Bhagavatapurana 3.14
English (machine translation) 3.14
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3.14.1
Śrī Śuka said:
Having heard the narration of Hari, whose form was the cosmic boar, related by the son of Kuṣāru,
Vidura, of steadfast vows, his hands joined in reverence and still not satiated, questioned him again.
3.14.2
Vidura said:
Indeed, O best of sages, we have heard that by that very Hari,
whose form is the sacrifice, the primal Daitya Hiraṇyākṣa was slain.
3.14.3
And while he was lifting the earth in divine play with the tip of his tusk,
for what reason, O brāhmaṇa, did a battle take place with that king of the Daityas?
3.14.4
Tell it in detail to a faithful devotee, from his birth onwards;
O sage, my mind is not satiated, for my curiosity is immense.
3.14.5
Maitreya said:
Well asked, O hero, is this narration of Hari's incarnation,
since you inquire about that which cuts away the snare of death for mortals;
3.14.6
sung by the sage, by which the child, the son of Uttānapāda,
placing his foot on the head of death itself, ascended to Hari's abode.
3.14.7
Now, regarding this matter, a history has been heard by me, related long ago
by Brahmā, the god of gods, when questioned by the gods.
3.14.8
Diti, daughter of Dakṣa, O Kṣattṛ, desirous of offspring and afflicted by desire in her heart,
longed for her husband Kaśyapa, son of Marīci, at the twilight hour.
3.14.9
As the sun was setting, [she approached him] seated in the sacrificial hall with a concentrated mind,
having worshipped with milk the Fire-tongued Person, the master of the Yajus formulas.
3.14.10
Diti said:
This Kāma, with bow in hand, O wise one, on your account
afflicts me, miserable, having overpowered me as an elephant overpowers a plantain tree.
3.14.11
Therefore, toward me who am burning with envy at the prosperity of my co-wives
who have children, let your honor—may you be blessed—extend favor.
3.14.12
The renown of women who have gained great respect from their husband enters all the worlds;
for a husband such as you is indeed reborn through his progeny.
3.14.13
Long ago our father, the lord Dakṣa, affectionate toward his daughters,
asked us each separately: 'My children, whom do you choose as your husband?'
3.14.14
Knowing the inclination of us, his daughters, he who cared for offspring
gave thirteen of them, who were devoted to your noble character, to you.
3.14.15
Therefore fulfill my auspicious desire, O lotus-eyed one;
for approaching a great person when afflicted, O mighty one, is never in vain.
3.14.16
Thus to her, O hero—wretched, speaking much,
her mind clouded by swelling passion—the son of Marīci replied, consoling her with words:
3.14.17
I shall do what is dear to you, O timid one, whatever you wish;
who would not satisfy the desire of her from whom comes the attainment of the three ends of life?
3.14.18
Supporting all stages of life through his own stage of life, the householder with a wife
crosses over the ocean of misfortune, just as one crosses the sea with seafaring vessels.
3.14.19
She whom they call the half of the self of him who desires the highest good, O proud lady,
upon whom placing his burden, a man moves about free from fever;
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relying upon whom we can effortlessly conquer the enemies that are the senses, difficult to conquer by other stages of life,
just as a fortress commander easily conquers plunderers.
3.14.21
We are not able to repay you, O mistress of the house,
even throughout a whole lifetime, nor can any others who covet good qualities.
3.14.22
Nevertheless, I shall readily fulfill this desire of yours for progeny;
only wait for a moment, so that [the watchers] will not blame me.
3.14.23
This is the most terrible hour, terrible and terrible to behold,
in which the spirits, the followers of the Lord of spirits, roam about.
3.14.24
At this twilight, O virtuous woman, the Lord who fosters the spirits,
surrounded by his assemblies of spirits, wanders upon his bull, the king of spirits.
3.14.25
His mass of matted locks, gleaming, scattered and smoky with the dust of cremation-whirlwinds,
his body of pure gold covered with ashes—that god, your brother-in-law, looks on with three eyes.
3.14.26
To him there is no kinsman or stranger in the world, none especially honored and none despised;
by our vows we desire that unmanifest nature, discarded by his feet, whose pleasures have already been enjoyed [by him]!
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Whose blameless conduct the wise praise when desiring to pierce the veil of ignorance,
and who, although devoid of any equal or superior, himself practiced the behavior of a goblin—he, the refuge of the virtuous!
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Unfortunate people indeed laugh at his conduct, ignorant of the intention of him who delights in his own self,
while with garments, garlands, ornaments, and ointments they pamper that which is dog's food as their own self.
3.14.29
Brahmā and others are the guardians of the boundaries established by him, he is the cause of this universe, and Māyā
is his obedient servant; his goblin-like conduct is mere pretense—ah, the conduct of the limitless Lord!
3.14.30
Maitreya said:
Though thus advised by her husband, with her senses agitated by passion,
she seized the garment of the brāhmaṇa sage, shameless like an unchaste woman.
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Then, knowing his wife's insistence on an improper act,
he bowed to destiny and reclined with her in private.
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Then, having touched water, controlling his breaths and restraining his speech,
he meditated upon and chanted the taintless Brahman, the eternal light.
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Ashamed by that reprehensible act, O Bhārata,
Diti approached the brahmin sage, her face cast down, and spoke:
3.14.34
Diti said:
O brahmin, may the foremost among beings not slay this embryo of mine—
Rudra, the lord of living beings, against whom I have committed an offense!
3.14.35
Obeisance to the mighty Rudra, the fierce god who pours down blessings,
to Śiva, who lays aside the rod of punishment yet wields the rod of anger!
3.14.36
May that formidable Lord be gracious unto us, he whose mercy is vast—
the god, the husband of Satī, who shows compassion even to the wives of hunters.
3.14.37
Maitreya said:
Seeing her trembling as she prayed for the welfare of her offspring in this world,
the Prajāpati, having finished his evening rites, spoke to his wife:
3.14.38
Kaśyapa said:
Because of your own ritual impurity, because of the fault of the moment,
through transgressing my command, and through grave disrespect toward the gods,
3.14.39
two inauspicious sons, lowest of the womb, shall be born of you, O furious woman;
they will repeatedly cause the three worlds together with their guardians to cry out in anguish.
3.14.40
When innocent living beings are struck down and wretched,
when women are violated, and when the great-souled ones are angered,
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then the furious Lord of the universe, the creator and maintainer of the worlds,
will descend in an incarnation and slay them, just as the wielder of the thunderbolt struck the mountains.
3.14.42
Diti said:
I desire the slaying of my two sons directly by the Lord
of glorious arms and excellent navel, O master, not by an enraged brāhmaṇa!
3.14.43
For neither the denizens of hell nor those in whatever womb he enters
show mercy to one scorched by the brāhmaṇa's staff or to one who brings terror to living beings.
3.14.44
Kaśyapa said:
Because of your remorse born of grief, because of your immediate repentance,
and because of your immense reverence for the Lord, for Śiva, and respect for me,
3.14.45
among the sons of one of your sons there shall be one esteemed by the virtuous,
whose pure renown they will sing on par with the renown of the Lord.
3.14.46
Virtuous men will refine their own selves by spiritual disciplines such as freedom from enmity,
just as one refines tainted gold, in order to emulate his character.
3.14.47
He by whose grace this universe becomes tranquil, who is the essence of all,
that self-effulgent Lord will be pleased by his unswerving vision.
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He indeed will be a great Bhāgavata, a great soul, majestic, the greatest of the great;
having enthroned Vaikuṇṭha in a mind deepened through flourishing devotion, he will leave this world behind.
3.14.49
Free from greed, upright in conduct, a mine of virtues, rejoicing at the prosperity of others and pained for the afflicted,
he will have no enemy born to him, removing the grief of the world as the king of stars removes the heat of summer.
3.14.50
Within and without, your grandson will behold the stainless, lotus-eyed Lord,
who assumes forms out of grace to His servants, the ornament of the goddess Śrī, His face adorned with flashing earrings.
3.14.51
Maitreya said:
Hearing of a grandson who would be a Bhāgavata, Diti was exceedingly joyful;
and knowing that her two sons would be slain by Kṛṣṇa, she became noble-minded.
Translations (1)
- The Srimad Bhagavatam — S. Subba Rau 1928, English
Linked texts (1)
- Bhāgavatapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit