विष्णुरुवाच पश्य नारद मायावी विलासोऽयं महामते । देहेषु सर्वजन्तूनां दशाभेदा ह्यनेकशः
Viṣṇu said: See, O Narada, this is the wondrous play of Māyā, O wise one; in all embodied beings, there are countless differences of states.
जाग्रत्स्वप्नसुषुप्तिश्च तुरीया देहिनां दशा । तथा देहान्तरे प्राप्ते सन्देहः कीदृशः पुनः
The states of waking, dreaming, deep sleep, and the fourth (turīya) exist for embodied beings; likewise, when another body is attained, what kind of doubt arises again?
सुप्तो नरो न जानाति न शृणोति वदत्यपि । पुनः प्रबुद्धो जानाति सर्वं ज्ञातमशेषतः
When a man is asleep, he does not know, does not hear, nor does he speak; but when he awakens, he knows everything that was previously known, without exception.
निद्रया चाल्यते चित्तं भवन्ति स्वप्नसम्भवाः । नानाविधा मनोभेदा मनोभावा ह्यनेकशः
By sleep, the mind is disturbed, and dreams arise; there are many kinds of mental divisions and countless states of mind.
गजो मां हन्तुमायाति न शक्तोऽस्मि पलायने । किं करोमि न मे स्थानं यत्र गच्छामि सत्वरः
"An elephant comes to kill me, and I am unable to flee; what shall I do? I have no place to go, though I try to escape quickly."
मृतं पितामहं स्वप्ने पश्यति स्वगृहागतम् । संयोगस्तेन वार्ता च भोजनं सह मन्यते
In a dream, one sees a deceased grandfather coming home, converses with him, and even thinks of eating together.
प्रबुद्धः खलु जानाति स्वप्ने दृष्टं सुखासुखम् । स्मृत्वा सर्वं जनेभ्यस्तु विस्तरात्प्रवदत्यपि
But when awakened, one knows the pleasures and pains seen in the dream, remembers everything, and tells others about it in detail.
स्वप्नेकोऽपि न जानाति भ्रमोऽयमिति निश्चयः । तथा तथैव विभवो मायाया दुर्गमः किल
In the dream itself, no one knows that it is a delusion—this is certain; likewise, the power of Māyā is indeed difficult to grasp.
नाहं नारद जानामि पारं परमदुर्घटम् । गुणानां किल मायाया नैव शम्भुर्न पद्मजः
O Narada, I do not know the farthest limit of Māyā's exceedingly difficult qualities; neither Śambhu nor the Lotus-born knows them.
कोऽन्यो ज्ञातुं समर्थोऽभून्मानतो मन्दधीः पुनः । मायागुणपरिज्ञानं न कस्यापि भवेदिह
Who else, being dull-witted or proud, could be capable of knowing them? In this world, no one can fully comprehend the qualities of Māyā.
गुणत्रयकृतं सर्वं जगत्स्थावरजङ्गमम् । विना गुणैर्न संसारो वर्तते किञ्चिदप्यदः
All the world, both moving and unmoving, is produced by the three qualities; without the qualities, this cycle of existence does not proceed at all.
अहं सत्त्वप्रधानोऽस्मि रजस्तमसमन्वितः । न कदाचित्त्रिभिर्हीनो भवामि भुवनेश्वरः
I am predominantly of sattva, but joined with rajas and tamas; never am I devoid of all three, O Lord of the world.
तथा ब्रह्मा पिता तेऽत्र रजोमुख्यः प्रकीर्तितः । तमःसत्त्वसमायुक्तो न ताभ्यामुज्झितः किल
Likewise, your father Brahmā is said to be chiefly of rajas, yet he is also joined with tamas and sattva, and is never free from the other two.
शिवस्तथा तमोमुख्यो रजःसत्त्वसमावृतः । गुणत्रयविहीनस्तु नैव कोऽपि मया श्रुतः
Similarly, Śiva is predominantly of tamas, enveloped by rajas and sattva; I have never heard of anyone who is devoid of all three qualities.
तस्मान्मोहो न कर्तव्यः संसारेऽस्मिन्मुनीश्वर । मायाविनिर्मितेऽसारेऽपारे परमदुर्घटे
Therefore, O chief of sages, one should not be deluded in this world, which is fashioned by Māyā, lacking essence, boundless, and exceedingly difficult.
दृष्टा माया त्वयाद्यैव भुक्ता भोगा ह्यनेकशः । किं पृच्छसि महाभाग तस्याश्चरितमद्भुतम्
Today you have seen Māyā, and you have enjoyed countless pleasures; O greatly fortunate one, why do you ask about her wondrous deeds?
; भगवतीमाहात्म्यवर्णनम् व्यास उवाच निशामय महाराज ब्रवीमि विशदाक्षरम् । माहात्म्यं खलु मायाया नारदात्तु मया श्रुतम्
Vyāsa said: Listen, O great king, I will speak clearly; I have heard the greatness of Māyā from Nārada.
मया पुनर्मुनिः पृष्टो नारदः सर्ववित्तमः । श्रुत्वा कथां मुनेस्तस्य नारीदेहसमुद्भवाम्
Again, I questioned the sage Nārada, who knows all, after hearing the tale arising from the female form of that sage.
ब्रूहि नारद पश्चात्किं कथितं हरिणा तदा । क्व गतश्च जगन्नाथो भवता सह माधवः
Tell me, Nārada, what did Hari say afterwards? Where did the Lord of the universe go with you, O Mādhava?
नारद उवाच इत्युक्त्वा भगवांस्तस्मिंस्तडागेऽतिमनोहरे । आरुह्य गरुडं गन्तुं वैकुण्ठे च मनो दधे
Nārada said: Having spoken thus, the blessed one, in that exceedingly beautiful lake, mounted Garuḍa and set his mind to depart for Vaikuṇṭha.
मामुवाच रमाकान्तो यथेष्टं गच्छ नारद । एहि वा मम लोकं त्वं यथारुचि तथा कुरु
The beloved of Lakṣmī said to me: Go as you wish, Nārada; or come to my world, do as you please.
ब्रह्मलोकं गतश्चाहमापृच्छ्य मधुसूदनम् । भगवानपि देवेशस्तत्क्षणाद्गरुडासनः
Having taken leave of Madhusūdana, I went to Brahmaloka; and the Lord of the gods, at that moment, ascended Garuḍa.
वैकुण्ठमगमत्तूर्णं मामादिश्य यथासुखम् । ततोऽहं पितृसदनं गतो याते जनार्दने
He swiftly went to Vaikuṇṭha, instructing me to act as I pleased; then, when Janārdana had departed, I went to my father's abode.
चिन्तयन्सकलं दुःखं सुखं च परमाद्भुतम् । गत्वा प्रणम्य पितरं स्थितो यावत्पुरः पितुः
Thinking over all the sorrow and happiness, exceedingly wondrous, I went and bowed to my father, standing before him.
तावत्पृष्टो मुने पित्रा वीक्ष्य चिन्तातुरं तु माम् । ब्रह्योवाच क्व गतोऽसि महाभाग कस्माच्चिन्तातुरः सुत
At that moment, my father, seeing me troubled, questioned me: 'Where have you gone, O greatly fortunate one? Why are you distressed, my son?'
स्वस्थं नैवाद्य पश्यामि मनस्ते मुनिसत्तम । केनापि वञ्चितोऽसि त्वं दृष्टं वा किञ्चिदद्भुतम्
'Today I do not see you at ease, O best of sages; have you been deceived by someone, or have you seen something wondrous?'
विषण्णं गतविज्ञानं पश्यामि त्वां कथं सुत । नारद उवाच इति पृष्टस्तदा पित्रा बृस्यां समुपवेश्य च
'I see you dejected and lacking understanding, my son.' Nārada said: Thus questioned by my father, I sat upon the seat.
तमब्रवं स्ववृत्तान्तं मायाबलसमुद्भवम् । वञ्चितोऽहं पितः कामं विष्णुना प्रभविष्णुना
I told him my story, arising from the power of Māyā: 'I have indeed been deceived, father, by the mighty Viṣṇu.'
स्त्रीभावं गमितः कामं वर्षाणि सुबहून्यपि । अनुभूतं महद्दुःखं पुत्रशोकसमुद्भवम्
'I was made to assume a female form for many years, and experienced great sorrow arising from the grief of children.'
प्रबोधितोऽहं तेनैव मृदुवाक्यामृतेन च । पुनः सरोवरे स्नात्वा जातोऽहं नारदः पुमान्
'I was awakened by him with gentle, nectar-like words; after bathing again in the lake, I became Nārada, a man.'