Kashyapa said:—O immortals, blessed are we all since the Lord has been pleased with us. Thou art our supreme refuge. If O Lord, thou art propitiated and desirous of giving us boons, be thou born as Vāsava's younger brother, ever enhancing the joy of thy kinsmen and as the son of myself and Aditi.
Vaishampāyana said:—Then Aditi, the mother of Devas, desirous of praying for a boon, said to the Lord:—"I pray to thee for a boon. For the well being of all the gods be thou born as my son (5-8)".
The Gods said:—O lord, do thou become our brother, master, king and protector. If thou art born as Aditi's son Vāsava and other celestials will be able to hear the name of Deva. Do thou therefore be born as Kashyapa's son (9).
Vaishampāyana said:—Thereupon Vishnu said to the Devas and Kashyapa:—"O gods, your enemies will not be able to stand even for a moment before me. Having slain the Asuras and other enemies of the celestials I will make the latter partake of sacrificial offerings. By my creative power I will make the gods partake of Havya and the Pitris of Kavya. Therefore O ye gods, return by the same way by which you came. I will satisfy the desire of Aditi the mother of gods as well as that of the great Kashyapa. Do you repair to your respective abodes. May good betide you and may you attain to your desired-for objects" (10-14).
Thus addressed by the powerful Vishnu the gods delightedly worshipped the Lord (15). Having bowed unto the Deity, the great Vishwadevas, Kashyapa, Aditi, Sādhyas, Maruts, and the highly powerful Indra repaired to the great hermitage of Kashyapa in the eastern quarter. And having arrived at that hermitage filled with saints they engaged in the study of the Vedas and awaited Aditi's conception. Aditi, the mother of gods, held in her womb that great one, the soul of the universe of great power for a thousand celestial years. After the completion of the thousandth year she gave birth to the son, the protector of the gods and the destroyer of the Asuras. Living in the womb the Lord withdrew the energies of the three worlds and saved the gods. When that master of gods, the joy of the three worlds, the fear of the Daityas and the enhancer of the delight of the gods was born the celestials were freed from fear (15–21).
CHAPTER XLIV. VISHNU'S BIRTH AS A DWARF.
Vaishampāyana said:—When that Deity was born the seven Patriarchs, Marichi and others and the seven saints bowed unto him, Bharadwāja, Kashyapa, Goutama, Vishwāmitra, Jamadagni, Vasistha, and the lord Atri, who comes into view when the sun is completely clouded, came there. Marichi, Angira, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu and the patriarch Daksha bowed unto him. Aurva, Vashistha's son Stamva, Kashyapa, Kapivan, Akapivan, Dattoli, Chyavana, and Vasistha's seven other sons who passed by the name of Vāsishthas, Hiranyagarbha's son, the highly energetic Aurvajāta, Gārgya, Prithu, Agrya, Janya, Vāmana, Devavāshu, Yadudhra, Somaja, Parjanya, Hiranyroma, Vedashira, Satyanetra, Nimva, Atimbimva, Chyavana, Sudhātmā, Virajā, Atinamā and Sahishnu bowed unto him. Apsaras, having shining persons adorned with various ornaments, danced before Nārāyana. The Gandharvas played on bugles in the sky (1-9). Tumvaru, with other Gandharvas, began to sing. Mahāsruti, Chitrashirā, Urnāyu, Anagha, Gomāyu, Suryavarchā, Somavarchā, Yugapa, Trinapa, Karshni, Nandi, Chitraratha, Shāslishira, Parjanya, Kali, Nārenda, Hāhā, Huhu, and the highly effulgent Gandharva Hansa began to sing before Keshava. There beautiful Apsaras, of large eyes, endued with all auspicious marks and adorned with various ornaments began to dance. Sumadhyā, Chārumadhyā, Pryamukhya, the beautiful Anuka, Jāmi, Mishra keshi, Alamvushā, Marichi, Sruhika, Vidyutparna, Tilottama, Atrika, Lakshmanā, Rambhā, the charming Asitā, Suvāhu, Supnjā, Subhagā, Urvashi, Chitralekhā, Sugrivā, Sulochanā, Pundarikasugandhā, Surathā, Pramāthini, Nanda, Sarashwati, Menaka, Sahajanyā, Parnikā, Punjikasthali and thousands of other Apsaras danced there. Dhātā, Aryamā, Mitrā, Varuna, Angsha, Bhaga, Indra, Vivashwān, Pushā, Twasthā, Savitā and Vishnu, these twelve Adityas, who are known as Kāshyapeyas and effulgent like the sun bowed unto the high souled lord of celestials.
O king, Mrigāvyadha, Sarpa, the highly powerful Nirhiti, Ajaikapāt Ahivridhna, Aparajita, Pinaki, Dahana, Ishwara, Kapila, Sthanu and Bharga, these Rudras were also present there. The two Ashwinis, the eight Vasus, the highly powerful Maruts, Vishwadevas and Sādhyas all stood before him with folded hands. Shesha's younger brother the great Vāsuki, Apukunja, Dhritarāshtra, Valāhaka and other highly powerful, wrathful and effulgent Nāgas all stood before him with folded hands. Tārksha, Arishthanemi the highly powerful Garuda, Aruna and Aruni all stood before him with folded hands. The creator of the world himself with all the great patriarchs came there and said (10–29). Brahmā said:—"He is the Eternal Lord, the powerful Vishnu from whom have emanated all the worlds." Having said this the Lord Brahmā, along with other celestial saints, bowed unto the king of gods and returned to the celestial region. When the Lord was born as Kashyapa's son he had eyes blood-red like the clouds of an unfair day and was of the form of a dwarf. On his breast was the mystic mark of Srivatsa. With expanded eyes the Apsarās looked at him. His effulgence was like that of a thousand suns rising simultaneously in the sky. That beautiful Lord was the supporter of Bhur, Bhuva and other lokas, had high shoulders and pure hairs, was the refuge of the pious and offered no shelter unto the iniquitous. The great Yogins regard him as the most excellent Yoga. He has eight sorts of lordly powers. People call him the foremost of Devas. The Vipras long for emancipation through knowing that Eternal Purusha and persons, afraid of the world, are freed from birth and death. All the Ashramas designate him as Tapas. Practising hard austerities and restricting their diet people serve him. As Anata of a thousand hoods and crimson eyes he is worshipped by Sesha and other Nāgas in their region. The Vipras, desirous of attaining to the celestial region, worship him as Yajna. Although present every where He is one. He is the most excellent poet and the Vedas sing Him as the ordainer of sacrificial offerings. Virtue is His effulgence. The sun and moon are His eyes and the sky is His body. That omnipotent Lord said to the Devas in most excellent words (30–42):—"Even knowing it I have attained to this boyhood through my Yoga power. What shall I do, O ye celestials, for you? What boon shall I give? Do you with pleasure pray for what you want." Hearing those words of the high-souled dwarf, Indra and other gods with folded-hands said to Kashyapa's son:—"By virtue of his ascetic penances and of the boon conferred on him by Brahmā, the omniscient and highly powerful Daitya king Bali has possessed the entire universe through his prowess and self-control. He is not to be slain by any one of us. Thou art alone capable of vanquishing him. No one else can discomfit him. Therefore do we all seek refuge with thee, O lord, who art the remover of the fear of gods, fond of thy votaries and the giver of boons. O large-armed and great king of the celestials, for the well being of the Rishis and all the worlds and for the satisfaction of Kashyapa and and Aditi let the Pitris partake of Kavya and the celestials partake duly of Havya. Do thou bring back the three worlds for giving them back to the great king of the celestials, Mahendra. That Dānava is celebrating a horse-sacrifice, do thou therefore think of an expedient by which thou mayst regain the worlds" (43–52).
Vaishampāyana said:—Thus addressed by the celestials Vishnu, in his dwarf form, said to the Devas, filling them with joy (53).
Vishnu said:—"Let Angirā's son, the highly effulgent Rishi Vrihaspati, who has mastered the Vedas, take me to his sacrifice. Going to his sacrificial ground I will do what I think proper for regaining the three worlds" (54–55).