ततो नारायणो देवः सर्वस्य प्रपितामहः
Then the god Nārāyaṇa, the great grandsire of all, appeared.
अव्यक्तो व्यक्तलिङ्गस्थो य एव भगवान्प्रभुः। नरनारायणो भूत्वा हरिरासीद्युधिष्ठिर
He who is unmanifest, yet abides in a manifest form, that blessed Lord, having become Nara and Nārāyaṇa, was Hari, O Yudhiṣṭhira.
ब्रह्मा च शक्रः सूर्यश्च धर्मश्चैव सनातनः। बहुशः सर्वभूतात्मा प्रादुर्भवति कार्यतः। प्रादुर्भावांस्तु वक्ष्यामि दिव्यान्देवगणैर्युतान्
Brahmā, Śakra, Sūrya, and the eternal Dharma—he, the soul of all beings, manifests many times for the sake of action; I will recount those divine manifestations, accompanied by hosts of gods.
सुप्त्वा युगसहस्रं स प्रादुर्भवति कार्यवान्। अनेकबहुसाहस्रैर्देवदेवो जगत्पतिः
After sleeping for a thousand ages, the Lord of gods, the master of the world, arises for action with countless thousands.
ब्रह्माणं कपिलं चैव परमेष्ठिं तथैव च। देवान्सप्तर्षिभिश्चैव शङ्करं च महायशाः
He created Brahmā, Kapila, Parameṣṭhin, the gods with the seven sages, and the illustrious Śaṅkara.
सनत्कुमारं भगवान्मनुं चैव प्रजापतिम्। पुरा चक्रे च देवादिः प्रदीप्ताग्निसमप्रभः
The blessed one also made Sanatkumāra, Manu the progenitor, and, shining like blazing fire, he first created the gods and others.
येन चार्णवमध्यस्थौ नष्टेस्थावरजङ्गमे। नष्टदेवासुरवरे प्रनष्टोरगराक्षसे
By whom, when all that is fixed and moving was lost in the midst of the ocean, and the best of gods and asuras, as well as serpents and rākṣasas, had perished—
योद्धुकामौ सुदुर्धर्षौ भ्रातरौ मधुकैठभौ। हतौ भगवता तेन ततो दत्त्वा वरं परम्
The two brothers, Madhu and Kaiṭabha, fierce and eager for battle, were slain by that blessed Lord, who then granted them a supreme boon.
भूमिं बद्ध्वा कृतौ पूर्वावजेयौ द्वौ महाऽसुरौ। तौ कर्णमलसंभूतौ विष्णोस्तस्य महात्मनः
Having bound the earth, those two mighty asuras, born from the earwax of the great-souled Viṣṇu, were formerly invincible.
महार्णवे प्रस्वपतः शैलराजसमौ स्थितौ। तौ विवेश स्वयं वायुर्ब्रह्मणा साधु चोदितः
Lying in the great ocean, resembling mountain peaks, those two were entered by the wind himself, urged on by Brahmā.
तौ दिवं छादयित्वा तु ववृधाते महाऽसुरौ। वायुप्रमाणौ तौ दृष्ट्वा ब्रह्मा पर्यमृशच्छनैः
Those two mighty asuras, having covered the heavens, grew vast as the wind; seeing them, Brahmā pondered quietly.
एकं मृदुतरं वेत्ति कठिनं वेत्ति चापरम्। नामनी तु तयोश्चके सविता सलिलोद्भवः
He recognized one as softer, the other as harder; Savitā, born from the waters, gave them their names.
मृदुस्त्वयं मधुर्नाम कठिनः कैठभः स्वयम्। तौ दैत्यौ कृतनामानौ चेरतुर्बलगर्वितौ
This gentle one is named Madhu, and the hard one is Kaiṭabha; those two daityas, having received their names, roamed about, proud of their strength.
तौ पुराऽथ दिवं सर्वां प्राप्तौ राजन्महासुरौ। प्रच्छाद्याथ दिवं सर्वां चेरतुर्मधुकैठभौ
Long ago, O King, those two great asuras, Madhu and Kaiṭabha, reached the entire heaven and, covering it, wandered everywhere.
सर्वमेकार्णवं लोकं योद्धुकामौ सुनिर्भयौ। तौ गतावसुरौ दृष्ट्वा ब्रह्मा लोकपितामहः
Desiring battle and utterly fearless, those two asuras saw the world as one ocean; seeing this, Brahmā, the grandsire of the worlds—
एकार्णवाम्बुनिचये तत्रैवान्तरधीयत। स पद्मात्पद्मनाभस्य नाभिदेशात्समुत्थितात्
In that mass of oceanic water, he vanished; from the lotus that arose at the navel of Padmanābha, he emerged.
आससाद स्वयं जन्म तत्पङ्कजमपङ्कजम्। पूजयामास वसतिं ब्रह्मा लोकपितामहः
He himself approached that birth, the lotus without mud, and Brahmā, the grandsire of the worlds, worshipped that abode.
तावुभौ जलगर्भस्थौ नारायणचतुर्मुखौ। बहून्वर्षायुतानप्सु शयानौ न च कम्पितौ
Those two, Madhu and Kaiṭabha, with four faces, were in the womb of the waters; for many tens of thousands of years, they lay in the waters, unmoving.
अथ दीर्घस्य कालस्य तावुभौ मधुकैठभौ। आजग्मतुस्तौ तं देशं यत्र ब्रह्मा व्यवस्थितः
Then, after a long time, those two, Madhu and Kaitabha, came to the place where Brahmā was present.
तौ दृष्ट्वा लोकनाथस्तु रोषात्संरक्तलोचनः। उत्पपाताथ शयनात्पद्मनाभो महाद्युतिः
Seeing them, the Lord of the worlds, with eyes reddened in anger, the greatly radiant Padmanābha, rose from his couch.
तद्युद्धमभवद्घोरं तयोस्तस्य च भारत। एकार्णवे तदा घोरे त्रैलोक्ये जलतां गते
A terrible battle took place then between those two and him, O Bhārata, in that dreadful single ocean, when the three worlds had become filled with water.
तदभूत्तुमुलं युद्धं वर्षसङ्ख्यासहस्रशः। न च तावसुरौ युद्धे तदा श्रममवापतुः
That battle was tumultuous, lasting for thousands of years, yet those two asuras did not grow weary in the fight.
अथ दीर्घस्य कालस्य तौ दैत्यौ युद्धदुर्मदौ। ऊचतुः प्रीतमनसौ देवं नारायणं प्रभुम्
Then, after a long time, those two daityas, intoxicated by battle, spoke with pleased hearts to the Lord Nārāyaṇa.
प्रीतौ स्वस्तव युद्धेन श्लाघ्यस्त्वं मृत्युरावयोः। आवां जहि न यत्रोर्वा सलिलेन पिरप्लुता
We are pleased with your battle, and you are worthy of praise; let you be our death, but do not slay us where the earth is submerged in water.
हतौ च तव पुत्रत्वं प्राप्नुयाव सुरोत्तम। यो ह्यानां युधि निर्जेता तस्यावां विहितौ सुतौ
And when we are slain, O best of gods, may we obtain the status of your sons; for whoever defeats us in battle, to him we are destined to be sons.
तयोस्तु वचनं श्रुत्वा तदा नारायणः प्रभुः। तौ प्रहस्य मृधे दैत्यौ दोर्भ्यां च समपीडयम्
Hearing their words, then the Lord Nārāyaṇa laughed, and in battle seized those two daityas with his arms.
ऊरुभ्यां निधनं चक्रे तावुभौ मधुकैठबौ। तौ हतौ चाप्लुतौ तोये वपुर्भ्यामेकतां गतौ
With his thighs he brought about the destruction of both Madhu and Kaitabha; and when they were slain, they fell into the water, their bodies becoming one.
मेदो मुमुचतुर्दैत्यौ मज्जमानौ जलोर्मिभिः। मेदसा तज्जलं व्याप्तं ताभ्यामन्तर्दधे तदा
As they were sinking, the two daityas released fat, and with the waves of water, that fat spread throughout the water and disappeared.
नारायणश्च भगवानसृजद्विविधाः प्रजाः। दैत्ययोर्मेदसा छन्ना सर्वा राजन्वसुन्धरा
And the blessed Nārāyaṇa created various beings; the whole earth, O king, was covered by the fat of the two daityas.
तदाप्रभृति कौन्तेय मेदिनीति स्मृता मही। प्रभावात्पद्मनाभस्य शाश्वती च कृता नृणाम्
From that time, O son of Kunti, the earth has been called 'Medinī'—because of the power of Padmanābha, she became eternal among men.