Varaha Purana

पूर्वं राजा विशालोऽभूत् काश्यां पुर्यां महाबलः । गोत्रजैर्हृतराज्योऽसौ गन्धमादनमाविशत् ।। ४८.

Formerly, there was a mighty king named Vishala in the city of Kashi; his kingdom was taken by his kinsmen, and he entered Gandhamadana.

तस्य द्रोण्यां महाराज बदरीं प्राप्य शोभनाम् । हृतराज्यो विशेषेण गतश्रीको नरोत्तमः ।। ४८.

In a valley there, O great king, he reached the beautiful Badari; deprived of his kingdom and fortune, that best of men stayed there.

कदाचिदागतौ तत्र पुराणावृषिसत्तमौ । नरनारायणौ देवौ सर्वदेवनमस्कृतौ ।। ४८.

Once, the two ancient and noble sages, Nara and Narayana, revered by all the gods, came there.

तौ दृष्ट्वा तत्र राजानं पूर्वागतमरिंदमौ । ध्यायन्तं परमं ब्रह्म विष्ण्वाख्यं परमं पदम् ।। ४८.

Seeing the king, who had arrived there before, those two destroyers of enemies beheld him meditating on the Supreme Brahman, the highest state known as Vishnu.

तौ प्रीतावूचतुस्तं तु राजानं क्षीणकल्मषम् । वरं वृणीष्व राजेन्द्र वरदौ स्वस्तवागतौ ।। ४८.

Pleased, the two said to the king, whose sins were diminished: 'Choose a boon, O king of kings; we have come here to grant you a blessing.'

राजोवाच । भवन्तौ कौ न जानामि कस्य गृह्णाम्यहं वरम् । आराधयामि यत् तस्माद् वरमिच्छामि शोभनम् ।। ४८.

The king said: 'I do not know who you both are, nor from whom I should accept a boon. I desire a worthy boon related to the one I worship.'

एवमुक्तौ तु तौ राज्ञा कमाराधयसे प्रभो । कं वा वरं वृणुष्व त्वं कथयस्व कुतूहलात् ।। ४८.

Thus addressed by the king, they said: 'Which lord do you worship? What boon do you wish for? Tell us out of curiosity.'

एवमुक्तस्ततो राजा विष्णुमाराधयाम्यहम् । कथयित्वा स्थितस्तूष्णीं ततस्तावूचतुः पुनः ।। ४८.

Thus questioned, the king replied: 'I worship Vishnu.' Having said this, he remained silent, and then the two spoke again.

राजन् तस्यैव देवस्य प्रसादादावयोर्वरः । दातव्यस्ते वरं ब्रूहि कस्ते मनसि वर्त्तते ।। ४८.

'O king, by the grace of that very deity, we have the power to grant boons. Speak the boon you desire, whatever is in your mind.'

राजोवाच । यथा यज्ञेश्वरं देवं यज्ञैर्विविधदक्षिणैः । यष्टुं समर्थता मे स्यात् तथा मे ददतं वरम् ।। ४८.

The king said: 'Grant me the ability to worship the Lord of Sacrifice with various sacrifices and offerings, so that I may be capable of such worship.'

नर उवाच । स्वयं नारायणो देवो लोकमार्गप्रदर्शकः । मया सह तपः कुर्याद् बदर्यां लोकभावनः ।। ४८.

Nara said: 'May Lord Narayana himself, the guide of the worlds, perform austerities with me at Badari for the welfare of the world.'

अयं मत्स्योऽभवत् पूर्वं पुनः कूर्म्मस्वरूपवान् । वराहश्चाभवद् देवो नरसिंहस्ततोऽभवत् ।। ४८.

This one was formerly a fish, then took the form of a tortoise, then became the boar, and after that, the man-lion.

वामनस्तु ततो जातो जामदग्न्यो महाबलः । पुनर्दाशरथिर्भूत्वा वासुदेवः पुनर्बभौ ।। ४८.

Then he was born as Vamana, then as the mighty son of Jamadagni; again, he became the son of Dasharatha, and then appeared as Vasudeva.

बुद्धो भूत्वा जनं ह्येष मोहयामास पार्थिव । सपत्नान् दस्यवो म्लेच्छान् पुनर्हत्वा महीमिमाम् । प्रकृतिस्थां चकारायं स एष भगवान् हरिः ।। ४८.

Having become Buddha, he deluded the people, O king; then, after destroying the hostile, thieving, and foreign enemies, he restored this earth to its natural order—he, that blessed Lord Hari.

पूज्यते मत्स्यरूपेण सर्वज्ञत्वमभीप्सुभिः । स्ववंशोद्धरणार्थाय कूर्मरूपी तु पूज्यते ।। ४८.

He is worshipped in the form of the Fish by those who desire all-knowing wisdom; and in the form of the Tortoise, he is worshipped for the purpose of uplifting his own lineage.

भवोदधिनिमग्नेन वाराहः पूज्यते हरिः । नारसिंहेण रूपेण तद्वत् पापभयान्नरैः ।। ४८.

Hari is worshipped as the Boar, who entered the ocean of existence; likewise, in the form of Narasimha, he is worshipped by people out of fear of sin.

वामनं मोहनाशाय वित्तार्थे जगदग्निजम् । क्रूरशत्रुविनाशाय यजेद् दाशरथिं बुधः ।। ४८.

To remove delusion and for the sake of wealth, one should worship Vamana, born from the fire of the world; and the wise worship the son of Dasharatha for the destruction of cruel enemies.

बलकृष्णौ यजेद् धीमान् पुत्रकामो न संशयः । रूपकामो यजेद् बुद्धं कल्किनं शत्रुघातने ।। ४८.

The intelligent one who desires a son should worship Balarama and Krishna, without doubt; one who desires forms should worship Buddha, and Kalki for the destruction of enemies.

एवमुक्त्वा नरस्तस्य इमामेवाब्रवीन्मुनिः । द्वादशीं कृतवान् सोऽपि चक्रवर्ती बभूव ह । तस्यैव नाम्ना बदरी विशालाख्याऽभवन्मुने ।। ४८.

Having spoken thus, the man said this to him, O sage; he performed the Dvadashi vow and indeed became a universal monarch; and after his name, Badari, renowned as Vishala, came to be.

इह जन्मनि राजाऽसौ राज्यं कृत्वा इयाद् वनम् । यज्ञैश्च विविधैरिष्ट्वा परं निर्वाणमाप्तवान् ।। ४८.

In this very birth, that king, after ruling his kingdom, went to the forest; and having performed various sacrifices, he attained the supreme liberation.

दुर्वासा उवाच । तद्वदाश्वयुजे मासि द्वादशीं शुक्लपक्षतः । संकल्प्याभ्यर्चयेद् देवं पद्मनाभं सनातनम् ।। ४९.

Durvasa said: Now, in the month of Ashvayuja, on the twelfth day of the bright fortnight, one should resolve and worship the eternal Lord Padmanabha.

पद्मनाभाय पादौ तु कटिं वै पद्मयोनये । उदरं सर्वदेवाय पुष्कराक्षाय वै उरः । अव्ययाय तथा पाणिं प्राग्वदस्त्राणि पूजयेत् ।। ४९.

To Padmanabha, offer worship to the feet; to Padmayoni, the waist; to Sarvadeva, the abdomen; to Pushkaraksha, the chest; and to Avyaya, the hands—worship the weapons as before.

प्रभवाय शिरः पूज्य प्राग्वदग्रे घटं न्यसेत् । तस्मिन् सौवर्णकं देवं पद्मनाभं तु विन्यसेत् ।। ४९.

For Prabhava, worship the head; as before, place the pot in front; and in it, install the golden image of the god Padmanabha.

तमेव देवं संपूज्य गन्धपुष्पादिभिः क्रमात् । प्रभातायां तु शर्वर्यां ब्राह्मणाय निवेदयेत् । एवं कृते तु यत् पुण्यं तन्निबोध महामुने ।। ४९.

Worship that very god with fragrant substances, flowers, and so on, in order; at dawn, offer it to a Brahmin; and now, O great sage, hear the merit obtained by doing this.

आसीत् कृतयुगे राजा भद्राश्वो नाम वीर्यवान् । यस्य नाम्नाऽभवद् वर्षं भद्राश्वं नाम नामतः ।। ४९.

In the Krita age, there was a powerful king named Bhadrashva, after whom the land called Bhadrashva was named.

तस्यागस्त्यः कदाचित् तु गृहमागत्य सत्तम । उवाच सप्तरात्रं तु वसामि भवतो गृहे ।। ४९.

Once, Agastya, the most excellent sage, came to his house and said, 'I will stay in your home for seven nights.'

तं राजा शिरसा भूत्वा स्थीयतामित्यभाषत । तस्य कान्तिमती नाम भार्या परमशोभना ।। ४९.

The king, bowing his head, said to him, 'Please remain here.' His wife was named Kantimati, supremely beautiful.

तस्यास्तेजः समभवद् द्वादशादित्यसंनिभम् । शतानि पञ्च तस्यासन् सपत्नीनां यतव्रत ।। ४९.

Her radiance was like that of twelve suns; she had five hundred co-wives, all devoted to vows.

ता दास्य इव कर्माणि कुर्वन्त्यहरहः शुभाः । कान्तिमत्या महाभाग भयात् त्रस्ता विचेतसः ।। ४९.

Those auspicious women performed the tasks of servants every day, frightened and bewildered by the great fortune of Kantimati.