ब्रह्मणः सृष्टिकामस्य मुखाद् वायुर्विनिर्ययौ । प्रचण्डशर्करावर्षी तं ब्रह्मा प्रत्यषेधयत् । मूर्त्तो भवस्व शान्तश्च तत्रोक्तो मूर्त्तिमान् भवत् ।। ३०.
From the mouth of Brahmā, desiring creation, Vāyu emerged, fierce and raining gravel; Brahmā restrained him, saying, 'Become embodied and peaceful,' and thus he became embodied.
सर्वेषां चैव देवानां यद् वित्तं फलमेव च । तत्सर्वं पाहि येनोक्तं तस्माद् धनपतिर्भवत् ।। ३०.
Whatever wealth and fruit belongs to all the gods, protect all that—by this command, you shall become the Lord of Wealth.
तस्य ब्रह्मा ददौ तुष्टस्तिथिमेकादशीं प्रभुः । तस्यामनग्निपक्वाशी यो भवेन्नियतः शुचिः ।। ३०.
To him, Brahmā, pleased, granted the Ekādaśī vow; whoever, disciplined and pure, eats food not cooked by fire on that day—
तस्याशु धनदो देवस्तुष्टः सर्वं प्रयच्छति । एषा धनपतेर्मूर्तिः सर्वकिल्बिषनाशिनी ।। ३०.
To such a one, the god Dhanada, being pleased, quickly gives everything; this is the form of the Lord of Wealth, destroyer of all sins.
य एतां श्रृणुयाद् भक्त्या पुरुषः पठतेऽपि वा । सर्वकाममवाप्नोति स्वर्गलोकं च गच्छति ।। ३०.
A man who listens to or recites this with devotion attains all desires and goes to the heavenly world.
महातपा उवाच । मनोर्नाम मनुत्वं च यदेतत् पठ्यते किल । प्रयोजनवशाद् विष्णुरसावेव तु मूर्त्तिमान् ।। ३१.
Mahātapā said: That which is recited as Manu and the state of being Manu—by necessity, that very Viṣṇu became embodied.
योऽसौ नारायणो देवः परात् परतरो नृप । तस्य चिन्ता समुत्पन्ना सृष्टिं प्रति नरोत्तम ।। ३१.
That Nārāyaṇa, the god who is higher than the highest, O king, had a thought arise concerning creation, O best of men.
सृष्टा चेयं मया सृष्टिः पालनीया मयैव ह । कर्मकाण्डं त्वमूर्त्तेन कर्तुं नैवेह शक्यते । तस्मान्मूर्त्तिं सृजाम्येकां यया पाल्यमिदं जगत् ।। ३१.
This creation has been made by me; it must indeed be protected by me. But ritual action cannot be performed by one without a body—therefore, I shall create an embodied form by which this world may be protected.
एवं चिन्तयतस्तस्य सत्याभिध्यायिनो नृप । प्राक्सृष्टिजातं राजन् वै मूर्त्तिमत् तत्पुरो बभौ ।। ३१.
As he thus reflected, with true resolve, O king, before him appeared an embodied being, born prior to creation.
पुरोभूते ततस्तस्मिन् देवो नारायणः स्वयम् । प्रविशन्तं ददर्शाथ त्रैलोक्यं तस्य देहतः ।। ३१.
When that being stood before him, the god Nārāyaṇa himself saw him entering the three worlds from his own body.
ततः सस्मार भगवान् वरदानं पुरातनम् । वागादीनां ततस्तुष्टः प्रादात् तस्य पुनर्वरम् ।। ३१.
Then the Blessed Lord remembered the ancient boon; pleased with his speech and other qualities, he again granted him a boon.
सर्वज्ञः सर्वकर्ता त्वं सर्वलोकनमस्कृतः । त्रैलोक्यविशनाच्च त्वं भव विष्णुः सनातनः ।। ३१.
You are all-knowing, the doer of all, honored by all the worlds; since you have entered the three worlds, become Viṣṇu, the eternal one.
देवानां सर्वदा कार्यं कर्त्तव्यं ब्रह्मणस्तथा । सर्वज्ञत्वं च भवतु तव देव न संशयः ।। ३१.
The work of the gods and of Brahmā must always be done by you; and let omniscience be yours, O god—there is no doubt.
एवमुक्त्वा ततो देवः प्रकृतिस्थो बभूव ह । विष्णुरप्यधुना पूर्वां बुद्धिं सस्मार च प्रभुः ।। ३१.
Having thus spoken, the god became established in his own nature; and Viṣṇu, the Lord, now recalled his former intention.
तदा संचिन्त्य भगवान् योगनिद्रां महातपाः । तस्यां संस्थाप्य भगवानिन्द्रियार्थोद्भवाः प्रजाः । ध्यात्वा परेण रूपेण ततः सुष्वाप वै प्रभुः ।। ३१.
Then the Blessed Lord, great in austerity, contemplated Yogic Sleep; establishing within her the beings arising from the senses and their objects, the Lord meditated in his supreme form and thus entered into sleep.
तस्य सुप्तस्य जठरान्महत्पद्मं विविःसृतम् । सप्तद्वीपवती पृथ्वी ससमुद्रा सकानना ।। ३१.
From his sleeping form, a great lotus emerged from his abdomen, upon which appeared the earth with its seven continents, oceans, and forests.
तस्य रूपस्य विस्तारं पातालं नालसंस्थितम् । कर्णिकायां तथा मेरुस्तन्मध्ये ब्रह्मणो भवः ।। ३१.
The expanse of that form extended to the netherworld, with the stalk as its support; in the lotus's pericarp stood Mount Meru, and in its center was the abode of Brahmā.
एवं दृष्ट्वा परं तस्य शरीरस्य तु संभवम् । मुमुचे तच्छरीरस्थो वायुर्वायुं समं सृजत् ।। ३१.
Seeing thus the supreme origin of his body, the wind residing within that body was released, and he created the wind equally.
अविद्याविजयं चेमं शङ्खरूपेण धारय । अज्ञानच्छेदनार्थाय खङ्गं तेऽस्तु सदा करे ।। ३१.
Bear this conch, the emblem of conquering ignorance, for the purpose of cutting through delusion; may the sword always be in your hand for the destruction of ignorance.
कालचक्रमिमं घोरं चक्रं त्वं धारयाच्युत । अधर्मगजघातार्थं गदां धारय केशव ।। ३१.
Bear this dreadful wheel of time, O Achyuta; and for the destruction of the elephant of unrighteousness, bear the mace, O Keśava.
मालेयं भूतमाता ते कण्ठे तिष्ठतु सर्वदा । श्रीवत्सकौस्तुभौ चेमौ चन्द्रादित्यच्छलेन ह ।। ३१.
Let the garland, the mother of beings, always rest upon your neck; let the Śrīvatsa and Kaustubha gems be upon you, shining like the moon and sun.
मारुतस्ते गतिर्वीर गरुत्मान् स च कीर्त्तितः । त्रैलोक्यगामिनी देवी लक्ष्मीस्तेऽस्तु सदाश्रये । द्वादशी च तिथिस्तेऽस्तु कामरूपी च जायते ।। ३१.
Let the wind be your movement, O hero, and Garuḍa your vehicle, as is proclaimed; may Lakṣmī, the goddess who traverses the three worlds, always be your refuge; let the twelfth lunar day be yours, and may she take any form desired.
घृताशनो भवेद्यस्तु द्वादश्यां त्वल्परायणः । स स्वर्गवासी भवतु पुमान् स्त्री वा विशेषतः ।। ३१.
Whoever eats clarified butter on the twelfth day, even with little devotion, whether man or woman, especially attains residence in heaven.
एष विष्णुस्तवाख्यातो मूर्तयो देवदानवान् । हन्ति पाति शरीराणि सृजत्यन्यानि चात्मनः ।। ३१.
This Viṣṇu, as described to you, takes forms to destroy and protect the bodies of gods and demons, and creates others from himself.
युगे युगे सर्वगोऽयं वेदान्ते पुरुषो ह्यसौ । न हीनबुद्ध्या वक्तव्यो मनुष्योऽयं कदाचन ।। ३१.
In every age, this all-pervading Person is declared in the Vedānta; he should never be spoken of as a mere human by those of lesser understanding.
य एवं श्रृणुयात् सर्गं वैष्णवं पापनाशनम् । स कीर्तिमिह संप्राप्य स्वर्गलोके महीयते ।। ३१.
Whoever hears this account of Viṣṇu's creation, which destroys sin, attains fame in this world and is honored in the heavenly realm.
पूर्वं ब्रह्माऽव्ययः शुद्धः परादपरसंज्ञितः । स सिसृक्षुः प्रजास्त्वादौ पालनं च विचिन्तयत् ।। ३२.
Formerly, Brahmā, imperishable and pure, known as the Supreme and the Supreme Beyond, desiring to create beings at the beginning, also considered their protection.
तस्य चिन्तयतस्त्वङ्गाद् दक्षिणाच्छ्वेतकुण्डलः । प्रादुर्बभूव पुरुषः श्वेतमाल्यानुलेपनः ।। ३२.
As he pondered, from his body, from the right side, appeared a man adorned with white earrings, garlands, and ointments.
तं दृष्ट्वोवाच भगवांश्चतुष्पादं वृषाकृतिम् । पालयेमाः प्रजाः साधो त्वं ज्येष्ठो जगतो भव ।। ३२.
Seeing him, the Blessed Lord spoke: 'O noble one, in the form of a bull with four legs, protect these beings; be the eldest in the world.'
इत्युक्तः समवस्थोऽसौ चतुःपद्भ्यां कृते युगे । त्रेतायां स समस्तृभ्यां द्वे चैव द्वापरेऽभवत् । कलावेकेन पादेन प्रजाः पालयते प्रभुः ।। ३२.
Thus addressed, he stood firm on four legs in the Kṛta age; in the Tretā age, he stood on three, in the Dvāpara on two, and in the Kali age, the Lord protects beings with only one leg.