समस्तान्सरथान्पञ्चजयेयं युधि पाण्डवान्। इति राजाऽब्रवीद्देवं नेति देवस्तमब्रवीत्
The king said to the god, 'May I vanquish all the Pandavas together with their charioteers in battle.' The god replied, 'No.'
अजय्यांश्चाप्यवध्यांश्च वारयिष्यसि तान्युधि। ऋतेऽर्जुनं महाबाहुं नरं नाम सुरेश्वरम्
'You shall restrain all of them in battle, making them invincible and unassailable—except for Arjuna, the mighty-armed, the man called the lord of the gods.'
बदर्यां तप्ततपसं नारायणसहायकम्। अजितं सर्वलोकानां देवैरपि दुरासदम्
'In Badari, he performs severe austerities, aided by Narayana, unconquered by all worlds, difficult even for the gods to approach.'
मया दत्तं पाशुपतं दिव्यमप्रतिमं शरम्। अवाप लोकपालेभ्यो वज्रादीन्स महाशरान्
'I have given him the divine, peerless Pashupata missile; from the guardians of the worlds he has obtained great missiles like the thunderbolt.'
देवदेवो ह्यनन्तात्मा विष्णुः सुरगुरुः प्रभुः। प्रधानपुरुषोऽव्यक्तोविश्वात्माविश्वमूर्तिमान्
'The god of gods, the infinite soul, Vishnu, the teacher of the gods, the lord, the primeval person, the unmanifest, the soul of the universe, the one with the form of all.'
युगान्तकाले संप्राप्ते कालाग्निर्दहते जगत्। सपर्वतार्णवद्वीपं सशैलवनकाननम्। निर्दहन्नागलोकांश्चपातालतलचारिणः
'When the end of the age arrives, the fire of time burns the world—together with mountains, oceans, islands, with forests and groves—consuming even the realms of serpents and those who dwell in the depths.'
अथान्तरिक्षे सुमहन्नानावर्णाः पयोधराः। घोरस्वरा विनदिनस्तटिन्मालावलम्बिनः। समुत्तिष्ठन्दिशः सर्वाविवर्षन्तः समन्ततः
'Then, in the sky, vast clouds of various colors arise, making terrible sounds, hung with streams of lightning, rising in all directions and pouring down everywhere.'
ततोऽग्नीं शमयामासुः संवर्ताग्निनियामकाः। अक्षमात्रैश्च धाराभिस्तिष्ठन्त्यापूर्य सर्वशः
'They extinguish the fires—those who control the fires of dissolution—standing everywhere, filling all with streams of water as thick as axles.'
एकार्णवे तदातस्मिन्नुपशान्तचराचरे। नष्टचन्द्रार्कपवने ग्रहनक्षत्रवर्जिते। चतुर्युगसहस्रान्ते सलिलेनाप्लुता मही
'Then, in that single ocean, with all moving and unmoving things stilled, with moon, sun, wind, planets and stars gone, at the end of a thousand fourfold ages, the earth is submerged in water.'
ततो नारायणाख्यस्तु सहस्राक्षः सहस्रपात्। सहस्रशीर्पा पुरुषः स्वप्नुकामस्त्वतीन्द्रियः
'Then Narayana, called the thousand-eyed, thousand-footed, thousand-headed man, the lord beyond the senses, intent on sleep, remains.'
फणासहस्रविकटं शेषं पर्यङ्कभोगिनम्। सहस्रमिव तिग्मांशुसंघातममितद्युतिम्। कुन्देन्दुहारगोक्षीरमृणालकुमुदप्रभम्
'On Shesha, whose thousand hoods are fearsome, whose coils serve as a couch, shining like a thousand suns, of immeasurable radiance, white as jasmine, the moon, milk, silver, or the stalk of a lotus.'
तत्रासौ भगवान्देवः स्वपञ्जलनिधौ तदा। नैशेन तमसा व्याप्तां स्वां रात्रिंकुरुते विभुः
'There, the blessed god, in the ocean of waters, then makes his own night, enveloped by the darkness of night.'
सत्वोद्रेकात्प्रबुद्धस्तु शून्यं लोकमपश्यत। इमं चोदाहरन्त्यत्रश्लोकं नारायणं प्रति
'Awakened by the predominance of sattva, he saw the world empty; and in this matter they recite a verse about Narayana.'
आपो नारास्तत्तनव इत्यपां नाम शुश्रुमः। अयनं तेन चैवास्ते तेन नारायणः स्मृतः
'The waters are called nara, for they are his original form; we have heard that the waters are thus named, and because he rests upon them, he is remembered as Narayana.'
प्रध्यानसमकालं तुप्रजाहेतोः सनातनः। ध्यातमात्रे तु भगवन्नाभ्यां पद्मः समुत्थितः
At the very moment of profound meditation, for the sake of creation, O Eternal One, as soon as you were contemplated, O Blessed Lord, a lotus arose from your navel.
ततश्चतुर्मुखो ब्रह्मा नाभिपद्माद्विनिःसृतः। तत्रोपविष्टः सहसा ब्रह्मा लोकपितामहः
Then, from that navel-lotus, the four-faced Brahma emerged; there, suddenly seated, was Brahma, the Grandfather of the worlds.
शून्यं दृष्ट्वा जगत्कृत्स्नं मानसानात्मनः समान्। ततो मरीचिप्रमुखान्महर्षीनसृजन्नव
Seeing the entire world empty, with a mind born of his own self, he then created the great sages, beginning with Marici.
तेऽसृजन्सर्वभूतानि त्रसानि स्थावराणि च। यक्षराक्षसभूतानि पिशाचोरगमानुषान्
They created all beings, both moving and unmoving—yakshas, rakshasas, spirits, pishachas, serpents, and humans.
सृजते ब्रह्ममूर्तिस्तु रक्षते पौरुषी तनुः। रौद्री भावेन शमयेत्तिस्रोऽवस्थाः प्रजापतेः
He creates with the form of Brahma, protects with the masculine form, and, with a fierce aspect, brings dissolution—these are the three states of the Lord of Creatures.
न श्रुतं ते सिन्धुपते विष्णोरद्भुतकर्मणः। कथ्यमानानि मुनिभिर्ब्राह्मणैर्वेदपारगैः
O Lord of the Rivers, you have not heard of the wondrous deeds of Vishnu, as recounted by sages and brahmins who have mastered the Vedas.
जलेन समनुप्राप्ते सर्वतः पृथिवीतले। तदा चैकार्णवे तस्मिननेकाकाशे प्रभुश्चरन्
When water had covered the entire surface of the earth, then, in that single ocean, the Lord moved about in many forms.
निशायामिव खद्योतः प्रावृट्काले समन्ततः। प्रतिष्ठानाय पृथिवीं मार्गमाणस्तदाऽभवत्
Like a firefly in the night during the rainy season, he then sought the earth everywhere, searching for a place to stand.
जले निमग्नां गां दृष्ट्वाचोद्धर्तुं मनसेच्छति। किंनु रूपमहं कृत्वासलिलादुद्धरे महीम्
Seeing the earth submerged in water, he wished in his mind to lift her up: 'In what form should I raise the earth from the water?'
एवं संचिन्त्य मनसा दृष्ट्वा दिव्येन चक्षुषा। जलक्रीडाभिरुचितं वाराहं रूपमस्मरत्
Thus reflecting in his mind, and seeing with his divine eye, he remembered the boar form, suited for play in the waters.
कृत्वा वराहवपुपं वाङ्मयं वेदसंमितम्। दशयोजनविस्तीर्णमायतं शतयोजनम्
Assuming the form of a boar, as described in the Vedas, vast as ten yojanas wide and a hundred yojanas long,
महापर्वतवर्ष्माभं तीक्ष्णदंष्ट्रंप्रदीप्तिमत्। महामेघौघनिर्घोपं नीलजीमूतसन्निभम्
Resembling a great mountain in size, with sharp, blazing tusks, roaring like a mass of thunderclouds, dark as a rain-laden cloud,
भूत्वा यज्ञवराहो वै अपः संप्राविशत्प्रभुः। दंष्ट्रेणैकेन चोद्धृत्यस्वे स्थाने न्यविशन्महीम्
Becoming the sacrificial boar, the Lord entered the waters; lifting the earth with one tusk, he placed her in her own position.
पुनरेव महाबाहुरपूर्वां तनुमाश्रितः। नरस्य कृत्वाऽर्धतनुं सिंहस्यार्धतनुं प्रभुः
Again, the mighty-armed Lord assumed an unprecedented form: half-man and half-lion.
दैत्येन्द्रस्य सभां गत्वापाणिं संस्पृश्यपाणिना। दैत्यानामादिपुरुषः सुरारिर्दितिनन्दनः
Entering the assembly of the Daitya king, touching him with his hand, the primeval foe of the gods, the son of Diti, stood there.
दृष्ट्वा चापूर्ववपुषं क्रोधात्संरक्तलोचनः। शूलोद्यतकरः स्रग्वी हिरण्यकशिपुस्तदा
Seeing that unprecedented form, Hiraṇyakaśipu, garlanded and holding a trident aloft, his eyes red with rage, then—