ममाज्ञां पुरतः कृत्वा सर्वे विगतकल्मषाः । व्यास उवाच तच्छ्रुत्वा वचनं देव्यास्तथेत्युक्त्वा रसातलम्
Having placed my command before you, all of you, purified of sin— (Vyāsa said:) Hearing the words of the Goddess, saying 'So be it,' they went to Rasātala—
प्रणम्य दानवाः सर्वे गताः शक्त्याभिरक्षिताः । अन्तर्दधे ततो देवी देवाः स्वभुवनं गताः
—having bowed, all the demons went, protected by the Goddess's power; then the Goddess disappeared, and the gods returned to their own realms.
त्यक्त्वा वैरं स्थिताः सर्वे ते तदा देवदानवाः । एतदाख्यानमखिलं यः शृणोति वदत्यथ
At that time, all the gods and demons stood together, having abandoned enmity; whoever hears or recites this entire narration—
सर्वदुःखविनिर्मुक्तः प्रयाति पदमुत्तमम्
—becomes free from all suffering and attains the highest state.
हरेर्नानावतारवर्णनम् जनमेजय उवाच भृगुशापान्मुनिश्रेष्ठ हरेरद्भुतकर्मणः । अवताराः कथं जाताः कस्मिन्मन्वन्तरे विभो
Description of the various incarnations of Hari. Janamejaya said: O best of sages, due to the curse of Bhrigu, how did the wondrously active Hari take incarnations, and in which Manvantara, O Lord?
विस्तराद्वद धर्मज्ञ अवतारकथा हरेः । पापनाशकरीं ब्रह्मञ्छ्रुतां सर्वसुखावहाम्
O knower of dharma, tell in detail the stories of Hari's incarnations, O Brahman, which destroy sin and bring all happiness when heard.
व्यास उवाच शृणु राजन् प्रवक्ष्यामि अवतारान् हरेर्यथा । यस्मिन्मन्वन्तरे जाता युगे यस्मिन्नराधिप
Vyasa said: Hear, O King, I will declare to you the incarnations of Hari—when and in which Manvantara and age they appeared among men.
येन रूपेण यत्कार्यं कृतं नारायणेन वै । तत्सर्वं नृप वक्ष्यामि संक्षेपेण तवाधुना
In what form, for what purpose, and by Narayana, whatever was accomplished—I will now briefly tell you all of that, O King.
धर्मस्यैवावतारोऽभूच्चाक्षुषे मनुसम्भवे । नरनारायणौ धर्मपुत्रौ ख्यातौ महीतले
Indeed, the incarnation of dharma occurred in the Cakshusha Manvantara; Nara and Narayana, famed as sons of Dharma, appeared on earth.
अथ वैवस्वताख्येऽस्मिन्द्वितीये तु युगे पुनः । दत्तात्रेयावतारोऽत्रेः पुत्रत्वमगमद्धरिः
Then, in this second age called Vaivasvata, Hari took birth as Dattatreya, the son of Atri.
ब्रह्मा विष्णुस्तथा रुद्रस्त्रयोऽमी देवसत्तमाः । पुत्रत्वमगमन्देवास्तस्यात्रेर्भार्यया वृताः
Brahma, Vishnu, and Rudra—these three supreme gods—became sons of Atri, chosen by his wife.
अनसूयात्रिपत्नी च सतीनामुत्तमा सती । यया सम्प्रार्थिता देवाः पुत्रत्वमगमंस्त्रयः
Anasuya, wife of Atri, was foremost among chaste women; by her request, the three gods became her sons.
ब्रह्माभूत्सोमरूपस्तु दत्तात्रेयो हरिः स्वयम् । दुर्वासा रुद्ररूपोऽसौ पुत्रत्वं ते प्रपेदिरे
Brahma became Soma in form, Dattatreya was Hari himself, and Durvasa was Rudra in form; thus, they attained sonship.
नृसिंहस्यावतारस्तु देवकार्यार्थसिद्धये । चतुर्थे तु युगे जातो द्विधारूपो मनोहरः
The incarnation of Narasimha took place for the fulfillment of the gods' purpose; in the fourth age, he appeared, wondrous in his dual form.
हिरण्यकशिपोः सम्यग्वधाय भगवान् हरिः । चक्रे रूपं नारसिंहं देवानां विस्मयप्रदम्
To slay Hiranyakashipu properly, the blessed Hari assumed the form of Narasimha, astonishing the gods.
बलेर्नियमनार्थाय श्रेष्ठे त्रेतायुगे तथा । चकार रूपं भगवान् वामनं कश्यपान्मुनेः
For the subjugation of Bali, in the excellent Treta Yuga, the blessed Lord took the form of Vamana, born of the sage Kashyapa.
छलयित्वा मखे भूपं राज्यं तस्य जहार ह । पाताले स्थापयामास बलिं वामनरूपधृक्
Deceiving the king at the sacrifice, he took away his kingdom and placed Bali in the netherworld, assuming the form of Vamana.
युगे चैकोनविंशेऽथ त्रेताख्ये भगवान् हरिः । जमदग्निसुतो जातो रामो नाम महाबलः
Then, in the nineteenth age called Treta, the blessed Hari was born as Rama, son of Jamadagni, mighty in strength.
क्षत्रियान्तकरः श्रीमान्सत्यवादी जितेन्द्रियः । दत्तवान्मेदिनीं कृत्स्नां कश्यपाय महात्मने
He, glorious, destroyer of Kshatriyas, truthful, and self-controlled, gave the entire earth to the great soul Kashyapa.
यो वै परशुरामाख्यो हरेरद्भुतकर्मणः । अवतारस्तु राजेन्द्र कथितः पापनाशनः
This incarnation of Hari, famed as Parashurama and wondrous in deeds, has been told to you, O king, as a destroyer of sin.
त्रेतायुगे रघोर्वंशे रामो दशरथात्मजः । नरनारायणांशौ द्वौ जातौ भुवि महाबलौ
In the Tretā age, in the lineage of Raghu, Rāma, the son of Daśaratha, was born; both he and his brother were portions of Nara and Nārāyaṇa, mighty on earth.
अष्टाविंशे युगे शस्तौ द्वापरेऽर्जुनशौरिणौ । धराभारावतारार्थं जातौ कृष्णार्जुनौ भुवि
In the twenty-eighth cycle, in the Dvāpara age, Arjuna and Kṛṣṇa, the best of men, were born on earth for the purpose of relieving the burden of the world.
कृतवन्तौ महायुद्धं कुरुक्षेत्रेऽतिदारुणम् । एवं युगे युगे राजन्नवतारा हरेः किल
They fought a great and exceedingly fierce battle at Kurukṣetra; thus, O King, in every age, there are said to be incarnations of Hari.
भवन्ति बहवः कामं प्रकृतेरनुरूपतः । प्रकृतेरखिलं सर्वं वशमेतज्जगत्त्रयम्
Indeed, there are many such incarnations, according to the nature of Prakṛti; all of this threefold world is under the sway of Prakṛti.
यथेच्छति तथैवेयं भ्रामयत्यनिशं जगत् । पुरुषस्य प्रियार्थं सा रचयत्यखिलं जगत्
As she wishes, so does she ceaselessly turn this world; for the sake of her beloved Puruṣa, she creates the entire universe.
सृष्ट्वा पुरा हि भगवाञ्जगदेतच्चराचरम् । सर्वादिः सर्वगश्चासौ दुर्ज्ञेयः परमोऽव्ययः
Having created this world, both moving and unmoving, the Lord, who is the origin of all, who is all-pervading, who is difficult to know, supreme and imperishable—
निरालम्बो निराकारो निःस्पृहश्च परात्परः । उपाधितस्त्रिधा भाति यस्याः सा प्रकृतिः परा
He is without support, without form, without desire, the highest of the high; yet, through limiting adjuncts, he appears in threefold form—she is the supreme Prakṛti.
उत्पत्तिकालयोगात्सा भिन्ना भाति शिवा तदा । सा विश्वं कुरुते कामं सा पालयति कामदा
At the time of creation, by the conjunction of causes, she appears as distinct and auspicious; she creates the universe as she wishes, she is the fulfiller of desires and sustains it.
कल्पान्ते संहरत्येव त्रिरूपा विश्वमोहिनी । तया युक्तोऽसृज द्ब्रह्मा विष्णुः पाति तयान्वितः
At the end of the cycle, she withdraws everything, being three-formed and the deluder of the universe; united with her, Brahmā creates, Viṣṇu protects, endowed with her.
रुद्रः संहरते कामं तया सम्मिलितः शिवः । सा चैवोत्पाद्य काकुत्स्थं पुरा वै नृपसत्तमम्
Rudra, united with her, destroys as he wishes; she also, having produced Kakutstha, the foremost king of old—