Reading section 3

Section XII.—Indra comes to Gokula; praises Krishna and makes him prince over the cattle. Krishna promises to befriend Arjuna.

Section XIII.—Krishna praised by the cowherds; his sports with Gopis, their imitation and love of him, The Rasa dance.

Section XIV.—Krishna kills the demon Arishta, in the form of a bull.

Section XV.—Kansa informed by Nārada of the existence of Krishna and Balarāma; he sends Kesin to destroy them and Akrura to bring them to Mathura.

Section XVI.—Kesin in the form of a horse, slain by Krishna; he is praised by Nārada.

Section XVII.—Akrura's meditation to Krishna, his arrival at Gokula; his delight at seeing Krishna and his brother.

Section XVIII.—Grief of the Gopis on the departure of Krishna and Balarāma with Akrura; their leaving Gokula. Akrura bathes in the Yamuna; beholds the divine form of the two youths, and praises Vishnu.

Section XIX.—Akrura conveys Krishna and Rāma near to Mathura, leaves them; they enter the town. Insolence of Kansa's washerman; Krishna kills him. Civility of a flower-seller; Krishna gives him his benediction.

Section XX.—Krishna and Balarāma meets Kubja; she is made straight by the former; they proceed to the palace. Krishna breaks a bow intended for a trial of arms. Kansa's orders to his servants. Public games. Krishna and his brother enter the arena; the former wrestles with Chanura, the latter with Mushtika, the king's wrestlers; who are both killed. Krishna attacks and slays Kansa; he and Balarāma do homage to Vasudeva, and Devaki; the former praises Krishna.

Section XXI—Krishna encourages his parents; places Ugrasena on the throne; becomes the pupil of the Sandipani, whose son he recovers from the sea, he kills the marine demon, Panchajana, and makes a horn of his shell.

Section XXII.—Jarasandha besieges Mathura; is defeated, but repeatedly renews the attack.

Section XXIII.—Birth of Kalayavana; he advances against Mathura, Krishna builds Dwārakā and sends thither the Yadava tribe; he leads Kalayavana into the cave of Muchukunda; the latter awakes, consumes the Yavana king, and praises Krishna.

Section XXIV.—Muchukunda goes to perform penance, Krishna takes the army and treasures of Kalayavana, and repairs with them to Dwārakā. Balarāma visits Vraia; inquires its inhabitants after Krishna.

Section XXV.—Balarāma finds wine in the hollow of a tree and becomes inebriated; commands the Yamuna to come to him, and on her refusal drags her out of her course; Lakshmi gives him ornaments and a dress; he returns to Dwārakā and marries Revati.

Section XXVI.—Krishna carries off Rukmini; the princes who come to rescue her repulsed by Balarāma. Rukmin overthrown but spared by Krishna, found Bhojakata. Pradyumna born of Rukmini.

Section XXVII.—Pradyumna stolen by Sambara; thrown into the sea, and swallowed by a fish; found by Mayadevi; he kills Sambara, marries Mayadev, and returns with her to Dwārakā. Joy of Rukmini and Krishna.

SECTION XXVIII.—Wives of Krishna, Pradyumna's son Anirudha; nuptials of the latter. Balarāma beat at dice, becomes incensed, and slays Rukmin and others.

Section XXIV.—Indra comes to Dwārakā, and reports to Krishna the tyranny of Naraka. Krishna goes to his city, and puts him to death. Earth gives the earrings of Aditi to Krishna and praises him. He liberates the princesses made captive by Naraka, sends them to Dwārakā, and goes to Swarga with Satyabhāmā.

Section XXX.—Krishna restores her earrings to Aditi, and is praised by her; he visits the garden of Indra and at the desire of Satyabhāmā carries off the Pārijāta tree. Sachi excites Indra to its rescue. Conflict between the gods and Krishna, who defeats them. Satyabhāmā derides them. They praise Krishna.

Section XXXI.—Krishna with Indra's consent, takes the Pārijāta tree to Dwārakā; marries the princesses rescued from Naraka.

Section XXXII.—Children of Krishna. Usha the daughter of Bana, sees Aniruddha in a dream, and becomes enamored of him.

Section XXXIII.—Bana solicits Siva for war; finds Aniruddha in the palace, and makes him prisoner. Krishna, Balarāma, and Pradyumna come to his rescue. Siva and Skandha aid Bana; the former is disabled; the latter put to flight, Bana encounters Krishna who cuts off all his arms, and is about to put him to death. Siva intercedes and Krishna spares his life. Vishnu and Siva are the same.

Section XXXIV.—Paundraka, a Vasudeva, assumes the insignia and style of Krishna, supported by the king of Kasi. Krishna marches against and destroys them. The son of the king sends a magical being against Krishna; destroyed by his discus, which also sets Benares on fire, and consumes it and its inhabitants.

Section XXXV.—Samba carries off the daughter of Duryodhana but is taken prisoner. Balarāma comes to Hastināpur, and demands his liberation; it is refused; in his wrath he drags the city towards him, to throw it into the river. The Kuru chiefs give up Samba and his wife.

Section XXXVI.—The Asura Dwivida in the form of an ape destroyed by Balarāma.

Section XXXVII.—Destruction of Yadavas. Samba and others deceive and ridicule the Rishis. The former bears an iron pestle, it is broken, and thrown into the sea. The Yadavas go to Prabhasa by desire of Krishna; they quarrel and fight and all perish. The great serpent Sesha issues from the mouth of Rāma. Krishna is shot by a hunter, and again becomes one with universal spirit.

Section XXXVIII.—Arjuna comes to Dwārakā, and burns the dead and takes away the surviving inhabitants. Commencement of the Kali age. Shepherds and thieves attack Arjuna and carry off the women and wealth. Arjuna regrets the loss of his prowess to Vyasa; who consoles him and tells him the story of Ashtavakra's cursing the Apsaras. Arjuna and his brothers place Pariskhit on the throne, and go to the forests. End of the fifth book.

PART VI.

Section I.—Of the dissolution of the world; the four ages; the decline of all things, and deterioration of mankind, in the Kali age.

Section II.—Redeeming properties of the Kali age. Devotion to Vishnu, sufficient to salvation in that age for all castes and persons.

Section III.—Three different kinds of dissolution. Duration of a Parardha. The Clepsydra, or vessel for measuring time. The dissolution that occurs at the end of a day of Brahmā.

Section IV.—Continuation of the account of the first kind of dissolution. Of the second kind, or elemental dissolution; of all being resolved into primary spirit.

Section V.—The third kind of dissolution, or final liberation from existence. Evils of worldly life. Sufferings of infancy, manhood, old age. Pains of hell. Imperfect felicity of heaven. Exemption from birth desirable by the wise. The nature of spirit or god. Meaning of the terms Bhagavat and Vasudeva.

Section VI.—Means of attaining liberation. Anecnotes of Khandikya and Kesidhwaja. The former instructs the latter how to atone for permitting the death of a cow. Kesidhwaja offers him a requital, and he desires to be instructed in spiritual knowledge.

Section VII.—Keshidwaja describes the nature of ignorance, and the benefits of the Yoga or contemplative devotion. Of the novice and the adept in the performance of the Yoga. How it is performed. The first stage, proficiency in acts of restraints and moral duty; the second particular mode of getting; the third, Pranayama, modes of breathing; the fourth, Pratyahara, restraint of thought; the fifth, apprehension of spirit; the sixth retention of the idea. Meditation on the individual and universal forms of Vishnu. Acquirement of knowledge. Final liberation.

Section VIII.—Conclusion of the dialogue between Parāçara and Maitreya. Recapitulation of the contents of the Vishnupurana; merit of hearing it; how handed down, Besides of Vishnu. Concluding prayer.

PART I.

SECTION I.

Om![1] Salutation unto Vāsudeva![2] O Pundarikāsha,[3] victory unto thee! I bow unto thee, O origin of the universe! O Hrishikesha,[4] O great Purusha, O thou the first born! That Vishnu,[5] who is eternal, indecayable one, who is Brahmā, the Isvara and the Purusha,—who causeth the creation, the sustentation and the dissolution (of the world) consequent on the qualities[6] being agitated,—and from whom hath sprung the cosmos with Pradhāna,[7] Buddhi, etc.;—may he confer on us excellent understanding wealth[8] and emancipation! Bowing down unto Vishnu, lord of the universe, and saluting Brahmā and the rest, and paying reverence unto my preceptor, I will rehearse the Purāna that is equal to the Vedas. Saluting and paying homage unto that best of ascetics, Parāçara—son unto Vasistha's son—versed in annals and the Purānas,[9] accomplished in the Vedas and the branches thereof, and learned in the mysteries of the scriptures,—who had finished his first daily devotions.—Maitreya asked him, saying,—"O preceptor, I have one by one studied near thee all the scriptures as well as the Vedas and their branches. It is owing to thy grace that, O foremost of ascetics, almost all of those that are even our enemies, confess that I have studied all the branches of knowledge. O thou cognisant of righteousness, I am desirous of hearing from thee how this universe came into being, and how, O virtuous one, it shall be in the future; in what, O Brāhmana, the cosmos consists; wherefrom sprang this system of mobile and immobile objects; where it lay at first and where it shall dissolve itself; as to the objects that have manifested themselves; the genesis of the gods; the establishment of seas and mountains and the earth, and that of the sun, etc. and the dimensions thereof; the genealogies of the deities,—all about the Manus, and the Manwantaras,[10] and Kalpas[11] and Vikalpas of Kalpas composed of the fourfold division into Yugas; the character of the close of Kalpas; and the entire tendencies of the Yugas; and, O mighty ascetic, the history of Devarshis[12] and monarchs; the proper division by Vyāsa of the Vedas into different parts; and the morality concerning Brāhmanas and others, as well as that of householders. O son of Vasishtha, I wish to hear all this related by thee. O Brahmana, incline thy mind favourably unto me, so that, O mighty anchoret, I may know all this through thy grace".

Pāraçara said,—"Excellent well; O Maitreya, O thou that art conversant with righteousness. Thou bringest into my recollection what of old my grandsire, the reverend Vasishtha, had said of old. When I heard that my sire had been devoured by the Rākshasa sent by Vicwāmitra, I was wrought up with an exceeding rage. Then I set about disturbing the sacrifice of the Rakshas; and in that sacrifice reduced to ashes night-rangers by hundreds. On the Rakshas undergoing extermination, the eminently pious Vasishtha, my grandfather, said unto me,—'Do not indulge in excessive wrath, O child, control this passion of thine. Albeit the Rākshasas did thus unto thy sire, yet have they not transgressed. This ire springeth up in fools; but where is the anger of the wise? Who, my child, destroyeth whom? Persons[13] but reap their acts. O child, anger heweth away the great and immense asceticism and fame acquired with extreme toil by men. The prime saints ever banish anger, which retardeth heaven and emancipation. Therefore, my child, do not thou come under its sway. No need of burning the night-rangers, who have not wronged. Stop this sacrifice of thine. Pious people are composed of forgiveness.' Thus exhorted by my high-souled grandsire, I, for the sake of the dignity of his speech, stopped the sacrifice. Thereat, that foremost of ascetics, the reverend Vasishtha was gratified. And it came to pass that there appeared then Pulastya, son unto Brahmā. And when my grandfather had offered him arghya,[14] when he had taken his seat, O Maitreya, the exceedingly righteous elder brother of Pulaha addressed me, saying,—'As, albeit a mighty enmity existeth (between thyself and the Rākshasas), thou hast resorted to forgiveness at the words of thy superior, thou shall master all the branches of knowledge. And as, although highly enraged, thou hast not cut off my sons, I, O pious one, shall confer on thee a mighty boon. Thou shalt be the author of the Purāna and Samhita,[15] and thou shalt attain a consummate knowledge of the celestials. And through my grace, O child, thy intelligence shall be clear and unobstructed as concerns the Present and the Past.' Then my grandsire, the reverend Vasishtha, said,—'What Pulastya hath uttered to thee, must be so.' At thy question I remember me in full of all that formerly had been said unto me by Vasishtha and the intelligent Pulastya. And, O Maitreya, as thou hast asked me, I shall at length relate unto thee adequately the Purāna Samhitā.—Do thou understand that properly. This universe hath sprung from Vishnu,—and in Him it is established. He is the cause of the creation, maintenance and destruction thereof, and He is the universe".

SECTION II.

Parāçara said:—"I bow unto Him that is holy and eternal—the supreme Soul who is ever uniform,—even Vishnu, the Lord of all. I bow unto Hiranyagarbha, unto Hara and Sankara, unto Vasudeva the saviour, even him who bringeth about creation, maintenance and destruction to everything. I bow unto him that is uniform yet hath a multiplicity of forms; who is both subtle and gross;—who is manifested and unmanifested; unto Vishnu, the cause of salvation. I bow unto Vishnu, the supreme Soul, who pervadeth the universe, and who is the fundamental cause of the creation, sustenance and extinction of everything. And bowing down unto Him, who is the stay of the universe,—who is minuter than the minutest monad,—who resides in every being—unto the undeteriorating foremost Purusha, who is extremely pure, and constitutes knowledge of the highest kind,—who in consequence of the erroneous sight (of people) seemeth to be endowed with a shape; unto the Vishnu who can compass the creation, maintenance and destruction of the universe,—saluting the Lord of the world, un-born, unchangeable and undeteriorating,—I shall relate what formerly, asked by Paksha and other great ascetics, the reverend lotus sprung Great-sire said unto them, and what they rehearsed unto king Purukutsa on the banks of the Narmadā; and what he, in his turn, related to Sāraswata,—and the last unto me. He who is Prime and Greater than the greatest, who is the supreme Soul resident in himself,—who cannot be differentiated by by form, color, etc, who is without deterioration or destruction, and without birth, growth and dissolution; who can only be asserted as existing,—is called by the learned Vāsudeva, in consequence of his existing everywhere and in all objects.[16] That Brahmā is prime and eternal,—without birth, change or deterioration. He is uniform, and pure in consequence of the absence of the ignoble. He is all this (that is)—he is Manifested and Unmanifested;[17] and he exists as the Primal Purusha and Time. O twice-born one, the first form of the Primæval Brahmā is a Male Being. His other forms are Manifested and Unmanifested, Time and the rest.[18] The wise see that sacred state of Vishnu, which is superior to Pradhāna Purusha,[19] Manifest and Time. The forms of Vishnu, first consisting of Pradhāna, Purusha, Manifest and Time are the causes and expressions[20] of creation, sustenance, and destruction. Do thou understand that Vyakta,[21] Vishnu, Avyakta, Purusha and Time are the exertions of Him, resembling those of a child sporting. That which is the Unmanifested Cause, is called subtle Nature by the foremost saints,—external, and instinct with cause and effect. It is indestructible, supportless, immeasurable, undeteriorating, real devoid of sound or touch, and without form, etc. It hath three several modes;—and is the mother of the Universe, without beginning and is the end of all. Formerly after the universal dissolution, everything was permeated by it. O Brāhmana, those versed in the language of the Veda,—exercising self-control and meditating the Deity, read the sense expressive of Pradhāna, thus. Day was not, nor night, nor sky, nor earth. And there was neither darkness nor yet light. And there existed then Pradhāna, Brahmā and the Purusha,—incapable of being apprehended by ear and the other organs, or the intellect. As O Vipra, the prime Vishnu hath two forms, Pradhāna and Purusha, so, O twice-born one, he hath another, which is joined to him (on the occasion of creation)

and severed from him during the universal dissolution; and this is called Kāla. (Time). During the past dissolution, in consequence of the Vyakta remaining nascent in Prakriti, this circumstance in popular parlance is called Kāla. O twice-born one, the revered Kāla hath no beginning and hath no end; and in it genesis, stability and dissolution are uninterrupted. On the occasion of the universal dissolution, when Prakriti and Purusha remain separate, O Maitreya, there exists the form of Vishnu termed Kāla. Then at the time of creation, the supreme Brahmā, the Prime spirit pervading the universe, reaching everywhere—the lord of all beings, and the soul of all—the foremost Lord, Hari, entering into Pradhāna and Purusha, agitated them. And as odour, simply by reason of its proximity, and without any act, stirreth the mind, even so did the Supreme Lord. That best of males, O Brāhmana, is he that stirreth, and He it is that is stirred; he possessing in himself the three modes alike when in equilibrium and when not, entereth into Pradhāna. And that Lord of lords, Vishnu, manifests himself in gross elements in subtle objects, and in such forms as Brahmā and others. And, O best of twice-born ones, on the occasion of creation, from the equipoise of the principles presided over by Kshetrajna,[22] springs up that which manifests the principles.[23] And then Pradhāna overspread Mahat; and the three kinds of Mahat pertaining respectively to goodness, passion and foulness, were enveloped by Pradhāna, even as the rind envelopeth the seed. And from the three kinds of Mahat sprang three kinds of ahankāra;[24] (consciousness,) viz., vaikārika, taijasa and bhutādi.[25] And, O mighty ascetic, as Pradhāna had enveloped Mahat, that cause of the elements and the senses, viz., akankāra from its containing the three principles, was in its turn, enveloped by Mahat. Then the bhutādi,[26] etc., being wrought, produced the rudiments of sound, and from the latter came into being ether, having the property of sound. And (anon) the bhutādi overspread the rudiments of sound as well as the ether; and, ether being wrought, produced the rudiments of touch; and then sprang the powerful air, whose property is known to be touch. And ether furnished with nascent audibility, covered air, endowed with tangibility. And then the air, wrought up, brought forth the rudiments of form. Light came from the air, and its property is said to be form. And the rudimental air endowed with touch, enveloped the rudimental tangibility. And light, being agitated, caused the taste; and therefrom sprang water, the residence of taste. And the rudiments of form overspread the rudiments of taste. And water, stirred, developed the rudiments of odour; therefrom sprang hardness endued with the property of odour. The subtle condition of a property existing in diverse objects is called Tanmātra. In consequence of the Tanmātras not being differentiated, they are undistinguishable; they are not agreeable or unpleasant of cause dullness,—and they are not marked by any distinguishing feature. From the consciousness related to darkness sprang the five rudiments and the five elements; from the conciousness relating to light sprang the organs of sense and from the consciousness relating to goodness sprang the ten deities.[27] The mind is the eleventh (organ).[28] The deities are known to have sprung from the principle of goodness. O twice-born one, the touch, the eye, the nose, the tongue, and the ear for the

fifth, are designed for the perception of sound, etc. and are backed by intellect. The other organs are the anus, the organs of generation, the hands, the feet, and the vocal organs for the fifth; and the functions of these are excretion, articulation, motion, and mechanic labor. Ether, air, light, water, and earth, O Brāhmana, are respectively furnished with the properties of sound etc. and in consequence of their being agreeable or otherwise, or bringing on delusion,—they are known as Vicesha.

"And endowed with distinct energies, they without combining, and being all of them interfused, could not create objects. And then, coming together, and each supporting the others, they attained firmness and harmony and a uniform appearance. And in consequence of their being presided over by the Purasha, and favored by Pradhana, (who was ripe for it), those, commencing from Mahat and ending in Vishesha, brought forth an egg. And that egg resembling a watery bubble, fostered by the elements, attained dimensions. O thou of exceeding intelligence; and that egg formed by Prakriti, resting on water, became the body of Vishnu wearing the form of Brahmā,—And there Vishnu—lord of the universe—who is incapable of being perceived,—becoming manifest, remained in the form of Brahmā.[29] And Meru became the bellows-like inner covering of that exceedingly high-souled one, and the other mountains became his outer covering; and the seas served for his water in the womb. And, O Vipra, in that egg sprang mountains and islands, and seas, light, and numbers of worlds, and deities, Asuras and human beings. And that egg was environed ten times successively with water, fire, air, ether, and bhutādi and the bhutādi was surrounded in the same way by mahat.[30] And mahat along with all those was also covered by avyakta.[31] As the internal cocoanut fruit is covered by the external rind, etc., even so was the egg surrounded by the natural coverings. Then the lord of the universe, inspiring the principle of passion,[32] and becoming Brahmā, became engaged on creation. And until the expiry of Kalpa,[33] the worshipful Vishnu of immeasurable power, instinct with the principle of goodness, sustaineth creation. And at the end of a Kalpa, O Maitreya, Janārddana,[34] surcharged with the principle of foulness, wearing a fierce form and becoming terrific swalloweth up all. And having swallowed up all beings, anon the cosmos becoming one ocean, the supreme Lord lieth down on the couch[35] (formed by) the serpent. And walking, he, wearing the form of Brahmā, again addresseth himself to creation. And in consequence of his creating, sustaining and dissolving verily one Janārddana acquireth the appellations of Brahmā, Vishnu and Siva. As creator, Vishnu createth himself, and, as sustainer, he sustaineth himself, and, finally, becoming the destroyer, the Lord himself destroyeth everything. And as earth, water, light, air and ether, all the organs of sense and the heart go by the name Purusha, (Vishnu as being the Primal male, is the author of all these.) And, as he is the lord of all beings, and, as, knowing no decay, he hath the universe for his form, even he is the creator of all, and his also are the ends attained by beings".[36]

SECTION III.

Maitreya said:—"How can Brahmā, who is devoid of quality and confineless and pure and unblamed of soul, possibly engage in creation, etc.?" Thereat Parāçara said,—"As the powers of many an object are incomprehensible and incapable of being construed to sense, the powers of creation etc., possessed by Brahmā, like the heat of fire, are also so. O foremost of ascetics, hearken how the Professor of the eight kinds of wealth becomes engaged in creation. O wise one, in consequence of the eternal reverend Vishnu coming into being from objects, as Brahmā the Grand-father, he is designated as produced. According to the measure set by him human life is known as consisting of an hundred years. This (age) is called para, and the half thereof Parārdha. O sinless one, do thou listen to me as I mention unto thee the divisions of that which I have named unto thee as the Time-form of Vishnu,—in relation to Him as well as other creatures, and mobile and immobile objects, and the seas and all other things, O best of men. O chief of ascetics, a kāsthā is composed of fifteen nimeshas;[37] thirty kāsthās make up a kalā; and thirty kalās a muhurta; and as many muhurtas make up a day and a night unto human beings. As many days and nights form a month; and a month consists of two fortnights. Six months form an ayana; and a year is composed of two ayanas, one northern, the other southern. The southern ayana is the night of the celestials, as the northern is their day. The period of twelve thousand years of the deities constitute the four Yugas, viz. Krita, Tretā, and the others.[38] Do thou understand that.[39] Chronologists say that four, three, two, and one thousand divine years successively compose Krita and the other Yugas. An hundred divine years are said to constitute the first twilight, as another hundred years the last, of the Yuga. The space that intervenes between these twilights goeth by the name of Yuga, embracing Krita, Tretā and the rest. And O anchoret, a thousand of the four Yugas, Krita, Tretā, Dwāpara and Kali, constitute one day of Brahmā. One day of Brahmā O Brāhmana, compriseth four and ten reigns of the Manus.[40] Listen to the chronology thereof! The seven saints, the celestials, Sakra, Manu, and his sons—kings all of them—are created at the same time and, as formerly,[41] are destroyed at the same time, O excellent one, a little over seventy-one four Yugas constitute a Manwantara—the period of Manu as well as the gods. Manwantara takes up over eight lakshas[42] and fifty-two thousand years; and, O twice-born one, full thirty[43] kotis above sixty-seven[44] niyutas and about twenty thousand human years. Ten and fourteen such periods[45] form one day of Brahmā. Then comes on his sleep[46] and at the end thereof, the universal dissolution. And then all the triune world, comprising Bhur, Bhuva and the rest, are in conflagration, and the dwellers of the regions of Maha, exercised with the heat, resort to the regions of Jana. On the three regions being reduced to one sheet of sea, that deity, the lotus-sprung Brahmā instinct with Nārāyana, contemplated by the Yogis[47] of Janasthāna,—with the intention of swallowing up the three worlds,—lieth down on the bed (formed by) the serpent. And having spent the night measuring that period,[48] at the end thereof he begins anew the work of creation. This is the year of Brahmā and thus is the space of his hundred years; and the life of that high-souled one is an hundred (such) years. O thou without sin,