Mudgalapurana 3.39: viṣṇudehadhāraṇavarṇanaṃ nāmaikonacatvāriṃśo'dhyāyaḥ

Homage to the glorious Gaṇeśa.

Mudgala said: / Rāma's wife was Revatī, beautiful and endowed with virtues; / upon her he fathered two sons, Niṣadha and Ulmuka.

Sixteen thousand and one hundred and eight women / are declared to be the wives of Kṛṣṇa, charming in form and fair-eyed.

Sons were born to them by hundreds and thousands; / to each [wife] there were ten sons and one daughter.

The sons, chief of whom were Pradyumna and Sāmba, possessed great splendor; / they became great chariot-warriors, fortunate, and endowed with knowledge.

And Pradyumna's son was the powerful Aniruddha; / his son was Vajra, and he alone maintained the lineage.

He alone was left over from the club; thus various kings / were born there; it is truly not possible for me to recount them all.

Dakṣa said: / How did Viṣṇu himself visibly assume a human body? / What was the root cause of that? Speak of that very thing, O honor-bestower!

Mudgala said: / Listen, O lord of creatures, to a very delightful story that occurred of old, / by hearing which all your doubt will be destroyed.

Formerly, the Daitya lords were conquered by the gods accompanied by Viṣṇu; / then, having abandoned their kingdom, the Daityas roamed the forests out of fear.

Then the gods, weapons upraised, went eagerly to kill them; / all of them, led by Prahlāda, were terrified.

Then, making folded hands before them, those helpless ones said: / "Having abandoned our kingdom, we all wander in the forests;

why are you resolved to kill us who are devoid of weapons and the like? / O gods, everything has been taken by you, and yet—alas!—

therefore protect us, O wise ones, who have approached for refuge; / do not harm the wretched, O fortunate ones, and especially not [us]!"

Even so, impelled there by Viṣṇu, the gods / began to slay the Dānavas; then the asuras fled.

They went for refuge to their guru Bhṛgu, a treasure of yoga; / but the [gods], with weapons upraised and filled with wrath, followed after them.

There, O Dakṣa, none of the Dānavas saw Bhṛgu; / knowing that he had gone for sacrificial wood, they approached Bhṛgu's wife:

"Protect us, O goddess, who are frightened of the gods and have come for refuge! / Otherwise we shall die before you, there is no doubt of this."

Hearing their words, she who bestows happiness said to them: / "Do not fear at all, I shall turn back the gods."

Hearing her word, the Dānavas were filled with joy; / remaining there, O Dakṣa, they breathed out and in [with relief].

Meanwhile, the gods, preceded by Viṣṇu, arrived there; / with all weapons upraised, they set out to slay the Daityas.

Bhṛgu's wife said to them: "Do not harm them, O best of gods! / The Daityas have sought refuge with me, especially since they are deprived of their realm."

Disregarding her, the king of the gods, impelled by Viṣṇu himself, / grasped his thunderbolt and advanced to slay the Daityas with wrathful eyes.

Then Bhṛgu's wife grew angry by virtue of her own ascetic power; / she paralyzed the king of the gods along with his thunderbolt.

Seeing that, Viṣṇu then with his razor-rimmed discus / severed the head of Bhṛgu's wife; she fell to the surface of the earth.

At that very time Bhṛgu arrived there; / seeing his wife dead, he grew furious with blood-red eyes.

In a fury he cursed Viṣṇu: "Fall to the surface of the earth / because of the sin of slaying a Brahmin woman! Do you not understand, O lowest of gods?"

By his own ascetic power and by his knowledge, O lord of creatures, Bhṛgu / restored his wife to life, and likewise protected the Dānavas.

Then god Viṣṇu, deeply distressed and overwhelmed with sorrow, / went for refuge to the King of Obstacles in the sacred place of Mayūraka.

There, through intense asceticism, for just a single year, O lord of creatures, / fasting and with devotion, he pleased the Lord of Obstacles.

Then that King of the Ganas came to him, constrained by devotion, / and said to Mahāviṣṇu: "Choose the boon desired in your heart."

Rising, Viṣṭaraśravas then bowed down to Gaṇeśa,

worshiped him with devotional sentiment, and praised Gajānana.

Praised by him with the Atharvaśiras, he replied to him:
"Choose a boon; I shall grant it. Do not be grieved, Keśava.

Śrī Viṣṇu said:
If you are pleased and grant boons, O Gajānana,
turn aside my curse that arose from Bhṛgu, O great lord!

Grant me an abode right here to worship you;
O master, always keep me free from obstacles, loving your feet.

Saying 'Om', Ḍhuṇḍhi himself spoke to his foremost devotee:
"Do not worry, O Viṣṇu; listen to my supreme word.

I will never make false the word of Bhṛgu,
who is my devotee; therefore you shall fall into the world of mortals.

Right there your knowledge will never be lost;
and by my grace, O lord of gods, you will act according to your own will, always happy.

Beseeched by the gods for the slaying of Daityas and others,
and to establish dharma, you will take up incarnations.

There your fame will be exceedingly great in particular;
you will establish great renown on the earth, O Keśava.

There you will have devotees in particular;
you will constantly fulfill their fourfold desires.

And after performing the work of the gods, O divine Janārdana,
your dwelling will always be in Vikuṇṭha, there is no doubt.

You will indeed take a body by your own will, there is no doubt;
by my grace, O Hṛṣīkeśa, all that you desire shall come to pass.

Whatever else you requested, O lord of gods, that too shall come to be.
Abide here, remaining in this sacred field; an imperishable place has been given by me."

Having spoken thus, O Dakṣa, Gaṇeśa, the treasure of compassion, vanished.
A dwelling place was made there by Viṣṇu with devotion, O Prajāpati.

In the eastern region indeed Gaṇanāyaka was installed;
the name 'Viṣṇu-Vināyaka' was given to him by the twice-born.

This has been told to you, O Dakṣa: the cause of taking up bodies,
and the birth in various wombs even of Viṣṇu, the lord of gods.

Om tat sat. Thus in the glorious final Upaniṣad of the Purāṇas, in the glorious Mahāpurāṇa of Mudgala, in the third section recounting the deeds of Mahodara, the thirty-ninth chapter, entitled "The Description of Viṣṇu's Assumption of Bodies."