धरण्युवाच असिकुण्डेति संज्ञेयं तन्मे त्वं कथय प्रभो
The Earth said: This is known as Asikuṇḍa; please tell me about it, Lord.
श्रीवराह उवाच तीर्थयात्रानिमित्तेन स्वर्गलोकं गतः पुरा
Śrī Varāha said: Once, for the sake of pilgrimage, a king went to heaven.
गते स्वर्गं तु नृपतौ पुत्रो राज्यं चकार ह
When the king had gone to heaven, his son ruled the kingdom.
राज्यं च कुर्वतस्तस्य आगतो नारदस्तदा
While he was ruling the kingdom, Nārada came at that time.
प्रतिगृह्य च तत्सर्वं तमुवाच स नारदः
Having accepted all that, Nārada spoke to him.
इत्युक्त्वा नारदस्तत्र तत्रैवान्तरधीयत
Having said this, Nārada vanished right there.
तदा किमुक्तमृषिणा नारदेन पितुः कृते
At that time, what did the sage Nārada say on behalf of your father?
मन्त्रिणश्च ततो ज्ञात्वा पितुर्मरणमेव च
Then the ministers, having learned of the father's death,
अतएवोक्तमानृण्यं नारदेन पितुस्तव
Therefore, Nārada spoke of your father's freedom from debt.
विमतेर्बुद्धिरुत्पन्ना गच्छामो मथुरां पुरीम् 166.
A thought arose in the mind: Let us go to the city of Mathurā.
सर्वाणि तत्र तीर्थानि तिष्ठन्ति विविधानि च
There, all the sacred places and various holy sites are present.
युद्धं विमतिना सार्द्धं स्वयं कर्त्तुं न शक्नुमः
We are not able to fight directly with Vimatī.
गतानि तत्र तीर्थानि कल्पग्रामं वसुन्धरे
The holy places have gone there, O Earth, to Kalpagrāma.
यावन्निरीक्षयाम्यग्रं तावत्तिष्ठन्ति सन्निधौ जय विष्णो जयाचिंत्य जय देव जयाच्युत
As long as I observe the front, let them remain nearby. Victory to Viṣṇu, victory to the inconceivable, victory to the god, victory to Acyuta!
जय विश्वेश कर्त्तेश जय देव नमोऽस्तु ते तीर्थैः स्तुतोऽहं वसुधे वचनं चेदमब्रुवम्
Victory to the Lord of the universe, victory to the Lord of creation, victory to the god—salutations to you! O Earth, praised by the holy places, I spoke these words:
वरं वृणुत भद्रं वो यद्वो मनसि वर्त्तते वराह यदि देवेश अभयं दातुमर्हसि
Choose a boon, may good fortune be yours—whatever is in your mind. O Varāha, O Lord of gods, if you are able, grant us fearlessness.
सुपापिना विमतिना कृतस्त्रासः सुदारुणः
By the extremely sinful Vimatī, a terrible fear has been created.
श्रीवराह उवाच तत्र तीर्थनियोगेन आगतो मथुरां पुरीम्
Śrī Varāha said: By the arrangement of the holy places, I came to the city of Mathurā.
तत्रागते तु वसुधे युद्धं कृत्वा तु तेन वै सूदितो हि मया देवि अस्यग्रं निहितं भुवि
When I arrived there, O Earth, having fought with him, I slew him, O goddess, and placed his head on the ground.
असेरग्रेण तूद्धृत्य मृत्तिकां वरवर्णिनि असिकुण्डेति संज्ञा च प्राप्ता तेन वसुन्धरे ।।166.
Having lifted up the earth with the tip of the sword, O beautiful one, the place became known as Asikuṇḍa, O Earth.
तत्राश्चर्यं प्रवक्ष्यामि मनःकर्णसुखावहम्
There I shall tell a wondrous thing, pleasing to the mind and ears.
द्वादश्यां च चतुर्दश्यां श्रद्दधाना जितेन्द्रियाः
On the twelfth and fourteenth days, those who are faithful and self-controlled—
तस्मिन्काले ह्यहं देवि मथुरायां समागतः
At that time, O Devi, I arrived in Mathura.
तत्र कृत्वा च हैरण्या मूर्त्तयश्च चतुर्विधाः
There, I established four kinds of golden images.
सुदृढाः सुदृशः सुभ्रू यः पश्यति स मुच्यते
Whoever beholds these images—firm, beautiful, with lovely brows—he is liberated.
वामनस्य तृतीया वै चतुर्थी राघवस्य च
The third is of Vamana, and the fourth is of Raghava.
चतुःसागरपर्यन्ता क्रान्ता तेन धरा ध्रुवम्
By him, the earth, bounded by the four oceans, was surely traversed.
तत्र सर्वेषु तीर्थेषु असिकुण्डं महत्तरम्
Among all the sacred places there, Asikunda is the greatest.
असिकुण्डं समारभ्य तीर्थानुक्रमणिका वरा
Beginning from Asikunda, O excellent one, the sequence of holy sites is recounted.
मूर्त्तीः पश्यति यस्तास्तु ब्रह्मभूयाय कल्पते 166.
Whoever beholds those images there becomes fit for union with Brahman.