The Bhagavata Purana 2

by Bibek Debroy

  Chapter 7(8)

  ‘Narada said, “All the sons of the daityas heard what he had described and because it was without any faults, accepted it, not what the preceptors had instructed. The preceptor’s son 722 noticed that their minds were made up. Scared, he quickly went and reported this accurately to the king. His 723 entire body trembled because of his rage and he made up his mind to kill his son. Though Prahlada did not deserve it, he abused him in harsh words. He glanced at him with his crooked and wicked eyes, though the controlled one stood before him, humble and gentle, his hands joined in salutation. Since his nature was extremely terrible, he was like a snake that had been struck with the foot. ‘O insolent one! O evil-minded one! O wretch! O one who creates dissension in the lineage! You have obstinately deviated from my commands. You are evil in conduct. Today, I will convey you to Yama’s abode. The three worlds and their lords tremble because of my rage. O foolish one! On the basis of whose strength, did you forsake my command?’ Prahlada replied, ‘O king! He is not my strength alone. He is your strength and that of everyone else. He brings the superior and the inferior, mobile and immobile, Brahma and the others under his subjugation. He is Urukrama. He is the lord who is time. He is the strength of the mind. He is sattva. He is physical strength. He is behind the senses. Through his own strength, he is the supreme one who creates, preserves and destroys the universe. He is the lord of the three gunas. Give up the asura nature that is in you. Make your mind serene. There are no enemies other than being based on a perverse path, leading to an inability to conquer the mind. This is the best way to worship Ananta. Earlier too, there were those who thought they had single-handedly conquered the ten directions. They were governed by delusions about their own powers. However, they were plundered and vanquished by the six bandits. 724 The learned conquer their atmans and are impartial towards all embodied beings. Who is an enemy for such a virtuous person?’ Hiranyakashipu said, ‘Since you are boasting excessively, it is evident that you wish to die. O evil-minded one! Indeed, the words of those who are about to die are garbled. O unfortunate one! Other than me, you have spoken about a lord of the universe. If he is everywhere, why can he not be seen in this pillar? Since you have boasted, I will sever your head from your body. Let me see if Hari, whose refuge you desire, can protect you today.’ The great asura was full of rage and repeatedly abused his son, the great devotee of the illustrious one, through such harsh words. Seizing his sword, he leapt down from his excellent seat. With his fist, he struck the pillar with great force.

  ‘“O dear one! At that time, an extremely terrible sound was heard. It was as if the shell of the cosmic egg had cracked. Aja and the others, in their own respective abodes, heard this sound and thought that their own abodes were being destroyed. He was displaying his valour and energy, desiring to kill his son. He heard that loud and extraordinary sound, the likes of which had never been heard earlier. Everyone in the assembly, the leaders of the enemies of the gods, were terrified and glanced towards the source of that sound. He wished to make the words spoken by his servant come true and also demonstrate that he pervaded all creatures and everything. From the pillar in the assembly hall, he showed himself in a wonderful form that was not animal, nor human. He 725 looked around everywhere and saw the being that had emerged from the middle of the pillar. He exclaimed, ‘This is not animal, nor human. What is this form, both man and lion?’ While he was debating in this way, the terrible and extraordinary Nrisimha form manifested itself before him. His fierce eyes were like molten gold. The expanded mouth had a dazzling mane. The tusks were terrible. The tip of the tongue was as sharp as a razor, resembling a flashing sword. The dreadful face was marked by furrowed eyebrows. The motionless ears were erect. The extraordinary mouth gaped, like a cavern in a mountain. The nose and the parted jaws were terrible. The body touched the sky. The neck was short and stout. The chest was broad and the waist was thin. He was covered with body hair that was as fair as the beams of the moon. In every direction, there were hundreds of arms, with nails as weapons. He was impossible to assail and he drove away all the daityas and danavas, vanquishing them with the best of weapons. ‘Perhaps Hari, who is great in his maya, has devised this means to kill me. But how can such efforts amount to anything?’ Saying this, the elephant among daityas seized a club as a weapon. Roaring, he advanced towards Nrisimha. But just as an insect that falls into the fire is no longer discernible, the asura vanished in Nrisimha’s energy. Indeed, for the abode of sattva, this is not surprising. In earlier times, with his own energy, he drank up the tamas. The great asura was angry and struck Nrisimha with the great force of his club. Just as Tarkshya’s son 726 seizes a serpent, Gadadhara 727 seized the one who was valiantly advancing with a club. At that time, the asura slipped out of his hands and he toyed with him, the way Garuda plays with a serpent. O descendant of the Bharata lineage! All the lords and immortals, whose abodes had been taken away 728 and who had hidden themselves behind the clouds, thought that this was a bad sign. When he freed himself, the great asura thought that Nrihari 729 was scared of his valour. In the encounter, he lost all his exhaustion. He seized a sword and a shield and again attacked with great force. His speed was like that of a hawk and he executed motions with his shield, marked with one hundred moons. However, Hari, great in speed, laughed out aloud, in a harsh voice, and seized the one whose eyes were half-closed. 730 Afflicted, he thrashed around in all directions, but Hari seized him, though the vajra had been unable to pierce his skin. It was like a snake seizing a mouse. Near the door, he placed him on his thigh and using his nails, played with him, just as Garuda toys with an extremely venomous snake. Because of his rage, he was impossible to look at. His eyes were terrible. He licked the ends of his mouth with his tongue. Because of the drops of blood, his face and mane were red. He resembled a lion, garlanded with entrails of an elephant it has killed. He tore out his heart, which was like a lotus, with his pointed nails. Then, casting him aside, he turned towards the followers, who were wielding weapons. But he killed all of them, using the nails on his hands as weapons. He was terrible and thousands of such followers were brought down. The hair on his head agitated and dispelled the clouds. The dazzle of his eyes robbed the planets of their radiance. Agitated by his breathing, the waters of the ocean turned turbulent. Terrified at his roars, the elephants in charge of the directions shrieked. The firmament was full of vimanas and were tossed up by his hair. Suffering from the tread of his feet, the earth moved from its position. Because of his energy, mountains were uprooted and the sky and the directions lost their radiance. Resplendent in his energy, the lord then seated himself on the king’s excellent seat in that assembly hall. Because of his rage, no one who could challenge him to a duel was seen. His visage was so terrible that no one dared to worship him either.

  ‘“The wives of the gods heard that the anxiety of the three worlds had been removed and that Hari had slain the daitya in an encounter. As a result of their great delight, their faces bloomed. They repeatedly showered down flowers. The firmament was covered with a large array of vimanas, crowded because the gods came to see him. The celestial drums and tambourines were sounded. The foremost among the gandharvas sang and the women danced. O son! The gods, Brahma, Indra, Girisha and the others, the rishis, the ancestors, the Siddhas, the vidyadharas, the giant serpents, the Manus, the Prajapatis, the gandharvas, the apsaras, the charanas, the yakshas, the kimpurushas, the vetalas, the kinnaras and all Vishnu’s attendants, Sunanda, Kumuda and the others, arrived there. Fierce in his energy, the man-lion was seated there. They joined their hands in salutation and bowed down. From a distance, they separately worshipped him. Brahma said, ‘I bow down to Ananta, whose powers are infinite. His valour is wonderful and his deeds are auspicious. Through the gunas, it is he who controls the creation, preservation and destruction of the universe. His atman never decays and through his pastimes, he ensures all this.’ Rudra said, ‘The end of the yuga is the time for you to display your rage. This insignificant asura has bee
n killed. You are affectionate towards your devotees. Protect his son. He is standing here and is devoted to you.’ Indra said, ‘O supreme one! You have saved us and our own shares, attacked by the daitya. The lotuses in our hearts were seized by him and have been illuminated now. O lord! Compared to serving you, what does all this amount to? All of it is devoured by time. O Narasimha! Such devotees pay scant respect to liberation, not to speak of other things.’ The rishis said, ‘You are the supreme. Through your energy, you taught us about austerities. O original being! Everything was latent in you and you created it. Those 731 were stolen by this one. O one who protects those who seek refuge! Assuming this form, you have protected us and we have again regained our status.’ The ancestors said, ‘He forcibly appropriated what was offered by our descendants at shraddha ceremonies. He drank the water, mixed with sesamum, that was offered to us at the time of visiting tirthas. You have now torn apart his stomach with your nails and we have got those back. We bow down to Nrihari, who protects all dharma.’ The Siddhas said, ‘We obtained destinations through the practice of yoga. But through his yoga, austerities and strength, the wicked one robbed us of those. He was insolent because of the many things he had done. But you have torn him apart with your nails. O Nrisimha! We prostrate ourselves before you.’ The vidyadharas said, ‘Through different kinds of practice, we acquired many different kinds of vidya. 732 Insolent because of his strength and valour, this foolish one prohibited us from using those. O Nrisimha! Using your maya, in an encounter, you have killed him like an animal. We always prostrate ourselves before you.’ The nagas said, ‘This wicked one robbed us of our jewels and the jewels among women. You have brought them delight by tearing apart his chest. We bow down before you.’ The Manus said, ‘We Manus obey your commands. O god! But this son of Diti violated all the ordinances. O lord! But you have killed the deceitful one. We are your servants. Tell us what we should do now.’ The Prajpatis said, ‘O supreme lord! We Prajapatis have been created by you. However, he prohibited us from creating subjects. But he is now lying down, his chest splintered by you. O one who brings benefit to the universe! In this avatara, you are the embodiment of sattva.’ The gandharvas said, ‘O lord! We are actors, singers and dancers. However, because of his valour, energy and strength, he subjugated us. You have now reduced him to this state. How can someone who deviates from the path think of well-being?’ The charanas said, ‘O Hari! Your lotus feet are the only refuge for those who do not want contamination. That is what virtuous ones desire and you have brought an end to the asura.’ The yakshas said, ‘By performing acts that brought you pleasure, we became the foremost among your attendants. However, this son of Diti forced us to bear his palanquin. You knew about the torment he caused to people. O Narahari! O twenty-fifth! You have reduced him to panchatva.’ 733 The kimpurushas said, ‘We are only kimpurushas and you are the lord and great being. This wicked person was shamed by all virtuous people. He has now been destroyed.’ The vaitalikas 734 said, ‘In assembly halls and sacrifices, we sang about your unblemished glory and received great respect. However, this wicked person brought us under his subjugation. He was like a disease. O illustrious one! It is good fortune that he has been killed by you.’ The kinnaras said, ‘O lord! We, the large number of kinnaras, are your followers. However, without any remuneration, Diti’s son forced us to serve him. O Hari! You have caused that wicked person to be destroyed. O Narasimha! For the sake of our benefit, please be our protector.’ Vishnu’s companions said, ‘Today, you have assumed this wonderful half-man–half-lion form. O one who grants refuge! O one who brings benefit to all the worlds! It is our good fortune that we have seen it. O lord! He followed your commands, but was cursed by the brahmanas. We understand that you have shown him a favour by killing him.’”’

  Chapter 7(9)

  ‘Narada said, “Since he was still full of rage and intolerance, all the gods and others, with Brahma and Rudra at the forefront, found it extremely difficult to approach him. The gods sent Shri herself. However, on seeing this great and extraordinary form, never seen before or heard of, she was scared and could not approach. Brahma, who was stationed nearby, then sent Prahlada. ‘O son! The lord is extremely enraged with your father. Go and pacify him.’ O king! The child, the great devotee of the illustrious one, approached slowly. With his hands joined in salutation, he approached and prostrated his body down on the ground. The god saw that the child had fallen down at his feet and was overcome by compassion. He placed his lotus hand on his head and raised him. He destroys fear in the minds of those who are terrified by the serpent known as time. From the touch of his hand, everything inauspicious was cleansed. The vision of the paramatman instantly manifested itself. In the core of his heart, he meditated on the lotus feet. His body was filled with delight and his heart melted. There were tears in his eyes. Single-minded and extremely controlled, he started to pray to Hari. His voice faltered because of the bliss and love, and his heart and eyes were fixed on him.

  ‘“Prahlada said, ‘O Hari! I have been born in a fierce lineage. Brahma and the other large number of gods, the sages, the Siddhas and those who have not deviated from the flow of sattva in any of their words are completely qualified. But even they have not been able to worship you till now. How am I worthy of satisfying you? I think that the worship of the supreme being is not possible through noble birth, beauty, austerities, learning, keen senses, energy, power, physical strength, manliness, intelligence and yoga. Like the leader of the herd of elephants, 735 the illustrious one can be satisfied through devotion. In terms of approaching the one who has a lotus in his navel, I think that a svapacha 736 is superior to a brahmana who possesses the twelve qualities, 737 but retreats from his lotus feet. If he surrenders himself with his mind and words, he brings benefit and purifies his own life and his own lineage, unlike a person who is only respected a lot. The lord does not expect any gain for himself. He is complete in his own self and does not want respect from people. It is out of compassion that he accepts these from the ignorant. Whatever respect a person offers to the illustrious one is indeed offered back to him, like the reflection of a face in a mirror. Therefore, though I am incapable, I surrender myself with all my soul to the lord. To the best of my intelligence, I will chant about him. I am of inferior birth and ignorant. I have entered this world, which is the creation of gunas. Such a person can be purified through this chanting. All these, Brahma and the others, follow your commands. You are the reservoir of sattva, unlike us. O lord! We are scared of you. O illustrious one! It is said that for the welfare of creatures, and not for your own happiness and pastime, you assume beautiful avataras. Therefore, let go of your rage now. The asura has been killed. Virtuous ones are rejoicing, as if a scorpion or a snake has been killed. All these worlds are delighted and are waiting. O Nrisimha! People will remember this form, assumed for granting them freedom from fear. O unvanquished one! I am not terrified of your terrible visage and tongue, eyes that are like the sun, furrowed eyebrows, strong and ferocious teeth, the garland of entrails, the blood on the mane, ears like cones, the roaring that frightens elephants who are guardians of the directions and the pointed nails that have torn apart the enemy. O compassionate and affectionate one! I am terrified of the carnage in the wheel of samsara, which is fierce and intolerable. I am being devoured and hurled down, bound by my own karma. O supremely powerful one! When will you be pleased and summon me to your lotus feet, the refuge from everything material? I am roaming around on earth in the midst of the pleasant, the unpleasant, separation, association and births as all the different species. I am being burnt in the fire of grief. By accepting the body as real, every medication for misery brings greater misery. Tell me how I can deserve to be your servant. You are my beloved well-wisher. You are the supreme divinity. O Nrisimha! Virinchi has sung the account of your pastimes. If I am completely absorbed in your feet and associate with hamsas, I will easily pass over all miseries. Chanting about you, I will be freed from the gunas. O Nrisimha! In this world, par
ents are not the refuge for children, nor medicine for those who are suffering from disease. A boat does not help one who is drowning in the ocean. O lord! For all embodied beings in this world, anything regarded as an easy antidote for torments is not favoured by you. 738 Here or anywhere, everything, at every time, whatever be the relationship, whatever be the cause, wherever it goes to, wherever it has come from, inferior or superior, whatever its existence, whether it changes or does not change, whether it has a separate nature—everything is invoked by you. They emanate from your own form. In the mind, maya creates a powerful urge to undertake action. 739 The supreme being urges time and allows the gunas to act. The wheel of time has sixteen spokes 740 and the ignorant become full of desire. O one without a beginning! Without you, how can one transgress this? With your atman, you have always vanquished the gunas. Through your powers, you have kept time under subjugation. You are the power behind cause and effect. O lord! Using your powers, you have created this wheel with the sixteen spokes and we are being crushed under it. O lord! We have sought refuge with you. Accept us. O lord! I have seen all the lords who are there in heaven. All these people desire lifespans, prosperity and powers. However, our father laughed in rage and furrowed his eyebrows and all of them were brought down and swept aside. But you have restrained him too. Therefore, I know about the benedictions that those with bodies can receive, from Virinchi downwards—lifespan, prosperity, power and gratification of the senses. Those who are great in their valour are also destroyed and taken away by time. I do not desire this. Make me a servant by your side. Where are those benedictions? They are pleasant to hear about, but are in the form of mirages. This body gives rise to many kinds of diseases. However, even learned people are not satiated. They seek to pacify the fire of desire with small drops of honey, but this is extremely difficult to do. O lord! Rajas is strong in me and the power of tamas is stronger still. I have been born in a lineage that is inferior to that of the gods. Look at your compassion towards me. You showed me your favours and placed your lotus hand on my head, not on that of Brahma, Bhava or Rama. 741 Indeed, there is no sense of superior and inferior in you. You are a well-wisher towards all creatures and towards the universe. Depending on the kind of service rendered, you show your favours to all those who serve you, even if they are inferior to the gods. There is no sense of superior and inferior in you. People descend into this material existence, which is like a pit full of snakes. Because of association, I was also likely to follow this path of desire. However, the illustrious and divine rishi accepted me. Therefore, how can I give up the idea of serving as your servant? O Ananta! When my father tried to kill me, you saved my life. I think this was because I am your own servant and because you didn’t want the rishi’s words to be rendered false. 742 Wishing to cause me injury, he seized a sword and said, “If there is a lord who is superior to me, tell him to save you. I will sever your head.” This universe is the manifestation of you alone. You existed before its beginning and you will exist after its end. You separately exist in its middle. You have created the transformation of gunas through your own maya. You enter them and cause many types of manifestations. You are this. You are the lord of cause and effect. However, you are also distinct from it. This feeling of “mine” and “someone else’s” is futile and arises because of maya. Something that depends for its birth, preservation, destruction and manifestation on something else is no different from it, just as a tree is no different from the seed and the earth is no different from its subtle element. 743 At the time of destruction, you withdraw this universe into your own self and lie down on the waters. You experience your own bliss and are without any activity. Your eyes are closed in yoga and you appear to be asleep. But you are in a state of turiya. There is no tamas in you and you do not experience the gunas. Everything is your form. This 744 is your body. Through your own powers, you urge time and the nature of Prakriti. You lay down in the waters on the body of Ananta. 745 When your meditation came to an end, a giant lotus manifested itself from your navel, like a banyan tree from a tiny seed. It had been dormant within you. From that, the best of wise ones 746 was generated. He could see nothing other than you and thought that you, his seed, was outside him. He immersed himself in the waters for one hundred years to find the origin of the lotus, but could not find it. O lord! How can a sprout perceive the seed? Seated on the lotus, the one who was his own source was extremely surprised. After some time, he performed terrible austerities and purified himself. O lord! He saw your subtle atman pervading his own self, the senses, full of desires, and the elements, just as smell pervades the earth. Virinchi saw the great being, endowed with thousands of faces, feet, heads, hands, thighs, noses, mouths and eyes and adorned with ornaments and weapons. Full of maya, your appearance was an aggregate of different things and he was delighted. You assumed the form of Hayashira and killed the two extremely strong ones known as Madhu and Kaitabha. They were against the Vedas and full of rajas and tamas. You gave all the sacred texts to him. Your beloved form is full of sattva. In this way, you assume different avataras—as men, inferior species, rishis, gods and aquatic creatures. You protect the worlds and kill those who torment the universe. O great being! You protect the dharma that is appropriate for the yuga. You remain hidden during kali yuga. Therefore, you are known as Triyuga. 747 O lord of Vaikuntha! This mind is wicked and is polluted by fierce sins, addicted to desire and afflicted by joy, misery and fear. It is not interested in your account. I am wretched. How can I comprehend your activities? O Achyuta! My tongue is not satisfied and drags me in one direction. My genitals drag me in another direction. My skin, stomach and hearing drag me in other directions. My smell and fickle eyes drag me elsewhere, as do my power to act. They are like many co-wives, nibbling at the lord of the household. Because of my own deeds, I have thus fallen into Vaitarani. 748 One after another, I face births, deaths and sufferings and am greatly terrified. Alas! You can see us, wicked and foolish ones facing “mine”, “someone else’s”, enmity and friendship in bodies. Please save us now. O illustrious one! Who but you can be a preceptor for everyone? Please try to raise us up. You are the cause behind creation, preservation and destruction. Show your compassion towards these foolish ones. You are a friend to the afflicted, not to speak of those like us, who serve those whom you love. O supreme one! I am not anxious about Vaitarani, which is so very difficult to cross. My mind is immersed in the great amrita of chanting about your valour. I grieve about those who pursue their senses, with their minds turning away from you. Those foolish ones are bearing the burden of a happiness that is maya. O god! In general, sages desire their own liberation. They roam around in desolate parts, silent, and not interested in the benefit of others. I do not wish to leave aside miserable ones and be liberated alone. For those who are wandering around, I do not see anyone other than you as a refuge. A householder’s happiness, sexual gratification and other things are trifles. This is like scratching an itching hand with another hand. Misery leads to other miseries. In this world, those miserable ones suffer from many kinds of hardship and are never satisfied. A persevering person tolerates the itching in his mind. O Purusha! Silence, vows, learning, austerities, studying, one’s own dharma, explaining the sacred texts, solitude, chanting and meditation—these are generally said to be the superior methods for those who have cast aside their senses. But, in this connection, there are proud ones who only use these as a means of making a living. The Vedas say that your two forms are cause and effect. They are like the seed and the sprout and there is no other form for you. Those who are discriminating and practise yoga can see both these forms in front of them. This is like the fire in the wood and there is nothing else. O lord! You are wind, fire, earth, sky, water, the objects of the senses, breath of life, the senses, the mind, consciousness and ego. All these, with gunas and without gunas, are you. Even if it appears otherwise to the mind and speech, there is nothing other than you. The gunas, the presiding divinities over the gunas, Mahat and the others, the mind and other th
ings, gods and mortals—all these have a beginning and an end. O supreme one! Those who are extremely intelligent understand and cease studying the Vedas. O supreme among those who should be worshipped! Therefore, I bow before you and praise you—performing rites, worship, remembering your deeds, resorting to your feet, hearing about your accounts and serving you. Without these six elements of devotion, how can a person attain the paramahamsa state?’”