विद्याबुद्धिरविद्यायामज्ञानान्तात जायते । बालोग्निं किं न खद्योतमसुरेश्व मन्यते
Knowledge and intellect arise only in ignorance, father; does a child not mistake a firefly for a fire, O lord of the Asuras?
तत्कर्म यन्न बन्धाय सा विद्या या विमुक्तये । आयासायापरं कर्म विद्यान्या शिल्पनैपुणम्
That action which does not bind is true action; that knowledge which liberates is true knowledge. Other actions are merely toil, and other knowledge is only skill in crafts.
तदेतदवगम्याहमसारं सारमुत्तमम् । निशामय महाभाग प्रणिपत्य ब्रवीमि ते
Thus, I have understood what is essence and what is not, O greatly fortunate one; listen as I bow and speak to you.
न चिन्तयति को राज्यं को धनं नाभिवाञ्छति । तथापि भाव्यमेवैतदुभयं प्राप्यते नरैः
No one thinks about kingship or desires wealth; yet both are destined to be attained by men.
सर्व एव महाभाग महत्त्वं प्रति सोद्यमाः । तथापि पुंसां भाग्यानि नोद्यमा भूतिहेतवः
All people, O noble one, strive for greatness; yet, even so, prosperity does not arise from effort alone, but from fortune.
जडानामविवेकानामशूराणमपि प्रभो । भाग्यभोज्यानि राज्यानि सन्त्यनीतिमतामपि
Even among the dull, the undiscerning, and the cowardly, O lord, kingdoms are enjoyed by those without virtue, as a matter of fate.
तस्माद्यतेत पुण्येषु य इच्छेन्महतीं श्रियम् । यतितव्यं समत्वे च निर्वाणमपि चेच्छता
Therefore, one who desires great prosperity should strive in virtuous deeds; and one who seeks liberation should strive for equanimity.
देवा मनुष्याः पशवः पक्षिवृक्षसरीसृपाः । रूपमेतदनन्तस्य विष्णोर्भिन्नमिव स्थितम्
Gods, humans, animals, birds, trees, and reptiles—these are all forms of the infinite Vishnu, appearing as if distinct.
एतद्विजानता सर्वं जगत्स्थावरजङ्गमम् । द्र ष्टव्यमात्मवद्विष्णुर्यतोयं विश्वरूपधृक्
Knowing this, one should see all the world, both moving and unmoving, as oneself—Vishnu, the bearer of the universal form, just as this water.
एवं ज्ञाते स भगवाननादिः परमेश्वरः । प्रसीदत्यच्युतस्तस्मिन्प्रसन्ने क्लेशसंक्षयः
When this is understood, the blessed, beginningless Supreme Lord, Achyuta, becomes pleased; and when He is pleased, all suffering is destroyed.
श्रीपराशर उवाच । एतच्छ्रुत्वा तु कोपेन समुत्थाय वरासनात् । हिरण्यकशिपुः पुत्रं पदा वक्षस्यताडयत् 1.19.
Śrī Parāśara said: Hearing this, Hiraṇyakaśipu rose in anger from his splendid seat and struck his son on the chest with his foot.
उवाच च स कोपेन सामर्षः प्रज्वलन्निव । निष्पिष्य पाणिना पाणिं हन्तुकामो जगद्यथा
And, burning with rage and indignation, he pressed his hand with his own, wishing to kill him, as if to crush the world.
हिरण्यकशिपुरुवाच । हे विप्रचित्ते हे राहो हे बलैष महार्णवे । नागपाशैर्दृढैर्बद्धा क्षिप्यतां मा विलंब्यताम्
Hiraṇyakaśipu said: O Vipracitti! O Rāhu! O Bala! Bind this wicked one firmly with strong serpent bonds and cast him into the great ocean—do not delay!
अन्यथा सकला लोकास्तथा दैतेयदानवाः । अनुयास्यन्ति मूढस्य मतमस्य दुरात्मनः
Otherwise, all the worlds and the Daityas and Dānavas will follow the foolish mind of this evil-hearted one.
बहुशो वारि तोस्माभिरयं पापस्तथाप्यरेः । स्तुतिं करोति दुष्टानां वध एवोपकारकः
Many times we have punished this wicked one, yet he still praises our enemy; for the wicked, only death is beneficial.
पराशर उवाच। ततस्ते सत्वरा दैत्या बद्धा तं नागबन्धनैः । भर्तुराज्ञां पुरस्कृत्य चिक्षिपुः सलिलार्णवे
Parāśara said: Then the Daityas, acting swiftly and obeying their lord's command, bound him with serpent bonds and cast him into the ocean.
ततश्चचाल चलता प्रह्लादेन महार्णवः । उद्वेलोभूत्परं क्षोभमुपेत्य च समन्ततः
Then, as Prahlāda entered, the great ocean began to shake; it surged and was greatly agitated in every direction.
भूर्लोकमखिलं दृष्ट्वा प्लाव्यमानं महाम्भसा । हिरण्यकशिपुर्दैत्यानिदमाह महामते
Seeing the entire earth being flooded by the great waters, Hiraṇyakaśipu, wise among the Daityas, spoke to them thus:
हिरण्यकशिपुरुवाच। दैतेयाः सकलैः शैलैरत्रैव वरुणालये । निश्छिद्रै ः! सर्वशः सर्वैश्चीयतामेष दुर्मतिः
Hiraṇyakaśipu said: O Daityas, with all the mountains, block this wicked one here in the abode of Varuṇa, sealing every gap completely!
नाग्निर्दहति नैवायं शस्त्रैश्छिन्नो न चोरगैः । क्षयं नीतो न वातेन न विषेण न कृत्यया
Fire does not burn him, nor is he cut by weapons, nor destroyed by serpents, nor by wind, nor by poison, nor by spells.
न मायाभिर्न चैवोच्चात्पातितो न च दिग्गजैः । बालोतिदुष्टचित्तोयं नानेनार्थोस्ति जीवता
He is not overcome by illusions, nor cast down, nor subdued by the elephants of the quarters; this child, whose mind is exceedingly wicked, is of no use alive.
तदेष तोयमध्ये तु समाक्रान्तो महीधरैः । तिष्ठत्वब्दसहस्रान्तं प्राणान्हास्यति दुर्मतिः
Therefore, let him remain in the midst of the waters, hemmed in by mountains, until a thousand years have passed; this evil-minded one will lose his life.
ततो दैत्यादानवाश्च पर्वतैस्तं महोदधौः । आक्रम्य चयनं चक्रुर्योजनानि सहस्रशः
Then the Daityas and Dānavas, having climbed upon mountains, constructed a great embankment in the vast ocean, stretching for thousands of yojanas.
स चितः पर्वतैरन्तः समुद्र स्य महामतिः । तुष्टावाह्निकवेलायामेकाग्रमतिरच्युतम्
That embankment, made of mountains within the ocean, was praised by the wise one with single-pointed mind, at the time of the daily ritual, addressing the imperishable one.
प्रह्लाद उवाच । नमस्ते पुण्डरीकाक्ष नमस्ते पुरुषोत्तम । नमस्ते सर्वलोकात्मन्नमस्ते तिग्मचक्रिणे
Prahlāda said: O lotus-eyed one, I bow to you; O supreme person, I bow to you; O soul of all worlds, I bow to you; O wielder of the sharp discus, I bow to you.
नमो ब्रह्मण्यदेवाय गोब्राह्मणहिताय च । जगद्धिताय कृष्णाय गोविन्दाय नमोनमः
Salutations to the god of the Vedas, benefactor of cows and Brahmins; salutations to Kṛṣṇa, the benefactor of the world, to Govinda, again and again.
ब्रह्मत्वे सृजते विश्वं स्थितौ पालयते पुनः । रुद्र रूपाय कल्पान्ते नमस्तुभ्यं त्रिमूर्तये
In the form of Brahmā you create the universe, in the form of Viṣṇu you preserve it, and again, in the form of Rudra, you dissolve it at the end of the age; salutations to you, the three-formed one.
देवा यक्षाः सुराः सिद्धा नागा गन्धर्वकिन्नराः । पिशाचा राक्षसाश्चैव मनुष्याः पशवस्तथा
The gods, Yakṣas, Suras, Siddhas, Nāgas, Gandharvas, Kinnaras, Piśācas, Rākṣasas, humans, and also animals—
पक्षिणस्थावराश्चैव पिपीलिकसरीसृपाः । भूम्यापोग्निर्नभोवायुः शब्दः स्पर्शस्तथा रसः
Birds, immobile beings, ants, reptiles, earth, water, fire, ether, air, sound, touch, and also taste—
रूपं गन्धो मनो बुद्धिरात्मा कालस्तथा गुणाः । एतेषां परमार्थश्च सर्वमेतत्त्वमच्युत
Form, smell, mind, intellect, self, time, and qualities—all these, and their ultimate reality, O Acyuta, are indeed you.