Bhagavatapurana 5.25

English (machine translation) 5.25

Language: English

5.25.1

Śrī Śuka said: At the base of that region, thirty thousand yojanas below, abides that portion of the Lord described as tāmasic, called Ananta; the followers of the Sātvata tradition call him Saṅkarṣaṇa, who draws together the seer and the seen, characterised by the ego-sense 'I'.

5.25.2

Held upon just one head of this thousand-headed Lord of infinite form, this terrestrial globe appears like a mere mustard seed.

5.25.3

When he desires to withdraw this universe through time, from between his eyebrows, charmingly moving and furrowed in fury, there arises Rudra named Sāṅkarṣaṇa, with eleven expansions, three-eyed, brandishing a three-pronged spear.

5.25.4

Upon the circles of radiant, lustrous gem-like toenails of his twin lotus feet, the serpent kings, together with the foremost Sātvatas, bowing down with undivided devotion, gaze with joyful minds upon their own exceedingly captivating faces, whose cheeks are adorned with the radiance of trembling earrings.

5.25.5

Desiring his blessings, the daughters of the serpent king smear with ointment of aguru, sandalwood, and saffron paste his silver-pillar-like arms—vast, white, auspicious, and charming, adorned with lovely armlets—and, their hearts stirred with the surge of the love-god awakened by his touch, smiling with charming and graceful smiles, they look with bashfulness upon the lotus of his face, its eyes rolling with intoxication and brimming with loving, compassionate glances stirred by the drunkenness of his affection.

5.25.6

That very Lord, Ananta, an ocean of limitless virtues, the primal deity, restraining the force of his anger and wrath, abides for the welfare of the worlds.

5.25.7

Meditated upon by hosts of gods, demons, serpents, Siddhas, Gandharvas, Vidyādharas, and sages, with eyes unsettled and rolling in continuous intoxication of joy, delighting the leaders of his own attendants and groups of deities with the immortal nectar of his sweet speech, intoxicated by the nectarous honey imbued with the fragrance of the ever-fresh tulasī garlands that never fade, clothed in blue garments, wearing a single earring, resting his handsome, lovely arm upon the crest of his plow, of magnificent divine play, the Lord carries his forest garland Vaijayantī, which possesses the beauty of the sweet songs of swarms of bees, just as Mahendra's lordly elephant carries a golden girth.

5.25.8

When heard of and meditated upon in this way, entering within the heart, he swiftly severs for those who seek liberation the knot of the heart, which is woven of beginningless past impressions of action, formed of ignorance, and composed of the qualities of purity, passion, and darkness. The venerable Nārada, born of Brahmā, together with Tumburu, sang verses celebrating his glories in the assembly of Brahmā:

5.25.9

By his glance the qualities of nature, beginning with purity, / which are the causes of the creation, maintenance, and dissolution of this universe, became active. / His unchanging, uncreated nature is one, yet he assumes manifold forms in himself; / who indeed can fathom his path?

5.25.10

Out of boundless compassion he assumed for our sake a form of pure sattva; / in it this manifest and unmanifest universe shines forth. / He whose valor is magnificent took on blameless divine play as the lion / in order to win over the minds of his devotees.

5.25.11

If a man, fallen, distressed, or even in jest, / should accidentally hear or chant his name, / it instantly destroys all of his sins; / what other refuge should one who seeks liberation take than the Lord Śeṣa?

5.25.12

Placed upon a head of the thousand-headed Lord like a tiny atom / is the globe of the earth, together with its mountains, rivers, oceans, and living beings. / Because of the infinitude of that limitless power, / who, even with a thousand tongues, could count his mighty deeds?

Translations (1)

The Srimad Bhagavatam — S. Subba Rau 1928, English

Linked texts (1)

Bhāgavatapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit