को नग्रः किं समाचारो नग्रसंज्ञां नरो लभेत् । नग्रस्वरूपमिच्छामि यथावद् गदितं त्वया । (श्रोतु धर्मभृता श्रेष्ठ! न ह्मस्त्यविदितं तव)
Who is a Nagra? What is their conduct? How does a man acquire the designation of Nagra? I wish to hear the true nature of a Nagra as explained by you, O best of the righteous; nothing is unknown to you.
पराशर उवाच । ऋगूयजुः सामरांज्ञयं त्रयो वर्णावृतिर्द्रिज । एतामुज्झति यो मोहात् स नग्रः पातकी स्मृतः
Parāśara said: Whoever, out of delusion, abandons the injunctions of the Ṛg, Yajur, and Sāma Vedas, though belonging to the three varṇas, is called a Nagra and is considered sinful.
त्रयी समस्तवर्णानां द्रिज !संवरणं यतः । नग्रो भवत्युज्झितायामतस्तस्यां न संशयः
For the three Vedas are the protection of all the varṇas, O twice-born; when one abandons them, he becomes a Nagra—of this there is no doubt.
इदञ्च श्रूयतामन्यद भीष्माय सुमहात्मने । कथयामास धर्मज्ञो वसिष्ठोऽस्मत्पितामहः
Now hear another account, which the wise Vasiṣṭha, our ancestor, told to the great-souled Bhīṣma.
मयापि तस्य गदतः श्रुतमेतमन्हात्मनः । नग्रसम्बन्धि मैत्रेय ! यत् पृष्टोऽहमिह त्वया
I too have heard this, O Maitreya, from him as he spoke, concerning the connection of the city, just as you have now asked me here.
देवासुरमभूदू युद्ध दिव्यमव्दं पुरा द्रिज । तस्मिन् पराजिता देवा दैत्यैर्ह्रादपुरोगमैः
Once, O twice-born, there was a celestial battle between the gods and the asuras; in that conflict, the gods were defeated by the daityas led by Hṛāda.
क्षीरोदस्योत्तरं कूलं गत्वातप्यन्त वै तपः । विष्णोराराधनार्थाय जगुश्चैमं स्तवं तदा
The gods went to the northern shore of the Milk Ocean and performed austerities there, desiring to worship Viṣṇu, and at that time they recited this hymn.
आरधनाय लोकानां विष्णोरीशस्य यां गिरम् । वक्ष्यामो भगवानद्यस्तया विष्णुः प्रसीदतु
Today, the Blessed One will speak the words by which Viṣṇu, Lord of the worlds, may be propitiated; may Viṣṇu be pleased by them.
यतो भूतान्यशेषाणि प्रसूतानि महात्मनः । यस्मिश्व लयमेष्यन्ति कस्तं स्तोतुमिहेश्वरः
From whom all beings arise, in whom they all dissolve—who in this world is capable of praising that Supreme Lord?
तथाप्यारतिविद्वसध्वस्तवीर्या भवार्थिनः । त्वां स्तोष्यामस्तवोक्तीनां याथार्थ्यनैव गोचरे
Yet, though our strength is destroyed by ignorance and desire, we who seek liberation will praise you only as far as your qualities can be grasped.
त्वमुर्वी सलिलं वह्निर्वायुराकाशमेव च । समस्तमन्तः करणं प्रधानं तत्परः पुमान्
You are earth, water, fire, air, and space; you are the inner sense, the primordial matter, and the supreme spirit beyond them.
एकं तवैतदू भूतात्मन् ! मूर्त्तामूर्त्तमयं वपुः
O Soul of all beings, this one form of yours is composed of both the manifest and the unmanifest.
तत्रेश!तव यत्पूर्वं त्वन्नाभिकमलोद्भवम् । रूपं विश्वोपकाराय तस्मै ब्रह्मात्मने नमः
O Lord, that form of yours which first arose from the lotus of your navel for the benefit of the universe—to that Brahman-form I offer homage.
शक्रार्क-रुद्र-वस्वशिव-मरुत्सोमादिभेदवत् । वयमेयत् स्वरूपं यत् तस्मै देवात्मने नमः
As you manifest as Indra, the Sun, Rudra, the Vasus, the Aśvins, the Maruts, Soma, and others, so too do we; to that divine Self we offer homage.
दम्भप्रायमसम्बोधि तितिक्षा-दमवर्जितम् । यद्रूपं तव गोविन्द ! तस्मै दैत्यात्मने नमः
That form of yours, O Govinda, which is inclined to hypocrisy, ignorance, lacking patience and self-control—to that daitya-form we offer homage.
नातिज्ञानवहा यस्मिन् नाडयः स्तिमिततेजसि । शब्दादिलोभि यत्तस्मै तुब्यं यक्षात्मने नमः
That form of yours in which knowledge does not predominate, where the senses are sluggish, and which is greedy for sound and the like—to that yakṣa-form we offer homage.
क्रौर्यमायामयं घोरं यच्च रूपं तवासितम् । निशाचरात्मने तस्मै नमस्ते पूरुषोत्तम
That terrible, cruel, and dark form of yours, full of illusion, O Supreme Person, which is the form of night-wanderers—to that form we offer homage.
स्वर्गस्थर्धामसद्धर्म-फलोपकरणां तव । धर्माख्यञ्च तथा रूपं नमस्तस्मै जनार्दन
That form of yours, O Janārdana, which abides in heaven, is the abode of righteousness, and brings about the fruits of virtue—to that dharma-form we offer homage.
हर्षप्रायमसंसर्गिगतिमद् गमनादिषु । सिद्धाख्यं तव यद्रूपं तस्मै सिद्धात्मने नमः
That form of yours, called Siddha, which is mostly joyful, unattached, and moves freely wherever it wishes—to that siddha-form we offer homage.
अतितिक्षाधनं क्रू रमुपभोगमयं हरे । द्रिजिह्व तव यद्रपूं तस्मै नागात्मने नमः
That form of yours, O Hari, which is exceedingly patient, fierce, and full of enjoyment, with a forked tongue—to that nāga-form we offer homage.
अवबोधि च यच्छान्तमदोषमपकल्मषम् । ऋषिरूपात्मने तस्मै विष्णो रूपाय!ते नमः
That form of yours, O Viṣṇu, which is awakened, peaceful, faultless, and free from sin—the form of a seer—to that form we offer homage.
भक्षयत्यथ कल्पान्ते भूतानि यदावरितम् । त्वद्रूपं पुण्डरीकाक्ष!तस्मै कालात्मने नमः
That form of yours, O Lotus-eyed One, which at the end of the aeon devours all beings that are enveloped—to that time-form we offer homage.
सम्भक्ष्य सर्वभूतानि देवादीन्यविशेषतः । नृत्यत्यन्ते च यद्रूपं तस्मै रुद्रात्मने नमः
Homage to that Rudra-self, who, having devoured all beings, including gods and others without distinction, dances at the end in that very form.
प्रवृत्त्या रजसो यच्च कर्मणां कारकात्मकम् । जनार्दन! नमस्तसमै त्वद्रूपाय नरात्मने
O Janardana, homage to that form of yours, the soul of man, which, through the activity of rajas, is the agent of all actions.
अष्टाविंशदूवधोपेतं यद्रूपं तामसं तवा । उन्मार्गगामि सर्वात्मन् तस्मै ! पश्वात्मने नमः
Homage to that form of yours, O all-pervading one, which is tamasic, associated with twenty-eight forms, wandering outside the path, the soul of beasts.
यज्ञाङ्गबूतं यद्रूपं जगतः सिद्धिसाधनम् । वृक्षातिदूभेदि तस्मै मुख्यात्मने नमः
Homage to that principal self, whose form is a limb of sacrifice, the means for the accomplishment of the world, and which divides trees and others.
तिर्यङू मानुषदेवादि व्योमशब्दादिकञ्च यत् । रूपं तवादेः सर्वस्य तस्मै सर्वात्मने नमः
Homage to that universal self, whose form is the origin of all—animals, humans, gods, the sky, sound, and so forth.
प्रधानबुद्धयादिमयादशेषादू यदन्यदस्मात् परमं परात्मन् । रूपं तवाद्यं न यदन्यतुल्यं तस्मै नमः कारणकारणाय
Homage to the cause of causes, to that primal form of yours, which is beyond all, distinct from matter, intellect, and the rest, and is not comparable to anything else.
शुक्लादिदीर्घादिघनादिहीन मगोचरे यच्च विशेषणानाम् । सुद्धातिसुद्ध परमर्षिदृश्यं रूपाय तस्मै भगवन् । नताः स्मः
O Lord, we bow to that form of yours, pure, supremely pure, seen by the highest seers, which is free from whiteness, length, density, and other qualities, and beyond the reach of attributes.
यन्नः शरीरेषु यदन्यदेहे ष्वशेषजन्तुष्वजमव्ययं यत् । यस्माच्च नान्यदूव्यतिरिक्तमस्ति ब्रह्मस्वरूपाय नताः स्म तस्मै
We bow to that form, the essence of Brahman, which is unborn and imperishable, present in our bodies, in other bodies, and in all beings, and apart from which nothing else exists.