ऋक्सामान्य् उद्गिरन् वक्त्रैर् यः पुनाति जगत्त्रयम् प्रणिपत्य तथेशानम् एकार्णवविनिर्गतम्
He who, uttering the Ṛk and Sāman hymns with his mouths, purifies the three worlds—having bowed to that Lord, who emerged from the single ocean.
यस्यासुरगणा यज्ञान् विलुम्पन्ति न याजिनाम् प्रवक्ष्यामि मतं कृत्स्नं ब्रह्मणो ऽव्यक्तजन्मनः
Whose hosts of asuras do not rob the sacrifices of the sacrificers—I shall declare the complete doctrine of Brahman, the one of unmanifest birth.
येन सृष्टिं समुद्दिश्य धर्माद्याः प्रकटीकृताः आपो नारा इति प्रोक्ता मुनिभिस् तत्त्वदर्शिभिः
By whom, with creation in view, dharma and other principles were made manifest—the waters are called 'nārā' by sages who see the truth.
अयनं तस्य ताः पूर्वं तेन नारायणः स्मृतः स देवो भगवान् सर्वं व्याप्य नारायणो विभुः
Those waters were his former resting place; therefore, he is remembered as Nārāyaṇa. That god, the blessed one, pervading all, is the mighty Nārāyaṇa.
चतुर्धा संस्थितो ब्रह्मा सगुणो निर्गुणस् तथा एका मूर्तिर् अनुद्देश्या शुक्लां पश्यन्ति तां बुधाः
Brahman exists in fourfold form: with qualities and without qualities. There is one indescribable, pure form, which the wise behold.
ज्वालामालावनद्धाङ्गी निष्ठा सा योगिनां परा दूरस्था चान्तिकस्था च विज्ञेया सा गुणातिगा
Her body is encircled by a garland of flames; she is the supreme goal of yogis, far and near, to be known as transcending the qualities.
वासुदेवाभिधानासौ निर्ममत्वेन दृश्यते रूपवर्णादयस् तस्या न भावाः कल्पनामयाः
She is called Vāsudeva, seen with detachment; her form, color, and other attributes are not products of imagination.
आस्ते च सा सदा शुद्धा सुप्रतिष्ठैकरूपिणी द्वितीया पृथिवीं मूर्ध्ना शेषाख्या धारयत्य् अधः
She always abides, pure, with a single, well-established form; the second, called Śeṣa, supports the earth below with his head.
तामसी सा समाख्याता तिर्यक्त्वं समुपागता तृतीया कर्म कुरुते प्रजापालनतत्परा
That one, dominated by tamas, is said to have taken the form of animals; the third form, engaged in the protection of creatures, performs action.
सत्त्वोद्रिक्ता तु सा ज्ञेया धर्मसंस्थानकारिणी चतुर्थी जलमध्यस्था शेते पन्नगतल्पगा
But the one endowed with abundant sattva should be known as the establisher of righteousness; the fourth, lying in the midst of the waters, rests upon the serpent-bed.
रजस् तस्या गुणः सर्गं सा करोति सदैव हि या तृतीया हरेर् मूर्तिः प्रजापालनतत्परा
Rajas is her quality; she always creates the world—this third form of Hari, intent on the protection of creatures.
सा तु धर्मव्यवस्थानं करोति नियतं भुवि प्रोद्धतान् असुरान् हन्ति धर्मव्युच्छित्तिकारिणः
She indeed establishes righteousness unfailingly on earth, and destroys the arrogant asuras who act to abolish righteousness.
पाति देवान् सगन्धर्वान् धर्मरक्षापरायणान् यदा यदा च धर्मस्य ग्लानिः समुपजायते
She protects the gods and the gandharvas devoted to the defense of righteousness; and whenever there arises a decline of righteousness,
अभ्युत्थानम् अधर्मस्य तदात्मानं सृजत्य् असौ भूत्वा पुरा वराहेण तुण्डेनापो निरस्य च
and the rise of unrighteousness, then she manifests herself; formerly, as the Boar, she drove away the waters with her snout,
एकया दंष्ट्रयोत्खाता नलिनीव वसुंधरा कृत्वा नृसिंहरूपं च हिरण्यकशिपुर् हतः
and with a single tusk she lifted up the earth, like a lotus; and, taking the form of Narasiṃha, she slew Hiraṇyakaśipu.
विप्रचित्तिमुखाश् चान्ये दानवा विनिपातिताः वामनं रूपम् आस्थाय बलिं संयम्य मायया
Others, such as Vipracitti and the leading Dānavas, were also destroyed; assuming the form of Vāmana, she subdued Bali by her power of illusion.
त्रैलोक्यं क्रान्तवान् एव विनिर्जित्य दितेः सुतान् भृगोर् वंशे समुत्पन्नो जामदग्न्यः प्रतापवान्
Having conquered the sons of Diti, she traversed the three worlds; born in the lineage of Bhṛgu, she became the mighty son of Jamadagni.
जघान क्षत्रियान् रामः पितुर् वधम् अनुस्मरन् तथात्रितनयो भूत्वा दत्तात्रेयः प्रतापवान्
Rāma, remembering the murder of his father, destroyed the kṣatriyas; likewise, becoming the son of Atri, the glorious Dattātreya appeared.
योगम् अष्टाङ्गम् आचख्याव् अलर्काय महात्मने रामो दाशरथिर् भूत्वा स तु देवः प्रतापवान्
He taught the eightfold yoga to the great-souled Alarka; and, becoming the son of Daśaratha, that mighty god was Rāma.
जघान रावणं संख्ये त्रैलोक्यस्य भयंकरम् यदा चैकार्णवे सुप्तो देवदेवो जगत्पतिः
He slew Rāvaṇa in battle, who was a terror to the three worlds; and when the god of gods, the lord of the universe, slept in the single ocean,
सहस्रयुगपर्यन्तं नागपर्यङ्कगो विभुः योगनिद्रां समास्थाय स्वे महिम्नि व्यवस्थितः
the mighty one, lying upon the serpent-bed, entered yogic sleep for a thousand ages, remaining established in his own glory.
त्रैलोक्यम् उदरे कृत्वा जगत् स्थावरजङ्गमम् जनलोकगतैः सिद्धैः स्तूयमानो महर्षिभिः
Having placed the three worlds, with all that moves and is still, within his belly, he was praised by the perfected beings from Janaloka and by the great sages.
तस्य नाभौ समुत्पन्नं पद्मं दिक्पत्त्रमण्डितम् मरुत्किञ्जल्कसंयुक्तं गृहं पैतामहं वरम्
From his navel arose a lotus, adorned with petals facing the directions, joined with filaments of wind—a most excellent ancestral abode.
यत्र ब्रह्मा समुत्पन्नो देवदेवश् चतुर्मुखः तदा कर्णमलोद्भूतौ दानवौ मधुकैटभौ
There Brahmā was born, the god of gods with four faces; then, from the wax of his ears, were born the Dānavas Madhu and Kaiṭabha.
महाबलौ महावीर्यौ ब्रह्माणं हन्तुम् उद्यतौ जघान तौ दुराधर्षौ उत्थाय शयनोदधेः
Mighty and powerful, they sought to slay Brahmā; but he, rising from the ocean-bed, slew those two formidable ones.
एवमादींस् तथैवान्यान् असंख्यातुम् इहोत्सहे अवतारो ह्य् अजस्येह माथुरः सांप्रतस् त्व् अयम्
In this way, and in countless other forms, does the unborn one descend here; now, indeed, this present descent is in Mathurā.
इति सा सात्त्विकी मूर्तिर् अवतारं करोति च प्रद्युम्नेति समाख्याता रक्षाकर्मण्य् अवस्थिता
Thus, that sattvic form also descends as an incarnation, known as Pradyumna, established in the act of protection.
देवत्वे ऽथ मनुष्यत्वे तिर्यग्योनौ च संस्थिता गृह्णाति तत्स्वभावश् च वासुदेवेच्छया सदा
Whether abiding among the gods, as a human, or in the animal realm, it always assumes the nature appropriate to that state, by the will of Vāsudeva.
ददात्य् अभिमतान् कामान् पूजिता सा द्विजोत्तमाः एवं मया समाख्यातः कृतकृत्यो ऽपि यः प्रभुः मानुषत्वं गतो विष्णुः शृणुध्वं चोत्तरं पुनः
When worshipped, O best of twice-born, she grants desired wishes; thus I have described the Lord, who, though accomplished, took human birth as Viṣṇu. Now hear further.
शृणुध्वं मुनिशार्दूलाः प्रवक्ष्यामि समासतः अवतारं हरेश् चात्र भारावतरणेच्छया
Hear, O best of sages, I will briefly declare here the incarnation of Hari, undertaken with the wish to relieve the burden of the earth.