Varaha Purana

निर्ययुः काञ्चनं पीठमेका तासां प्रगृह्य वै । सा मां प्रादात् तदाऽन्याऽदात् सलिलं करसंस्थितम् ।। ६९.

One of them brought a golden seat and offered it to me; another gave me water held in her hands.

गृहीत्वाऽन्या तु मे पादौ क्षालितुं चोपचक्रमे । अन्ये द्वे व्यजने गृह्य मत्पक्षाभ्यां व्यवस्थिते ।। ६९.

Another took hold of my feet and began to wash them; the remaining two stood at my sides, each holding a fan.

ततो हुङ्कारमकरोत् पुनरेव महातपाः । तच्छब्दादन्तरं हैमद्रोणीं योजनविस्तृताम् । गृह्याजगाम मकरोत्प्लवं सरसि पार्थिव ।। ६९.

Then again, the great ascetic uttered a humkāra; from that sound, a golden basin, a yojana in width, appeared, and a makara leapt into the lake, O King.

तस्यां तु कन्याः शतशो हेमकुम्भकराः शुभाः । आययुस्तमथो दृष्ट्वा स मुनिः प्राह मां नृप ।। ६९.

In that basin, hundreds of auspicious maidens carrying golden pitchers arrived; seeing this, the sage spoke to me, O King.

स्नानार्थं कल्पितं ब्रह्मन्निदं ते सर्वमेव तु । द्रोणीं प्रविश्य चेमां त्वं स्नातुमर्हसि सत्तम ।। ६९.

'All this has been prepared for your bath, O Brahman; you should enter this basin and bathe, O noble one.'

ततोऽहं तस्य वचनात् तस्यां द्रोण्यां नराधिप । विशामि तावत् सरसि सा द्रोणी प्रत्यमज्जत ।। ६९.

Then, by his instruction, O lord of men, I entered that basin in the lake; as I did so, the basin sank beneath the water.

द्रोण्यां जले निमग्नोऽहम् इति मत्वा नरेश्वर । उन्मग्नोऽहं ततो लोकमपूर्वं दृष्टवांस्ततः ।। ६९.

Thinking myself submerged in the water of the basin, O king, I then rose up and beheld a world never seen before.

सुहर्म्यकक्ष्यायतनं विशालं रथ्यापथं शुद्धजनानुकीर्णम् । नीत्युत्तमैः सेवितमात्मविद्भि - र्नृभिः पुराणैर्नयमार्गसंस्थैः ।। ६९.

There I saw a vast and excellent city, with broad avenues thronged by pure-hearted people, attended by the wise and self-realized, by ancient kings established in the path of righteousness.

संसारचर्यापरिघाभिरुग्रं गम्भीरपातालतलस्थमाद्यम् । सितैर्नृभिः पाशवराग्रहस्तैः द्विपाश्वसंघैर्विविधैरुपेतम् ।। ६९.

It was a formidable place, inaccessible to the course of worldly life, situated deep in the nethermost region, filled with white-clad men holding nooses, and surrounded by various groups of elephants and horses.

विचित्रपद्मोत्पलसंवृतानि सरांसि नानाविहगाकुलानि । अम्भोजपत्रस्थितभृङ्गनादै- रुद्गीतवन्तीव लयैरनैकैः । कैलासश्रृङ्गप्रतिमानि तीरे - ष्वनेकरत्नोत्पलसंचितानि । गृहाणि धन्याध्युषितानि नीचै - रुपासितानि द्विजदेवविप्रैः ।। ६९.

There were lakes covered with diverse lotuses and water-lilies, crowded with many kinds of birds; the hum of bees settled on lotus leaves seemed to sing in manifold melodies; on the banks stood houses resembling the peaks of Kailāsa, adorned with many precious lotuses, inhabited by the blessed and revered by twice-born sages and gods.

कैलासश्रृङ्गप्रतिमानि तीरे - ष्वनेकरत्नोत्पलसंचितानि । गृहाणि धन्याध्युषितानि नीचै - रुपासितानि द्विजदेवविप्रैः ।। ६९.

On the banks stood houses resembling the peaks of Kailāsa, adorned with many precious lotuses, inhabited by the blessed and revered by twice-born sages and gods.

पद्मानि भृङ्गावनतानि चेलु - स्तेषां पुनर्गुरुभारादजस्त्रम् । जलेषु येषां सुस्वरास्यो द्विजाति- र्वेदोदितानाह विचित्रमन्त्रान् ।। ६९.

Lotuses, bent by the weight of bees, constantly swayed there; in the waters, twice-born ones with melodious voices recited wondrous mantras from the Vedas.

सिताब्जमालार्चितगात्रवन्ति वासोत्तरीयाणि खगप्रवारैः । सरांस्यनेकानि तथा द्विजास्तु पठन्ति यज्ञार्थविधिं पुराणम् ।। ६९.

Their bodies were adorned with garlands of white lotuses, their upper garments were fine, and flocks of birds abounded; in many such lakes, the twice-born recited the ancient rites of sacrifice.

भ्रमन्नहं तेषु सरःस्वपश्यं वृन्दान्यनेकानि सुराङ्गनानाम् । विद्याधराणां च तथैव कन्याः स्नानाय तं देशमुपागताश्च ।। ६९.

As I wandered among those lakes, I saw many groups of celestial maidens, and likewise daughters of the Vidyādharas, who had come to that place to bathe.

ततः कदाचिद् भ्रमता नृपोत्तम प्रदृष्टमन्यत्सुसरः सुतोयम् । प्राग् दृष्टमेकं तु तथैव तीरे कुटीं प्रपश्यामि यथा पुराऽहम् ।। ६९.

Then, as I wandered, O best of kings, I saw another beautiful lake with pure water; just as before, on its bank I saw a hut, as I had previously.

यावत् कुटीं तां प्रविशामि राजन् तपस्विनं तं स्थितमेकदेशे । दृष्ट्वाभिगम्याभिवदामि यावत् स्मयन्नुवाचाप्रतिमप्रभावः ।। ६९.

O King, as I entered that hut and saw the ascetic standing in one place, I approached and greeted him; as I did so, he smiled and spoke, his power beyond compare.

तापस उवाच । किं मां विप्र न जानीषे प्राग्दृष्टमपि सत्तम । येन त्वं मूढवल्लोकमिममप्यनुपश्यसि ।। ६९.

The ascetic said: O best of Brahmins, do you not recognize me, though you have seen me before? Why do you look upon this world as if you were deluded?

दृष्टं मत्कमिदं देवैर्भुवनं यन्न दृश्यते । त्वत्प्रियार्थं मया लोको दर्शितः स द्विजोत्तम ।। ६९.

This world, which even the gods have not seen, has been revealed to you by me, O best of twice-born, for your sake and out of affection.

संपदं पश्य लोकस्य मदीयस्य महामुने । दधिक्षीरवहा नद्यस्तथा सर्पिर्मयान् ह्रदान् ।। ६९.

Behold, O great sage, the wealth of my world: rivers flowing with curds and milk, and lakes filled with clarified butter.

गृहाणां हेमरत्नानां स्तम्भान् हेममयान् गृहे । रत्नोत्पलचितां भूमिं पद्मरागसमप्रभाम् । पारिजातप्रसूनाढ्यां सेवितां यक्षकिन्नरैः ।। ६९.

See the pillars of the houses made of gold and jewels, the ground studded with gems and shining like padmarāga stones, abundant with pārijāta flowers, and frequented by yakṣas and kinnaras.

एवमुक्तस्तदा तेन तापसेन नराधिप । विस्मयापन्नहृदयस्तमेवाहं तु पृष्टवान् ।। ६९.

When addressed in this way by that ascetic, O king, my heart was filled with wonder, and I questioned him further.

भगवंस्तव लोकोऽयं सर्वलोकवरोत्तमः । सर्वलोका मया दृष्टा ब्रह्मशक्रादिसंस्थिताः ।। ६९.

O venerable one, your world is the foremost among all worlds; I have seen all worlds, including those of Brahmā, Indra, and others.

अयं त्वपूर्वो लोको मे प्रतिभाति तपोधन । संपदैश्वर्यतेजोभिर्हर्म्यरत्नचयैस्तथा ।। ६९.

But this world appears to me as something entirely new, O possessor of austerity, endowed with wealth, splendor, power, and heaps of palace-jewels.

सरोभिः सूदकैः पुण्यैर्जलजैश्च विशेषतः । अत्यद्भुतमिदं लोकं दृष्टवानस्मि ते मुने ।। ६९.

With sacred lakes, pure pools, and especially with lotuses, I have seen your world, O sage, and it is truly astonishing.

इत्थंभूतं कथं लोको भवांश्चेत्थं व्यवस्थितः । कथयस्वैतस्य हेतुं मे कश्च त्वं मुनिपुंगव ।। ६९.

How has such a world come to be, and how are you established here in this way? Tell me the reason for this, and who you are, O foremost of sages.

कथमिलावृते वर्षे सरस्तीरे महामुने । दृष्टवानस्मि सोऽहं त्वं सरस्तत् सा कुटी मुने । हेमहर्म्याकुले लोके किं वा स्थानं तु ते कुटिः ।। ६९.

How did I see you, O great sage, on the shore of a lake in the Ilāvṛta region? That lake, that hut, O sage—what is your place in this world filled with golden palaces?

एवमुक्तः स भगवात् मयाऽसौ मुनिपुंगवः । प्राह मह्यं यथावृत्तं यत् तु राजेन्द्र तच्छृणु ।। ६९.

Thus addressed by me, that eminent sage spoke to me as things had happened. Hear this, O king.

तापस उवाच । अहं नारायणो देवो जलरूपी सनातनः । येन व्याप्तमिदं विश्वं त्रैलोक्यं सचराचरम् ।। ६९.

The ascetic said: I am Nārāyaṇa, the eternal god in the form of water, by whom this entire universe, the three worlds with all that moves and does not move, is pervaded.

या सा त्वाप्याकृतिस्तस्य देवस्य परमेष्ठिनः । सोऽहं वरुण इत्युक्तः स्वयं नारायणः परः ।। ६९.

That very form of the supreme god, Parameṣṭhin, which you have seen—I am he, called Varuṇa, but truly the supreme Nārāyaṇa himself.