Varaha Purana

तेषां गौतमशापाद्धि भविष्यन्त्यन्वये द्विजाः । तेषां मध्ये सदाचारा ये ते मच्छासने रताः ।। ७१.

By Gautama's curse, twice-born will be born in their lineage; among them, those who are of good conduct and devoted to my teaching.

स्वर्गं चैवापवर्गं च इति वै संशयात् पुरा । वैडालिकाऽधो यास्यन्ति मम संततिदूषकाः ।। ७१.

Because of their doubt regarding heaven and liberation, those who corrupt my lineage will descend to the realm of cats.

प्राग् गौतमाग्निना दग्धाः पुनर्मद्वचनाद् द्विजाः । नरकं तु गमिष्यन्ति नात्र कार्या विचारणा ।। ७१.

Previously, they were burned by Gautama's fire; now, by my command, these twice-born will go to hell—there is no need for deliberation.

रुद्र उवाच । एवं मया ब्रह्मसुताः प्रोक्ता जग्मुर्यथागतम् । गौतमोऽपि स्वकं गेहं जगामाशु परंतपः ।। ७१.

Rudra said: Thus, I spoke to the sons of Brahma, and they departed as they had come; Gautama, the destroyer of foes, also quickly returned to his own home.

एतद् वः कथितं विप्रा मया धर्मस्य लक्षणम् । एतस्माद् विपरीतो यः स पाषण्डरतो भवेत् ।। ७१.

O Brahmins, I have described to you the marks of dharma; whoever acts contrary to this becomes devoted to heresy.

श्रीवराह उवाच । सर्वज्ञं सर्वकर्त्तारं भवं रुद्रं पुरातनम् । प्रणम्य प्रयतोऽगस्त्यः पप्रच्छ परमेश्वरम् ।। ७२.

Śrī Varāha said: Agastya, with reverence, approached and questioned the supreme Lord Rudra, who is all-knowing, all-acting, and ancient.

अगस्त्य उवाच । भवान् ब्रह्मा च विष्णुश्च त्रयमेतत् त्रयी स्मृता । दीपोऽग्निर्दोपसंयोगैः सर्वशास्त्रेषु सर्वतः ।। ७२.

Agastya said: You, Brahmā, and Viṣṇu are the three, remembered as the triple Veda; like a lamp joined with fire, you are present everywhere in all scriptures.

कस्मिन् प्रधानो भगवान् काले कस्मिन्नधोक्षजः । ब्रह्मा वा एतदाचक्ष्व मम देव त्रिलोचन ।। ७२.

In which time, O Lord with three eyes, is the blessed one foremost? In which time is the transcendent? Or is it Brahmā? Please tell me this, O Deva.

रुद्र उवाच । विष्णुरेव परं ब्रह्म त्रिभेदमिह पठ्यते । वेदसिद्धान्तमार्गेषु तन्न जानन्ति मोहताः ।। ७२.

Rudra said: Viṣṇu alone is the supreme Brahman, though here it is spoken of in threefold form; those deluded do not know this on the path of Vedic conclusions.

विशप्रवेशने धातुस्तत्र ष्णु प्रत्ययादनु । विष्णुर्यः सर्वदेवेषु परमात्मा सनातनः ।। ७२.

In the entry of the root 'viś', with the suffix 'ṣṇu', Viṣṇu is the eternal supreme self among all the gods.

योऽयं विष्णुस्तु दशधा कीर्त्यते चैकधा द्विजाः । स आदित्यो महाभाग योगैश्वर्यसमन्वितः ।। ७२.

This Viṣṇu is praised in ten ways and also in one way, O twice-born; he is the glorious Āditya, endowed with yogic power and lordship.

स देवकार्याणि सदा कुरुते परमेश्वरः । मनुष्यभावमाश्रित्य स मां स्तौति युगे युगे । लोकमार्गप्रवृत्त्यर्थं देवकार्यार्थसिद्धये ।। ७२.

That supreme Lord always performs divine tasks, assuming human form; in every age, he praises me for the sake of establishing the path of the world and fulfilling divine purposes.

अहं च वरदस्तस्य द्वापरे द्वापरे द्विज । अहं च तं सदा स्तौमि श्वेतद्वीपे कृते युगे ।। ७२.

And I am the giver of boons to him in every Dvāpara, O twice-born; I always praise him in Śvetadvīpa during the Kṛta age.

सृष्टिकाले चतुर्वक्त्रं स्तौमि कालो भवामि च । ब्रह्मा देवासुरा स्तौति मां सदा तु कृते युगे । लिङ्गमूर्तिं च मां देवा यजन्ते भोगकाङ्क्षिणः ।। ७२.

At the time of creation, I praise the four-faced one and become Time; Brahmā, the gods, and the demons always praise me in the Kṛta age; the gods, desiring enjoyment, worship me in the form of the liṅga.

सहस्त्रशीर्षकं देवं मनसा तु मुमुक्षवः । यजन्ते यं स विश्वात्मा देवो नारायणः स्वयम् ।। ७२.

Those seeking liberation worship the thousand-headed Lord with their minds; he is the soul of all, the god Nārāyaṇa himself.

ब्रह्मयज्ञेन ये नित्यं यजन्ते द्विजसत्तमाः । ते ब्रह्माणं प्रीणयन्ति वेदो ब्रह्मा प्रकीर्तितः ।। ७२.

Those excellent twice-born who always worship with the Brahma-yajña please Brahmā; the Veda is declared as Brahmā.

नारायणः शिवो विष्णुः शंकर पुरुषोत्तमः । एतैस्तु नामभिर्ब्रह्म परं प्रोक्तं सनातनम् । तं च चिन्तामयं योगं प्रवदन्ति मनीषिणः ।। ७२.

Nārāyaṇa, Śiva, Viṣṇu, Śaṃkara, and Puruṣottama—by these names, the supreme, eternal Brahman is proclaimed; the wise speak of it as the yoga of thought.

पशूनां शमनं यज्ञे होमकर्म च यद्भवेत् । तदोमिति च विख्यातं तत्राहं संव्यवस्थितः ।। ७२.

Whatever is the pacification of animals in sacrifice, and the act of offering oblations, is known as 'Om'; in that, I am established.

कर्मवेदयुजां विप्र ब्रह्मा विष्णुर्महेश्वरः । वयं त्रयोऽपि मन्त्राद्या नात्र कार्या विचारणा ।। ७२.

O Brahmin, Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Maheśvara are joined with the karma-Veda; we three are also mantras and so forth—there is no need for deliberation.

अहं विष्णुस्तथा वेदा ब्रह्म कर्माणि चाप्युत । एतत् त्रयं त्वेकमेव न पृथग् भावयेत् सुधीः ।। ७२.

I am Vishnu, and likewise the Vedas, Brahma, and actions as well, O steadfast one; these three are truly one, and the wise should not regard them as separate.

योऽन्यथा भावयेदेतत् पक्षपातेन सुव्रत । स याति नरकं घोरं रौरवं पापपूरुषः ।। ७२.

Whoever, O virtuous one, considers these otherwise, with partiality, that sinful person goes to the dreadful hell called Raurava.

अहं ब्रह्मा च विष्णुश्च ऋग्यजुः साम एव च । नैतस्मिन् भेदमस्यास्ति सर्वेषां द्विजसत्तम ।। ७२.

I am Brahma, and Vishnu, and also the Rig, Yajur, and Sama Vedas; there is no division in this, O best of twice-born, for all.

रुद्र उवाच । श्रृणु चान्यद् द्विजश्रेष्ठ कौतूहलसमन्वितम् । अपूर्वभूतं सलिले मग्नेन मुनिपुंगव ।। ७३.

Rudra said: Hear further, O foremost of twice-born, filled with curiosity, of something unprecedented that occurred while immersed in the waters, O eminent sage.

ब्रह्माणाऽहं पुरा सृष्टः प्रोक्तश्च सृज वै प्रजाः । अविज्ञानसमर्थोऽहं निमग्नः सलिले द्विज ।। ७३.

Formerly, I was created by Brahma and told, 'Create beings'; but lacking proper understanding, I was submerged in the waters, O twice-born.

तत्र यावत् क्षणं चैकं तिष्ठामि परमेश्वरम् । अङ्गुष्ठमात्रं पुरुषं ध्यायन् प्रयतमानसः ।। ७३.

There, for a single moment, I remained, with concentrated mind, meditating upon the Supreme Lord as a person the size of a thumb.

तावज्जलात् समुत्तस्थुः प्रलयाग्निसमप्रभाः । पुरुषा दश चैकश्च तापयन्तोंशुभिर्जलम् ।। ७३.

Then, from the water arose ten men and one, radiant like the fire of dissolution, heating the water with their rays.

मया पृष्टाः के भवन्तो जलादुत्तीर्य तेजसा । तापयन्तो जलं चेदं क्व वा यास्यथ संशत ।। ७३.

I asked them, 'Who are you, emerging from the water with brilliance, heating this water? Where will you go, tell me?'

एवमुक्ता मया ते तु नोचुः किंचन सत्तमाः । एवमेव गतास्तूष्णीं ते नरा द्विजपुंगव ।। ७३.

Thus addressed by me, those excellent men said nothing; in this way, those men departed in silence, O eminent twice-born.

ततस्तेषामनु महापुरुषोऽतीवशोभनः । स तस्मिन् मेघसंकाशः पुण्डरीकनिभेक्षणः ।। ७३.

After them, a great person appeared, exceedingly splendid, resembling a cloud, with eyes like lotuses.