Matsya Purana 249: adhyāyaḥ 249

249.1

kṣīrodamathanaprakaraṇavarṇanam.
ṛṣaya ūcuḥ.
nārāyaṇasya māhātmyaṃ śrutvā sūta! yathākramam.
na tṛptirjāyate'smākamataḥ punarihocyatām .. 249.1 ..

The Ṛiṣis asked:—We do not feel amply satisfied by listening to the glory of Nârâyaṇa that you have been pleased to relate to us We feel keen to hear more and more about it Pray tell us how the Devas became inmorta. What karmas they did, what tapasya they practised, or whose favor they gained, or whose energy they imbibed, that they obtained immortality in ancient days?—1-2

249.2

kathaṃ devā gatāḥ pūrvamamaratvaṃ vicakṣaṇāḥ.
tapasā karmaṇā vāpi prasādātkasya tejasā .. 249.2 ..

249.3

sūta uvāca.
yatra nārāyaṇo devo mahādevaśca śūladhṛk.
tatrāmaratve sarveṣāṃ sahāyau tatra tau smṛtau .. 249.3 ..

Sûta said:—They became immortal when Nârâyaṇa and Śiva helped the Devas in ancient days—3

249.4

purā devāsure yuddhe hatāśca śataśaḥ suraiḥ.
punaḥ sañjīvinīṃ vidyāṃ prayojya bhṛgunandanaḥ .. 249.4 ..

In days gone by, when war ensued between the Devas and the Asuras hundreds of Devas used to be killed, but amongst the Daityas, when they were killed, they were restored to their lives by Śukrâchârya, the son of Bhṛigu with the help of Sañjîvanî mantra Lord Śiva was pleased with Bhârgava and gave him this wonderful Mṛita Sañjîvanî mantra Knowing that Śukrâchârya was acquainted with the above Mâhesvarî Vidyâ direct from the mouth of Lord Śiva, the Daityas began to fight with the Devas when Śukra restored to life the Daityas that were killed. Śukra obtained from Śaṅkara that knowledge, which all the worlds, the Devas, Râkṣasas, Nâgas, Ṛiṣis Brahmâ, Chandra and Viṣṇu could not get, so Śukra became very pleased Thus, when the great war ensued again between the Devas and the Dānavas, the Dānavas" army, when killed, were early called to their lives Then Indra and Vṛihaspati, and the other Devas became powerless and greatly depressed It dismayed the Devas, seeing which, Brahmâ addressed them thus on the summit of the Mount Meru.—4-12

249.5

jīvāpayati daityendrān yathā suptotthitāniva.
tasya tuṣṭena devena śaṅkareṇa mahātmanā .. 249.5 ..

249.6

mṛtasañjīvinī nāma vidyā dattā mahāprabhā.
tāṃ tu māheśvarīṃ vidyāṃ maheśvara mukhodgatām .. 249.6 ..

249.7

bhārgave saṃsthitāṃ dṛṣṭvā mumuhuḥ sarvadānavāḥ.
tato'maratvaṃ daityānāṃ kṛtaṃ śukreṇa dhīmatā .. 249.7 ..

249.8

yā nāsti sarvalokānāṃ devānāṃ sarvarakṣasām.
na nāgānāmṛṣīṇāñca na ca brahmendra viṣṇuṣu .. 249.8 ..

249.9

tāṃ labdhvā śaṅkarācchukraḥ parāṃ nirgatimāgataḥ.
tato daivāsuro ghoraḥ samaraḥ sumahānabhūt .. 249.9 ..

249.10

tatra devairhatān daityān śukro vidyābalena ca.
utthāpayati daityendrān līlayaiva vicakṣaṇaḥ .. 249.10 ..

249.11

evamvidhena śakrastu bṛhaspatirudāradhīḥ.
hanyamānāstato devāḥ śataśo'tha sahasraśaḥ .. 249.11 ..

249.12

viṣaṇṇavadanāḥ sarve babhūvurvikalendriyāḥ.
tatasteṣu viṣaṇṇeṣu bhagavān kamalodbhavaḥ .
merupṛṣṭhe surendrāṇāmidamāha jagatpatiḥ .. 249.12 ..

249.13

brahmovāca.
devāḥ! śruṇuta madvākyaṃ tattathaiva nirūpyatām.
kṣipatāṃ dānavai- sārddhaṃ sakhyamatra pravartatām .. 249.13 ..

"Devas! You should follow My advice and make peace with the distracted demons, then you should make an effort to churn the ocean of milk for nectar You should win the sympathies of Lord Varuṇa, and then appeal to the mighty Viṣṇu for help You should in churning the ocean employ the Mount Meru as churning-stick, the Śeṣa serpent as the string of the churning stick For the time being you should appease Bali, the king of the demons, so that he may be the supervisor in this work and pray to Kûrma, the tortoise incarnation of the eternal Viṣṇu, in the Pâtâla as the base, and the Mount Mandara also for help—13 16

249.14

kriyatāmamṛtodyogo mathyatāṃ kṣīravāridhiḥ.
sahāyaṃ varuṇaṃ kṛtvā cakrapāṇirvibodhyatām .. 249.14 ..

249.15

manthānaṃ mandaraṃ kṛtvā śeṣanetreṇa veṣṭitam.
dānavendro bali svāmī stokakālaṃ niveśyatām .. 249.15 ..

249.16

prārthyatāṃ kūrmarūpaśca pātāle viṣṇuravyayaḥ.
prārthyatāṃ mandaraḥ śailaḥ manthakāryaṃ pravartyatām .. 249.16 ..

249.17

tacchrutvā vacanaṃ devā jagmurdānavamandiram.
alaṃ virodhena vayaṃ bhṛtyāstava bale!'dhunā .. 249.17 ..

Hearing those words of Brahmâ, all the Devas went to Pâtala and said to the demon king Bali,—"Bali! Do not be hostile to us now, we are your slaves Endeavours should be made to churn the milk-ocean for nectar, for which purpose Śêṣa has to be utilised as the string of the churning stick Demon king! we will undoubtedly become immortal by the nectar obtained through your grace" Bali said—"Devas! I shall do what you say I can alone churn the milky ocean I shall certainly acquire nectar to help you to become immortal, because one who does not oblige his enemies that come from far, is ruined in this life as well as in the next I shall therefore give you my full support"—17 22

249.18

kriyatāmamṛtodyogo vriyatāṃ śeṣanetrakam.
tvayā cotpādite daitya! amṛte'mṛtamanthane .. 249.18 ..

249.19

bhaviṣyāmo'marāḥ sarve tvatprasādānna saṃśayaḥ.
evamuktastadā devaiḥ parituṣṭaḥ sa dānavaḥ .. 249.19 ..

249.20

yathā vadata he devāḥ! tathā kāryaṃ mayā'dhunā.
śakto'hameka evātra mathituṃ kṣīravāridhim .. 249.20 ..

249.21

āhariṣye'mṛtaṃ divyamamṛtatvāya vo'dhunā.
sudūrādāśrayaṃ prāptān praṇatānapi vairiṇaḥ .. 249.21 ..

249.22

yo na pūjayate bhaktyā pretya ceha vinaśyati.
pālayiṣyāmi vaḥ sarvānadhunā snehamāstitaḥ .. 249.22 ..

249.23

evamuktvā sa daityendro devaiḥ saha yayau tadā.
mandaraṃ prārthayāmāsa sahāyatve dharādharam .. 249.23 ..

Saying so, that demon king Bali, accompanied the Devas, and they all prayed to Mandarâchala as follows —23

249.24

sakhā bhavatvamasmākamadhunā'mṛtamanthane.
surāsurāṇāṃ sarveṣāṃ mahatkāryamidaṃ jagat .. 249.24 ..

"Mandarâchala! the king of the mountains, be pleased to help us in churning the milk ocean for nectar Befriend us for this is a great work for the Devas and the demons —24

249.25

tatheti mandaraḥ prāha yadyādhāro bhaven mama.
yatra sthitvā bhramiṣyāmi mathiṣye varuṇālayam .. 249.25 ..

In accepting their prayer, the lord of the mountains said "I shall be the churning stick, and let some one who may be strong enough to volunteer himself to act as a receptacle, on which I can revolve, then I will be able to churn the ocean, also the Śeṣa serpent to coil round the stick. Afterwards the most valiant turtle and Śêṣa endowed with 1/4 of Viṣṇu's power, went to support the Earth, and haughtily the Turtle said—"When I can easily hold all the three regions on my back, how can I feel the weight of this Mandara mountain ?'—25 28

249.26

kalpyatāṃ netrakārye yaḥ śaktaḥ syādveṣṭane mama.
tatastu nirgatau devau kūrmaśeṣau mahābalau .. 249.26 ..

249.27

viṣṇorbhāgau caturthāṃśāddharaṇyā dhāraṇe sthitau.
ūcaturgarvasaṃyuktaṃ vacanaṃ śeṣakacchapau.. 249.27 ..

249.28

trailokyadhāraṇenāpi na glānirmama jāyate.
kimu mandarakātkṣudrāt ghuṭikāsannibhādiha .. 249.28 ..

249.29

śeṣa uvāca.
brahmāṇḍaveṣṭanenāpi brahmāṇḍamathanena vā.
na me glānirbhaveddehe kimu mandaravartane .. 249.29 ..

Śêṣa said—"I can coil round the three regions, what difficulty can therefore, be in my coiling round this Mandara mountain?'—29

249.30

tata utpāṭya taṃ śailaṃ tatkṣaṇāt kṣīrasāgare.
cikṣepa līlayā nāgaḥ kūrmaścādhaḥ sthitastadā .. 249.30 ..

Afterwards all the Devas and the demons hurled Mandarâchala into the milk-ocean, after which Śêṣa coiled round it, and kûrma (turtle) placed Himself underneath it as the support of the mountains When the demons and the Devas could not manage to turn the floating Mandarâchala, all the Devas with Bali went to the abode of the Lord Viṣṇu, in Vaikuntha, that was shedding its lustre like a white lotus, where the mighty Lord was lying absorbed in deep meditation, wearing yellow clothes, adorned with armlets &c, shampooed by the Goddess Lakshmi, fanned by the wings of Garuḍa and prayed for by the Siddhas and Châranas and the Vedas incarnate, reclining on His left hand, placed under His head All the Devas and the demons prayed to the Lord —30 36

249.31

nirādhāraṃ yadā śailaṃ naśekurdevadānavāḥ.
mandarabhramaṇaṃ kartuṃ kṣīrodamathane tathā .. 249.31 ..

249.32

nārāyaṇanivāsante jagmurbali samanvitāḥ.
yatrāste devadeveśaḥ svayameva janārdanaḥ .. 249.32 ..

249.33

tatrāpaśyanta tandevaṃ sitapadmaprabhaṃ śubham .
yoganidrāsu nirataṃ pītavāsasamacyutam .. 249.33 ..

249.34

hārakeyūranaddhāṅgamahiparyaṅka saṃsthitam.
pādapadmena padmāyāḥ spṛśantaṃ nābhimaṇḍalam .. 249.34 ..

249.35

svapakṣavyajanenātha vījyamānaṅgarutmatā.
stūyamānaṃ samantācca siddhacāraṇakinnaraiḥ .. 249.35 ..

249.36

āmnāyairmūrttimadbhiśca stūyamānaṃ samantataḥ.
savyabāhūpadhānaṃ tantuṣṭuvurdevadānavāḥ .. 249.36 ..

249.37

kṛtāñjalipuṭāḥ sarve praṇatāḥ sarvato diśam.

By surrounding Him with folded hands, they all saluted Him, and said “Lord of the three regions, overpowering by your lustre more than the myriads of the suns, the enemy of Kaitabha, the Great Cause of the universe, the Protector of the creation, we all salute you —37 38

249.38

devadānavā ūcuḥ.
namo lokatrayādhyakṣa! tejasā jitabhāskara! .. 249.37 ..

249.39

namo viṣṇo! namo jiṣṇo! namaste kaiṭabhārdana!.
namaḥ sargakriyākartre jagatpālayate namaḥ .. 249.38 ..

249.40

rudrarūpāya śarvvāya namaḥ saṃhārakāriṇe.
namaḥ śūlābudhādhṛṣya namo dānavaghātine .. 249.39 ..

O, Annihilator of all, invincible even by the trident, enemy of and as it were a conflagration of the demons, we salute you —39

249.41

namaḥ kramatrayākrānta trailokyāyābhavāya ca.
namaḥ pracaṇḍadaityendra kulakāla mahānala! .. 249.40 ..

From your navel like lake, the lotus-wombed great mountain has sprung up, you are the creator of Brahmâ, we salute you O, one who measured the universe with three strides, the Creator of the three regions, the destroyer of the formidable demons the originator of the highest attributes, shining like a great blaze, the Creator of the universe out of the lotus stick springing up in your navel, the most dear one to all, we salute you —40-41

249.42

namo nābhahṛdodbhūta padmagarbha mahācala!.
padmabhūta! mahābhūta! kartre hartre jagatpriya! .. 249.41 ..

249.43

janitā sarvalokeśa! kriyā kāraṇakāriṇe.
amarāri vināśāya mahāsamaraśāline .. 249.42 ..

Lord of all the realms, the cause of deeds and all causes, the destroyer of the enemies of the Devas Participator in the great war, we salute you The one who draws in the honeyed aroma of the Goddess Lakshmi s lotus-like face, the receptacle of fame, we salute you Pray, do churn the ocean by holding the mountain by one of your valiant arms to make us immortal Hearing this prayer, Lord Viṣṇu shook off His yogic repose, and said —42 45

249.44

lakṣmīmukhābja madhupa! namaḥ kīrtinivāsine.
asmākamamaratvāya dhriyatāṃ dhriyatāmayam .. 249.43 ..

249.45

mandaraḥ sarvaśailānāmayutāyuta vistṛtaḥ.
anantabalabāhubhyāmavaṣṭabhyaikapāṇinā .. 249.44 ..
mathyatāmamṛtaṃ deva! svadhā svāhārthakāminām.
tataḥ śrutvā sa bhagavān stotrapūrvvaṃ vacastadā.
vihāya yoganidrāntāmuvāca madhusūdanaḥ .. 249.45 ..

249.46

śrībhagavānuvāca.
svāgataṃ vibudhāḥ! sarve kimāgamanakāraṇam.
yasmātkāryyādiha prāptastad brūta vigatajvarāḥ .. 249.46 ..

“Devas and others ! Hope you had no inconvenience in the way, Pray tell me the object of your having come here —46

249.47

nārāyaṇenaiva muktāḥ procustatra divaukasaḥ.
amaratvāya deveśa! mathyamāne mahodadhau .. 249.47 ..

The Devas said — “Deva ! In order to obtain nectar to make Ourselves immortal, we all are churning this ocean, but without your assistance we are helpless We will be successful, if you lead us Hearing those words, Lord Viṣṇu followed the Devas to that spot where Mandara was floating The great mountain was then encircled by the Sêṣa and the Devas and the Asuras took hold of the string The Devas took hold of the tail end of the Seṣa and the demons, Râhu and others, took the head ends Lord Viṣṇu caught hold of the summit of Meru with His left hand and Bali held the thousand heads of Sêṣa with His left hand, and with his right hand he caught hold of his body, Sêṣa firmly coiled round the Mandarâchala, after which the Devas and the demons started to churn the ocean for a hundred Divine years —47 54

249.48

yathā'mṛtatvaṃ deveśa! tathā naḥ kuru mādhava!.
tvayā vinā na tacchakyamasmābhiḥ kaiṭabhārdana! .. 249.48 ..

249.49

prāptuṃ tadamṛtaṃ nātha! tato'gre bhava no vibho!.
ityuktaśca tato viṣṇurapradhṛṣyo'rimardanaḥ .. 249.49 ..

249.50

jagāma devaiḥ sahito yatrāsau mandarācalaḥ.
veṣṭito bhogibhogena dhṛtaścāmaradānavaiḥ .. 249.50 ..

249.51

viṣabhītāstato devā yataḥ pucchaṃ tataḥ sthitāḥ.
mukhato daityasaṅghāstu saiṃhikeyapuraḥ sarāḥ .. 249.51 ..

249.52

sahasravadanaṃ cāsya śiraḥ savyena pāṇinā.
dakṣiṇena balirdehaṃ nāgasyākṛṣṭavāṃstathā .. 249.52 ..

249.53

dadhārāmṛtamanthānaṃ mandaraṃ cārukandaram.
nārāyaṇaḥ sa bhagavān bhujayugmadvayena tu .. 249.53 ..

249.54

tato devāsuraiḥ sarvairjayaśabdapuraḥ saram.
divyaṃ varṣaśataṃ sāgraṃ mathitaḥ kṣīrasāgaraḥ .. 249.54 ..

249.55

tataḥ śrāntāstu te sarve devāḥ daityapuraḥ saraḥ.
śrānteṣu teṣu devendro megho bhūtvāmbuśīkarān .. 249.55 ..

When all the Devas and the demons were overcome with fatigue in churning the ocean, Indra caused the rains and cool wind to refresh them But, in spite of all that when the Lord Brahmâ found them giving way to fatigue, He shouted out “Go on churning Those who persevere are undoubtedly blessed with the highest prosperity” —55 57

249.56

vavarṣāmṛtakalpāṃstān vavau vāyuśca śītalaḥ.
bhagnaprāyeṣu deveṣu śānteṣu kamalāsanaḥ .. 249.56 ..

249.57

mathyatāṃ mathyatāṃ sindhurityuvāca punaḥ punaḥ.
avaśyamudyogavatāṃ śrīrapārā bhavetsadā .. 249.57 ..

249.58

brahmaprotsāhitāḥ devā mamanthuḥ punarambudhim.
bhrāmyamāṇe tataḥ śaile yojanāyutaśekhare .. 249.58 ..

The Devas, thus encouraged, applied themselves heart and soul to the task of churning the ocean, when the motion of the Mandarâchala 1,000 yojanas high, caused herds of elephants, wild boar, Sarabha, other animals residing on that mountain, trees began to fall down into the ocean.—58 59

249.59

nipeturhastiyūthāni varāhaśarabhādayaḥ.
śvāpadāyutalakṣāṇi tathā puṣpaphalādrumāḥ .. 249.59 ..

249.60

tataḥ phalānāṃ vīryyeṇa puṣpauṣadhirasena ca.
kṣīrasaṅgharṣaṇāccāpi dadhirūpamajāyata .. 249.60 ..

Afterwards the juice of the fruits, flowers, the sap of the medicinal herbs, falling into the ocean, was churned along with it, when all the contents of the ocean assumed a curdy appearance.—60

249.61

tatastu sarvajīveṣu cūrṇiteṣu sahasraśaḥ.
tadambumedasotsargād vāruṇī samapadyata .. 249.61 ..

Innumerable beings were powdered in that violent churning the fat and marrow of whom, coming in contact with the waters, produced wine, the smell of which pleased all the Devas and the demons and the taste of it recouped the vigour of the latter. They then churned the ocean most vigorously and the Mount Mandarâchala became fixed.—61-63

249.62

vāruṇīgandhamāghrāya mumudurdevadānavāḥ.
tadā svādena balino devadaityādayo'bhavan .. 249.62 ..

249.63

tato'tivegājjagṛhurnāgendraṃ sarvato'surāḥ.
manthānaṃ manthayaṣṭistu merustatrācalo'bhavat .. 249.63 ..

249.64

abhavaccāgrato viṣṇurbhujamandarabandhanaḥ.
sa vāsukiphaṇālagna pāṇiḥ kṛṣṇo vyarājata .. 249.64 ..

Viṣṇu came forward, and with his arms, holding the lotus and as long as Brahmâṇḍa caught hold of the Mandara mountain, placing His hand on the hood of Vâsuki. Viṣṇu turned black on account of His having covered the mouth of Śeṣa. Then emitted from the oceans sounds like thousands of thunders. Indra, Sûrya Rudra and Vasus, Guhyakas placed themselves at the second end of Vâsuki.—64 66

249.65

yathā nīlotpalairyukto brahmadaṇḍo'tivistaraḥ.
dhvanirmeghasahasrasya jaladherutthitastadā .. 249.65 ..

249.66

bhāge dvitīye maghavānādityastu tataḥparam.
tato rudrā mahotsāhā vasavo guhyakādayaḥ .. 249.66 ..

249.67

purato vipracittiśca namucirvṛtraśambarau.
dvimūrddhā vajradaṃṣṭraśca sauṃhikeyo balistathā .. 249.67 ..

At head of them, Viprachitta, Namuchi, Vritra, Saṃvara, Dvimûrdhâ, Vagradamṣtrâ, Râhu, Bali, &c., facing the mouth of Śêṣa, applied them selves to the churning of the ocean.—67-68

249.68

ete cānye ca bahavo mukhabhāgamupasthitāḥ.
mamanthurambudhiṃ dṛptā balatejo vibhūṣitāḥ .. 249.68 ..

249.69

babhūvātra mahāghoṣo mahāmegharavopamaḥ.
udadhermathyamānasya mandareṇa surāsuraiḥ .. 249.69 ..

Now here, then, was a thundering din caused by the churning of the ocean, thousands of the aquatic beings fell dead by the blow of the Mandara mountain.—69 70

249.70

tatra nānājalacarā vanirdhūtā mahādriṇā.
vilayaṃ samupājagmuḥ śataśo'tha sahasraśaḥ .. 249.70 ..

249.71

vāruṇāni ca bhūtāni vividhāni maheśvaraḥ.
pātālatalavāsīni vilayaṃ samupānayat .. 249.71 ..

Many of the aquatic beings living in Pâtâla also met with the same fate.—71

249.72

tasmiṃśca bhrāmyamāṇe'drau saṃghṛṣṭāśca parasparam.
nyapatan patagopetāḥ parvatāgrānmahādrumāḥ .. 249.72 ..

Later on, the trees on Mandarâchala fell down into the ocean along with birds on them rubbing against one another.—72

249.73

teṣāṃ saṅgharṣaṇāccāgnirarcibhiḥ prajvalan muhuḥ.
vidyudbhiriva nīlābhramāvṛṇot mandaraṃ girim .. 249.73 ..

The rubbing of the trees produced a blaze of fire like lightning which enveloped all that mountain and also consumed all the elephants lions, &c., residing on it which also fell charred dead into the ocean. Afterwards Indra quenched the fire by bringing down rain.—73 75

249.74

dadāha kuñjarāṃścaiva siṃhāṃścaiva viniḥsṛtān.
vigatāsūni sarvāṇi satvāni vividhāni ca .. 249.74 ..

249.75

tamagnimamaraśreṣṭhaḥ pradahantamitastataḥ.
vāriṇā meghajenendraḥ śamayāmāsa sarvataḥ .. 249.75 ..

249.76

tato nānā rasāstatra susruvuḥ sāgarāmbhasi.
mahādrumāṇāṃ niryāsā bahavaścauṣadhīrasāḥ .. 249.76 ..

When myrrh of the various trees and the juice of several plants trickled into the ocean.—76

249.77

teṣāmamṛtavīryyāṇāṃ rasānāṃ payasaiva ca.
amaratvaṃ surā jagmuḥ kāñcanacchavisannibhāḥ .. 249.77 ..

Through the potent sap of those plants the Devas of golden colour felt themselves immortal (?)

249.78

atha tasya samudrasya tajjātamudakaṃ payaḥ.
rasāntarairvimiśrañca tataḥ kṣīrādabhūd ghṛtam .. 249.78 ..

Then the occan turned like milk and clarified butter came out of it by admixture of the various saps.—78

249.79

tatā brahmāṇamāsīnaṃ devā vacanamabruvan.
śrāntāḥ sma subhṛśaṃ brahmannodbhavatyamṛtañca yat .. 249.79 ..

The Devas then said to Brahmâ:—“We all feel quite exhausted and the nectar has not yet come out. Excepting Nârâyaṇa the Devas and the Daityas won’t get nectar, even if they go on churning for a long long period.” Hearing which Brahmâ prayed to Nârâyaṇa: “You are the supporter of them all, therefore, be pleased to impart them strength.”—79-81

249.80

ṛte nārāyaṇāt sarve daityā devottamāstathā.
cirāyitamidañcāpi sāgarasya tu manthanam .. 249.80 ..

249.81

tato nārāyaṇaṃ devaṃ brahmā vacanamabravīt.
vidhatsvaiṣāṃ balaṃ viṣṇo! bhavāneva parāyaṇam .. 249.81 ..

249.82

viṣṇuruvāca.
balaṃ dadāmi sarveṣāṃ karmaitadye samāsthitāḥ.
kṣubhyatāṃ kramaśaḥ sarvairmandaraḥ parivartyatām .. 249.82 ..

Viṣṇu said:—“I am imparting strength to those that are exhausted, now move the Mandarachala carefully and steadily.”—82