Bhagavata Purana
by G. V. Tagare | 1950 | 780,972 words | ISBN-10: 8120838203 | ISBN-13: 9788120838208
This page describes Creation of the Universe (Prayers to Hari) which is chapter 4 of the English translation of the Bhagavata Purana, one of the eighteen major puranas containing roughly 18,000 metrical verses. Topics include ancient Indian history, religion, philosophy, geography, mythology, etc. The text has been interpreted by various schools of philosophy. This is the fourth chapter of the Second Skandha of the Bhagavatapurana.
Go directly to: Footnotes.
Chapter 4 - Creation of the Universe (Prayers to Hari)
[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]
S奴ta said:
1. Having heard 艢耻办补鈥檚 speech, which led to the definite understanding of the real nature of the Soul, 笔补谤墨办峁迟 (the son. of 鲍迟迟补谤腻) set his virtuous and steady mind on 碍峁涐梗峁嘺.
2. He renounced attachment which was always sticking (to his mind), to his body, wife, sons, palace, cattle, wealth, kinsmen and kingdom well equipped with the seven constituent elements of the state (enumerated in works on politics).
3. He, a man of noble mind and intense faith in listening to the great deeds of 碍峁涐梗峁嘺, asked him (艢耻办补) the same topic which you, the greatest among good persons, ask me.
4. Having understood the approach of death and having renounced duties pertaining to the three Purus膩rthas, viz. dharma, artha and 办腻尘补, he with great love or devotion for the Lord, solely devoted himself to self-realization in Lord 痴腻蝉耻诲别惫补.
5. Oh sinless 叠谤腻丑尘补峁嘺! The words of an omniscient person (like you) are quite good (correct). While you tell me the episodes of Hari, the darkness of my ignorance is dispelled.
6. I again wish to know how the Lord has created this universe by His Cosmic Power (惭腻测腻)鈥攖he universe which is beyond the comprehension of great gods (such as 叠谤补丑尘腻).
7. Also I wish to know by resorting to what powers the Supreme Man of infinite power, creates, protects and destroys (this universe again) and how he sports himself directly and indirectly (through 叠谤补丑尘腻 and other gods).
8. Oh 叠谤腻丑尘补峁嘺! Really the actions of Hari of mysterious and wonderful deeds, appear incomprehensible even to very wise people (what of a person like me!).
9. Whether it is simultaneously or one after another in succession, that he assumes the different attributes of 笔谤补办峁泃颈, in order to do his work through many incarnations.
10. As your honour is verily well-versed in the Vedic lore and in the knowledge of Parabrahman, Your Worship may kindly explain this doubt to me.
S奴ta said:
11. 艢耻办补, who was thus solicited by the king, to describe the attributes of Hari, meditated on 碍峁涐梗峁嘺 and began to address.
艢r墨 艢耻办补 said:
12. Salute to the Perfect Man of infinite power, who by his sport of creating, sustaining and destroying this world, has assumed three powers, viz. Rajas (叠谤补丑尘腻) etc. [or 鈥榳ill, wisdom and action which are eternally in him鈥橾.
13. I offer my salutations again and again to him who removes the afflictions of the good, who curbs down the growth of the irreligious, who orders all gods of 厂腻迟迟惫颈肠 body[1] to bestow fruits (upon the devotees, and who confers the knowledge of the self upon those who have established themselves in the order of Parama Ha峁僺as.
14. I bow again and again to the protector of the 厂腻迟迟惫补迟补蝉 (or his devotees) who is beyond the reach of devotionless persons. Salutations to him, who being by nature unequalled and insurmountable, enjoys himself in his natural condition.
15. Salutation to him of auspicious fame; (as) to praise him, to remember him, to look at him, to bow to him, to hear about him and to adore him, immediately purifies sins of men.
16. I bow again and again to him of auspicious glory, by resorting to whose feet, the wise men shed off their heart鈥檚 attachment here and hereafter, and without any trouble, attain to the state of Brahman.
17. I salute again and again to him, without offering whom (the fruit of one鈥檚 actions), none can attain happiness (or peace), even though they perform penance, or are very charitable or have attained (high) reputation, or practised Yoga, or are knower of very auspicious mantras, or are of pure conduct.
18.[2] The 碍颈谤腻迟补蝉, the 贬奴峁嘺蝉, the 膧苍诲丑谤补蝉, Pulindas, Pulkasas, 膧产丑墨谤补蝉, Kakas (艢补办补蝉), Yavanas, Khasas and other (sinful) tribes and other sinners are purged of their sins even by taking refuge in those who depend on him. To that Almighty Lord, we offer our greetings.
19[3]. May the Divine Lord be propitious unto me鈥攖he Lord who is (to be meditated as) the Soul, by the knowers of the Soul,[4] as the Supreme God, by the devotees, as the three Vedas incarnate[5] by the followers of Karma k膩峁囜笉a, as the veritable dharma[6] by the followers of dharma (religion), as the goal (to be achieved), by performers of penance,[7] the Lord, whose form is observed with great amazement by sincere worshippers like gods 叠谤补丑尘腻, 艢补峁卥补谤补 etc.
20. May the Lord鈥攑rotector of the good, be gracious unto me鈥攖he Lord, who is the master of the goddess of Wealth, the Lord of Sacrifices of all beings, the controller of mental or intellectual faculties, the protector of the worlds, the Lord of the earth, the Lord and protector of Andhaka, 痴峁涐梗峁噄 and 艢膩ttvata clans.
21. May Lord Mukunda (碍峁涐梗峁嘺) be propitious unto me by constant meditation of whose [碍峁涐梗峁嘺鈥檚] feet, the wise purify their intellect and realize the true nature of the soul, and whom the wise describe as attributeful or attributeless (according to their taste or capacity).
22. May the most Excellent Sage be gracious to me鈥攖he sage who formerly (at the beginning of the creation) extended, i.e. awakened, the memory regarding the (procedure of) creation (of the universe) in the heart of 叠谤补丑尘腻, and who directed the goddess 厂补谤补蝉惫补迟墨 (the verbal form of the Veda) along with its characteristic supplements (e.g. 艣颈办峁Ｄ�, 惫测腻办补谤补峁嘺 etc.) to issue from the mouth of 叠谤补丑尘腻.
23. May the venerable Lord grace (beautify) my words鈥攖he Omnipresent Lord, having created these bodies with five gross elements (or with mahat and other elements) lies (dwells) within them as 补苍迟补谤测腻尘颈苍 and becomes (even etymologically) the real 笔耻谤耻峁鈥攐ne who lies in a town, i.e. body). He illumines and protects the sixteen qualities (i.e. the constituents) of the body (viz. 11 sense organs and 5 elements), by inspiring with life these sixteen.[8]
24. I bow to the venerable 痴测腻蝉补,[9] the learned author of the 惭补丑腻产丑腻谤补迟补 etc., from whose lotus-like mouth his gentle disciples drank the honey in the form of knowledge.
25. Oh King, the Self-born God (叠谤补丑尘腻), the source of the Vedas, explained this to the enquiring 狈腻谤补诲补, which was directly narrated to him (叠谤补丑尘腻) by Hari.
Footnotes and references:
[2]:
For the role of Bhagavatism in the social absorption of foreigners vide R.K. Mukerjee鈥檚 History of Indian Civilisation Vol. I., pp. 230-249.
This shows the attempts of proselytisation on the part of the 痴补颈峁ａ箛补惫补蝉. The following is the information in brief about tribes mentioned here,
碍颈谤腻迟补蝉鈥攁 Himalayan tribe in the eastern region.
贬奴峁嘺蝉鈥擳he famous invading tribes from central Asia who established their dynasties in India.
膧苍诲丑谤补蝉鈥擜ccording to the Aitareya 叠谤腻丑尘补峁嘺, a non-Aryan tribe living on the southern fringe of 膧谤测腻惫补谤迟补. Formerly they were in the Vindhya region. Their settlement to the south in the present Andhra Pradesh is a later development.
Pulindas鈥擜苍 aboriginal tribe mentioned along with the 膧苍诲丑谤补蝉 in the Aitareya 叠谤腻丑尘补峁嘺. They inhabited the Vindhya region upto 600 A.D.
Pulkasas or Pukkasa in Manu鈥擜苍 outcaste people.
膧产丑墨谤补蝉鈥擜 foreign people who entered India at about the 艢补办补 invasion and went on migrating from the Punjab till they settled in northwest Deccan. They are reported to have defeated Arjuna and carried away 驰腻诲补惫补 women.
碍补峁卥补蝉鈥斉毑拱觳共�. The original home of these people was in the valley of the Oxus and Jaxartes.
Yavanas鈥擳he Indo-Greeks who ruled in the north-western part of India.
Khasas鈥擨dentified with modern Khakkas who live in Kashmir.
[3]:
笔补诲补谤补迟苍腻惫补濒墨 interprets: May the Supreme Soul be gracious unto me鈥擲oul who is the Supreme Lord to those who have directly realized Brahman (and have attained liberation), as the Lord is favourable to the followers of the Veda, dharma (path of duties prescribed by scripture) and penance and whose characteristics (e.g. creation of the world etc.) have been inferred by sincere devotees like 叠谤补丑尘腻, 艢颈惫补 etc.
[4]:
[5]:
迟谤补测墨-尘补测补 [尘补测补岣�闭鈥�(i) follower of the householder鈥檚 duties, e.g. agnihotra prescribed in the Vedas鈥�厂颈诲诲丑腻苍迟补辫谤补诲墨辫补
(ii) the students of Veda to worship it in the form of three Vedas鈥�叠腻濒补辫谤补产辞诲丑颈苍颈
[6]:
dharma-mitya [尘颈迟测补岣�闭鈥�(propitiated) by followers of the duties of celibates鈥�厂颈诲诲丑腻苍迟补辫谤补诲墨辫补
(ii) performers of sacrifices should worship him as dharma鈥�叠腻濒补辫谤补产辞诲丑颈苍颈
[7]:
tapo-maya [尘补测补岣�闭鈥�(worshipped) by the followers of 惫腻苍补辫谤补蝉迟丑补 and 蝉补苍苍测腻蝉补 腻艣谤补尘补蝉鈥�厂颈诲诲丑腻苍迟补辫谤补诲墨辫补
Performers of penance should propitiate him as Tapas.
[8]:
产丑耻峁卥迟别......峁岣峯艣腻迟尘补办补岣� [峁岣峯艣腻迟尘补办补闭鈥�叠丑腻驳补惫补迟补 颁补苍诲谤颈办腻 explains that the Lord possessing the sixteen constituents, viz. eleven sense organs and five elements, enjoys the sixteen 鈥榪ualities鈥� viz. five objects of senses, e.g. sound, touch etc., five functions of organs, e.g. speech etc., five functions of 笔谤腻峁嘺蝉 or vital breaths and mind.
厂耻产辞诲丑颈苍墨 gives in detail how the Lord divides himself in different 鈥榚njoyer-enjoyed鈥� pairs (e.g. man鈥攚oman) and sports himself in the enjoyment of the world.
[9]:
Here the reading in the Nirnaya Sagara edition (Bombay 1905) is followed. The text before 笔补诲补谤补迟苍腻惫补濒墨 reads V膩sudev膩ya vedhase鈥�笔补诲补谤补迟苍腻惫补濒墨 interprets this differently:
(i) Salute to the Lord 痴腻蝉耻诲别惫补 from whose lotus-like mouth 叠谤补丑尘腻 and others, who deserved to drink the Soma-juice of knowledge, drank the honey of knowledge.
Thus taking saumya as (i) Uddhava and others, (ii) 狈腻谤补诲补 and others (iii) 痴测腻蝉补 and others, (iv) 痴补颈艣补尘辫腻测补苍补 an岣� others, the salutes are offered to 碍峁涐梗峁嘺, god 叠谤补丑尘腻, 狈腻谤补诲补 and 痴测腻蝉补 respectively.