Devibhagavatapurana 4.16: ṣoḍaśo'dhyāyaḥ | harernānāvatāravarṇanam

4.16.1

janamejaya uvāca |
bhṛguśāpānmuniśreṣṭha hareradbhutakarmaṇaḥ |
avatārāḥ kathaṃ jātāḥ kasminmanvantare vibho ||

4.16.2

vistarādvada dharmajña avatārakathā hareḥ |
pāpanāśakarīṃ brahmañchrutāṃ sarvasukhāvahām ||

4.16.3

vyāsa uvāca |
śṛṇu rājan pravakṣyāmi avatārān hareryathā |
yasminmanvantare jātā yuge yasminnarādhipa ||

Vyâsa said:-- O king! Hear, I am narrating to you the incarnations of S’rî Bhagavân Hari which He had in the several Manvantaras and in the several Yugas respectively.

4.16.4

yena rūpeṇa yatkāryaṃ kṛtaṃ nārāyaṇena vai |
tatsarvaṃ nṛpa vakṣyāmi saṅkṣepeṇa tavādhunā ||

I will tell you now, in brief, what forms He took and what deeds He did in the various incarnations.

4.16.5

dharmasyaivāvatāro'bhūccākṣuṣe manusambhave |
naranārāyaṇau dharmaputrau khyātau mahītale ||

In the Châksusa Manvantara, the Bhagavân Hari took the incarnation of Dharma; and the two sons of Dharma, Nara Nârâyana, were widely celebrated in this world.

4.16.6

atha vaivasvatākhye'smindvitīye tu yuge punaḥ |
dattātreyāvatāro'treḥ putratvamagamaddhariḥ ||

Then, in the present Vaîvasvata Manvantara, under the reign of Vaîvasvata Manu in the second Yuga, Bhagavân Hari incarnated as Dattâtreya, in the shape of the son of Atrî Risi.

4.16.7

brahmā viṣṇustathā rudrastrayo'mī devasattamāḥ |
putratvamagamandevāstasyātrerbhāryayā vṛtāḥ ||

Anasûyâ the wife of Atrî, was desirous to have, as her sons, the three Devas Brahmâ, Visnu and Rudra; and in fulfilment of her desires, the Devas took their births in her womb.

4.16.8

anasūyātripatnī ca satīnāmuttamā satī |
yayā samprārthitā devāḥ putratvamagamaṃstrayaḥ ||

Anasûyâ, was foremost amongst the chaste and virtuous women and on her praying, Brahmâ, Visnu and Rudra the Trinity at once agreed to become her sons.

4.16.9

brahmābhūtsomarūpastu dattātreyo hariḥ svayam |
durvāsā rudrarūpo'sau putratvaṃ te prapedire ||

Brahmâ was born as Soma, Hari was born as Dattâtreya and Rudra was born as Durvâsâ.

4.16.10

nṛsiṃhasyāvatārastu devakāryārthasiddhaye |
caturthe tu yuge jāto dvidhārūpo manoharaḥ ||

In the fourth Yuga, the Bhagavân assumed the beautiful double form in one, the upper part resembling a lion and the lower part a human being to accomplish the noble purpose of the Devas.

4.16.11

hiraṇyakaśipoḥ samyagvadhāya bhagavān hariḥ |
cakre rūpaṃ nārasiṃhaṃ devānāṃ vismayapradam ||

It was to kill Hiranyakas’ipu that the Bhagavân Hari assumed this appearance, wonderful even to the Devas.

4.16.12

balerniyamanārthāya śreṣṭhe tretāyuge tathā |
cakāra rūpaṃ bhagavān vāmanaṃ kaśyapānmuneḥ ||

In the Tretâ Yuga, the superior and the best of all the Yugas, the Bhagavân incarnated as Vâmana ( the Dwarf), the son of Maharsi Kas’yapa, to curb the power of Bali.

4.16.13

chalayitvā makhe bhūpaṃ rājyaṃ tasya jahāra ha |
pātāle sthāpayāmāsa baliṃ vāmanarūpadhṛk ||

The Dwarf Hari took away by pretext, the kingdom of Bali, while he was performing a sacrifice and sent him down into the Pâtâla (the lower regions).

4.16.14

yuge caikonaviṃśe'tha tretākhye bhagavān hariḥ |
jamadagnisuto jāto rāmo nāma mahābalaḥ ||

Afterwards, in the nineteenth Yuga, known as the Tretâ Yuga, S’rî Bhagavân Hari incarnated as Paras’urâma, very powerful and the son of Jamadagnî Risi.

4.16.15

kṣatriyāntakaraḥ śrīmānsatyavādī jitendriyaḥ |
dattavānmedinīṃ kṛtsnāṃ kaśyapāya mahātmane ||

He was very beautiful and graceful in his body, truthful and the conqueror of his senses. He extirpated the Ksattriya race and gave the whole world over to the high minded Risi Kas’yapa.

4.16.16

yo vai paraśurāmākhyo hareradbhutakarmaṇaḥ |
avatārastu rājendra kathitaḥ pāpanāśanaḥ ||

O king! He is the Paras’urâma, the sin-destroyer, the incarnation of Hari, and the doer of wonderful deeds.

4.16.17

tretāyuge raghorvaṃśe rāmo daśarathātmajaḥ |
naranārāyaṇāṃśau dvau jātau bhuvi mahābalau ||

After that the Bhagavân Hari incarnated as Râma, the son of Das’aratha. Next in the twenty-eighth Dvâpara Yuga, He incarnated as the very powerful Arjuna and S’rî Krisna, the Ams’as of Nara Nârâyana. To remove the load of the earth, these two were born; and they fought deadly battles in the battlefield of Kuruksettra. O king! Thus the several incarnations of Hari arose, according to the requirements of Prakriti. O King! These three worlds are under the control of Prakriti.

4.16.18

aṣṭāviṃśe yuge śastau dvāpare'rjunaśauriṇau |
dharābhārāvatārārthaṃ jātau kṛṣṇārjunau bhuvi ||

4.16.19

kṛtavantau mahāyuddhaṃ kurukṣetre'tidāruṇam |
evaṃ yuge yuge rājannavatārā hareḥ kila ||

4.16.20

bhavanti bahavaḥ kāmaṃ prakṛteranurūpataḥ |
prakṛterakhilaṃ sarvaṃ vaśametajjagattrayam ||

4.16.21

yathecchati tathaiveyaṃ bhrāmayatyaniśaṃ jagat |
puruṣasya priyārthaṃ sā racayatyakhilaṃ jagat ||

Whatever the Prakriti wishes at any time, She can fashion the world in that way. And She does this incessantly in accordance with the Word Divine, the Highest S’akti, to please the Purusa, without any cessation.

4.16.22

sṛṣṭvā purā hi bhagavāñjagadetaccarācaram |
sarvādiḥ sarvagaścāsau durjñeyaḥ paramo'vyayaḥ ||

In days of yore, the most ancient Bhagavân, the Highest, above all the qualities of Mâyâ, formless, all pervading, difficult to be conceived, without any decay, self-supporting, without any want, created these worlds, moving and unmoving and He manifested Himself as the Trinity, Brahmâ, Visnu, Mahes’a in the shape of the three qualities Sâttva, Râjas and Tâmas, and which is called the Highest Prakriti.

4.16.23

nirālambo nirākāro niḥspṛhaśca parātparaḥ |
upādhitastridhā bhāti yasyāḥ sā prakṛtiḥ parā ||

4.16.24

utpattikālayogātsā bhinnā bhāti śivā tadā |
sā viśvaṃ kurute kāmaṃ sā pālayati kāmadā ||

This all auspicious Prakriti shines differently according to the differences in time and circumstances. This threefold Prakriti, the Great Enchantress of the world is creating, preserving the worlds and is destroying them at the end of the Kalpas.

4.16.25

kalpānte saṃharatyeva trirūpā viśvamohinī |
tayā yukto'sṛja dbrahmā viṣṇuḥ pāti tayānvitaḥ ||

O King! Whenever there takes place the union with this Prakriti, Brahmâ creates, Visnu preserves, and the all-auspicious God S’ankara destroys the worlds.

4.16.26

rudraḥ saṃharate kāmaṃ tayā sammilitaḥ śivaḥ |
sā caivotpādya kākutsthaṃ purā vai nṛpasattamam ||

It was She That gave birth to Kâkutstha, the best of the kings; and to conquer the Dânavas, She placed him at a certain place.

4.16.27

kutracitsthāpayāmāsa dānavānāṃ jayāya ca |
evamasmiṃśca saṃsāre sukhaduḥkhānvitāḥ kila ||

O king! Thus all men controlled by the Great Law in this world, enjoy sometimes the pleasures, enjoy sometimes pains and thus exist in the world.
Here ends the Sixteenth Chapter in the Fourth Book of S’rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam, the Mahâpurânam of 18,000 verses, by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa, on the Birth of the several Avatâras of Visnu and their deeds.

4.16.28

bhavanti prāṇinaḥ sarve vidhitantraniyantritāḥ ||

4.16.28.c1

iti śrīmaddevībhāgavate mahāpurāṇe'ṣṭādaśasāhasryāṃ saṃhitāyāṃ caturthaskandhe harernānāvatāravarṇanaṃ nāma ṣoḍaśo'dhyāyaḥ ||