Vamana Purana

With deep reverence, I bow to Narayana, the Supreme Lord who is seated upon mighty Garuda. I offer my salutations to Him who is the undivided fruit of all desire, beloved of the Brahmanas. I bow before Hamsa, before Shambhu, and before Brahma accompanied by the Prajapatis. My obeisance is to Shiva, to Vishnu, to the golden-eyed Lord, to the protector of cows, resplendent in yellow garments. I bow to the divine Ardhanarishvara, the destroyer of all sin, and to the universal form, the fragrant One, the ever-auspicious Shiva. I offer my salutations to the lotus-eyed Keshava, who carries the scent of milk, to the tranquil One, to Markandeya, and to Jambuka. I bow to Karttikeya, to Bahlika, and to the crested Lord. My reverence is for Langalisha and for the Lord of Shri. I bow to the thrice-golden one, to Him adorned with the moon, and to Kapardin, destroyer of all diseases. I offer salutations to Padmanabha, to Hiranyaksha, and to the imperishable Skanda. Ever and always, I bow to Hamsa and to the supreme object of all offerings. I bow to Srinivasa and to the Supreme Purusha. My salutations are for the Lord of plants, for Pashupati, the unchanging Lord, for the flawless Lord of all, for Gaurisha, and for the Lord of the Nagas. I bow to Yashodhara, the mighty-armed, and to Him who is dear to kusa grass, to Bhadraksha, to Virabhadra, and to Shankukarṇika. I bow to Upendra, to Govinda, and to the One who delights in lotuses, to Kalagni, to Rudra, Lord of the gods, and to the One clad in hides. My salutations are to the thousand-eyed, to Kokanada, and to Hari-Shankara. I bow to the eternal Brahma, supreme in Brahman, to Dharmaraja, the god who rides Garuda, to the great yogi, the unmanifest, the destroyer of sin, the refuge to whom I take shelter. By reciting, remembering, and hearing these holy names, one attains blessedness, fame, and the destruction of countless sins. Now listen, O best of sages, to a wondrous event. Vali, son of Virocana, journeyed to the sacred land of Kurukshetra to perform a great sacrifice. Shukra, of the illustrious Bhargava lineage, called forth the foremost among the twice-born. The Kaushikas and Angirasas, leaving behind the lands of Kuru and Jangala, traveled together. After purifying themselves in the waters of the Śātadru, they proceeded to the river Vipāśā. They arrived at the holy Kiraṇā, whose waters shimmered with the rays of the sun. Thereafter, they bathed in the supremely pure stream of the Airāvatī and made their way to Atheśvarī. O sage, Maitreya and the other ascetics descended together to bathe in that auspicious river. Within those sacred waters, O best of the twice-born, a great and wondrous event unfolded. Having bathed, all the sages emerged from the river, their minds filled with astonishment, pondering, “What is this?” Before them stretched a forest, dark as the neck of a peacock, alive with the calls of myriad birds. The ascetics, their matted locks spreading, entered the very earth itself. There they beheld a vision of ten and a half pleasing colors, shining like the host of stars scattered across the night sky.