Vayu Purana

सनत्कुमार उवाच।। गदो नामासुरो ह्यासीद्वज्राद्वज्रतरो दृढः। तपसा दारुणेनासौ ब्रह्मलब्धवरः पुरा। प्रार्थितो ब्रह्मणे प्रादात्स्वशरीरास्थि दुस्त्यजम् ।। ४७.

Sanatkumāra said: There was an asura named Gada, stronger than thunderbolt, firm; through fierce austerity, he once obtained a boon from Brahmā, and when requested, gave his own difficult-to-renounce bone to Brahmā.

ब्रह्मोक्तो विश्वकर्म्मापि गदां चक्रेऽद्भुतां तदा। तदस्थि वज्रनिष्पेषैः कुन्दैः स्वर्गे ह्यधारयत् ।। ४७.

Brahmā instructed Viśvakarman, who then made a wondrous mace; that bone was placed in heaven, forged with thunderbolt hammers and anvils.

अथ कालेन महता मनौ स्वायम्भुवे क्वचित। हेती रक्षो ब्रह्मपुत्रः तपस्तेपे सुदारुणम् ।। ४७.

Then, after a long time, during the era of Svāyambhuva Manu, Heti, a demon and son of Brahmā, performed severe austerity somewhere.

दिव्यवर्षसहस्राणां शतं वायुमभक्षयत्। उन्मुखश्चोर्द्ध्वबाहुश्च पादाङ्गुष्ठभरेण ह ।। ४७.

For a hundred thousand divine years, he subsisted on air, standing upright with raised arms, supported only by his big toe.

एकेनातिष्ठदव्यग्रः शीर्णपर्णानिलाशनः। ब्रह्मादींस्तपसा तुष्टान्वरं वव्रे वरप्रदान् ।। ४७.

He stood on one foot, unmoving, eating only dried leaves and air; having pleased Brahmā and others with his austerity, he asked for a boon from the grantors of boons.

देवैर्दैत्यैश्च शस्त्रैर्विविधैर्मनुजादिभिः। कृष्णेशानादिचक्राद्यैरवध्यः स्यां महाबलः ।। ४७.

He requested: 'May I be invincible to gods, demons, weapons of all kinds, men, and others, and to Kṛṣṇa, Śiva, and the primordial cakra-bearers; may I possess great strength.'

तथेत्युक्त्वान्तर्हितास्ते हेतिर्देवानथाजयत्। इन्द्रत्वमकरोद्धेतिर्भीता ब्रह्महरादयः ।। ४७.

They replied, 'So be it,' and vanished; then Heti conquered the gods and assumed the position of Indra, causing fear among Brahmā, Śiva, and others.

हरिं ते शरणं जग्मुरूचुर्हेतिं जहीति तान् । ऊचे हरिरवध्योऽयं हेतिर्देवासुरैः सुराः ।। ४७.

They sought refuge in Hari and said, 'O weapon, desist from them.' Hari replied, 'This weapon is invincible by gods and asuras, O gods.'

महास्त्रं मे प्रयच्छध्वं हेतिं हन्मि हि येन तम्। इत्युक्तास्ते ततो देवा गदां तां हरये ददुः ।। ४७.

'Give me a great weapon by which I may strike down this weapon,' he said. Then the gods gave that mace to Hari.

दधार तां गदामादौ देवैरुक्तो गदाधरः । गदया हेतिमाहत्य देवैः स त्रिदिवं ययौ ।। ४७.

At first, the wielder of the mace, as instructed by the gods, took up that mace, struck down the weapon with it, and then, along with the gods, went to heaven.

गदामादाववष्टभ्य गयासुरशिरःशिलाम्। निश्चलार्थं स्थितो यस्मात्तस्मादादिगदाधरः ।। ४७.

At first, he pressed the head-stone of Gayāsura with the mace; because he stood there to make it immovable, he is called the original wielder of the mace.

शिलापर्वतरूपेण व्यक्त आदिगदाधरः । शिलासौ मुण्डपृष्ठाद्रिः प्रभासो नामपर्व्वतः ।। ४७.

Manifest as a stone mountain, the original wielder of the mace is evident; that stone is the Muṇḍapṛṣṭha mountain, known as Prabhāsa.

उद्यन्तो गीतनादश्च भस्मकूटो गिरिर्म्महान्। गृध्र कूटः प्रेतकूटश्चादिपालोऽरविन्दकः ।। ४७.

Udyanta, Gītanāda, Bhasmakūṭa the great mountain, Gṛdhrakūṭa, Pretakūṭa, Ādipāla, and Aravindaka—

पञ्चलोकः सप्तलोको वैकुण्ठो लोहदण्डकः । क्रौञ्चपादोऽक्षयवटः फल्गुतीर्थं मधुश्रवाः ।। ४७.

Pañcaloka, Saptaloka, Vaikuṇṭha, Lohadaṇḍaka, Krauñcapāda, Akṣayavaṭa, Phalgutīrtha, and Madhuśravā—

दधिकुल्या मधुकुल्या देविका च महानदी। वैतरण्यादिरूपेण व्यक्त आदिगदाधरः ।। ४७.

Dadhikulyā, Madhukulyā, Devikā the great river, and Vaitaraṇī—manifest in these forms is the original wielder of the mace.

विष्णोः पदं रुद्रपदं ब्रह्मणः पदमुत्तमम्। काश्यपस्य पदं दिव्यं द्वौ हस्तौ यत्र निर्गतौ ।। ४७.

The place of Viṣṇu, the place of Rudra, the supreme place of Brahmā, the divine place of Kāśyapa, where two hands have emerged—

पञ्चाग्नीनां पदान्यत्र इन्द्रागस्त्यपदे परे। रवेश्च कार्त्तिकेयस्य क्रौञ्चमातङ्गयोरपि ।। ४७.

The places of the five fires are there, and the supreme place of Indra and Agastya, as well as those of the Sun, Kārttikeya, Krauñca, and Mātaṅga.

मुख्यलिङ्गानि सर्व्वाणि व्यक्ताव्यक्तात्मना स्थितः। आद्यो गदाधरश्चैव व्यक्तः श्रीमान् गदाधरः ।। ४७.

All the principal liṅgas, manifest and unmanifest, are established there; the first wielder of the mace, the illustrious wielder of the mace, is manifest.

गायत्री चैव सावित्री सन्ध्या चैव सरस्वती । गयादित्यश्चोत्तरार्को दक्षिणार्कोऽपि नैमिषः ।। ४७.

Gāyatrī, Sāvitrī, Sandhyā, Sarasvatī, Gayāditya, Uttarārka, Dakṣiṇārka, and Naimiṣa—

श्वेतार्को गणनाथश्च वसवोऽष्टौ मुनीश्वराः। रुद्राश्चैकादशैवाथ तथा सप्तर्षयोऽपरे ।। ४७.

Śvetārka, Gaṇanātha, the eight Vasus, the great sages, the eleven Rudras, and likewise the other seven Ṛṣis—

सोमनाथश्च सिद्धेशः कपर्द्दीशो विनायकः। नारायणो महालक्ष्मीर्ब्रह्मा श्रीपुरुषोत्तमः ।। ४७.

Somanātha, Siddheśa, Kaparddiśa, Vināyaka, Nārāyaṇa, Mahālakṣmī, Brahmā, and Śrīpuruṣottama—

मार्कण्डेयेशः कौटीशो ह्यङ्गिरेशः पितामहः। जनार्दनो मङ्गला च पुण्डरीकाक्ष उत्तमः ।। ४७.

Mārkaṇḍeyeśa, Kauṭīśa, Aṅgireśa, Pitāmaha, Janārdana, Maṅgalā, and Puṇḍarīkākṣa the supreme—

इत्यादिव्यक्तरूपेण स्थितश्चादिगदाधरः। हेतिर्यो राक्षसस्तस्मिन्हते विष्णुः पुरं गतः ।। ४७.

Thus, in these and other manifest forms, the original wielder of the mace abides; when the demon Heti was slain there, Viṣṇu returned to his abode.

ब्रह्मणा सह रुद्राद्यैः कारिते निश्चलेऽसुरे । तुष्टावाद्यगदापाणिं वेधा हर्षेण निर्वृतः ।। ४७.

When the demon was made immovable by Brahmā together with Rudra and the others, the creator joyfully praised the primordial wielder of the mace.

ब्रह्मोवाच।। गदाधरं व्यपगतकालकल्मषं गयागतं विदितगुणं गुणातिगम्। गुहागतं गिरिवरगौरगेहगं गणार्च्चितं वरदमहं नमामि ।। ४७.

Brahmā said: 'I bow to the wielder of the mace, free from the taint of time, who has come to Gayā, whose virtues are known, who transcends qualities, who dwells in the cave, who resides in the abode of the great mountain, who is worshipped by hosts, and who grants boons.'

अहःश्रियं त्रिदशगणादिसुश्रियं भवश्रियं दितिभवदारणश्रियम्। कलिश्रियं कलिमलमर्दनश्रियं गदाधरं नौमि तमाश्रितश्रियम् । ४७.

I bow to the wielder of the mace, whose glory shines in the day, among the hosts of gods, in prosperity, in the destruction of demons, in the burning of evil, in the age of Kali, in the crushing of sin, and who is the refuge of all splendor.

दृढादॄढं परिवृढगाढसंस्तुतं कामाद्भुतं सुदृढमरूढिरूढिगम्। तमाढ्यगं दृढदुरिताद्यढौकितं स्वढौकृतं दृढतरगोत्रसूक्तिभम् ।। ४७.

I praise him who is firm, exceedingly strong, greatly extolled, wondrous in fulfilling desires, steadfast, ascending ever higher, rich, the remover of deep-rooted evils, self-established, and whose lineage is praised with powerful hymns.

विदेहकं करणकलाविवर्जितं विजन्मकं दिवकरवेदिभूषितम्। गदाधरं ध्वनिमुखवर्जितं परं नमाम्यहं सतत मनादिमीश्वरं हरिम् ।। ४७.

I always bow to Hari, the supreme Lord, who is beyond the body, free from the arts of action, whose birth is transcendent, adorned by the altar of the sun, the wielder of the mace, beyond the reach of sound, and eternal.

मनोऽतिगं मतिगतिवर्जितं परं सदाद्वयं स्तुतिशिरसि संस्तुतं बुधैः। चिदात्मकं कलिगतकारणातिगं गदाधरं हृदयगतं नमामि तम् ।। ४७.

I bow to the wielder of the mace, who transcends the mind, is beyond the movement of intellect, ever non-dual, praised by the wise in the foremost hymns, whose nature is consciousness, who surpasses the causes of Kali, and who dwells in the heart.