व्यास उवाच अपुत्रस्य गतिर्नास्ति न सुखं मानसे यतः । तदर्थं दुःखितश्चाहं चिन्तयामि पुन पुनः
Vyāsa said: 'A man without a son has no future, nor happiness in his mind; for that reason I am distressed and keep thinking about it again and again.'
तपसा तोषयाम्यद्य कं देवं वाच्छितार्थदम् । इति चिन्तातुरोऽस्म्यद्य त्वामहं शरणं गतः
'Today I wish to propitiate by austerity some deity who grants the desired boon; thus, troubled by this thought, I have come to you for refuge.'
सर्वज्ञोऽसि महर्षे त्वं कथयाशु कृपानिधे । कं देवं शरणं यामि यो मे पुत्रं प्रदास्यति
'You are all-knowing, great sage, so tell me quickly, O ocean of compassion: to which god should I turn for refuge, who will grant me a son?'
सूत उवाच इति व्यासेन पृष्टस्तु नारदो वेदविन्मुनिः । उवाच परया प्रीत्या कृष्णं प्रति महामनाः
Sūta said: Thus questioned by Vyāsa, the sage Nārada, knower of the Vedas, with great affection spoke to him about Kṛṣṇa.
नारद उवाच पाराशर्य महाभाग यत्त्वं पृच्छसि मामिह । तमेवार्थं पुरा पृष्टः पित्रा मे मधुसूदनः
Nārada said: 'O fortunate son of Parāśara, what you ask me here, that very question was once asked by my father to Madhusūdana.'
ध्यानस्थं च हरिं दृष्ट्वा पिता मे विस्मयं गतः । पर्यपृच्छत देवेशं श्रीनाथं जगतः पतिम्
'Seeing Hari absorbed in meditation, my father was amazed and questioned the lord of the gods, Śrīnātha, the master of the world.'
कौस्तुभोद्भासितं दिव्यं शङ्खचक्रगदाधरम् । पीताम्बरं चतुर्बाहुं श्रीवत्साङ्कितवक्षसम्
'He saw him shining with the Kaustubha gem, holding conch, discus, and mace, clad in yellow garments, four-armed, and marked with the Śrīvatsa on his chest.'
कारणं सर्वलोकानां देवदेवं जगद्गुरुम् । वासुदेवं जगन्नाथं तप्यमानं महत्तपः
'He beheld Vāsudeva, the lord of the universe, the cause of all worlds, the god of gods, the teacher of the world, engaged in great austerity.'
ब्रह्मोवाच देवदेव जगन्नाथ भूतभव्यभवत्प्रभो । तपश्चरसि कस्मात्त्वं किं ध्यायसि जनार्दन
Brahmā said: 'O god of gods, lord of the universe, master of past, present, and future, why are you performing austerity, Janārdana? On whom are you meditating?'
विस्मयोऽयं ममात्यर्थं त्वं सर्वजगतां प्रभुः । ध्यानयुक्तोऽसि देवेश किं च चित्रमतः परम्
'This amazement of mine is very great: you are the lord of all the worlds, O lord of the gods, yet you are engaged in meditation—what could be more astonishing than this?'
त्वन्नाभिकमलाज्जातः कर्ताहमखिलस्य ह । त्वत्तः कोऽप्यधिकोऽस्त्यत्र तं देवं ब्रूहि मापते
'I, the creator of all, was born from the lotus of your navel; is there anyone greater than you? Tell me, O lord, who is that deity?'
जानाम्यहं जगन्नाथ त्वमादिः सर्वकारणम् । कर्ता पालयिता हर्ता समर्थः सर्वकार्यकृत्
'I know, O lord of the universe, that you are the origin and the cause of all; you are the creator, protector, destroyer, and capable of accomplishing all tasks.'
इच्छया ते महाराज सृजाम्यहमिदं जगत् । हरः संहरते काले सोऽपि ते वचने सदा
O great king, by my will I create this universe; Hara destroys it at the proper time, and he too always acts according to your command.
सूर्यो भ्रमति चाकाशे वायुर्वाति शुभाशुभः । अग्निस्तपति पर्जन्यो वर्षतीश त्वदाज्ञया
The sun moves in the sky, the wind blows both auspicious and inauspicious, fire burns, and the rain-cloud pours—all by your order, O Lord.
त्वं तु ध्यायसि कं देवं संशयोऽयं महान्मम । त्वत्तः परं न पश्यामि देवं वै भुवनत्रये
But you meditate on which god? This is my great doubt; I do not see any god beyond you in the three worlds.
कृपां कृत्वा वदस्वाद्य भक्तोऽस्मि तव सुव्रत । महतां नैव गोप्यं हि प्रायः किञ्चिदिति स्मृतिः
Out of compassion, tell me now, O virtuous one, for I am your devotee; it is remembered that the great do not usually conceal anything.
तच्छ्रुत्वा वचनं तस्य हरिराह प्रजापतिम् । शृणुष्वैकमना ब्रह्मंस्त्वां ब्रवीमि मनोगतम्
Hearing his words, Hari spoke to Prajapati: Listen attentively, O Brahma, I will tell you what is in my mind.
यद्यपि त्वां शिवं मां च स्थितिसृष्ट्यन्तकारणम् । ते जानन्ति जनाः सर्वे सदेवासुरमानुषाः
Although people—gods, asuras, and humans—know you, Shiva, and me as the causes of creation, preservation, and destruction,
स्रष्टा त्वं पालकश्चाहं हरः संहारकारकः । कृताः शक्त्येति संतर्कः क्रियते वेदपारगैः
You are the creator, I am the sustainer, and Hara is the destroyer—such is the reasoning made by those learned in the Vedas, attributing these acts to our powers.
जगत्संजनने शक्तिस्त्वयि तिष्ठति राजसी । सात्त्विकी मयि रुद्रे च तामसी परिकीर्तिता
In the creation of the world, the rajasik power abides in you; the sattvik in me, and the tamasik is said to be in Rudra.
तया विरहितस्त्वं न तत्कर्मकरणे प्रभुः । नाहं पालयितुं शक्तः संहर्तुं नापि शङ्करः
Deprived of her, you are not able to perform that act; nor am I able to preserve, nor is Shankara able to destroy.
तदधीना वयं सर्वे वर्तामः सततं विभो । प्रत्यक्षे च परोक्षे च दृष्टान्तं शृणु सुव्रत
We all, O Lord, are always dependent on her; in both the seen and unseen, listen to an example, O virtuous one.
शेषे स्वपिमि पर्यङ्के परतन्त्रो न संशयः । तदधीनः सदोत्तिष्ठे काले कालवशं गतः
On Shesha I sleep upon a couch, entirely dependent, without doubt; by her will I always rise at the proper time, subject to time.
तपश्चरामि सततं तदधीनोऽस्म्यहं सदा । कदाचित्सह लक्ष्या च विहरामि यथासुखम्
I constantly practice austerity, always dependent on her; sometimes, along with Lakshmi, I roam as I please.
कदाचिद्दानवैः सार्धं संग्रामं प्रकरोम्यहम् । दारुणं देहदमनं सर्वलोकभयङ्करम्
Sometimes I wage battle with the Daityas, a fierce struggle that crushes bodies and terrifies all the worlds.
प्रत्यक्षं तव धर्मज्ञ तस्मिन्नेकार्णवे पुरा । पञ्चवर्षसहस्राणि बाहुयुद्धं मया कृतम्
You, knower of dharma, have seen directly that, long ago, in that single ocean, I fought hand-to-hand for five thousand years.
तौ कर्णमलजौ दुष्टौ दानवौ मदगर्वितौ । देव देव्याः प्रसादेन निहतौ मधुकैटभौ
Those two wicked asuras, Madhu and Kaitabha, born from earwax and swollen with pride, were slain by the grace of the Goddess.
तदा त्वया न किं ज्ञातं कारणं तु परात्परम् । शक्तिरूपं महाभाग किं पृच्छसि पुनः पुनः
At that time, did you not know the ultimate cause? O greatly fortunate one, why do you ask again and again about the form of Shakti?
यदिच्छः पुरुषो भूत्वा विचरामि महार्णवे । कच्छपः कोलसिंहश्च वामनश्च युगे युगे
Whenever I wish, I take human form and wander the great ocean—as a tortoise, a boar, a lion, or a dwarf, in every age.
न कस्यापि प्रियो लोके तिर्यग्योनिषु सम्भवः । नाभवं स्वेच्छया वामवराहादिषु योनिषु
No one in the world desires birth among animals; nor did I, of my own will, take birth in the forms of boar or others.