Garuda Purana

कृष्णरामादिवच्चैव त्वेकीभावो विवक्षितः । बिंबानां मूलरूपस्य भेदो नात्र विवक्षितः ॥ ३,२.

Just as with Krishna, Rama, and others, only the unity of the reflections is intended; the distinction of the original form is not intended here.

तत्रापि च विशेषोस्ति ज्ञातव्यस्तत्त्वमिच्छुभिः । एकांशेन तु बिंबैस्तु चैकीभावं व्रजन्ति ते ॥ ३,२.

Even there, a distinction exists, which must be known by those who seek the truth; for only in one aspect do the reflections attain unity.

एकांशेन तु जीवत्वे संस्थिता नात्र संशयः । बिंबमूलं न जानन्ति ते जना ह्यसुराः स्मृताः ॥ ३,२.

Indeed, in one aspect, they remain as living beings—of this there is no doubt; those people who do not know the original source of the reflection are called asuras.

एक एव हरिः पूर्वं ह्यविद्यावशतः स्वयम् । अनेको भवति ह्यारादादर्शप्रतिबिंबवत् ॥ ३,२.

Hari was originally one alone, but by the power of ignorance, he becomes many, just like reflections in many mirrors.

एवं वदन्ति ये मूढास्तेपि यान्त्यधरं तमः । उपाधिर्द्विविधः प्रोक्तः स्वरूपो बाह्य एव च ॥ ३,२.

Those deluded ones who speak thus also go to the lower darkness; the limiting adjunct is said to be twofold: the essential and the external.

बाह्योपाधिर्लये याति मुक्तावन्यस्य संस्थितिः । सर्वोपाधिविनाशे हि प्रतिबिंबः कथं भवेत् ॥ ३,२.

The external adjunct dissolves at dissolution, while the other remains; when all adjuncts are destroyed, how can the reflection exist?

चिद्रूपाख्यो ह्युपाधिस्तु मोक्षे येप्यधिकारिणः । दुःखरूपो ह्युपाधिस्तु तमसो येधिकारिणः ॥ ३,२.

The adjunct called 'consciousness-form' pertains to those eligible for liberation; the adjunct of the form of suffering pertains to those eligible for darkness.

मिश्ररूपो ह्युपाधिस्तु नित्यसंसारिणां मतः । बाह्योपाधिर्लिङ्गदेहः सर्वेषां नात्र संशयः ॥ ३,२.

The adjunct of mixed form is considered to belong to those eternally bound in transmigration; the external adjunct is the subtle body for all—of this there is no doubt.

दैत्याः दुःखायते यस्मात्तस्मादुःखी हरिः स्वयम् । तत्तद्दुःखस्वरूपत्वाद्दैत्यानां बिंबरूपकः ॥ ३,२.

Because the Daityas are subject to suffering, therefore Hari himself is considered afflicted; due to the nature of suffering in the Daityas, he is their reflected form.

दैत्यस्थितानां बिंबानां मूलरूपस्य वै प्रभोः । परस्परं तथा भेदं ह्यन्तरं वा न चिन्तयेत् ॥ ३,२.

For the reflections situated among the Daityas, one should not contemplate any difference or separation from the original form of the Lord.

श्रीभूदुर्गादिरूपाणां तथा सीतादिरूपिणाम् । अन्योन्यं नाणुमात्रं च भेदो बाह्यान्तरेपि च ॥ ३,२.

Among the forms of Shri, Bhū, Durgā, and likewise those of Sītā and others, there is not even the slightest difference, either externally or internally.

चिन्तनीयः कथमपि ज्ञात्वा यान्त्यधरं तमः । प्रतिबिंबस्थितो बिंबः स्त्रीरूपो ह्यस्ति सर्वदा ॥ ३,२.

Whoever, having known this, still contemplates difference, they go to the lower darkness; the reflection that abides in the form of a woman always exists.

प्रलये समनुप्राप्ते लक्ष्म्या सह खगोत्तम । एकीभावं नाप्नुवन्ति बिंबेन सह संस्थिताः ॥ ३,२.

When dissolution arrives, O best of birds, those who are established with the reflection do not attain unity with the original along with Lakshmi.

बिंबस्थितानां रूपाणां लक्ष्म्याश्च विनतासुत । भेदस्तु नाणुमात्रं च शङ्कनीयः कथञ्चन ॥ ३,२.

For the forms abiding in the reflection and for Lakshmi, O son of Vinata, not even the slightest difference should be suspected in any way.

यदा हि शेते प्रलयार्णवे विभुर्जीवांश्च सर्वानुदरे निवेश्य । मुक्तांश्च ब्रह्मेन्द्रमरुद्गणादीन्प्रात्पव्यमुक्तींश्च सुतौ? च संस्थितान् ॥ ३,२.

When the Lord lies in the ocean of dissolution, having placed all living beings within his belly—those who are liberated, Brahma, Indra, the hosts of Maruts, and those who have attained liberation, as well as his sons who remain—

प्राप्तान्धकूपादिसमस्तजीवांस्तथैव प्राप्तव्यकलीनथापरान् । तथैव नित्यं सृतिसंस्थिताञ्जनानचेतनानृक्षरूपादिजीवान् ॥ ३,२.

He similarly receives all living beings who have entered the darkness of hell and others, as well as those destined for future births, and likewise those who are eternally established in the cycle of creation, and the insentient, and the living beings of the forms of trees and others.

एवं जनाञ्जठरे संनिधाय सम्यक्शेते ह्यंभसि वै स कल्पे । लक्ष्मीस्तु सा सर्ववेदात्मिका च भक्त्या हरौ नित्यसंवर्धितापि ॥ ३,२.

Thus, having placed all beings in his belly, he truly lies in the waters during the cosmic cycle; but Lakshmi, who is the essence of all the Vedas, is always nurtured by devotion to Hari.

अत्यादरं दर्शयतीव सा तु ईडे विष्णुं भक्तिसंवर्धितापि । चेष्टादिरूपेण तदा न किञ्चिदासीद्विना विष्णुमथ श्रियं च ॥ ३,२.

Though she appeared to show the utmost reverence, I praise Viṣṇu, for even though devotion had grown within her, at that time there was nothing besides Viṣṇu and Śrī in the form of action and so forth.

पर्यङ्करूपेण बभूव देवी वासस्वरूपेण रमा विरेजे । सर्वं रमा सैव तदैव चासीत्सैका देवी बहुरूपा बभाषे ॥ ३,२.

The goddess became the form of the couch, and Ramā shone forth as the garment; at that moment, Ramā alone was everything—she alone, the goddess, manifested in many forms.

त्वमुत्कृष्टः सर्वदेवोत्तमत्वान्न त्वत्समः कश्चिदेवाधिको वा । त्वं ब्रह्म एको न चतुर्मुखश्च नाहं रुद्रो न बृहस्पतिश्च ॥ ३,२.

You are supreme, surpassing all the gods; there is no one equal to you or greater. You alone are Brahman—not the four-faced one, nor am I Rudra, nor Bṛhaspati.

विष्णावेव ब्रह्मशब्दो हि मुख्यो ह्यन्येष्वमुख्यो ब्रह्मरुद्रादिकेषु । अनन्तगुणपूर्णत्वाद्ब्रह्मेति हरिरुच्यते ॥ ३,२.

The word 'Brahman' is properly applied only to Viṣṇu; for others like Brahmā and Rudra, it is secondary. Because he is filled with infinite qualities, Hari is called Brahman.

गुणादिपूर्णताभावान्नान्ये ब्रह्मेत्युदाहृताः । देशानन्त्यं गुणतः कालतो वा नास्त्यानन्त्यं क्वापि देशे च काले ॥ ३,२.

Because others lack fullness of qualities and so forth, they are not referred to as Brahman. There is no infinity of space or time anywhere; only qualities are infinite.

यदा नन्त्यं किमु वक्तव्यमत्र गुणानन्त्यं नास्ति ब्रह्मादिकेषु । यद्यप्यहं देशतः कालतश्च समस्तदा वासुदेवेन सार्धम् ॥ ३,२.

If there is infinity, what more need be said? There is no infinity of qualities in Brahmā and the others. Even though I exist everywhere in space and time, it is always together with Vāsudeva.

तथापि मे गुणतो नास्त्यनन्तं ततो धर्मा गुणतोनन्ततश्च । संति श्रुतावविरुद्धाश्च देवे चिन्त्या ह्यचिन्त्या बहुधा ते ह्यनन्ताः ॥ ३,२.

Still, I do not possess infinite qualities; therefore, my attributes are not infinite. In the scriptures, there are indeed many qualities of the god that are both conceivable and inconceivable, and they are infinite.

अतो गुणांस्तव देवस्य विष्णो स्तोतुं सदा स्मो न हरेः कदापि । नाहं न केशौ न च गीर्न रुद्रो न दक्षकन्या न च मेनकासुता ॥ ३,२.

Therefore, we are never able to praise the qualities of you, O god Viṣṇu, O Hari. Neither I, nor Keśava, nor Gīrṇa, nor Rudra, nor Dakṣa's daughter, nor Menakā's child can do so.

न वै बिडौजा न च वा पुलोमजा न चेध्मवाहो न यमो न चान्यः । न नारदो नापि भृगुर्वसिष्ठो न विघ्नपो नापि बल्यादयश्च ॥ ३,२.

Neither Biḍauja, nor Pulomajā, nor Agni, nor Yama, nor anyone else; not Nārada, nor Bhṛgu, nor Vasiṣṭha, nor Gaṇeśa, nor Bali and the others.

न वै विराटो नापि भीमः शनिश्च न पुष्करो न कशेरुस्तथैव । न किन्नराः पितरो नैव देवा गन्धर्वमुख्या नापि वा तुष्यसंज्ञाः ॥ ३,२.

Neither Virāṭ, nor Bhīma, nor Śani, nor Puṣkara, nor Kaśeru; not the Kinnaras, nor the ancestors, nor the gods, nor the chief Gandharvas, nor those called Tuṣyas.

न वै क्षितीशा न च मानुषाश्च विष्णोर्न जानन्ति किमत्र चान्ये । मत्तोधमः कोचिगुणेन ब्रह्मा समो हि तस्य ब्रह्मणो मातरिश्व ॥ ३,२.

Neither the lords of the earth nor humans know Viṣṇu; what then of others? I am inferior to Brahmā by a small measure of qualities; indeed, he is equal to the wind among the sons of Brahmā.

तौ वै विरागे हरिभक्तिभावे धृतिस्तितिप्राणबलेषुयोगे । बुद्धौ समानौ संसृतौ मोक्षकाले परस्पराधारसमन्वितौ च ॥ ३,२.

Those two, in their dispassion and devotion to Hari, are equal in steadfastness, endurance, life-force, and union; in intellect, in transmigration, and at the time of liberation, they are mutually dependent.