Varaha Purana

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.

तामगस्त्यस्तथा दृष्ट्वा रूपतेजोऽन्वितां शुभाम् । सपत्न्यश्च भयात् तस्याः कुर्वन्त्यः कर्म शोभनम् । राजा तु तस्या मुदितं मुखमेवावलोकयन् ।। ४९.

Seeing her endowed with beauty and radiance, and her co-wives, out of fear, performing good deeds for her, the king gazed only at her joyful face.

एवंभूतामथो दृष्ट्वा राज्ञीं परमशोभनाम् । साधु साधु जगन्नाथेत्यगस्त्यः प्राह हर्षितः ।। ४९.

Seeing the queen thus, supremely beautiful, Agastya, delighted, said, 'Excellent, excellent, O Lord of the Universe!'

द्वितीये दिवसेऽप्येवं राज्ञीं दृष्ट्वा महाप्रभाम् । अहो मुष्टमहो मुष्टं जगदेतच्चराचरम् । इत्यगस्त्यो द्वितीयेऽह्नि राज्ञीं दृष्ट्वाऽभ्युवाच ह ।। ४९.

On the second day as well, seeing the queen, so radiant, Agastya said, 'Ah, a handful, ah, a handful—this entire world, moving and unmoving, is just this!' Thus, on the second day, seeing the queen, Agastya spoke.

तृतीयेऽहनि तां दृष्ट्वा पुनरेवमुवाच ह । अहो मूढा न जानन्ति गोविन्दं परमेश्वरम् । य एकेऽह्नि फलं चैतद् राज्ञे तुष्टः प्रदत्तवान् ।। ४९.

On the third day, seeing her again, he spoke thus: 'Ah, the ignorant do not know Govinda, the Supreme Lord, who, being pleased, gave this fruit to the queen in a single day.'

चतुर्थे दिवसे हस्तावुत्क्षिप्य पुनरब्रवीत् । साधु साधु जगन्नाथ स्त्री शूद्राः साधु साध्विति । द्विजाः साधु नृपाः साधु वैश्याः साधु पुनः पुनः ।। ४९.

On the fourth day, raising his hands, he again said: 'Excellent, excellent, Lord of the Universe! Women, Shudras—excellent, excellent! Twice-born, kings—excellent, excellent again and again! Vaishyas—excellent!'

साधु भद्राश्व साधु त्वं भोऽगस्त्य साधु साधु ते । साधु प्रह्लाद ते साधु ध्रुव साधो महाव्रत । एवमुक्त्वा ननर्तोच्चैरगस्त्यो राजसंनिधौ ।। ४९.

'Excellent, Bhadrashva, excellent are you! O Agastya, excellent, excellent are you! Excellent, Prahlada, excellent! Dhruva, great vow-holder, excellent!' Having spoken thus, Agastya danced loudly in the presence of the king.

एवंभूतं च तं दृष्ट्वा सपत्नीको नृपोत्तमः । किं हर्षकारणं ब्रह्मन् येनेत्थं नृत्यते भवान् ।। ४९.

Seeing him in such a state, the best of kings, together with his queen, said: 'O Brahmin, what is the cause of your joy, by which you dance in this way?'

अगस्त्य उवाच । अहो मूर्खः कुराजा त्वमहो मूर्खाऽनुगास्त्वमी । अहो पुरोहिता मूर्खा ये न जानन्ति मे मतम् ।। ४९.

Agastya said: 'Ah, you are a foolish king! Ah, these followers of yours are fools! Ah, the priests are fools who do not know my thought!'

एवमुक्ते ततो राजा कृताञ्जलिरभाषत । न जानीमो वयं ब्रह्मन् प्रश्नमेतत् त्वयेरितम् । कथयस्व महाभाग यद्यनुग्रहकृद् भवान् ।। ४९.

When this was said, the king, with joined palms, spoke: 'O Brahmin, we do not know this question you have raised. Please tell us, O greatly fortunate one, if you wish to show us favor.'

अगस्त्य उवाच । इयं राज्ञी त्वया याऽभूद् दासी वैश्यस्य वैदिशे । नगरे हरिदत्तस्य त्वमस्याः पतिरेव च । तस्यैव कर्मकारोऽभूच्छूद्रः सेवनतत्परः ।। ४९.

Agastya said: 'This queen of yours was formerly a maidservant of a Vaishya in the city of Vaidisha. You were her husband, and that Shudra, devoted to service, was the worker of that Vaishya.'

स वैश्योऽश्वयुजे मासि द्वादश्यां नियतः स्थितः । स्वयं विष्ण्वालयं गत्वा पुष्पधूपादिभिर्हरिम् ।। ४९.

That Vaishya, in the month of Ashvayuja, on the twelfth day, observing discipline, went himself to Vishnu's temple and worshipped Hari with flowers, incense, and the like.

अभ्यर्च्य स्वगृहं प्रायाद् भवन्तौ रक्षपालकौ । स्थाप्य द्वावपि दीपानां ज्वलनार्थं महामते ।। ४९.

Having worshipped, he returned to his own house. You two, the guards, remained there, having lit two lamps for the sake of illumination, O wise one.

गते वैश्ये भवन्तौथ दीपान् प्रज्वाल्य संस्थितौ । यावत् प्रभाता रजनी निशामेकां नरोत्तम ।। ४९.

When the Vaishya had left, you two stayed there, having kindled the lamps, until the night passed and the single night was over, O best of men.

ततः काले मृतौ तौ तु उभौ द्वावपि दम्पती । तेन पुण्येन ते जन्म प्रियव्रतगृहेऽभवत् ।। ४९.

Then, in time, both of you, husband and wife, died. By that merit, you were born in the house of Priyavrata.

इयं तु पत्नी ते जाता पुरा वैश्यस्य दासिका । पारक्यस्यापि दीपस्य ज्वालितस्य हरेर्गृहे ।। ४९.

This wife of yours was formerly a maidservant of the Vaishya, and even the lamp belonging to another, which was lit in Hari's house—

यः पुनः स्वेन वित्तेन विष्णोरग्रे प्रदीपकम् । ज्वालयेत् तस्य यत् पुण्यं तत् संख्यातुं न शक्यते । तेन साधो हरे साधु इत्युक्तं वचनं मया ।। ४९.

Whoever, with his own wealth, lights a lamp before Vishnu—the merit of that act cannot be measured. Therefore, O noble one, 'Excellent, O Hari, excellent!'—this was spoken by me.

कृते संवत्सरे भक्तिं हरेः कृत्वा विचक्षणः । संवत्सरार्धं त्रेतायां सममेतन्न संशयः ।। ४९.

In the Krita age, one who worships Hari with devotion for a year attains the same result in the Treta age in half a year—of this there is no doubt.

त्रिमासे द्वापरे भक्त्या पूजयँल्लभते फलम् । नमो नारायणायेत्युक्त्वा कलौ तु लभते फलम् । तेन मुष्टं जगद् विष्णोर्भक्तिमात्रं मयेरितम् ।। ४९.

In the Dvapara age, by worshipping with devotion for three months, one attains the fruit. By simply saying 'Salutations to Narayana' in Kali, one attains the fruit. Therefore, I have said that the whole world is a handful for Vishnu, by devotion alone.

पारक्यदीपस्योत्कर्षाद् वै देवाग्रे फलमीदृशम् । प्राप्तं फलं त्वया राजन् फलमेतन् मयेरितम् । अहो मूढा न जानन्ति हरेर्दीपक्रियाफलम् ।। ४९.

Because of the greatness of a lamp belonging to another, such a result is obtained before the gods. The fruit you have attained, O king, is this fruit I have described. Ah, the ignorant do not know the result of offering a lamp to Hari.

एवं विधं द्विजा ये च राजानो ये च भक्तितः । यजन्ते विविधैर्यज्ञैस्तेन ते साधवः स्मृताः ।। ४९.

Thus, those twice-born and those kings who worship with devotion by various sacrifices—they are remembered as virtuous.