Mudgalapurana 5.16: śeṣātiduḥkhavarṇanaṃ nāma ṣoḍaśo'dhyāyaḥ

Obeisance to the glorious Gaṇeśa!

Mudgala said: / I shall briefly narrate the greatness of the son of Śeṣa. / Listen to that, O protector of creatures, which bestows yoga and peace.

Once, Brahmā, residing in Satyaloka and devoted to meditation / for the welfare of all beings, was himself deluded [by wonder]:

'How may this creation of mine always remain unbroken?' / There, from his out-breath, a man was born.

Bowing to the Creator, he praised him with various hymns. / Then Brahmā said to him: 'Tell me quickly, what do you desire?'

Hearing Brahmā's word, the man became filled with joy. / With his neck bowed in devotion, he spoke to that protector of creatures.

The man said: / 'Protect me, O Lord, a son born of your out-breath; / grant me a name, a dwelling, and various kinds of food, O Creator!

Grant everything else that brings happiness, O Lord; obeisance to you! / You are the refuge of all beings, and now especially mine.'

Hearing his speech, Brahmā became filled with affection. / Embracing him, fond of his son, he kissed him and spoke.

Brahmā said: / 'By the mere sight of māyā you grow, O wise one; / therefore your renowned name will be Māyākara.

Whatever you wish, that shall become fruitful for you. / Your dwelling shall be in the three worlds, O son, and your movement unobstructed.

What is born of the four objects will always be subject to you; / death will never come to you from beings composed of the four kinds.

In battle, you will conquer everything of the four kinds, there is no doubt; / you will always be endowed with good health and other blessings, O my son.'

Hearing Brahmā's word, the man himself was overjoyed; / bowing down, Māyākara departed, roaming according to his own will.

Then the powerful chief of the Dānavas, Vipracitti, / seeing him endowed with strength, approached and bowed to him.

Learning the story of this Māyākara, the evil-minded, / yet powerful Vipracitti spoke to him again.

Vipracitti said: / 'O illustrious Māyākara, listen to my supreme word: / all the boons you have obtained are hard to attain, there is no doubt of this.

Enjoyment of them must always be made by you, O wise one; / only then do your boons become splendid, not otherwise, O Lord!

Just as a woman endowed with beauty and youth, united with her own husband, / shines exceedingly when enjoyed continually, O honor-giver;

so diverse pleasures gathered together become fruitful if enjoyed; / neglected and devoid of enjoyment, they always curse a man.

Therefore, O illustrious one, especially make use of your boons; / otherwise, being devoid of enjoyment, the boons will curse you.

We, the chiefs of the Dānavas, shall become subject to you; / with us who are endowed with strength, enjoy pleasures, O you of great might!

The Dānavas are endowed with strength, invincible in every way; / moving under the command of your order, they will roam, O Lord, without doubt.'

Thus instructed by him, the wicked-minded Māyākara himself / became subject to him and went with him to Rasātala.

There, the chiefs of the Dānavas, resembling Yama, gathered together; / honored by them, Māyākara, the son of the Creator, was delighted.

Then, having brought Śukra, the bowed Dānavas, O Creator, / respectfully had him consecrated by brāhmaṇas.

The son of Brahmā became the great king of the asuras; / striking fear into all, Māyākara shone exceedingly.

Enjoying various pleasures, he became haughty with power; / the lord of the asuras considered that he had accomplished his purpose.

Then, having conquered the earth together with the oceans with the chiefs of the Dānavas, / and having then conquered the hosts of gods, he sat upon Indra's throne.

Then all the Dānavas served him especially; / enjoying the pleasures of heaven, they rejoiced with their kinsmen, O Lord.

Then, approaching Śiva, he prepared for battle; / leaving Kailāsa beforehand, Śaṅkara himself fled.

Then, having gone to Vaikuṇṭha, the lord of the Dānavas shone; / abandoning Vaikuṇṭha thus, Viṣṇu fled out of fear.

Then, seeing him resting in peace, the Dānavas spoke to him again: / 'Conquer Brahmā, the leader of the gods, who resides in Satyaloka!

He is the giver of everything to the gods, and the Grandfather takes their side; / ah, he is the slayer of the asuras, never impartial!

Taking refuge in him, Mahādeva and the others have stationed themselves; / when they find their time, possessing great speed, they will surely kill us.

Everything has been conquered by you, O King, yet look at this conduct: / you have never been honored by Brahmā through an excellent messenger.'

Then the asura Māyākara, having heard their speech, / considering it true, prepared himself to conquer the Creator.

Seeing him arrived in Brahmaloka with the Dānavas, the Creator, / the Lord, filled with grief, fled surrounded by hosts of gods.

Then, dwelling in Satyaloka, he shone exceedingly at that moment; / honouring the Dānavas, the Daitya enjoyed happiness together with them.

Then he installed his own people in Satyaloka, in Kailāsa, in the abode of Viṣṇu, / in the abodes of Sūrya and of Śakti, and in the abodes of the other gods.

Returning again to the earth, the great Daitya took up residence in his own city / named Prapañca, and shone surrounded by Daitya lords.

Then the demon dispatched the chiefs of the Dānavas to conquer Pātāla, / and they all departed, accompanied by all [their forces].

Those serpent kings were defeated by them, and Śeṣa sought refuge with them; / accepting the payment of tribute, he remained surrounded by the serpent lords.

Even so, the Dānavas remained there, causing terror; / like Yama and Time, they all assaulted the serpents by force.

Then Śeṣa, deeply grieved, remembered the leader of the Gaṇas, / with reverence, O lord of creatures, so that obstacles would be removed and [the god] would become his son.

By inner meditation the lord of serpents pleased Vighneśa; / then, when a full year had passed, Gajānana manifested.

Having emerged from his very heart, he spoke to him: / "Behold me, O fortunate Śeṣa, as your son born of meditation!"

Dakṣa said: / How did Heramba become his son with so little effort? / Tell me, O great yogin, the great deed of Śeṣa!

Om tat sat. Thus ends the sixteenth chapter, named 'The Description of Śeṣa's Extreme Sorrow,' in the Lambodara Deeds, in the fifth section of the glorious Mudgalapurāṇa, an ultimate Purāṇa-Upaniṣad.