is the way for men to remembering the supremacy of Atman and to cherishing devotion to Me.

6.9.48

kiṃ durāpaṃ mayi prīte tathāpi vibudharṣabhāḥ /
mayy ekāntamatirnānyan matto vāñchati tattvavit //

What is difficult to obtain when I am pleased? Even so, O foremost of the wise gods, / one whose mind is exclusively devoted to me and knows the truth desires nothing else from me.

48. What is unattainable when I am pleased? Still, O great gods, he who is solely devoted to Me, and knows the truth, does not wish for anything from Me.

6.9.49

na veda kṛpaṇaḥ śreya ātmano guṇavastudṛk /
tasya tān icchato yacchedyadi so 'pi tathāvidhaḥ //

A pitiable man, seeing reality only in the qualities of material nature, does not know his own true good. / If someone were to give him those things he desires, that giver would also be of the same sort.

49. The ignorant man who regards the gross objects as real does not understand what is good to himself and he who confers them on that person as he wants them is also of the same description (is ignorant like the other).

6.9.50

svayaṃ niḥśreyasaṃ vidvān na vakty ajñāya karma hi /
na rāti rogiṇo 'pathyaṃ vāñchato 'pi bhiṣaktamaḥ //

One who himself knows the highest good does not prescribe karmic activity to the ignorant. / An excellent physician does not give what is unwholesome to a sick person, even if he desires it.

50. A wise man who himself knows what the highest good is does not teach Karma (the course of action) to the ignorant; a good physician does not allow the patient what is not wholesome though the latter longs for it.

6.9.51

maghavan yāta bhadraṃ vo dadhyañcamṛṣisattamam /
vidyāvratatapaḥsāraṃ gātraṃ yācata mā ciram //

O Maghavan, go! May good fortune be yours! Beg of Dadhyañc, the best of sages, / whose body is the essence of knowledge, vows, and austerities, without delay.

51. O Indra, may good betide Thee! go to Dadhyang the foremost of Rishis and beg of him his body that has become very strong by virtue of his vidyas, austerities and tapas; do not delay.

6.9.52

sa vā adhigato dadhyaṅṅ aśvibhyāṃ brahma niṣkalam /
yadvā aśvaśiro nāma tayoramaratāṃ vyadhāt //

Indeed, that Dadhyañc was approached by the two Aśvins for the pure Brahman, / and it was that doctrine named the Horse-headed, which conferred immortality upon both of them.

52. Dadhyang had learned and completly mastered the perfect Mantra (he had also realised the absolute Brahman); he imparted that mantra to Aṣwins; it was called Aṣwasiras and it conferred immortality on Aṣwins.

6.9.53

dadhyaṅṅ ātharvaṇastvaṣṭre varmābhedyaṃ madātmakam /
viśvarūpāya yat prādāt tvaṣṭā yat tvamadhāstataḥ //

Dadhyañc, the descendant of Atharvan, gave to Tvaṣṭṛ that impenetrable armor consisting of my essence, / which Tvaṣṭṛ gave to Viśvarūpa, and which you then received from him.

53. Dahyang of Atharvan family knew Narayanavarma, the invulnerable coat full of My essence and imparted it to Twashtri and Twashtri gave it to Viswarupa from whom thou hast got it.

6.9.54

yuṣmabhyaṃ yācito 'śvibhyāṃ dharmajño 'ṅgāni dāsyati /
tatastairāyudhaśreṣṭho viśvakarmavinirmitaḥ /
yena vṛtraśiro hartā mattejaupabṛṃhitaḥ //

When begged by you, he who knows dharma will give you his limbs for the sake of the Aśvins. / Then from them a supreme weapon will be fashioned by Viśvakarman, / reinforced with my power, with which you will sever Vṛtra's head.

54. Entreated by Aswins Dahyang possessed of insight into the Dharma will give the members of his body; then with those parts the best of weapons will be forged by Viswakarma.

55. With that weapon thou imbued with My presence and power wilt cut the head of Vrithra; when he is destroyed thou wilt recover thy energy, missiles, weapons and wealth; may thou be happy! for none can afflict those who are devoted to Me.

6.9.55

tasmin vinihate yūyaṃ tejo 'strāyudhasampadaḥ /
bhūyaḥ prāpsyatha bhadraṃ vo na hiṃsanti ca matparān //

When he is slain, you will regain / your splendor, missiles, weapons, and riches. May good fortune be yours, and they do not harm those devoted to me.