Krishna said to Rāma: 18 Stay here, strong-armed man. I think there’s something wrong with our horses. I’ll continue on foot, and fetch the Syamantaka jewel.
19 So lofty Krishna, the supreme missile expert, continued on his own two feet and killed Shatadhanvan near Mithilā, your majesty. 20 But after he’d killed the mighty Bhoja, he couldn’t find the Syamantaka.
When Krishna returned, the man with the plough said to him: Give me the jewel.
21 Krishna said: It wasn’t there.
Then Rāma became angry. He abused Janārdana repeatedly, and said: 22 I only put up with this because you’re my brother. Best of luck to you—I’m leaving. I don’t care about Dvārakā, or you, or the Vrishnis.
23 So Rāma the crusher of rivals went to Mithilā, and the king of Mithilā honoured him with all manner of luxurious delights.
24 Meanwhile Babhru the Mongoose was being as sensible as can be, hosting lavish rites of all the various kinds. 25 Once he had the Syamantaka, the wise and famous son of Gāndinī armoured himself with preparatory rituals in an attempt to protect himself. 26 At rites over a period of some sixty years, that soul of propriety gave away sums of money, precious jewels, and various other treasures. 27 All rites that feature great feasts and generous gifts to the priests and that satisfy every desire are now known as Akrūra’s rites, after that great man.
28 Mighty King Duryodhana went to Mithilā and received marvellous tuition in mace-combat from Baladeva. 29 Then, after great Vrishni and Andhaka warriors had appeased Rāma, the great Krishna brought him back to Dvārakā.
30 After he’d had Satrājit and his relatives killed in battle, powerful Akrūra took the Andhakas with him and left, bull of the Bhāratas. 31 Krishna, anxious not to exacerbate the rift between his relatives, let him go. But then, while Akrūra was away, the Punisher of Pāka didn’t rain, 32 and the realm was badly weakened by drought. So the Kukuras and Andhakas conciliated Akrūra. 33 And once the generous master had come back to Dvāravatī, the god of a thousand eyes rained again on the land by the ocean.
34 Clever Akrūra also gave Vāsudeva a young woman—his own sister, respected for her virtue—to curry his favour, joy of the Kurus.*35 So now Krishna Janārdana put everything together and worked out that the gem was in Akrūra Babhru’s possession, and he said to him in the middle of the assembly:
36 The precious gemstone is in your possession. Give it to me, honourable lord. Don’t be churlish. 37 The fury I felt on that occasion sixty years ago† flares up again and again. A long time has passed since then, but I still feel it.
38 Then, in accordance with Krishna’s request, in the assembly of all the Sātvatas, wise Babhru gave him the jewel without a qualm. 39 And after he’d acquired it from Babhru’s hands in a respectable fashion, Krishna the tamer of his foes, with joy in his heart, gave the jewel back to Babhru. 40 The son of Gāndinī took the precious Syamantaka jewel from Krishna’s hands and fixed it upon himself, and he shone like the sun.
The Gods and the Demons
30. Janamejaya’s Question
1 Janamejaya said:
I want to hear about all the deeds of Hari Krishna, the wise slayer of the foe, in full detail, with nothing left out, 2 and with the deeds in the right order. You must also explain what the lord’s nature was, brahmin, and narrate his manifestations.
3 How did wise Lord Vishnu, master of the gods and destroyer of the foe, come to be Vasudeva’s son in Vasudeva’s community? 4 The world of the gods is a pure world, filled with immortals and graced by those whose deeds were pure, but he left it behind and came here to the world of mortals. 5 Why did the guide of gods and humans, the creator and master of heaven and earth, place his divine self within the human realm?
6 He’s the supreme discus-wielder. He alone turns the wheel of the seasons for the human weal. Why would he decide to become human? 7 Why would Lord Vishnu, the world’s universal cowherd, come to the earth and become a cowherd? 8 He’s the soul of all beings, the source of all success. He made and maintained the great elements. How could he be carried in the womb of an earthly woman? 9 He who won the three worlds in three strides* at the request of the thirty gods, and established the world’s three paths, which proceed from the triple set.†10 He who leads the world along a path that’s by turns visible and invisible, drinking it up when it’s time for it to end, making it a body out of water, and turning it into a single ocean. 11 He, the foe-slayer, the soul of the ancient stories, who took the form of a boar in the ancient story and raised up the jewel-bearing earth on the tip of his tusk. 12 He, the truest god, who long ago, for the sake of much-invoked Indra, conquered the jewelled earth and gave the imperishable triple-world away to the gods. 13 He who made himself a lion’s form but divided it in two, and who then killed powerful Hiranyakashipu, the original Daitya. 14 He, the lord who long ago became the all-destroying Aurva fire, then stayed in the underworld and drank the aquatic oblation beneath the sea. 15 He of whom they speak in a thousand ways in age after age, brahmin: the god with a thousand feet, a thousand rays, and a thousand heads. 16 He in whose navel-socket, when the world had become a single ocean, the Grandfather’s home germinated. Lotuses grow from mud, but that one didn’t! 17 He who killed the Daityas in the war over Tārakā, after taking a form that consisted of every god and bore every weapon, and who felled proud Kālanemi while mounted on Garuda. 18 He who lies on the northern edge of the ocean—the ocean of milk, the ocean of nectar—doing his eternal yoga in the vast darkness.
19 After long austerities, Aditi, mother of gods,
conceived the ancient divinity as an embryo.
On leaving the womb he gave support to Shakra,
who was surrounded by Daitya hordes.
20 It was he who made his footsteps the world’s divisions
and allotted the Daityas a home in the waters,
who made the gods gods of the third heaven
and restored much-invoked Indra as their ruler.
21–22 It was he who took the institution of the household fire and the act of providing food for brahmins, and used them to develop the offertory fire, the ritual ground, the kusha grass, the small ladle, the water for sprinkling, the large ladle, the purificatory bathing rituals, the spokes of time, the three soma-pressings, and the offerings to the gods and ancestors at the feast. 23 Regarding the portions, he set up the ritual statutes whereby the gods eat their offerings and the ancestors eat theirs. He knows what’s appropriate when it comes to ritual actions. 24 The sacrificial posts, the firewood, the pouring tool, the soma, the strainer, the sticks that enclose the fire, the materials to be sacrificed, the offerings, the piled-up fires, the superintending priests, the ritual patrons, and the major rites (animal sacrifice and so on)— 25 it was he who instituted these, long ago, through his preeminent deeds, while touring around the worlds and making them conform to the age.*
26 Instants and blinks of an eye; seconds, minutes, and hours; past, present, and future; lunar days and months; solar days and years; 27 seasons and celestial conjunctions; the various measurements that human beings use; lifespan, bodies, growth, species, and fitness of form; 28 the three classes, three worlds, three sciences, three fires, three tenses, three deeds, three deaths, three qualities, and three eternal worlds—it was he who, in his eternal way, created all these.
29 He creates every living being’s qualities, for he has within himself every living being’s qualities. He enjoys himself through his connection with the senses and so on of human beings.* He’s the guide for the living and the dead, the master of laws for this world and the next. 30 He’s the progress of the righteous, the halting of malefactors, the source of the four classes, the protector of the four classes, 31 the knower of the four sciences, the home of the four estates.† He’s the soul of the world, the spirit in the sky, the wind and the source of the wind. 32 He’s both sun and moon, he’s the light, the lord of yogis, the body of night. He’s known as supreme light, he’s known as supreme heat, 33 he tells of the supreme b
eyond the supreme, he’s the supreme with the supreme soul.
He’s the first of Aditi’s sons, the divine one, the mighty one who brings an end to the Daityas, 34 who brings the end at the ends of the ages, who brings the end of the world’s ender. He’s the limit of the world’s limits. Among those whose deeds are pure he’s the pure one, 35 among those who know the Veda he’s the one to be known, among masterful ones he’s the master. Among elements he’s the element of soma, among those with the power of fire he’s the element of fire, 36 among human beings he’s the element of mind, among ascetics he’s the element of heat. He’s the discipline of those who act carefully, the ardour of the ardent, 37 the creator of creations, the unsurpassed cause of the world. For those who deserve strife he is strife, but for those who progress he is progress.
38 Space is the source of wind, wind is the power behind fire, fire is the power behind the gods, and Madhusūdana is the power behind fire.
39 It’s said that blood comes from chyle, flesh comes from blood, fat comes from flesh, and bone comes from fat. 40 Then marrow came from bone, and semen came from marrow,‡ and through the process that began with chyle, Krishna’s embryo was produced from semen. 41 In that process, the watery part comes first. It’s called the cool mass, derived from soma. And when the heat that the embryo makes can be discerned, it’s called the second mass.
42 It’s taught that semen has the nature of soma, and menstrual blood has the nature of fire.* These two substances follow from the chyle, and are powered by the moon and sun. 43 Semen’s in the phlegm category, and blood’s in the bile category. The heart’s the seat of phlegm, and the navel’s the seat of bile.†44 But the heart in the centre of the body is also known as the seat of mind, and the oblation-eating fire-god sits in the cavity behind the navel.‡45 The mind should be known as a patriarch, and phlegm’s known as soma, and bile’s known as fire. And in this way, everyone’s made of fire and soma.
46 Once the embryo had arisen in this way and had become a foetus, wind made its entrance, accompanied by the supreme soul. 47 When it arrives in the body it splits into five—the breathing wind, the breaking wind, the digesting wind, the rising wind, and the speaking wind—and the foetus keeps growing. 48 The breathing wind goes around promoting growth in the main body of the foetus, the breaking wind does it in its lower body, the rising wind does it in its upper body, 49 the speaking wind is the one it wriggles and kicks with, and the digesting wind is the one it desists with.
Then he began to appropriate, within the range of his senses, the elements 50 earth, wind, space, water, and fire as the fifth. His senses were given their instructions, and each of them entered into combination with a different element. 51 They say the body comes from earth, the lifebreath comes from wind, the orifices come from space, the outflow comes from water, 52 and the sparkle in the eye is fire. The mind is known as the regulator of the senses, and sense-pleasures and sense-objects are activated through its power.
53 That’s what I’ve heard.
But that person Vishnu is creating all the everlasting worlds, so why would he become human in this world of destruction? 54 This is my query, brahmin. This is what really baffles me. How could the progress of those who progress acquire a human body?
55 I’ve heard about the origin of my own lineage and predecessors, and now I want to hear about the career of Vishnu and the Vrishnis. 56 The gods and the Daityas consider Vishnu to be the greatest marvel. Vishnu’s birth is a marvel: explain it to me, great sage. 57 Tell this delightful marvel-tale about Vishnu the boundlessly brilliant, Vishnu the famously strong and bold. Tell the truth about how Vishnu was a marvel-being through his deeds in this world.
31. Overview of Vishnu’s Manifestations
1 Vaishampāyana said:
My boy. You’ve asked a very difficult question about the man with the Shārnga bow. But insofar as my capacity allows, I will tell of Vishnu’s glory. Listen to it. 2 It’s good that your curiosity has been roused to hear about Vishnu’s power. Well then, you must hear about all of Vishnu’s divine appearances.
3 He’s the one with a thousand mouths, a thousand eyes, and a thousand feet, the changeless god with a thousand heads and a thousand hands, 4 the shining master with a thousand tongues and a thousand crowns, the changeless one with a thousand gifts, a thousand beginnings, and a thousand arms.
5 He’s the pressing of the soma and the offering into the fire, the oblation and the invocatory priest, the dishes and strainers, the ritual ground, the preparatory observances, the pan, the small ladle, 6 the pouring tool, the soma, the winnowing basket, the bringing-vessel, the sprinkling-vessel, the path to the southern fire, the operating priest, the priest who chants the Sāmaveda, and the superintending priest. He’s the settling of the soma and its pressing out, 7 he’s the sacrificial post, the firewood, the small ladle, the darvī ladle, the drinking-cups, the mortars, the antechamber, the sacrificial area, the invocatory priest, and the woodstack. 8 He’s the little things and the massive things, the things that stay put and the things that move. He’s the expiations and guest-receptions, the levelled plots and kusha grass. 9 He’s the Vedic hymn, the bearer of the sacrifice, the oblation-bearing fire, the sacrificial portion, and the bearer of the portion. He’s the one who eats first, the drinker of soma, the flame for the offering, his weapons aloft. That’s what the brahmins who know the Veda call him: constant and omnipresent sacrifice.
10 Vishnu is the wise lord of the gods, marked with the shrīvatsa curl on his chest. He’s had many thousands of manifestations in the past, and the Grandfather says that in the future he’ll have many more. 11 You’ve asked for the heavenly, holy, healthy tale explaining why Lord Vishnu came to be in Vasudeva’s family, your majesty, 12 and that’s what I’ll tell you. Hear the whole of it, with nothing left out: the greatness and the adventures of Vasudeva’s splendid son.
13 In order to regenerate the worlds for the benefit of gods and mortals, the soul of all beings manifests himself again and again, to perform specific tasks. I’ll tell of his holy manifestations infused with divine qualities.
14 The god of gods and lord of the world sleeps for a thousand ages, but when a thousand ages have elapsed he has a task to perform, and so he becomes manifest, 15 and in addition to preeminent Vishnu, Brahmā and Kapila become manifest too, as do the gods and the seven seers, and glorious Shiva Tryambaka,
16 and Sanatkumāra of high authority,
and great Lord Manu the progenitor.
Then, as brilliant as blazing fire,
the ancient god made living bodies.
17 But after creatures stationary and mobile had disappeared, and gods, demons, and humans had disappeared, and serpents and monsters had disappeared, there in the middle of the restless ocean were two 18 deeply dangerous Dānavas, Madhu and Kaitabha, spoiling for a fight. Mighty Vishnu granted them any wish of their choosing, and killed them.
19 While the god with the lotus in his navel was sleeping on the waters of the ocean long ago, it was in that lotus that the gods and the ranks of seers were born long ago.
20 That manifestation is of course called the manifestation of the lotus. The old story that’s told in connection with it is a match for anything heard in the Veda.*
21 The great god’s boar manifestation is a joy to hear about—wherein supreme god Vishnu took on the form of a boar.†22 Its feet were the Vedas, its tusks were sacrificial posts, its teeth were rituals, its mouth was the stack of wood, its tongue was the fire, its hair was the darbha grass, its head was the supervising priest, and its austerities were considerable. 23 It was massive and marvellous: its eyes were day and night, its ornaments were the Vedas and their auxiliary sciences, its nostrils ran with ghee, its snout was a ladle, and its grunting was the sound of ritual chanting. 24 Made out of truth and justice and adorned with progress and prowess, it was glorious, resolute, and bullish. It had rites of expiation for its claws, sacrificial animals for its knees, 25 chanting priests for its bowels, an oblation for its pha
llus, fruits and seeds for its testicles, wind for its soul, Vedic hymns for its buttocks, and soma for its blood. It was odd-looking 26 but splendid, it smelled like a burned offering, and it made offerings to the gods and ancestors with great enthusiasm. It had the ritual ground for its shoulders, the antechamber for its body, and it was loaded up with various preparatory observances. 27 That huge yogi was made out of great ritual sessions. Its heart was the sacrificial gift, its lovely lips were the beginning of the Vedic recitation, its decorative curl was the milk-pouring ceremony, and its shadow was its wife and companion. It stood tall like a jewelled peak.
28 When the ocean-flanked earth with her mountains, forests, and groves had disappeared into the waters of the single ocean, the lord entered the single ocean. 29 Because he wanted what was good for the worlds, the original thousand-headed god lifted her out with his tusk, and set her going once more. 30 Long ago, when the earth goddess was clothed in the ocean’s waters, the boar of sacrifice came into being for the welfare of beings, and raised her.
31 That was the story of the boar.
Now hear the story of the man-lion—in which he became the king of beasts and killed Hiranyakashipu.
32 In a krita age long ago, your majesty, the enemy of the gods was made arrogant by his power. He, the first of the Daityas, performed supreme austerities: 33 he kept a vow of standing motionless in water without speaking or eating, for ten thousand and fifteen hundred years. 34 As a result, faultless king, Brahmā was pleased with his equanimity, self-control, continence, austerity, and discipline. 35 Indeed, the self-born lord approached him in person, your majesty, in a shining sun-coloured aerial chariot, drawn by geese.
Krishna's Lineage Page 16