Bhagavatapurana 7.4: atha caturtho'dhyāyaḥ

7.4.1

/0 śrīnārada uvāca
evaṃ vṛtaḥ śatadhṛtirhiraṇyakaśiporatha /
prādāt tattapasā prīto varāṃstasya sudurlabhān //

Śrī Nārada said:
Thus petitioned, Brahmā of a hundred sacrifices then,
pleased by his austerity, granted him those boons so very difficult to obtain.

1. Narada said:— Thus solicited, Brahma, who was immensely pleased with his Tapas, conferred on Hiranyakasipu boons which cannot be easily obtained.

7.4.2

/0 śrībrahmovāca
tāteme durlabhāḥ puṃsāṃ yān vṛṇīṣe varān mama /
tathāpi vitarāmyaṅga varān yadyapi durlabhān //

Śrī Brahmā said:
My child, these boons of mine which you seek are difficult for mortals to attain;
nevertheless, my dear one, I grant these boons, even though hard to obtain.

2. Brahma said:— Child, these boons thou seekest from me are not to be gained by men; though they are so difficult to be obtained, still, O beloved one, I confer them on thee.

7.4.3

tato jagāma bhagavān amoghānugraho vibhuḥ /
pūjito 'suravaryeṇa stūyamānaḥ prajeśvaraiḥ //

Then the Lord, whose grace is unfailing, the all-pervading one, departed,
worshiped by the best of asuras and praised by the lords of creatures.

3. Then the venerable Brahma of unfailing and fruitful grace was worshipped by the great Asura and returned, being praised by Prajapatis.

7.4.4

evaṃ labdhavaro daityo bibhraddhemamayaṃ vapuḥ /
bhagavatyakaroddveṣaṃ bhrāturvadhamanusmaran //

Having thus obtained his boons, the daitya, possessing a golden body,
bore malice toward the Lord, remembering the slaying of his brother.

4. Having thus obtained boons and endowed with a golden body, the Daitya cherished hatred towards the Supreme Lord Narayana as he remembered the destruction of his brother.

7.4.5

sa vijitya diśaḥ sarvā lokāṃśca trīn mahāsuraḥ /
devāsuramanuṣyendra gandharvagaruḍoragān //

Conquering all the directions and the three worlds, that great asura—
along with the chiefs of gods, asuras, and men, the gandharvas, garuḍas, and serpents,

5 to 7. The great Asura conquered all the cardinal points, the three worlds, and subdued the gods, Asuras, kings, Gandharvas, birds of Garuda species, and Nagas, Siddhas, Charanas, Vidyadharas, Rishis, Yamas, and Manus. The chief Yakshas, Rakshasas, Pisachas, and the leading Pretas and Bhutas; nay, having vanquished and brought under his power the chiefs of all living things, and victorious through the universe, he by force deprived the protectors of the world of their places.

7.4.6

siddhacāraṇavidyādhrān ṛṣīn pitṛpatīn manūn /
yakṣarakṣaḥpiśāceśān pretabhūtapatīn api //

the siddhas, cāraṇas, and vidyādharas, the sages, the lords of ancestors, the manus,
the lords of yakṣas, rākṣasas, and piśācas, and even the masters of pretas and bhūtas—

7.4.7

sarvasattvapatīn jitvā vaśamānīya viśvajit /
jahāra lokapālānāṃ sthānāni saha tejasā //

having conquered the masters of all creatures and brought them under his control, that conqueror of the universe
seized the dwellings of the world-guardians along with their splendor.

7.4.8

devodyānaśriyā juṣṭamadhyāste sma tripiṣṭapam /
mahendrabhavanaṃ sākṣān nirmitaṃ viśvakarmaṇā /
trailokyalakṣmyāyatanamadhyuvāsākhilarddhimat //

He occupied heaven, graced with the splendor of the divine gardens,
the palace of mighty Indra, fashioned by Viśvakarman himself,
the abode of the fortune of the three worlds, and he dwelt there possessing every prosperity.

8 & 9. He set up his throne in Svarga, the celestial region of great splendour, charming with its celestial gardens; and took up his abode in the very palace of the great Indra constructed by *Visvakarman*, the centre of the wealth of the three worlds and all prosperity; where the steps are built of coral, floors are paved with the most precious emeralds, walls are built of white crystals, the rows of columns are built of cat's eyes.

7.4.9

yatra vidrumasopānā mahāmārakatā bhuvaḥ /
yatra sphāṭikakuḍyāni vaidūryastambhapaṅktayaḥ //

Where the stairs were of coral and the floors of great emeralds,
where the walls were of crystal and the rows of pillars were of beryl;

7.4.10

yatra citravitānāni padmarāgāsanāni ca /
payaḥphenanibhāḥ śayyā muktādāmaparicchadāḥ //

where there were wondrous canopies and seats of ruby,
beds like the foam of milk, adorned with strings of pearls;

10 & 11. Canopies are of various colours and of wonderful workmanship, and the seats wrought with rubies, beds look like the foam of milk adorned with wreaths of pearls; there damsels (of pearly teeth) fill mansions here and there with the sweet sounds of their Nupuras, and see their own charming faces reflected on the floors of precious jewels.

7.4.11

kūjadbhirnūpurairdevyaḥ śabdayantya itastataḥ /
ratnasthalīṣu paśyanti sudatīḥ sundaraṃ mukham //

where goddesses, their anklets tinkling as they made sounds here and there,
looked upon their beautiful faces with fair teeth in the jewel-paved floors.

7.4.12

tasmin mahendrabhavane mahābalo mahāmanā nirjitaloka ekarāṭ /
reme 'bhivandyāṅghriyugaḥ surādibhiḥ pratāpitairūrjitacaṇḍaśāsanaḥ //

In that abode of mighty Indra, endowed with great strength and high spirit, having conquered the worlds, the sole sovereign
took delight, his pair of feet adored by the afflicted gods and others, his fierce command powerful.

12. In that palace of Mahendra, Hiranyakasipu of great strength, of a proud heart, conqueror and one ruler of the world, enjoyed his life, his feet being worshipped by the gods and others groaning under his yoke, having firmly established his authority, ruling the world with an iron hand.

7.4.13

tamaṅga mattaṃ madhunorugandhinā vivṛttatāmrākṣamaśeṣadhiṣṇyapāḥ /
upāsatopāyanapāṇibhirvinā tribhistapoyogabalaujasāṃ padam //

Him, intoxicated with strongly fragrant liquor, his coppery eyes rolling,
all the rulers of the realms, except the three, served with offerings in hand—him, the vessel of asceticism, yoga, power, and vitality.

13. O King, he was intoxicated with wines of strong flavour with fiery and swimming eyes, the one abode of Tapas, yoga, strength,

and power. On Him waited, with tributes and presents in their hands, all the protectors of the world except the three—Brahma, Vishnu and Siva.

7.4.14

jagurmahendrāsanamojasā sthitaṃ viśvāvasustumbururasmadādayaḥ /
gandharvasiddhā ṛṣayo 'stuvan muhur vidyādharāścāpsarasaśca pāṇḍava //

Viśvāvasu, Tumburu, and we ourselves sang to him as he sat with power upon the throne of great Indra;
the gandharvas and siddhas, the sages, the vidyādharas, and apsarases praised him again and again, O descendant of Pāṇḍu.

14. (In praise of) him who was firmly seated on the throne of Indra, sang Visvavasu, Tumburu, myself and others; Gandharvas, Siddhas, Rishis, Vidyadharas, Apsaras women offered their praises to him, O Pandava.

7.4.15

sa eva varṇāśramibhiḥ kratubhirbhūridakṣiṇaiḥ /
ijyamāno havirbhāgān agrahīt svena tejasā //

He alone was worshiped with sacrifices offering abundant gifts by those of the varṇas and āśramas,
and he seized the shares of sacrificial offerings by his own splendor.

15. By dint of his power, he appropriated to himself all the offerings, being worshipped in sacrifices of liberal dakshina performed by people of different varnas and asramas.

7.4.16

akṛṣṭapacyā tasyāsīt saptadvīpavatī mahī /
tathā kāmadughā gāvo nānāścaryapadaṃ nabhaḥ //

For him, the earth with its seven islands brought forth crops without being plowed,
and the cows yielded every wish, while the sky was a place of diverse wonders.

16. The Earth of seven Dvipas bore him harvest without being tilled. Svarga yielded him everything desired and the sky was a field of all wonders.

7.4.17

ratnākarāśca ratnaughāṃstatpatnyaścohurūrmibhiḥ /
kṣārasīdhughṛtakṣaudra dadhikṣīrāmṛtodakāḥ //

The oceans brought heaps of jewels, and their wives, the rivers, carried on their waves
waters of salt, wine, clarified butter, honey, curds, milk, and sweet nectar.

17. The seas (mines, jewels) and rivers bore him heaps of gems on their waves and brought him floods of brine, liquor and clarified butter, honey, curd and milk and nectar like water.

7.4.18

śailā droṇībhirākrīḍaṃ sarvartuṣu guṇān drumāḥ /
dadhāra lokapālānāmeka eva pṛthag guṇān //

The mountains provided places of sport with their valleys, and the trees bore their virtues in all seasons;
he alone possessed the distinct powers of the guardians of the world.

18. Mountains afforded him pleasure-grounds in their valleys and trees yielded him flowers and fruits in all seasons and he singly exercised the powers of all the world's protectors.

7.4.19

sa itthaṃ nirjitakakub ekarāḍ viṣayān priyān /
yathopajoṣaṃ bhuñjāno nātṛpyadajitendriyaḥ //

He, having thus conquered the quarters, the sole sovereign, enjoying pleasant sense objects
as much as he liked, did not find satisfaction, for his senses were unconquered.

19. Having thus subdued all the directions and being one absolute ruler and enjoying, as it listed him, all the desired objects, he was not yet satisfied, as he had no control over his senses.

7.4.20

evamaiśvaryamattasya dṛptasyocchāstravartinaḥ /
kālo mahān vyatīyāya brahmaśāpamupeyuṣaḥ //

In this way, while he was intoxicated with power, arrogant, transgressing sacred injunctions, / and overtaken by the curse of the brāhmaṇa, a long time passed.

20. A very long period of time passed away over him as he was proud of his supreme power, and haughty and acted in violation of the Sastras, preparing himself to incur the curse of Brahmins.

7.4.21

tasyogradaṇḍasaṃvignāḥ sarve lokāḥ sapālakāḥ /
anyatrālabdhaśaraṇāḥ śaraṇaṃ yayuracyutam //

Terrified by his cruel punishment, all the worlds together with their guardians, / having found no refuge anywhere else, took refuge in Acyuta:

21. Groaning under his cruel punishment, all the worlds with their protectors, not finding shelter in any other quarter, sought Achyuta as their protector.

7.4.22

tasyai namo 'stu kāṣṭhāyai yatrātmā harirīśvaraḥ /
yadgatvā na nivartante śāntāḥ sannyāsino 'malāḥ //

“Homage be to that direction where Hari, the Lord, the Self, resides, / reaching which the tranquil, spotless renunciants do not return.”

22. (And they prayed to Him thus). "Salutation to that direction where all-protecting Hari of absolute power remains and, having reached which, the sinless and tranquil ascetics do not return (to Samsara)."

7.4.23

iti te saṃyatātmānaḥ samāhitadhiyo 'malāḥ /
upatasthurhṛṣīkeśaṃ vinidrā vāyubhojanāḥ //

Thus with controlled minds, concentrated intellects, purified, / sleepless, and feeding only on air, they waited upon Hṛṣīkeśa.

23. Having subjected their body to discipline (by fast, etc.) and concentrated their mind and rid of their impurities, they prayed to *Hrishikesa* foregoing sleep and living solely on air.

7.4.24

teṣāmāvirabhūdvāṇī arūpā meghaniḥsvanā /
sannādayantī kakubhaḥ sādhūnāmabhayaṅkarī //

To them a formless voice resounded like a cloud, / making the quarters echo and granting fearlessness to the virtuous devotees:

24.—25. A voice proceeding from no form, deep like thunder, filling the cardinal points with its ring and promising protection to the righteous, They heard to the effect "be not afraid, O excellent gods; do you all live in safety. To see Me is indeed the way to the attainment of all blessings for creatures.

7.4.25

mā bhaiṣṭa vibudhaśreṣṭhāḥ sarveṣāṃ bhadramastu vaḥ /
maddarśanaṃ hi bhūtānāṃ sarvaśreyopapattaye //

“Fear not, foremost of gods! May good fortune be unto you all! / For the sight of me brings about the attainment of all auspiciousness for living beings.

7.4.26

jñātametasya daurātmyaṃ daiteyāpasadasya yat /
tasya śāntiṃ kariṣyāmi kālaṃ tāvat pratīkṣata //

The wickedness of that vile Daitya is known to me; / I shall bring about his end; await that time.

26. Known (indeed) is the wickedness of this wretch of a Daitya; I shall put it out; just wait for the time.

7.4.27

yadā deveṣu vedeṣu goṣu vipreṣu sādhuṣu /
dharme mayi ca vidveṣaḥ sa vā āśu vinaśyati //

When hatred arises toward gods, Vedas, cows, brāhmaṇas, virtuous devotees, / dharma, and myself, that person soon perishes.

27. He who cherishes hatred towards the gods, Vedas, kine, wise Brahmins, and the righteous, righteousness and Myself—he is then sure to perish without delay.

7.4.28

nirvairāya praśāntāya svasutāya mahātmane /
prahrādāya yadā druhyeddhaniṣye 'pi varorjitam //

When he wrongs his own high-souled son Prahrāda, / who is free from enmity and deeply tranquil, I will slay him, though he is fortified by boons.”

28. When he does wrong to his own son Prahlada, high-souled, one full of devotion, bearing hatred to no creature, I shall then destroy him though rooted strong in his boons.

7.4.29

/0 śrīnārada uvāca
ityuktā lokaguruṇā taṃ praṇamya divaukasaḥ /
nyavartanta gatodvegā menire cāsuraṃ hatam //

Śrī Nārada said:
Addressed thus by the preceptor of the worlds, the denizens of heaven bowed to him, / returned free from anxiety, and considered the Asura already slain.

29. Narada said:— Thus told by the father of the world the gods bowed to Him and returned free from anxiety and thought that the Asura was destroyed.

7.4.30

tasya daityapateḥ putrāścatvāraḥ paramādbhutāḥ /
prahrādo 'bhūn mahāṃsteṣāṃ guṇairmahadupāsakaḥ //

Four exceedingly wonderful sons were born to that lord of the Daityas; / among them, Prahrāda was the greatest in virtues, a servant of exalted devotees.

30. The great Daitya had four most admirable sons and of them Prahlada was by his virtuous qualities the foremost given to the contemplation of the Almighty Lord.

7.4.31

brahmaṇyaḥ śīlasampannaḥ satyasandho jitendriyaḥ /
ātmavat sarvabhūtānāmekapriyasuhṛttamaḥ //

Devoted to brāhmaṇas, endowed with good character, true to his word, self-controlled, / he was the one dearest and truest friend to all beings, as to his own self.

31. He was devoted to Brahmins, possessed of pious character, and true to his word, had control over his senses and like Paramatman he was one most beloved friend of all creatures.

7.4.32

dāsavat sannatāryāṅghriḥ pitṛvaddīnavatsalaḥ /
bhrātṛvat sadṛśe snigdho guruṣvīśvarabhāvanaḥ /
vidyārtharūpajanmāḍhyo mānastambhavivarjitaḥ //

He bowed at the feet of noble elders like a servant; he was affectionate to the distressed like a father; / he was fond of equals like a brother; he saw the Lord in his preceptors; / though richly endowed with learning, wealth, beauty, and noble birth, he was free from pride and arrogance.

32. Like a servant bowed he to the feet of his elders; like a father he was affectionate to the distressed; like a brother he behaved friendly to his equals; he regarded the preceptors as the Deity. Though highly endowed with knowledge; wealth, beauty, (personality) and birth, he was untouched by pride and insolence.

7.4.33

nodvignacitto vyasaneṣu niḥspṛhaḥ śruteṣu dṛṣṭeṣu guṇeṣvavastudṛk /
dāntendriyaprāṇaśarīradhīḥ sadā praśāntakāmo rahitāsuro 'suraḥ //

His mind was unperturbed in adversities; he was devoid of desire for things heard of or seen, perceiving mundane qualities as unreal; / his senses, breath, body, and intellect were ever subdued; his desires were completely tranquil; an Asura by birth, he was free of demonic nature.

33. His heart was not affrighted in calamities; he had no longing for things seen or heard of, since he regarded them to be unreal; he had completely subdued his senses, breath and energy, body and mind and always he kept his mind calm, undisturbed by desires: he was an Asura by birth without the charactor of an Asura (without the Asura in him).

7.4.34

yasmin mahadguṇā rājan gṛhyante kavibhirmuhuḥ /
na te 'dhunā pidhīyante yathā bhagavatīśvare //

O King, the exalted virtues in him are repeatedly celebrated by poets / and are not concealed even today, just as those in the Lord, the Supreme Master.

34. O king, the excellent qualities of the great are always noted in him by wise men and they do not even now vanish just as the excellent attributes in the Almighty Ruler do not.

7.4.35

yaṃ sādhugāthāsadasi ripavo 'pi surā nṛpa /
pratimānaṃ prakurvanti kimutānye bhavādṛśāḥ //

Even his enemies, the gods, cite him as an exemplar / in the assembly of narratives of the virtuous devotees, O king—what then of others like you?

35. In the assembly formed for appreciating the righteous even the gods, his enemies, O king, hold him up as an example, and it is but natural that others devoted to Vishnu like thee do so.

7.4.36

guṇairalamasaṅkhyeyairmāhātmyaṃ tasya sūcyate /
vāsudeve bhagavati yasya naisargikī ratiḥ //

His greatness is adequately indicated by his countless virtues, / he whose loving attachment to the Lord Vāsudeva was innate.

36. Let us stop recounting his innumerable virtuous qualities; and his greatness is just indicated, as one whose love and devotion to the Almighty Vasudeva are his inborn qualities.

7.4.37

nyastakrīḍanako bālo jaḍavat tanmanastayā /
kṛṣṇagrahagṛhītātmā na veda jagadīdṛśam //

As a boy who cast away toys, acting as if dull-witted through absorption in Him, / his self seized by the spirit of Kṛṣṇa, he did not perceive the world as it appears.

37. A boy as he is, he sets aside his toys, stands like a dunce having given his mind to Him; his mind possessed with the spirit, as it were, of Krishna, he knows not what this world is like.

7.4.38

āsīnaḥ paryaṭannaśnan śayānaḥ prapiban bruvan /
nānusandhatta etāni govindaparirambhitaḥ //

Sitting, walking, eating, lying down, drinking, or speaking, / he was not mindful of these, being embraced by Govinda.

38. Sitting, walking about, eating, lying down, drinking, speaking, he is not conscious of these acts, living in the embraces of Govinda.

7.4.39

kvacidrudati vaikuṇṭha cintāśabalacetanaḥ /
kvaciddhasati taccintā hlāda udgāyati kvacit //

Sometimes he wept, his consciousness variegated by thoughts of Vaikuṇṭha; / sometimes he laughed, delighted by contemplation of Him; sometimes he sang aloud;

39. Now he weeps, his consciousness mixed up with the thoughts of Vaikunta; now he laughs rejoiced with thoughts of Him; and now sings aloud.

7.4.40

nadati kvacidutkaṇṭho vilajjo nṛtyati kvacit /
kvacit tadbhāvanāyuktastanmayo 'nucakāra ha //

sometimes, full of longing, he cried out; sometimes, shameless, he danced; / sometimes, occupied with devotional contemplation of Him, becoming one with Him, he imitated [His deeds].

40. Here he roars with an open throat, unchecked by differences, dances there; here again imagining his actions and identifying himself with Him he imitates Him.

7.4.41

kvacidutpulakastūṣṇīmāste saṃsparśanirvṛtaḥ /
aspandapraṇayānanda salilāmīlitekṣaṇaḥ //

Sometimes, his hair standing on end, he sat silent, rejoicing in His touch, / his eyes half-closed with tears born of motionless, loving bliss.

41. There he sits silent with his hair standing on end, being happy with His touch, and with his eyes shut with steady tears of joy and love.

7.4.42

sa uttamaślokapadāravindayor niṣevayākiñcanasaṅgalabdhayā /
tanvan parāṃ nirvṛtimātmano muhur duḥsaṅgadīnasya manaḥ śamaṃ vyadhāt //

By serving the lotus feet of Him of highest renown, gained through the company of those with no possessions, / he continuously experienced supreme bliss and brought peace to his mind, which was saddened by bad company.

42. By means of worshipping the lotus-like feet of the most glorious Lord, which course he acquired in association with sinless devotees, he makes himself very happy and often brings peace to the mind of others spoiled by bad association.

7.4.43

tasmin mahābhāgavate mahābhāge mahātmani /
hiraṇyakaśipū rājannakarodaghamātmaje //

Against him, the great Bhāgavata, highly fortunate and high-souled, / his own son, Hiraṇyakaśipu committed an offense, O king.

43. To that great devotee, of great merit, of a noble mind, his own son, Hiranyakasipu, O king, _did wrong_.

7.4.44

/0 śrīyudhiṣṭhira uvāca
devarṣa etadicchāmo vedituṃ tava suvrata /
yadātmajāya śuddhāya pitādāt sādhave hyagham //

Śrī Yudhiṣṭhira said:
O divine sage, faithful to your vows, we wish to know this from you: / why did a father commit an offense against his pure, virtuous devotee son?

44. Yudhishtira said:—O divine sage of great piety, we are eager to know from thee this how it happened that the father inflicted affliction on his own innocent righteous son.

7.4.45

putrān vipratikūlān svān pitaraḥ putravatsalāḥ /
upālabhante śikṣārthaṃ naivāghamaparo yathā //

Fathers who love their sons reprove them / when they are contrary, for the sake of instruction, but never inflict harm as an enemy would.

45. Fathers affectionate to their sons do admonish their sons going wrong for the sake of enlightening them; but never do them wrong as an enemy would do.

7.4.46

kimutānuvaśān sādhūṃstādṛśān gurudevatān /
etat kautūhalaṃ brahmannasmākaṃ vidhama prabho /
pituḥ putrāya yaddveṣo maraṇāya prayojitaḥ //

What then of those who are obedient, virtuous devotees, revering the preceptor as God? / Dispel this curiosity of ours, O brāhmaṇa, O lord: / why did the father's hatred lead him to attempt his son's death?

47. (Then it is but natural) that fathers do not so cruelly treat their sons who are so obedient and righteous and look upon their parents as the Supreme Deity; O sage, O lord, be pleased to quench our curiosity on this point-how the hatred the father bore to the son led to the father's attempting the life of the son (or to the cause of the father's death).