The all-powerful Vishnu is but the manifestation of Brahma. He being invested with form, the Yogis worship him at the very commencement. And the great ascetics, with their minds unagitated, in whose minds exists great spirit of devotion with the object to be meditated upon and along with the means for effecting it, endeavour to bring about mystic union with him. O great Muni, Hari is the most powerful of all the energies of Brahma, because he is the most immediate. And he is an embodiment of Brahma because he is composed entirely of his essence. In him the whole universe is interwoven—from him and in him is the universe, O Muni. Vishnu, the lord of the universe containing all that is destructable and indestructable, holds the creation material and spiritual with his ornaments and weapons.
Maitreya said:—"Do thou relate to me how does the great God Vishnu hold the universe with his ornaments and weapons".
Parāçara said:—Having bowed down unto the mighty and indescribable Vishnu I shall relate to you what was formerly described by Vasishtha, The Great Hari holds the pure soul of the world uncontaminated and divested of qualities like the Kaustava gem. The undecaying holds Pakriti as Srivatsa mark and intellect exists in Mādhava in the shape of his mace. The lord holds the two-folded divisions of egotism namely into elements and organs of sense in the shape of his conch-shell and bow. He holds in his hand, in the shape of discus, mind which is the strength of all and excels wind in its flight. The necklace, of the holder of mace, namely Vaijayenti, contains five precious gems (pearl, ruby, emerald, sapphire and diamond) being the emblems of the five elemental rudiments. Janārddana holds the faculties of action and perception in the shape of numerous shafts. The holy wisdom is the bright sword of Achyuta concealed sometimes in the scabbard of ignorance. In this wise, O Maitreya, Hrishikesha is the refuge of soul, nature, intellect, egotism, the elements, the senses, mind, ignorance and wisdom. And although Hari is without any shape, yet, he, for the behoof of mankind, in his dillusive form, embodies the elements of the world as his weapons and ornaments. Then the lotus-eyed deity, the lord of the universe, holds the nature and the universes. O Maitreya, true wisdom, ignorance, all that is transient, all that is everlasting, exist in the slayer of Madhu, the lord of all creatures. The time with its division of seconds, minutes, days, months, seasons, and years, is but the manifestation of the Great Hari. O Great Muni, the seven worlds, the earth the sky, the heaven, the world of Patriarchs, of sages, of saints, of truth are but diverse manifestations of his. His form is the whole universe; he is first born before all the first-born. He is the refuge of ail being; he is himself self-sustained; his various forms are celestials, men and animals. Therefore he is the supreme lord of all; eternal; he has a visible shape and is without it He is known in the Vedanta as the Rich, Yajush, Sāma and Atharva Vedas, history and sacred science. The Vedas with their manifold divisions, the institutes of Manu and the writings of other law-givers, sacred lores and their translations, poems and all that is said or sung are bodily forms of that Great Vishnu in the shape of sound. All kinds of things with or without form—here or elsewhere are the body of Vishnu. I am Hari; all this is Janārddana, cause and effect proceed from none else but him. He, who is cognizant of these truths, shall never be subject to the afflictions of worldly existence.
Thus, O twice-born one, the first portion of the Purāna, has been related to you, hearing which one may be freed from sins. The man, who hears this, obtains the fruit of bathing in the Pushkara lake [232] for twelve years in the month of Kartik. O Muni, the celestials confer upon him, who hears this Purāna, the dignity of a divine sage, of a patriarch, or of a spirit of a heaven.
| [232] | This lake is still to be seen near Ajmere. |
THE END OF PART I.
PART II.
SECTION I.
Maitreya said:—"O venerable Sir, O preceptor, you have fully described unto me all that I asked you regarding the creation of the universe. But there is a portion of this subject, O foremost of ascetics, which I desire to hear again. Pryavrata and Uttanapada were the two sons of Swayambhuva Manu and you related to me the story of Dhruva, the son of Uttanapada. But, O twice-born one, you did not mention the progeny of Pryavrata and I wish to hear from you an account of his family". Parāçara said:—Prayvrata married Kanya, [233] the daughter of Kardama, and had by her two daughters named Samrat and Kukshi and ten sons, wise, valiant, humble, obedient to their father; named Agnidhra, Agnivāhu, Vapushmat, Dyutimat, Medha, Bhabya, Savalā, Putra. And the tenth of them was Jyotishman; and the significance of this name was made good by him. All the sons of Pryavrata were celebrated for strength and prowess. Of these three, Medha, Agnivāhu and Putra, were given up to religious devotion. And those high-souled ones remembering the actions of their pristine births, did not wish for kingdom. And they diligently and in due time practised the rites of austerities, wholly disinterested and expecting no reward. O Maitreya, O foremost of Munis, Pryavrata conferred the seven islands upon his seven illustrious sons. The father conferred upon Agnidhra the sovereignty of Jamvudwipa; to Medhathiti he gave Plakshadwipa: he made Vapushmat the sovereign over the Dwipa of Salmali: and appointed Jyotishmat, king of Kusadwipa: he made Dutimat the king of Kraunchdwipa, Bhabya the king of Sakadwipa and Savala the sovereign of the Dwipa of Pushkara.
| [233] | Markandeya and Vayu Puranas have Kamya as the name of the daughter of Kardama. Wilson has adopted this name. |