Varaha Purana

कर्मकाण्डेन देवेशं हरिं नारायणं प्रभुम् । तोषयामास राजेन्द्रस्तमभेदेन चिन्तयन् ।। ६.

The king, thinking of him as non-different, propitiated Hari Nārāyaṇa, the lord of the gods, through ritual acts.

ततः कालेन महता तस्य राज्ञो मतिः किल । निवृत्तराज्यभोगस्य द्न्द्वस्यान्तमुपेयुषी ।। ६.

Then, after a long time, the king's mind, having enjoyed the pleasures of sovereignty, came to the end of duality.

ततः पुत्रं विवस्वन्तं श्रेष्ठं भ्रातृशतस्य ह । अभिषिच्य स्वके राज्ये तपोवनमुपागमत् ।। ६.

Then, having installed his best son Vivasvat, foremost among a hundred brothers, in his own kingdom, he went to the forest of ascetics.

पुष्करं नाम तीर्थानां प्रवरं यत्र केशवः । पुण्डरीकाक्षनामा तु पूज्यते तत्परायणैः ।। ६.

There is a holy place called Puṣkara, foremost among sacred sites, where Keśava, known as Puṇḍarīkākṣa, is worshipped by those devoted to him.

तत्र गत्वा स राजर्षिः काश्मीराधिपतिर्वसुः । अतितीव्रेण तपसा स्वशरीरमशोषयत् ।। ६.

There, the royal sage Vasu, king of Kashmir, went and, through extremely intense austerity, caused his own body to waste away.

पुण्डरीकाक्षपारं तु स्तवं भक्त्या जपन् बुधः । आरिराधयिषुर्देवं नारायणमकल्मषम् । स्तोत्रान्ते तल्लयं प्राप्तः स राजा राजसत्तमः ।। ६.

The wise king, reciting with devotion the supreme hymn to Puṇḍarīkākṣa, sought to please the sinless Lord Nārāyaṇa; at the end of the hymn, that best of kings attained union with him.

धरण्युवाच । पुण्डरीकाक्षपारं तु स्तोत्रं देव कथं स्मृतम् । कीदृशं तन्ममाचक्ष्व परमेश्वर तत्त्वतः ।। ६.

Earth said: O Lord, how is the supreme hymn to Puṇḍarīkākṣa remembered? What is it like? Please tell me this truthfully, O Supreme Lord.

श्रीवराह उवाच । नमस्ते पुण्डरीकाक्ष नमस्ते मधुसूदन । नमस्ते सर्वलोकेश नमस्ते तिग्मचक्रिणे ।। ६.

Śrī Varāha said: Salutations to you, Puṇḍarīkākṣa; salutations to you, Madhusūdana; salutations to you, Lord of all worlds; salutations to you, wielder of the fierce discus.

विश्वमूर्तिं महाबाहुं वरदं सर्वतेजसम् । नमामि पुण्डरीकाक्षं विद्याऽविद्यात्मकं विभुम् ।। ६.

I bow to Puṇḍarīkākṣa, the universal form, mighty-armed, bestower of boons, of all-pervading brilliance, the Lord who is both knowledge and ignorance.

आदिदेवं महादेवं वेदवेदाङ्गपारगम् । गम्भीरं सर्वदेवानां नमामि मधुसूदनम् ।। ६.

I bow to Madhusūdana, the primeval God, the great Lord, master of the Vedas and their limbs, profound, and the Lord of all gods.

विश्वमूर्तिं महामूर्तिं विद्यामूर्तिं त्रिमूर्तिकम् । कवचं सर्वदेवानां नमस्ये वारिजेक्षणम् ।। ६.

I honor the lotus-eyed one, the universal form, the great form, the embodiment of knowledge, the triple-formed, the protector of all gods.

सहस्त्रशीर्षिणं देवं सहस्त्राक्षं महाभुजम् । जगत्संव्याप्य तिष्ठन्तं नमस्ये परमेश्वरम् ।। ६.

I bow to the Supreme Lord, the thousand-headed God, thousand-eyed, mighty-armed, who pervades and stands throughout the universe.

शरण्यं शरणं देवं विष्णुं जिष्णुं सनातनम् । नीलमेघप्रतीकाशं नमस्ये चक्रपाणिनम् ।। ६.

I bow to Viṣṇu, the eternal, victorious God, the refuge and protector, whose appearance is like a dark raincloud, who bears the discus.

शुद्धं सर्वगतं नित्यं व्योमरूपं सनातनम् । भावाभावविनिर्मुक्तं मस्ये सर्वगं हरिम् ।। ६.

I bow to Hari, pure, all-pervading, eternal, of the form of space, ancient, free from existence and non-existence.

नान्यत् किंचित् प्रपश्यामि व्यतिरिक्तं त्वयाऽच्युत । त्वन्मयं च प्रपश्यामि सर्वमेतच्चराचरम् ।। ६.

O Acyuta, I see nothing apart from you; I see all this, moving and unmoving, as pervaded by you.

एवं तु वदतस्तस्य मूर्त्तिमान् पुरुषः किल । निर्गत्य देहान्नीलाभो घनचण्डो भयंकरः ।। ६.

As he was speaking thus, a person with form emerged from his body—dark as a raincloud, fierce, and terrifying.

रक्ताक्षो ह्रस्वकायस्तु दग्धस्थूणासमप्रभः । उवाच प्राञ्जलिर्भूत्वा किं करोमि नराधिप ।। ६.

With red eyes, a short body, and a luster like a burnt pillar, he stood with joined palms and said: 'O king, what shall I do?'

राजोवाच । कोऽसि किं कार्यमिह ते कस्मादागतवानसि । एतन्मे कथय व्याध एतदिच्छामि वेदितुम् ।। ६.

The king said: 'Who are you? What is your purpose here? Why have you come? Tell me this, O hunter; I wish to know.'

व्याध उवाच । पूर्वं कलियुगे राजन् राजा त्वं दक्षिणापथे । पूर्णधर्मोद्भवः श्रीमाञ्जनस्थाने विचक्षणः ।। ६.

The hunter said: 'O king, in a former age, in the Kali Yuga, you were a king in the southern region, born of perfect righteousness, illustrious and wise, dwelling in Janasthāna.'

स कदाचिद् भवान् वीर तुरगैः परिवारितः । अरण्यमागतो हन्तुं श्वापदानि विशेषतः ।। ६.

Once, O hero, surrounded by horses, you entered the forest, especially to hunt wild beasts.

तत्र त्वयाऽन्यकामेन मृगवेषधरो मुनिः । दण्डयुग्मेन दूरे तु पातितो धरणीतले ।। ६.

There, driven by another desire, you struck down a sage disguised as a deer with your staff from a distance, causing him to fall to the ground.

सद्यो मृतश्च विप्रेन्द्रस्त्वं च राजन् मुदा युतः । हरिणोऽयं हत इति यावत् पश्यसि पार्थिव । तावन्मृगवपुर्विप्रो मृतः प्रस्त्रवणे गिरौ ।। ६.

O King, as soon as the Brahmin died, you rejoiced, thinking, 'This deer has been killed by Hari,' while you beheld it as a deer.

तं दृष्ट्वा त्वं महाराज क्षुभितेन्द्रियमानसः । गृहं गतस्ततोऽन्यस्य कस्यचित् कथितं त्वया ।। ६.

Seeing him, O great king, your senses and mind were disturbed; you returned home and told someone else about it.

ततः कतिपयाहस्य त्वया रात्रौ नरेश्वर । ब्रह्महत्याभयाद्भीतचितेनैतद् विचिन्तितम् । कृत्यं करोमि शान्त्यर्थं मुच्यते येन पातकात् ।। ६.

Then, after a few days, O lord of men, you, fearful of the sin of Brahmin-killing, pondered at night, 'What should I do for atonement, so that I may be freed from this sin?'

ततस्त्वया महाराज सकृन्नारायणं प्रभुम् । संचिन्त्य द्वादशी शुद्धा त्वया राजन्नुपोषिता ।। ६.

Thereafter, O king, you once meditated upon Lord Nārāyaṇa, and on the pure Dvādaśī day, you observed a fast.

नारायणो मे सुप्रीत इति प्रोक्त्वा शुभेऽहनि । गौर्दत्ता विधिना सद्यो मृतोऽस्युदरशूलतः ।। ६.

On an auspicious day, declaring, 'Nārāyaṇa is well-pleased with me,' you gave a cow according to the rite; but the one who had died suffered immediately from a pain in his belly.

अभुक्तो द्वादशीधर्मे यत् तत्रापि च कारणम् । कथयामि भवत्पत्नी नाम्ना नारायणी शुभा ।। ६.

The reason why the Dvādaśī vow was not fully observed, I shall tell you: your virtuous wife, named Nārāyaṇī, was the cause.

सा कण्ठगेन प्राणेन व्याहृता तेन ते गतिः । कल्पमेकं महाराज जाता विष्णुपुरे तव ।। ६.

Because she uttered with a choking breath, O king, your fate was that for one kalpa you were born in Viṣṇu's city.

अहं च तव देहस्थः सर्वं जानामि चाक्षयम् । ब्रह्मग्रहो महाघोरः पीडयामीति मे मतिः ।। ६.

And I, dwelling in your body, know everything without end; the terrible affliction of Brahminicide tormented me—so I thought.