| [197] | The hymns of the Sama Veda. |
| [200] | Time taken up by the twinkling of an eye. |
SECTION IX.
Parāçara said:—"O Maitreya, listen to what I say anent thy question about Sri, as I had heard from Marichi. That Emanation of Sankara—Durvasa—was ranging this Earth. And it came to pass that the sage saw in the hand of a Vidyadhari a celestial garland,—perfumed by which, O Brahmana, that entire forest of Santanakas [201] had become surpassingly charming to the rangers of woods. And it came to pass that on seeing that graceful garland, that mad Vipra practising the vows, asked for the same of that bride of a Vidyadhara. And solicited by him, that slender-framed and large-eyed spouse of a Vidyadhara, saluting him with regard made it over unto him. And thereat, laying the wreath on his head, that Vipra wearing the form of a maniac proceeded to roam about the earth. And then he saw that deity—Sachi's lord—sovereign of the three regions—mounted on the mad Airavata,—approaching along with the celestials. And the ascetic, resembling a mad man, taking from his head that garland, whose odour was maddening six-footed (black-bees), threw it on the sovereign of the celestials. And thereon the king of the immortals, taking the wreath, placed it over the head of Airavata; and thus placed, the same appeared like the Jahnavi on the peak of Kailasa. And it came to pass that the elephant with his eyes blinded by the temporal exudation,—on being assailed by the odour, smelt the perfume with his trunk (raised),—and then cast the same away to the earth. Then was wroth the reverend Durvasa, best of anchorets; and, O Maitreya, being enraged, he spoke unto the sovereign of the celestials, saying,—‘O thou intoxicated with wealth! O wicked of soul! O Vāsava! how art thou puffed up! But inasmuch as thou dost not regard this wreath, which is the abode of Auspiciousness,—and as, bowing down the head, thou hast not, said,—Thy favour!—nor, with thy cheeks beaming with delight, hast thou placed it on thy head,—as, in (brief), thou dost not pay high homage to this garland given by me,—O fool, thy celestial prosperity shall depart from thee. Surely, O Sakra, me thou deemest like other twice-born ones; and therefore, thou thinking immensely of thyself, hast thus slighted me. And as thou hast cast away the wreath given by me to the earth, therefore thy Triune world shall be reft of Auspiciousness. Me whom when wroth the mobile and the immobile fear,—thou, O monarch of the immortals, hast insulted from thy excess of arrogance".
| [201] | A kind of celestial tree. |
Parāçara said;—"Thereat the great Indra, swiftly alighting from the back of his elephant, propitiated the sinless Durvasa. And propitiated by him with his head humbled, that best of ascetics—Durvasa—answered the thousand-eyed (Deity),—saying,—‘I am not kind of heart; nor doth forgiveness find, a place in me. They, O Sakra, are other ascetics; but know me as Durvasa. Gautama and others have for nothing fostered thy pride. But me thou must know as Durvasa, who is nothing if not unforgiving. And having been hymned aloud by Vasistha and others,—overflowing with clemency, thou hast grown haughty,—and it is for this reason that thou insultest even me in this way. Who is there in all these three regions that beholding the frowning face of mine furnished with flaming matted locks,—can keep off fear; forgive I will not. What then is the use, O thou of an hundred sacrifices, of thy expending much speech. Thou again and again puttest thyself to useless trouble in thus beseeching me".
Parāçara said:—Having said this, the Vipra went away. And, O Brahmana, the monarch of the immortals also, mounting Airavata, went to Amaravati. O Maitreya, from that time the three worlds with Sakra became shorn of Auspiciousness, and the glory thereof faded; and sacrifices and medicinal herbs grew feebler. And no sacrifices are performed, and none practiseth asceticism; and none taketh any delight in good works, such as charity. And all men, void of power, came under the masterdom of the senses; and O prime of the regenerate ones, they could not restrain their hearts even in things intrinsically small. Where strength is, there is Prosperity, and strength ever followeth Prosperity. Where is the strength of the inauspicious? And without strength, where are virtues? And without virtues, persons cannot have power, affluence, etc. And those divorced by power and wealth, are; overriden by all. And, when, overruled a person albeit possessed of time, loseth his sense. On the three worlds, shorn of Auspiciousness, being bereft of strength Daityas and Dānavas began to use force against the celestials. And the Daityas, shorn of Auspiciousness and devoid of strength, being overmastered by covetousness, entered upon hostilities with the celestials, having neither Auspiciousness nor strength. And the celestials, Indra and the rest, on being vanquished by the Daityas,—with the god of Fire at their head,—sought the protection of the exceedingly exalted Great-father. And, having been addressed duly by the deities, Brahmā, then spoke unto the celestials. And Brahmā said,—‘Do ye seek the protection of the Supreme of supreme deities, that Lord, the Destroyer of Asuras, the cause of all,—as well as of creation, protection and destruction, the Lord of the lord of creatures—Vishnu; Infinite; the unvanquished; the cause of the unborn Pradhana and Purusha ripe for creation; Him that taketh off the misery of the humble; even Vishnu. He will provide for your welfare.' Having spoken thus unto the assembled celestials, Brahmā—Great father of all—went along with them to the Northern shore of the Milky Ocean. And repairing thither surrounded by all the celestials, the Great-father, with excellent speech eulogized the prime of prime and the master—Hari. And Brahmā said,—"We bow unto thee, who art All and the Lord of all,—who art infinite, unborn and unspent: who art the stay of the worlds, and the prop of the Earth; who art unmanifested and without difference; Nārāyana,—who art the subtlest of all subtile objects: and who art the weightiest of all things weighty on earth; He in whom and from whom are all things that have sprung into existence, commencing with Sat: who surpassest the Prime person; and art the Embodiment of the Supreme Spirit; who are contemplated in order to emancipation by Yogis desirous of deliverence; in whom are not Goodness and the rest,—nor the attributes inhereing in Prakriti. May that one pure beyond all things pure—that primaeval Male be propitious (to us)! May that pure Hari, whose power is not tethered to kalā, kāshthā, nimesha, etc., prove propitious (to us)! May He that is styled the Supreme Lord, who is free from all things,—that Vishnu who is the Soul of embodied things,—be propitious (to us)! May that Hari, who is cause as well as effect, who is the cause even of the cause,—who again is, the effect of the effect,—prove propitious to me! We bow down unto Him who is the effect of the effect of the effect,—and who also is Himself the effect of that effect,—and who is the effect of the effect thereof. We bow unto thee who art the foremost of the celestials,—who art the cause of even the cause,—and the cause of the cause of that cause,—and the origin of all these causes combined. We bow down unto that Supreme State which is the creator as well as the created,—and which is at once cause and consequence. We bow unto that Prime State of Vishnu which is pure cognition, which is constant, causeless, undeteriorating and unspent; and which is the unmanifested and unmodified. We bow down unto that Prime and ever pure state of Vishnu, which is not gross and yet not subtile; which cannot be differentiated. We bow unto that undeteriorating one who is the Supreme Brahmā,—and in one of whose Ayuta [202] of Ayuta portions is this cosmic energy established. We bow unto that Prime State of Vishnu—that Supreme Deity—which is not known either to the deities, or the ascetics, or me, or Sankara himself. We bow unto that Suprenje incomprehensible and indestructible State of Vishnu, which, on the exhaustion of their merits and demerits, the Yogis, ever perservering, view, grounded in the Pranava. [203] We bow to the Prime State of that God Vishnu, who is without equal, and whose energy is Brahmā, Vishnu and Siva. O Lord of all! O soul of all beings! O thou that art all! O refuge of all! O thou that never fallest off! O Vishnu, be thou propitious! Come thou within the ken of us who are thy devotees". Hearing this invocation of Brahmā, and then the deities, bowing down, said,—"Be propitious! Come thou within the range of our vision? O thou that art in every thing! O thou that never fallest off! O support of the Universe! we bow unto that Prime State which even the reverend Brahmā doth not know". When the deities as well as Brahmā had ended thus, the Devarshis, [204] headed by Vrihaspati, [205] said,—"We bow down unto him—the creator of the cosmos devoid of difference—who is primæval, who is the Sacrificial Person, who is worthy of being extolled, and who is prior in birth to everything. O Worshipful one! O thou that art the Lord of Past and Future! O thou who hast the Universe for thy form! O undeteriorating one! Be propitious; and manifest thyself unto us who humble ourselves. This is Brahmā; and this is Trilochona in [206] Company with the Rudras. And this is the Sun along with the Adityas [207] and this is the God of Fire with Agni. And these are the two Açwinas and the Vasus; and these are the Maruts. And these are the Sidhyas, and these the Viçwas; and these the deities,—and this the Lord Indra of the celestials. O Lord, all the hosts of the celestials, having been routed by the forces of the Daityas, seek shelter at thy hands, standing in humble guise".