Skandapurana 2.9.17

Skanda said:

Resembling crores upon crores of suns arisen at one time,

he beheld that great light, divine and dazzlingly white, O sage,

pervading all cardinal and intermediate directions, above and below;

it is declared to be the imperishable Brahman, characterized by being, consciousness, and bliss,

which completely pervades both Prakṛti and Puruṣa and their effects;

having crossed beyond the six cakras within themselves,

those perfected in yoga behold it at the crown of the head by the grace of Vāsudeva.

Illumined by its light, the sun, fire, moon, and stars

illuminate the entire world; it is self-luminous and immortal.

This the Sātvatas call Brahmapura, the abode of the Lord,

in the vicinity of which, all around, stand crores of worshippers,

and hosts of Brahmās and Śaṃkaras with offerings in hand,

and throngs of cowherds and gopīs fall [in prostration] one upon another in agitation.

He upon whom is Kṛṣṇa's grace beholds Him within that light;

others see only the light, O sage, and not Him.

Within it he beheld a wondrous divine temple, delightful and composed of various supreme gems,

lovely with thousands of columns gleaming with gems, and an assembly hall magnificent to behold,

adorned all around with numerous radiant rows of mansions of His worshippers—

men and women adorned with splendid, fine garments and jewel ornaments.

There the sage, with immense joy, beheld a divine throne

fashioned from the essences of best gems and jewels, causing wonder to the minds of onlookers.

There he then saw Lord Kṛṣṇa, Nārāyaṇa, seated beyond the guṇas,

all-knowing, the Lord, Puruṣottama, whom the Sātvatas call Vāsudeva,

whom some call the Paramātman, some the Supreme Brahman higher than the highest,

whom some call Brahman, others Bhagavān, and devotees Viṣṇu and the Supreme Lord.

whose limbs are more enchanting than thousands of Kāmadevas, who is ever youthful, an ocean of compassion,

lovely to behold with an exceedingly peaceful form, beyond both the perishable and the imperishable, self-dependent,

whose sidelong glances effect the playful creation, preservation, and destruction of many a world-egg,

the great sovereign over countless millions of world-eggs, alone praised by the universe, dressed in the guise of an exquisite dancer,

wearing priceless, divine, superior yellow garments, richly adorned with ornaments of many fine jewels,

having a complexion resembling a fresh raincloud, with fine makara-shaped earrings glittering at his ears,

said to be white-complexioned because he is enveloped in an abundant white radiance issuing from his own limbs,

wearing a splendid crown radiant with choice jewels, with handsome eyes like the petals of an autumn lotus,

his body smeared with fragrant, excellent sandalwood paste, his broad chest marked with the sign of the Śrīvatsa,

sounding a sweet flute held before his mouth with his lotus-like handsome arms,

worshiped by groups of female companions headed by Jayā, Suśīlā, and Lalitā, along with Rādhā,

and by Ramā, Satyabhāmā, Kālindī, Jāmbavatī, and the other foremost women,

attended upon by Dharma, by all the Vedas, by the opulences, and by knowledge and the other virtues with folded hands,

and by his many personal weapons taking embodied form, headed by Sudarśana,

worshiped by the foremost of his own attendants, some having the color of sapphires, rubies, and gold, and some white,

headed by Nanda and Sunanda, whose arms gleam with discus, mace, lotus, and conch,

attended upon by many two-armed attendants headed by Śrīdāman, in the dress of cowherds, bowing low with devotion,

and by Garuḍa in front, and by the eight bow-bent Opulences,

served by Mūrti, Śānti, Dayā, Puṣṭi, Tuṣṭi, and Medhā,

and indeed by Śraddhā, Kriyā, Unnati, Maitrī, as well as Titikṣā, Smṛti, and Buddhi.

Having beheld that most wondrous divine form, his senses completely captivated by its beauty and fragrance, / with sight obstructed by tears of bliss and his hair standing on end in love, he became filled with joy.

With his sight blocked by tears of joy, his hair standing on end with love, he was filled with bliss.

Bowing to him like a staff, Nārada, overcome with love,

stood with hands folded in reverence, gazing upon his face.

Hari honored him, having respectfully inquired after his welfare—

the sage who was his exclusive devotee, whom he himself had wished to see.

Having regained his composure through tasting the nectar of the Lord's words,

the sage, filled with the great bliss of beholding him, praised him with devotion.

Nārada said:

Victory to you, O Lord Kṛṣṇa, O Nārāyaṇa, O Lord of the universe!

O Vāsudeva, abode of all, ever beloved to exclusive devotees!

You whose wondrous feet are worshiped by Rādhikā, Kamalā, and the rest,

are indeed the supreme goal for those who seek ultimate good.

You are the eternal Self of eternal souls, the conscious animating the conscious.

Higher than both the perishable and the imperishable, you are supreme Brahman, O Hari!

Just as purity and perfection come through supreme devotion to you,

it cannot be so for men through other means such as austerity and the rest.

The single divine moonlight of your feet, abiding in the hearts of seekers of liberation,

is capable of immediately dispelling thick darkness, O Lord of the righteous!

You alone are to be worshiped, meditated upon, and known through all the Vedas;

you are established, O Lord, as the Cause of all causes.

The white radiance that exists in each single pore of your skin,

tranquil and consisting of bliss, surpasses the light of ten million moons.

In this imperishable abode, free from qualities, named the immortal,

in this mass of radiance, you ever reside beyond the qualities as the Supreme Person.

From Time, which brings fear to the universe, and from the great terror of Māyā,

devotees are indeed liberated by the strength of worshiping you.

To you, the Lord of the universe, I have come for refuge,

to the Self of all, the all-pervading Brahman, the Great Person, the Infallible One.

In such a way that my devotion to your lotus feet remains always unwavering,

be pleased to grant your grace, O Lord of gods!

Skanda said:

Having been thus praised with devotion by the celestial seer,

the Supreme Lord spoke to the sage, delighting him with speech like nectar.

Thus ends the seventeenth chapter, titled 'The Vision of Lord Vāsudeva', in the Vāsudevamāhātmya of the Vaiṣṇavakhaṇḍa, in the Skanda Mahāpurāṇa of eighty-one thousand verses.