Garudapurana 3.18

The glorious Garuḍa Mahāpurāṇa — 18
The glorious Kṛṣṇa said: / Now I shall speak of those born immediately after; listen, O best of the lords of birds! / Listen to them attentively, and having heard, comprehend them!

Born after Viriñci, who is named Puruṣa, was Śeṣa of great strength, / upon whom, when Hari and Ramā sleep within themselves,

he served as a bed; through that, he performed Hari’s work, but not [otherwise]. / “I am always Hari’s servant; I am always Hari’s worshiper;

O Hari, I bow to you constantly across many births.” / Having realized this, Garuḍa indeed became the bed of Hari.

Likewise, of Vāyu named Sūtra, this Garuḍa, son of Vinatā, / who is named Kāla, became Hari’s vehicle forever.

Then from Viriñci, whose body is the principle of cosmic intellect, O lord of birds, / Rudra, whose nature is the ego-principle, arose to protect Hari.

These three, O highly fortunate one, are regarded as equal to one another. / Compared to Gāyatrī and Bhāratī, these three are a hundredfold superior.

He indeed is to be known as Śeṣa, the devotee of Nārāyaṇa, / always endowed with three parts: of Viṣṇu, of Vāyu, and of Ananta.

Lakṣmaṇa, who was born from Daśaratha as a portion of Sumitrā, O bird,
he too is to be known as Śeṣa, endowed with portions of Vāyu and Ananta.

In order to serve Rāma, she [became] Sītā on earth, O king of birds;
and Balabhadra was born from Vasudeva through Rohiṇī, O bird.

He indeed is to be known as endowed with two portions;
the son of Rohiṇī was entered into by Hari in white and black.

These three are remembered as the illustrious incarnations of the serpent;
there is no incarnation of the king of birds on earth, and such is Hari's command.

I shall speak of the incarnations of Rudra; listen to them attentively:
Rudra, whose nature is egoity, he alone became, O lord of birds,

known by the name Sadāśiva, that destroyer.
He is to be known as presiding over tamas, and [called] Sadāśiva because he is inauspicious.

Because he always wears an inauspicious garland of skulls,
he is therefore known as Sadāśiva, and not as the devotional Śiva.

And because Hara wears an impure elephant-hide,
Hara constantly takes away all inauspicious things of the worlds.

Because by Hari's command he continually turns people whose minds are attached to sense-objects
away from Viṣṇu, he is therefore [called] Sadāśiva.

Sometimes, through possession by an asura, Hara acts contrarily;
therefore he is to be known as Sadāśiva, and not as the devotional Śiva.

Because Hara desired to dwell in cremation grounds,
therefore he is to be known as Sadāśiva, and not as the devotional Śiva.

He entered the salt ocean to practice austerity for ten years;
therefore, O best of birds, Rudra obtained the title 'Tapas'.

Śuka, declared to be the son of Vyāsa, endowed with the entrance of Vāyu,
is to be known as an incarnation of Rudra; he appeared on earth for the sake of knowledge.

Rudra of great austerities was born in Anasūyā, wife of Atri;
he is to be known as Durvāsas, for crushing the pride of kings.

He who was born from Droṇa, named Drauṇi, is celebrated as Rudra himself,
desiring to experience past karma, bringing to light the opposing faction.

Rudra, who is situated in the north-eastern quarter, indeed obtained the name Vāmadeva;
and situated on his own left side, Vāyu, that worthy devotee, serves him at all times.

Therefore Rudra obtained the name Vāmadeva, as well as excellence and supremacy;
and Rudra attained the nature of time and the nature of strength, but not from beauty.

Always desiring to slay the Daityas who dwelled in Tripura and hated Viṣṇu,
that great soul, Rudra himself, assumed a non-terrific form; hence he obtained the name Aghora.

Desiring to serve the hosts of Daityas who were tormented by austerity for a short time,
he was born immediately to grant boons; thus he obtained the name Sadyojāta.

And Aurva, the son of Uru, is celebrated as Rudra himself;
because it denotes pulling, 'ru' signifies weeping.

Hence Rudra is called Urū, and his son is named Aurva;
he became Aurva, Rudra himself, in order to make crying endure.

Garuḍa said:
Why does Hara, named Uru, weep, O Hari?
Why does the one taking Aurva's form make weeping endure?

Explain this in detail to me, your grandson, O you of good vows!
Addressed thus by him, Hari, that treasure of compassion, spoke.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa said:
Having seen his own prototype named Saṃkarṣaṇa, full of excellent qualities, whose lotus feet are bowed to
constantly by Śrī, Brahmā, Śeṣa, Jiṣṇu, Kāma, and others, as well as by Bhāratī and Svastipā,

having seen Hari, Rudra's limbs thrilled with horripilation, his eyes filled with tears, and his throat choked, yet rejoiced;
[thinking that] in beginningless and endless aeons of Brahmā remembrance had not at all been made [by him] at all times:

"By what merit, O God, have the two lotus feet adorned with beautiful nails been seen by me?"
Beholding again and again the lotus feet of Murāri, his throat choked again and again.

With limbs trembling from fear, Rudra wept: "How could there be vision of my Lord again?
O Mukunda, O Nārāyaṇa, O universal form, how could there be praise [of you] by my organ of speech?

My vision has always been joined to sin, and likewise my speech has always been joined to sin;
my sight was always attached to women, but my vision of you was unattached.

There is attachment to sons, wives, and the like; there is no full ability to praise Viṣṇu;
there is no occasion for speech in the praise of Viṣṇu; by what merit, O God, were you seen by me?

O lord of infinite ears, named Sucandra, your story was not constantly heard by my ear;
mundane gossip was heard by me in many ways; by what merit, O God, were you seen by me?"

Beholding again and again the footstool of Hari, his throat choked again and again;
with limbs trembling from fear, Rudra wept: "How could there be hearing of your story again?

You are the lord, Vaikuṇṭha, named Suvāyu; sandalwood paste, flowers, and the like unoffered to you
have not continually been smeared [on you], but smeared by my arms with muddy water [mixed with] bodily urine, feces, and the like,

with water from the breasts of women, water from their hair, water from their armpits, and body-sweat, O Mukunda,
and with unoffered garments, perfumes, and the like; by what merit, O God, were you seen by me?"

Touching again and again the fragrance of Hari's floral remnants, his throat choked again and again;
with limbs trembling from fear, Rudra wept: "How could there always be touching for me again?

O Nṛsiṃha residing in the nose, lord of the nose, by my nose the fine fragrance of the lotus
was never smelled like this, but unoffered perfume, flowers, and the like were indeed smelled again.

O Murāri, by what merit, O God, has your face with a beautiful nose and fine teeth been seen?"
Smelling again and again the fragrance of Viṣṇu's floral remnants, his throat choked again and again.

With limbs trembling from fear, Rudra wept: "How may I smell this floral remnant of yours?
O you who dwell in the tongue, named Jihva, O Murāri, also what was offered by the organ of the tongue,

the remnant of food offerings mixed with tulasī, especially sprinkled with foot-wash water,
whoever eats it daily before Murāri attains the merit of a myriad of crores of sacrifices.

Such a remnant of food offerings of yours, having the form of the sun, was indeed not eaten at all times;
food unoffered to you, God Viṣṇu, was eaten many times by me, O Mukunda.

Eatables and foodstuffs were not offered at your lotus feet; by what merit, O God, were you seen by me?"
Having eaten again and again what was born of Hari's food offerings, your bliss cherished by Ramā...

They declare your head to be the support of heaven and earth, adorned with a diadem and curly locks. / By the accumulations of merit acquired in many births and by the company of virtuous men, it has been seen by me.

By the accumulations of sins acquired in many births, it will disappear from view, O God of gods! / Thus, with deep devotion, Rudra wept upon beholding Hari filled with every quality.

Your lotus foot, O universal form, held in the heart by the masters of yoga, / has been seen by me through grace, O Vāsudeva; how shall I see it again? Thus he wept.

Filled with your enemies' destroyers, the conch, discus, and the like, and even the three worlds, O God, / such a belly of yours, O Lord of Ramā, how shall I see again and again? Thus he wept bitterly.

O you who are full of bliss, full of nails, full of fine hair, full of body-hair and the like, full of qualities, and full of a fine nose, / your broad chest, O all-pervading Lord, is adorned with true ornaments, shining with the pure Kaustubha jewel through Lakṣmī,

exceedingly delicate, adorned likewise with sacred tulasī, full of blossoms, and smeared with sandalwood. / Such a chest of yours has been seen by me through your compassionate gaze.

How may I obtain sight [of you] again and again? Thus Rudra wept with devotion. / Therefore, obtaining the name Uru, Rudra, and he himself became his son named Aurva.

Because he made prolonged weeping, therefore that Rudra was called Aurva. / But Aurva, seeing that the people qualified for liberation were yet intensely devoted solely to sense objects,

praising [him], Aurva, repeatedly remembering the lotus foot of Viṣṇu, had his throat choked [with tears]: / "Those most sinful ones, pursuing evil-natured sense objects day by day through base senses,

when will I abandon them with the thought that they are fit to be discarded? I do not know!" Thus he wept bitterly. / "For these fools strive with greatest zeal to obtain the worthless objects of the senses.

Indeed, devoted to sense objects, all abandon their wealth and the like for the sake of the base senses. / Deluded by your māyā, their intellects ruined, when will you release them, O universal form?"

Remembering again and again the māyā of Vāsudeva, Aurva wept, his limbs trembling with fear: / "With extreme distress, by worldly conduct, having abandoned their own duty, they have resorted to wretchedness.

Having acquired wealth and the like with extreme wretchedness, all of them of exceedingly sinful character, / these beasts vainly squander all their wealth and property earned through hardship.

They never give away [their wealth] to a worthy recipient with the thought of Viṣṇu, because of the māyā of the Enemy of Mura. / The great say that their life is in vain; how are they ruined?" Thus he wept bitterly.

"Their life has thus passed in vain, and having seen their youth to be certain, / death, seated upon their shoulder, laughs, O Kṛṣṇa, O Viṣṇu! But those of bewildered minds do not know it.

'May my house last a hundred years! May my sons likewise live a hundred years! / And may I live happily for a hundred years, and my wife also possesses auspicious marks.

And my cows are full of milk; my friends are filled with joy. / I shall give my son to a bride to maintain [the lineage], and I give my daughter for marriage;

and I shall give my daughter or wealth among the virtuous, and I shall always give among the wealthy.' / Seeing repeatedly those who are devoid of foresight, the Blessed Lord Vāsudeva laughs at all times.

'I will not listen to the sacred narrative, lest destruction of my fortune occur; / I will not worship Hari always, lest destruction of my sons and the like occur.'

From time to time, Hari named Diṣṭa, Vāsudeva, grants the fruit of everything. / Seeing such foolish people, Aurva, devoted solely to Vāsudeva, wept.

Therefore, O King of Birds, know that Aurva, having the form of Rudra, was always well-instructed in the truth by Kṛṣṇa. / When Satī, the daughter of Dakṣa, O King of Birds, having abandoned her body at Dakṣa's sacrifice,

was born again to Menakā from the Himālaya, then Rudra obtained the name Aurva. / Having said, 'Be of upward-drawn seed,' he indeed became of upward-drawn seed.

When the great-souled god Rudra took the hand [in marriage] of the daughter of the Himālaya, / he became exceedingly attached to her; therefore Rudra obtained another name.

The ten brothers of Rudra headed by Sadāśiva, the son of Sumitrā, and the three sons of Rohiṇī: / these are equal at the time of liberation and in transmigration, and they are inferior by hundreds of qualities to those two.

Garuḍa said: / Declare the determination of bliss, O Kṛṣṇa, full of compassion, O sinless one, / just as for the determination of the wise, so also for my instruction.

Speak to your disciple out of compassion to uplift me at all times. / For you whose desires are fulfilled, O Kṛṣṇa, what desire can there be, O Lord?

Addressed thus by the great-souled King of Birds, Hṛṣīkeśa, / Kṛṣṇa, the lotus-eyed, pleased, spoke with compassion.

The Blessed Kṛṣṇa said: / The bliss of Gāyatrī is a hundredfold, while the bliss of the Creator is onefold; such a hundredfold bliss is proclaimed of Brahmā.

And the bliss of Sarasvatī is a hundredfold [greater than that] of Śeṣa and the others, O best of birds. / But the bliss of Bhāratī is to be known as onefold, O son of Vinatā.

Thus the determination of bliss is to be known at all times, O bird. / All this has been declared by me; what else do you wish to hear?

Thus ends the eighteenth chapter, entitled "The Reason for Rudra's Weeping and the Exposition of the Gradation of Infinite Bliss," in the Brahmakāṇḍa, the third part of the latter section in the glorious Garuḍa Mahāpurāṇa.