Bhagavatapurana 8.17: atha saptadaśo'dhyāyaḥ

8.17.1

/0 śrīśuka uvāca
ity uktā sāditī rājan svabhartrā kaśyapena vai /
anvatiṣṭhadvratamidaṃ dvādaśāhamatandritā //

Śrī Śuka said: / Thus addressed by her husband Kaśyapa, O king, / Aditi unweariedly carried out this vow for twelve days,

1. Sri Suka:—Thus instructed and advised by her lord Kasyapa, O king, Aditi observed that vow for twelve days without the least laziness (lassitude).

8.17.2

cintayanty ekayā buddhyā mahāpuruṣamīśvaram /
pragṛhyendriyaduṣṭāśvān manasā buddhisārathiḥ //

meditating with a one-pointed intellect on the Lord, the Great Person, / holding back the wild horses of the senses with the mind, her intellect as the charioteer.

2. Meditating with undivided attention on (with concentration) the great Person and Ruler of the Universe, with the wild horses of the senses curbed by the power of her mind, with reason for her charioteer;

8.17.3

manaścaikāgrayā buddhyā bhagavaty akhilātmani /
vāsudeve samādhāya cacāra ha payovratam //

And concentrating her mind with single-pointed intellect on the Lord, the Self of all, / on Vāsudeva, she practiced the milk-vow.

3. And placing her mind, by virtue of her one-pointed attention, on the glorious Vasudeva, the Atman of all, she observed Payovrata (the vow of subsisting only on milk).

8.17.4

tasyāḥ prādurabhūt tāta bhagavān ādipuruṣaḥ /
pītavāsāścaturbāhuḥ śaṅkhacakragadādharaḥ //

Before her, O dear one, appeared the Lord, the Primeval Person, / clad in yellow garments, four-armed, bearing the conch, discus, and mace.

4. The Omnipresent Lord, the First Person, revealed Himself, O king, unto her, in a form clad in pitambara, with four arms and wielding Sankha, Chakra and Gada.

8.17.5

taṃ netragocaraṃ vīkṣya sahasotthāya sādaram /
nanāma bhuvi kāyena daṇḍavatprītivihvalā //

Seeing Him within range of her eyes, rising up at once with reverence, / overwhelmed with love, she bowed down on the ground like a rod with her whole body.

5. Sighting Him in visible form, with a high regard, she at once rose and, overcome with love, she fell prone prostrating herself on the ground like a pole.

8.17.6

sotthāya baddhāñjalirīḍituṃ sthitā notseha ānandajalākulekṣaṇā /
babhūva tūṣṇīṃ pulakākulākṛtis taddarśanātyutsavagātravepathuḥ //

Rising with folded hands, standing to praise Him, she could not, her eyes filled with tears of joy; / she became silent, her body covered in bristling hairs, her limbs trembling from the supreme festival of seeing Him.

6. She rose, joined her palms in reverence and stood up to praise Him, but could not do so, because of her sight being perturbed with tears of joy; (so) she remained silent with her hair standing on end all over and her whole body trembling with great joy at sight of Him.

8.17.7

prītyā śanairgadgadayā girā hariṃ tuṣṭāva sā devy aditiḥ kurūdvaha /
udvīkṣatī sā pibatīva cakṣuṣā ramāpatiṃ yajñapatiṃ jagatpatim //

With love, slowly, in a voice choked with emotion, that goddess Aditi praised Hari, O best of the Kurus, / gazing up at Him as if drinking with her eyes the Lord of Ramā, the Lord of sacrifice, the Lord of the universe.

7. With affection and esteem, in faltering accents, the goddess Aditi slowly offered praises to Hari, O best of Kurus; she looked up, as if drinking with her eyes, the Lord of Lakshmi, of sacrifices, and of the Universe.

8.17.8

/0 śrīaditiruvāca
yajñeśa yajñapuruṣācyuta tīrthapāda $ tīrthaśravaḥ śravaṇamaṅgalanāmadheya &
yajñeśa yajñapuruṣācyuta tīrthapāda $ tīrthaśravaḥ śravaṇamaṅgalanāmadheya &
āpannalokavṛjinopaśamodayādya % śaṃ naḥ kṛdhīśa bhagavannasi dīnanāthaḥ //

Śrī Aditi said: / O Lord of sacrifice, O Person of sacrifice, O Acyuta, whose feet are holy waters, whose renown is holy, whose name is auspicious to hear, / O First Cause from whom arises the cessation of distress for distressed people, bring us welfare, O Lord, O Lord of the helpless!

8. Aditi said:— O Lord of sacrifices, the one for whom all sacrifice is meant, O Achyuta, of hallowed feet and hallowed glory, to hear whose name uttered is auspicious, who appearest in the world for removing the sin and troubles of those that seek Thy shelter. Mayst thou grant us happiness, for, O glorious Lord, Thou art the Lord of the afflicted!

8.17.9

* //
viśvāya viśvabhavanasthitisaṃyamāya $ svairaṃ gṛhītapuruśaktiguṇāya bhūmne &
viśvāya viśvabhavanasthitisaṃyamāya $ svairaṃ gṛhītapuruśaktiguṇāya bhūmne &
svasthāya śaśvadupabṛṃhitapūrṇabodha % vyāpāditātmatamase haraye namaste //

To the universe, to the cause of the creation, maintenance, and dissolution of the universe, to the Infinite One who by His own will assumes extensive powers and qualities, / to the self-abiding One whose complete consciousness is eternally augmented, who dispels the darkness of the self, to Hari—salutations to You!

9. Salutation to Thee, who art all (perfect), who assumest of Thy own accord, for the purpose of the origin, subsistence and dissolution of the Universe, the qualities of the great power (Maya), yet perfect in Thyself, who art of unchanged nature and hast nullified in Thee all darkness or Tamas by virtue of Thy perfect wisdom which is eternally established (without limit) and who art Hari Himself.

8.17.10

* //
āyuḥ paraṃ vapurabhīṣṭamatulyalakṣmīr $ dyobhūrasāḥ sakalayogaguṇāstrivargaḥ &
āyuḥ paraṃ vapurabhīṣṭamatulyalakṣmīr $ dyobhūrasāḥ sakalayogaguṇāstrivargaḥ &
jñānaṃ ca kevalamananta bhavanti tuṣṭāt % tvatto nṛṇāṃ kimu sapatnajayādirāśīḥ //

The highest life span, a desired form, matchless fortune, heaven, earth, and the nether regions, all powers of yoga, the three goals of life, / and pure knowledge, O Infinite One, are obtained from You when pleased; what then to speak of desires such as victory over rivals for human beings?

10. Long life, a desired body, unsurpassed fortune, celestial position, the earth, position in the Rasatala, all powers of yoga, Dharma, Artha, and Kama, pure knowledge, O unlimited Lord, all these men obtain from Thee, if Thou art pleased; then why should I mention such poor blessings as the overthrow of my foes, the offspring of my rival wife and the like?

8.17.11

* //
/0 śrīśuka uvāca
adityaivaṃ stuto rājan bhagavān puṣkarekṣaṇaḥ /
kṣetrajñaḥ sarvabhūtānāmiti hovāca bhārata //

Śrī Śuka said: / When praised in this way by Aditi, O king, the lotus-eyed Lord, / the Knower of the field of all beings, spoke thus, O Bhārata.

11. Sri Suka said:—Thus praised by Aditi, O King, the glorious lotus-eyed Lord Vishnu, the indweller of all beings, said as follows, O Bharata.

8.17.12

/0 śrībhagavān uvāca
devamātarbhavatyā me vijñātaṃ cirakāṅkṣitam /
yat sapatnairhṛtaśrīṇāṃ cyāvitānāṃ svadhāmataḥ //

The Lord said: / O Mother of the gods, I know what has long been desired by you, / whose sons have been stripped of their fortune by rivals and cast out from their own abode.

12. & 13. The blessed Lord said:— O mother of the gods, I have known thy long-cherished wish as well as that of your sons, who have been deprived of fortune and expelled from their home by their enemies, that thou wishest to live in the company of thy sons on their having recovered their lost fortune after vanquishing in battle those haughty and mighty Asuras.

8.17.13

tān vinirjitya samare durmadān asurarṣabhān /
pratilabdhajayaśrībhiḥ putrairicchasy upāsitum //

Having conquered in battle those haughty leaders of the asuras, / you wish to be attended by your sons, their glory of victory regained.

8.17.14

indrajyeṣṭhaiḥ svatanayairhatānāṃ yudhi vidviṣām /
striyo rudantīrāsādya draṣṭumicchasi duḥkhitāḥ //

You wish to approach and see weeping in grief the wives / of the enemies slain in battle by your sons, led by Indra.

14. Thou wishest to meet and visit the sorrowful and bewailing wives of thy enemies killed in battle by thy sons headed by Indra.

8.17.15

ātmajān susamṛddhāṃstvaṃ pratyāhṛtayaśaḥśriyaḥ /
nākapṛṣṭhamadhiṣṭhāya krīḍato draṣṭumicchasi //

You wish to see your sons fully prosperous, having retrieved their fame and fortune, / sporting, established on the summit of heaven.

15. Thou wishest to see that thy sons are very prosperous, having recovered their lost glory and wealth and are again established in the celestial region, and sport (in joy).

8.17.16

prāyo 'dhunā te 'surayūthanāthā apāraṇīyā iti devi me matiḥ /
yat te 'nukūleśvaravipraguptā na vikramastatra sukhaṃ dadāti //

At present, O goddess, those leaders of the asura hosts are practically unconquerable, such is my opinion, / because they are protected by brāhmaṇas whom the Lord favors; heroism brings no success against them.

16. But My opinion is, O lady, that those great Asura leaders are now almost invincible; because they are protected by favourable Time and also by Brahmins; (or by mighty Brahmins favourable to them); thus no heroic endeavour will yield happiness.

8.17.17

athāpy upāyo mama devi cintyaḥ santoṣitasya vratacaryayā te /
mamārcanaṃ nārhati gantumanyathā śraddhānurūpaṃ phalahetukatvāt //

Even so, an expedient must be devised by Me, O goddess, who am delighted by your practice of the vow; / worship of Me cannot fail to bear fruit, because it is the cause of results corresponding to one's faith.

17. Still, being propitiated by thy religious observance, I have, O lady, to think of an expedient, for, My worship ought not to go to waste. For all worship bears fruit according to the intensity of faith of the doer.

8.17.18

tvayārcitaścāhamapatyaguptaye payovratenānuguṇaṃ samīḍitaḥ /
svāṃśena putratvamupetya te sutān goptāsmi mārīcatapasy adhiṣṭhitaḥ //

Worshiped by you for the protection of your offspring, properly praised through the milk-vow, / descending into sonship to you by a portion of Myself, established in the ascetic penance of Kaśyapa, I shall protect your sons.

18. For the sake of thy sons' protection, I am worshipped and properly glorified by thy observance of Payovrata; I shall therefore take My stand on the Tapas of Kasyapa and become thy son through My own amsa and protect thy sons.

8.17.19

upadhāva patiṃ bhadre prajāpatimakalmaṣam /
māṃ ca bhāvayatī patyāvevaṃ rūpamavasthitam //

Go to your husband, O auspicious lady, the stainless lord of creatures, / meditating on Me, who am situated in this form within your husband.

19. O happy lady, betake thyself to and worship the faultless Prajapati, thy husband, contemplating Me as present in him in this form.

8.17.20

naitat parasmā ākhyeyaṃ pṛṣṭayāpi kathañcana /
sarvaṃ sampadyate devi devaguhyaṃ susaṃvṛtam //

This must not be told to anyone else, even though asked, under any circumstances; / everything is accomplished, O goddess, when a secret of the gods is well kept.

20. This ought not to be told to another, however importuned for it thou mightest be; everything will be achieved, O lady; the secret of the Gods must be thoroughly concealed.

8.17.21

/0 śrīśuka uvāca
etāvaduktvā bhagavāṃstatraivāntaradhīyata /
aditirdurlabhaṃ labdhvā harerjanmātmani prabhoḥ //

Śrī Śuka said: / Having spoken thus, the Lord vanished right there. / Having obtained the rare boon that Hari, the all-powerful Lord, would take birth from her,

21. Sri Suka said:— Having told her so far, the Almighty Lord disappeared at that very spot; Aditi having gained the rare boon of Hari's Avatar in her.

8.17.22

upādhāvat patiṃ bhaktyā parayā kṛtakṛtyavat /
sa vai samādhiyogena kaśyapastadabudhyata //

She approached her husband with supreme devotion, like one whose purpose was fulfilled. / And Kaśyapa, through the yoga of deep meditation, understood that.

22. With the satisfaction of having accomplished her purpose and in great devotion, she waited upon her Lord, and Kasyapa too by his power of concentration perceived that.

8.17.23

praviṣṭamātmani hareraṃśaṃ hy avitathekṣaṇaḥ /
so 'dityāṃ vīryamādhatta tapasā cirasambhṛtam /
amāhitamanā rājan dāruṇy agniṃ yathānilaḥ //

His vision unfailing, he saw that a portion of Hari had entered into himself. / With his mind fully concentrated, O king, he deposited into Aditi his seed, gathered through long austerities, just as the wind [deposits] fire into firewood.

23. With his mind kept in perfect serenity the sage of true insight placed his power (seed) conserved through long Tapas, (the Amsa of Hari really entered into him), in Aditi, just as Vayu places fire in a piece of wood.

8.17.24

aditerdhiṣṭhitaṃ garbhaṃ bhagavantaṃ sanātanam /
hiraṇyagarbho vijñāya samīḍe guhyanāmabhiḥ //

Knowing that the eternal Lord had taken his abode in Aditi's womb, / Hiraṇyagarbha praised Him with secret names.

24. Hiranyagarbha who had realised the eternal Lord present in Aditi's womb, praised Him with mysterious epithets. 25. Brahma said:— O Lord, widely sung in the Vedas, be Thou victorious (be so gracious as to reveal Thyself), O Omnipotent One of unlimited activity; salutation to Thee that art the God protecting Brahmins and the Vedas and (master) of the three gunas.

8.17.25

/0 śrībrahmovāca
jayorugāya bhagavannurukrama namo 'stu te /
namo brahmaṇyadevāya triguṇāya namo namaḥ //

/0 Śrī Brahmā said:
Victory to You, O Lord of wide renown, of mighty strides! Obeisance unto You! / Obeisance to the God who is gracious to the brahmins, who possesses the three guṇas! Obeisance, obeisance!

8.17.26

namaste pṛśnigarbhāya vedagarbhāya vedhase /
trinābhāya tripṛṣṭhāya śipiviṣṭāya viṣṇave //

Obeisance to You, who were born of Pṛśni, who hold the Vedas in your womb, the Ordainer, / who have three naves, three backs, who dwell in the rays, Viṣṇu!

26. Salutation to Thee that art the son of Prisni, that art hidden in the womb of the Vedas and the maker of all, to Thee that supportest the three worlds on Thy navel and transcendest them and that art in every body as Antaryamin and Vishnu Himself.

8.17.27

tvamādiranto bhuvanasya madhyam anantaśaktiṃ puruṣaṃ yamāhuḥ /
kālo bhavān ākṣipatīśa viśvaṃ sroto yathāntaḥ patitaṃ gabhīram //

You are the beginning, the end, and the middle of the world; You are the Puruṣa endowed with infinite power, as they say. / You, O Lord, are Time, sweeping away the universe just as a swift, deep current [sweeps away whatever has] fallen into it.

27. Thou art the beginning, end, and middle of the world, whom the wise speak of as the perfect Person of unlimited powers. Thou art Time and carriest with Thee, O powerful Lord, the Universe like a deep stream that carries away one that has fallen into it.

8.17.28

tvaṃ vai prajānāṃ sthirajaṅgamānāṃ prajāpatīnāmasi sambhaviṣṇuḥ /
divaukasāṃ deva divaścyutānāṃ parāyaṇaṃ nauriva majjato 'psu //

You indeed are the progenitor of the mobile and immobile creatures, and of the Prajāpatis. / For the denizens of heaven who have fallen from heaven, O God, You are the supreme refuge, like a boat for one drowning in water.

28. Thou art the one capable of producing these creatures, mobile and immobile as well as Prajapatis; and Thou art the highest support to the gods that have fallen from the celestial world, like a vessel to a drowning man.