sribhagavatam - skandah (canto) 2 -chapters 5th to 7th

Vyasadev

Praneetha

The Madbhagavatam

Chapter 5: The Cause of all Causes

2.5.1

nārada uvāca
deva-deva namas te 'stu
bhūta-bhāvana pūrvaja
tad vijānīhi yaj jñānam
ātma-tattva-nidarśanam

(1) Nârada said [to the Creator]: 'My obeisances to you oh god of the demigods, for you are the one firstborn from whom all living beings generated. Please explain which knowledge specifically leads to the transcendental.

2.5.2

yad rūpaṁ yad adhiṣṭhānaṁ
yataḥ sṛṣṭam idaṁ prabho
yat saṁsthaṁ yat paraṁ yac ca
tat tattvaṁ vada tattvataḥ

(2) What is the form, the basis and the source of this created world? Oh master, how is it conserved, by what is it controlled and please, what is it factually?

2.5.3

sarvaṁ hy etad bhavān veda
bhūta-bhavya-bhavat-prabhuḥ
karāmalaka-vad viśvaṁ
vijñānāvasitaṁ tava

(3) All this is known by your good self, since you know all that has become, will become and is becoming. Master, you hold this universe in the grip of your scientific knowledge, like one holds a walnut.

2.5.4

yad-vijñāno yad-ādhāro
yat-paras tvaṁ yad-ātmakaḥ
ekaḥ sṛjasi bhūtāni
bhūtair evātma-māyayā

 (4) What is the source of your wisdom, who protects you and who is above you? In what capacity do you, with the help of the potency of the soul, on your own create the lives of all beings with the elements of matter?

2.5.5

ātman bhāvayase tāni
na parābhāvayan svayam
ātma-śaktim avaṣṭabhya
ūrṇanābhir ivāklamaḥ

(5) Like a spider creating its web, you without any help manifest from your own soul power all these lives by whom you are never controlled.

2.5.6

nāhaṁ veda paraṁ hy asmin
nāparaṁ na samaṁ vibho
nāma-rūpa-guṇair bhāvyaṁ
sad-asat kiñcid anyataḥ

(6) Oh almighty one, in this world I do not know a single entity having a name and form that is superior, inferior or equal, of a temporary nature or lasting forever, which owes its existence to another source [than you].

2.5.7

sa bhavān acarad ghoraṁ
yat tapaḥ susamāhitaḥ
tena khedayase nas tvaṁ
parā-śaṅkāṁ ca yacchasi

 (7) We're weary of the fact that you with your perfect discipline underwent severe penances. We thus had the chance to doubt whether your good self would be the ultimate truth [and thus thought of an entity higher than you].

2.5.8

etan me pṛcchataḥ sarvaṁ
sarva-jña sakaleśvara
vijānīhi yathaivedam
ahaṁ budhye 'nuśāsitaḥ

(8) Oh all-knowing ruler over all, please explain to me all that I have asked you, so that I will be of an understanding in accord with your instructions.'

2.5.9

brahmovāca
samyak kāruṇikasyedaṁ
vatsa te vicikitsitam
yad ahaṁ coditaḥ saumya
bhagavad-vīrya-darśane

(9) The Creator replied: 'Oh gentle one so dear to me, you are so very kind in your perfect inquiries. That inspires me to further see into the heroism of the Supreme Lord.

2.5.10

nānṛtaṁ tava tac cāpi
yathā māṁ prabravīṣi bhoḥ
avijñāya paraṁ matta
etāvat tvaṁ yato hi me

(10) My son, you are not mistaken in what you just said in your describing me, because without knowing the Supreme beyond me, it certainly will turn out to be as you said [viz. that one has to do penance when one takes me for the Supreme].

2.5.11

yena sva-rociṣā viśvaṁ
rocitaṁ rocayāmy aham
yathārko 'gnir yathā somo
yatharkṣa-graha-tārakāḥ

 (11) All of the world that I created was created by the effulgence [the brahmajyoti] of His existence, just as the fire, the  sun, the moon, the planets and the stars [radiate after His effulgence].

2.5.12

tasmai namo bhagavate
vāsudevāya dhīmahi
yan-māyayā durjayayā
māṁ vadanti jagad-gurum

 (12) I bring Him my obeisances, the Supreme Lord Vâsudeva upon whom I meditate, by dint of whose invincible potencies one calls me the teacher [guru] of the world.

2.5.13

vilajjamānayā yasya
sthātum īkṣā-pathe 'muyā
vimohitā vikatthante
mamāham iti durdhiyaḥ

 (13) Unashamed about keeping a prominent position with the bewildering material energy, those who are deluded make a wrong use of words in speaking of 'I' and 'mine'. By that use of words I am poorly understood.

2.5.14

dravyaṁ karma ca kālaś ca
svabhāvo jīva eva ca
vāsudevāt paro brahman
na cānyo 'rtho 'sti tattvataḥ

(14) The five elements in their interaction with Eternal Time as also the natural disposition of the living being, are certainly part of Vâsudeva oh brahmin, but the truth is that each of them separately has no value

2.5.15

nārāyaṇa-parā vedā
devā nārāyaṇāṅgajāḥ
nārāyaṇa-parā lokā
nārāyaṇa-parā makhāḥ

. (15) Nârâyana [Krishna as the four-armed original Personality of God and primordial Lord of man] is the cause of the knowledge, the demigods are His helping hands, for His sake the worlds exist and all sacrifices are just there to please Him, the Supreme Lord.

2.5.16

nārāyaṇa-paro yogo
nārāyaṇa-paraṁ tapaḥ
nārāyaṇa-paraṁ jñānaṁ
nārāyaṇa-parā gatiḥ

 (16) Concentration of mind is just there to know Nârâyana, austerity is only there to achieve Nârâyana, the culture of transcendence is just there to become aware of Nârâyana and progress on the path of salvation is there only to enter the kingdom of Nârâyana.

2.5.17

tasyāpi draṣṭur īśasya
kūṭa-sthasyākhilātmanaḥ
sṛjyaṁ sṛjāmi sṛṣṭo 'ham
īkṣayaivābhicoditaḥ

(17) Inspired by what was created by Him, the Seer, the Soul of All, the Controller of All Intelligence who created me, I also create.

2.5.18

sattvaṁ rajas tama iti
nirguṇasya guṇās trayaḥ
sthiti-sarga-nirodheṣu
gṛhītā māyayā vibhoḥ

(18) Of the [modes of] goodness, passion and ignorance [see 4.23], that because of the Almighty [Lord of Time] by the external energy were assumed, there are the three qualities of transcendence: maintenance, creation and destruction.

2.5.19

kārya-kāraṇa-kartṛtve
dravya-jñāna-kriyāśrayāḥ
badhnanti nityadā muktaṁ
māyinaṁ puruṣaṁ guṇāḥ

(19) The eternally liberated, living entity subjected to conditions of cause and effect is affected [though] by the modes of material energy that [in his life then] manifest with the symptoms of [respectively] knowledge, activities and material inertia

2.5.20

sa eṣa bhagavāḹ liṅgais
tribhir etair adhokṣajaḥ
svalakṣita-gatir brahman
sarveṣāṁ mama ceśvaraḥ

. (20) He, the Supreme Lord,  the witness of the witness who [by the living entity who is led] by the symptoms of  the three modes cannot be recognized in His movements oh brahmin, is the controller of everyone as well as of myself.

2.5.21

kālaṁ karma svabhāvaṁ ca
māyeśo māyayā svayā
ātman yadṛcchayā prāptaṁ
vibubhūṣur upādade

(21) [The Lord of] Eternal Time, the controller of the deluding potency of matter [mâyâ] thus took upon Himself, from His own potency spontaneously appearing in different obtained [guna] forms, the workload [karma] and specific nature [or svabhâva, of the living entity].

2.5.22

kālād guṇa-vyatikaraḥ
pariṇāmaḥ svabhāvataḥ
karmaṇo janma mahataḥ
puruṣādhiṣṭhitād abhūt

(22) Because of the superintendence of the original person the creation of the mahat-tattva [the 'greater reality'] took place, from eternal time there was the transformation of the modes and from these specific natures the different activities found their existence.

2.5.23

mahatas tu vikurvāṇād
rajaḥ-sattvopabṛṁhitāt
tamaḥ-pradhānas tv abhavad
dravya-jñāna-kriyātmakaḥ

(23) But because of the transformation of the greater complete passion and goodness strongly dominated [in the beginning]. Thereupon [countering in reaction] the mode of darkness became more prominent that is characterized by matter, material knowledge and a predominance of material activities.

2.5.24

so 'haṅkāra iti prokto
vikurvan samabhūt tridhā
vaikārikas taijasaś ca
tāmasaś ceti yad-bhidā
dravya-śaktiḥ kriyā-śaktir
jñāna-śaktir iti prabho

(24) That transformed material ego, as said, manifested itself according to the three characteristics of goodness, passion and ignorance, and thus prabhu, the powers of a guiding intelligence, knowledge of creation and material evolution divided.

2.5.25

tāmasād api bhūtāder
vikurvāṇād abhūn nabhaḥ
tasya mātrā guṇaḥ śabdo
liṅgaṁ yad draṣṭṛ-dṛśyayoḥ

 (25) From the form of darkness that underwent transformation, of all the elements [first] the ether evolved with its subtle form and quality of sound which is indicative of the seen as well as the seer.

2.5.26-29

nabhaso 'tha vikurvāṇād
abhūt sparśa-guṇo 'nilaḥ
parānvayāc chabdavāṁś ca
prāṇa ojaḥ saho balam
vāyor api vikurvāṇāt
kāla-karma-svabhāvataḥ
udapadyata tejo vai
rūpavat sparśa-śabdavat
tejasas tu vikurvāṇād
āsīd ambho rasātmakam
rūpavat sparśavac cāmbho
ghoṣavac ca parānvayāt
viśeṣas tu vikurvāṇād
ambhaso gandhavān abhūt
parānvayād rasa-sparśa-
śabda-rūpa-guṇānvitaḥ

(26-29) By transformation of the ether the air found its existence which is characterized by the quality of touch. Along with it  sound  also appeared as a characteristic that was  remembered from the ether. Thus air acquired a life of  diversity as well with energy and force. Air on its turn again transformed under the influence of time and generated from its nature the element of fire in response to what preceded. With its form there was likewise touch and sound [as the hereditary burden or the karma of the previous elements]. Fire transformed  [or condensated from oxygen and hydrogen] into water. Thus the element of taste came about which consequently was accompanied by touch, sound and form. But because of the variegatedness of that transformation of water next followed the smell of the juice which assumed form [as the earth element] together with the qualities of touch and sound.

2.5.30

vaikārikān mano jajñe
devā vaikārikā daśa
dig-vātārka-praceto 'śvi-
vahnīndropendra-mitra-kāḥ

(30) From the mode of goodness the [cosmic] mind of the gods generated who act in goodness, counting the ten of them [according to the five senses of perception and action] as the controllers of the directions [the Digdevatâs], the air [Vâyu], the sun [Sûrya], the waters [Varuna], longevity [the As'vinî-Kumâras], fire [Agni], the heavens [Indra], the deity of transcendence [Vishnu in the form of Upendra], the deity of friendship [Mitra] and the guardian of creation [Brahmâ].

2.5.31

taijasāt tu vikurvāṇād
indriyāṇi daśābhavan
jñāna-śaktiḥ kriyā-śaktir
buddhiḥ prāṇaś ca taijasau
śrotraṁ tvag-ghrāṇa-dṛg-jihvā
vāg-dor-meḍhrāṅghri-pāyavaḥ

(31) From the passion of ego the according tenfold transformation took place that gave the living energy the intelligence of all the senses of action - the mouth, the hands, the feet, the genitals, and the anus - and  perception - sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell.

2.5.32

yadaite 'saṅgatā bhāvā
bhūtendriya-mano-guṇāḥ
yadāyatana-nirmāṇe
na śekur brahma-vittama

(32) As long as all these categories of the elements, the senses, the mind and the modes of nature remained separate, the body [of man and mankind] could not be formed, oh best one of knowledge [Nârada].

2.5.33

tadā saṁhatya cānyonyaṁ
bhagavac-chakti-coditāḥ
sad-asattvam upādāya
cobhayaṁ sasṛjur hy adaḥ

(33) When all these [elements] by means of the [compelling] force of the Supreme Lord were assembled and found their application, this universe with both its true and illusory, its spiritual and material realities  [sat/asat] found its existence.

2.5.34

varṣa-pūga-sahasrānte
tad aṇḍam udake śayam
kāla-karma-svabhāva-stho
jīvo 'jīvam ajīvayat

(34) The universe after countless millenia having been submerged in the [causal] waters, was by the individual soul [the jîva or the Lord] who animates the inanimate awakened to its own time of living.

2.5.35

sa eva puruṣas tasmād
aṇḍaṁ nirbhidya nirgataḥ
sahasrorv-aṅghri-bāhv-akṣaḥ
sahasrānana-śīrṣavān

 (35) He Himself as the original person [the Purusha] appeared from within the universal egg to divide Himself in thousands of divisions of legs, arms, eyes, mouths and heads.

2.5.36

yasyehāvayavair lokān
kalpayanti manīṣiṇaḥ
kaṭy-ādibhir adhaḥ sapta
saptordhvaṁ jaghanādibhiḥ

(36) The great philosophers conceive of all the worlds of the universe as the limbs of a body [the virâth rûpa] which has seven systems below the waist and seven systems in the upper portion.

2.5.37

puruṣasya mukhaṁ brahma
kṣatram etasya bāhavaḥ
ūrvor vaiśyo bhagavataḥ
padbhyāṁ śūdro vyajāyata

(37) The brahmins represent the mouth of the Original Person, the ruling class constitutes His arms, the traders form the thighs of the Supreme Lord and the laborer class His legs.

2.5.38

bhūrlokaḥ kalpitaḥ padbhyāṁ
bhuvarloko 'sya nābhitaḥ
hṛdā svarloka urasā
maharloko mahātmanaḥ

(38) The earthly [lower] worlds [Bhûrlokas] belong to His legs so one says, the ethereal worlds [Bhuvarlokas] belong to His belly, the heavenly worlds from the heart [Svarlokas] are situated in His chest while the highest worlds of the saints and sages [Maharlokas] are of the Great Soul.

2.5.39

grīvāyāṁ janaloko 'sya
tapolokaḥ stana-dvayāt
mūrdhabhiḥ satyalokas tu
brahmalokaḥ sanātanaḥ

(39) Above the chest up to the neck one finds the world of the godly [the sons of Brahmâ, Janaloka] and higher up in the neck one finds the world of renunciation [Tapoloka, of the ascetics]. The world of truth [Satyaloka of the self-realized, the enlightened ones] is found in the head. [These worlds are all temporal] but the spiritual world [Brahmaloka, the world of the one Soul, the Supreme Lord] is eternal.

2.5.40-41

tat-kaṭyāṁ cātalaṁ kḷptam
ūrubhyāṁ vitalaṁ vibhoḥ
jānubhyāṁ sutalaṁ śuddhaṁ
jaṅghābhyāṁ tu talātalam
mahātalaṁ tu gulphābhyāṁ
prapadābhyāṁ rasātalam
pātālaṁ pāda-talata
iti lokamayaḥ pumān

(40-41) With on His waist the first of the lower worlds, further down the second on the hips, the third down to the knees, the fourth on the shanks, the fifth on His ankles, the sixth on His feet and the seventh on the soles of His feet [compare 2-1: 26-39], the body of the Lord [virâth-rûpa or Universal Form] is filled with all the [fourteen types of] worlds.

2.5.42

bhūrlokaḥ kalpitaḥ padbhyāṁ
bhuvarloko 'sya nābhitaḥ
svarlokaḥ kalpito mūrdhnā
iti vā loka-kalpanā

(42) One imagines the worlds alternatively [simply divided in three] with the earthly, lower worlds situated on the legs, the ethereal, middle worlds in the region of the navel and the heavenly, higher worlds found from the chest upwards.'

Chapter 6: The Hymn of the Original Person Confirmed

2.6.1

brahmovāca
vācāṁ vahner mukhaṁ kṣetraṁ
chandasāṁ sapta dhātavaḥ
havya-kavyāmṛtānnānāṁ
jihvā sarva-rasasya ca

(1) The Creator said: 'The mouth [of the Universal Form] is found in the fire which is the center for the voice of the seven [meters of] hymns [sung in honor] of the essential ingredients [the elements, the layers of His body. Dhâtava, literally: skin, flesh, sinew, marrow, bone, blood and fat].  With respect for the forefathers and the gods offering all kinds of foodstuff and delicacies that by humans beings then are appreciated as the nectar [of the remnants] is the field of action [for the sake of] His tongue.

2.6.2

sarvāsūnāṁ ca vāyoś ca
tan-nāse paramāyaṇe
aśvinor oṣadhīnāṁ ca
ghrāṇo moda-pramodayoḥ

 (2) For His nose there is the life air and the air outside in order to bring about the transcendental experience of longevity [the As'vinî demigods] in combination with all the medicinal herbs and fragrances one may enjoy.

2.6.3

rūpāṇāṁ tejasāṁ cakṣur
divaḥ sūryasya cākṣiṇī
karṇau diśāṁ ca tīrthānāṁ
śrotram ākāśa-śabdayoḥ

(3) The eyes [of the gigantic body] that see all kinds of forms as also all the illumined that glitters to the eyeball of the sun, accompany the hearing by the ears of all the sounds of veneration that from all directions resound in the ether.

2.6.4

tad-gātraṁ vastu-sārāṇāṁ
saubhagasya ca bhājanam
tvag asya sparśa-vāyoś ca
sarva-medhasya caiva hi

 (4) His outer appearance [the presence of the Universal Form] constitutes the foundation of all things and favorable opportunities and is also the field where one harvests, while His skin of moving airs forms the touch that leads to all kinds of offerings.

2.6.5

romāṇy udbhijja-jātīnāṁ
yair vā yajñas tu sambhṛtaḥ
keśa-śmaśru-nakhāny asya
śilā-lohābhra-vidyutām

 (5) His bodily hair is the vegetation of the kingdoms with the help of which in particular the sacrifices are performed.  The clouds with their electricity, the stones and the iron ore make thereto for the hair on His head, His facial hair and His nails.

2.6.6

bāhavo loka-pālānāṁ
prāyaśaḥ kṣema-karmaṇām

(6) His arms, the governing men of God, predominantly provide what is needed and protect the general mass.

2.6.7

vikramo bhūr bhuvaḥ svaś ca
kemasya śaraṇasya ca
sarva-kāma-varasyāpi
hareś caraṇa āspadam

 (7) In the Lord His lotus feet that offer shelter His progress is recognized of the lower  middle and heavenly worlds, because they, in providing all that was needed, liberate from fear and contain all the benedictions.

2.6.8

apāṁ vīryasya sargasya
parjanyasya prajāpateḥ
puṁsaḥ śiśna upasthas tu
prajāty-ānanda-nirvṛteḥ

(8) Water, semen and  the generative capacity of rain refer to the genitals of the Creator, the Lord, or to the spot where the happiness originates that is brought about by the [need of] begetting [offspring or cultural products].

2.6.9

pāyur yamasya mitrasya
parimokṣasya nārada
hiṁsāyā nirṛter mṛtyor
nirayasya gudaṁ smṛtaḥ

(9) Oh Nârada, the orifice where the evacuation of the Universal Form takes place is the birthplace of Yama the controlling deity of everything running to its end and of Mitra. It forms the rectum where envy, misfortune, death and hell are remembered.

2.6.10

parābhūter adharmasya
tamasaś cāpi paścimaḥ
nāḍyo nada-nadīnāṁ ca
gotrāṇām asthi-saṁhatiḥ

(10) Frustration, immorality and ignorance are found at His backside, while the rivers and streams [as said] make for His veins and the mountains for the stack of His bones.

2.6.11

avyakta-rasa-sindhūnāṁ
bhūtānāṁ nidhanasya ca
udaraṁ viditaṁ puṁso
hṛdayaṁ manasaḥ padam

(11) The unseen mover [viz. Time] of the seas and oceans of the living beings that are involved with evolution and extinction is, as seen from His belly [the middle worlds, S'iva], by the intelligent known as the [beating] heart that is located in the subtle body.

2.6.12

dharmasya mama tubhyaṁ ca
kumārāṇāṁ bhavasya ca
vijñānasya ca sattvasya
parasyātmā parāyaṇam

(12) Your, mine, my sons [the Kumâras] and Lord S'iva's heartening of dharma depends on the life and soul of the Supreme Being [who constitutes the save harbor] of truth and wisdom.

2.6.13-16

ahaṁ bhavān bhavaś caiva
ta ime munayo 'grajāḥ
surāsura-narā nāgāḥ
khagā mṛga-sarīsṛpāḥ
gandharvāpsaraso yakṣā
rakṣo-bhūta-gaṇoragāḥ
paśavaḥ pitaraḥ siddhā
vidyādhrāś cāraṇā drumāḥ
anye ca vividhā jīvā
jala-sthala-nabhaukasaḥ
graharkṣa-ketavas tārās
taḍitaḥ stanayitnavaḥ
sarvaṁ puruṣa evedaṁ
bhūtaṁ bhavyaṁ bhavac ca yat
tenedam āvṛtaṁ viśvaṁ
vitastim adhitiṣṭhati

(13-16) Me, you, Lord S'iva, as also the great sages before you, the godly, the demoniac, the human beings and the excellent [the Nâgas], the birds, the beasts, the reptiles and all the heavenly beings as well as the plants and many other living entities found on land, in water and in the sky, together with the asteroids, stars, comets, planets and moons and lightening and thunder; all that was, that is and will be created, this entire universe together is [pervaded] and covered by the Original Person in a form measuring not more than nine inches [see also 2.2: 8].

2.6.17

sva-dhiṣṇyaṁ pratapan prāṇo
bahiś ca pratapaty asau
evaṁ virājaṁ pratapaṁs
tapaty antar bahiḥ pumān

(17) The same way the sun spreads its rays outside and illumines and gives strength [inside with prânâ], the expansion of the Universal Form, the Supreme Person also vitalizes all that lives from the inside as well as from the outside.

2.6.18

so 'mṛtasyābhayasyeśo
martyam annaṁ yad atyagāt
mahimaiṣa tato brahman
puruṣasya duratyayaḥ

(18) He is the controller of immortality and fearlessness, transcendental to death and the fruitive action of anyone and therefore, oh Nârada, the glories of the Original Personality are considered immeasurable.

2.6.19

pādeṣu sarva-bhūtāni
puṁsaḥ sthiti-pado viduḥ
amṛtaṁ kṣemam abhayaṁ
tri-mūrdhno 'dhāyi mūrdhasu

(19) You should know that all the living entities exist in [but] one fourth of the secure reservoir of all opulence where there is no death or fear. That reservoir is the Supreme Person who resides in the beyond of the material coverings of the three worlds.

2.6.20

pādās trayo bahiś cāsann
aprajānāṁ ya āśramāḥ
antas tri-lokyās tv aparo
gṛha-medho 'bṛhad-vrataḥ

(20) The [remaining] three fourths of Him in the beyond is the place where those reside who will never be reborn. Within [the material world] there are even though the three worlds [heaven, purgatory and hell] that are reserved for the status positions of those who, attached to family life, do not strictly follow the vow of celibacy.

2.6.21

sṛtī vicakrame viśvam
sāśanānaśane ubhe
yad avidyā ca vidyā ca
puruṣas tūbhayāśrayaḥ

(21) Thus neatly arranging the destination of the living beings, the Maintainer rules over the devotion of the nescient as well as the ones who factually know, and is thus, as the Original Personality of God, the master of both.

2.6.22

yasmād aṇḍaṁ virāḍ jajñe
bhūtendriya-guṇātmakaḥ
tad dravyam atyagād viśvaṁ
gobhiḥ sūrya ivātapan

(22) He from whom all the planets and the gigantic Universal Form originated, together with the elements and the senses according to the material qualities of the universe, in the superlative of that Universal Form compares to the sun [that] relating to its distributed rays and heat [remains aloof from it].

2.6.23

yadāsya nābhyān nalinād
aham āsaṁ mahātmanaḥ
nāvidaṁ yajña-sambhārān
puruṣāvayavān ṛte

(23) When I took birth from the lotus flower sprouting from the navel of this great person, I had next to the personal limbs of the Original Person nothing to perform sacrifices with.

2.6.24

teṣu yajñasya paśavaḥ
savanaspatayaḥ kuśāḥ
idaṁ ca deva-yajanaṁ
kālaś coru-guṇānvitaḥ

(24) For the performance of sacrifices, the sacrificed such as flowers and leaves and burning material [such as straw] is needed together with an altar as also a framework of time [a calendar e.g.] in order to follow the modes of nature.

2.6.25

vastūny oṣadhayaḥ snehā
rasa-loha-mṛdo jalam
ṛco yajūṁṣi sāmāni
cātur-hotraṁ ca sattama

 (25) Utensils, grains, fuel [clarified butter], sweetener ['honey'], capital ['gold'] and a fire place ['earth'], water, the scriptures ['Rig, Yajur and Sâma Veda'] and [at least] four [officiating] persons are comprised in this, oh pious one.

2.6.26

nāma-dheyāni mantrāś ca
dakṣiṇāś ca vratāni ca
devatānukramaḥ kalpaḥ
saṅkalpas tantram eva ca

(26) It also involves the invocation of holy names and mantras as well as the settling of contributions and taking of oaths concerning the specific godhead at hand. And for the purpose of each of them there is a particular scripture.

2.6.27

gatayo matayaś caiva
prāyaścittaṁ samarpaṇam
puruṣāvayavair ete
sambhārāḥ sambhṛtā mayā

(27) In order to be able to progress towards the ultimate goal by means of  worship and to be able to compensate [to safeguard, correct or excuse] with the offerings ultimately made for the diverse parts of the [governing] body of the Original Person [the representing demigods], I arranged for the ingredients.

2.6.28

iti sambhṛta-sambhāraḥ
puruṣāvayavair aham
tam eva puruṣaṁ yajñaṁ
tenaivāyajam īśvaram

(28) Thus well-equipped I worshiped, engaging with all the ingredients, the expansions of the Original Person, the Supreme Personality, the original enjoyer of all sacrifices.

2.6.29

tatas te bhrātara ime
prajānāṁ patayo nava
ayajan vyaktam avyaktaṁ
puruṣaṁ su-samāhitāḥ

(29) According to that example your [god-]brothers, the nine masters of the living creatures [schools; demigods next to Brahmâ; compare 5: 30], with proper ritual were of sacrifice for the manifest and non-manifest personalities.

2.6.30

tataś ca manavaḥ kāle
ījire ṛṣayo 'pare
pitaro vibudhā daityā
manuṣyāḥ kratubhir vibhum

(30) In following those [schools or demigods] also the Manus, the fathers of mankind, in due course of time were of worship to please Him, and so did the other great sages, forefathers, scholars, opponents [Daityas] and mankind at large.

2.6.31

nārāyaṇe bhagavati
tad idaṁ viśvam āhitam
gṛhīta-māyoru-guṇaḥ
sargādāv aguṇaḥ svataḥ

(31) For the sake of Nârâyana, the Personality of Godhead, all these greatly powerful manifestations, who had accepted the material illusion of form in the spheres of the universe, found their existence in the reality of creation, maintenance and destruction, even though He Himself is self-sufficient above it.

2.6.32

sṛjāmi tan-niyukto 'haṁ
haro harati tad-vaśaḥ
viśvaṁ puruṣa-rūpeṇa
paripāti tri-śakti-dhṛk

 (32) According to His will, I create while under His subordination S'iva destroys. He Himself acts thereto as the Original Person and controller of the three energies who maintains the entire universe.

2.6.33

iti te 'bhihitaṁ tāta
yathedam anupṛcchasi
nānyad bhagavataḥ kiñcid
bhāvyaṁ sad-asad-ātmakam

(33) Thus I explained upon your request my dear, all this to you. Whatever you think of, whether it is a cause or an effect, there is nothing to be found that has its existence beyond the Supreme Lord.

2.6.34

na bhāratī me 'ṅga mṛṣopalakṣyate
na vai kvacin me manaso mṛṣā gatiḥ
na me hṛṣīkāṇi patanty asat-pathe
yan me hṛdautkaṇṭhyavatā dhṛto hariḥ

(34) Oh Nârada, this state of mind always proved itself to be correct because my heart with great zeal managed to hold on to the Lord. My mind never wandered off in untruth with it nor was I by my senses degraded in the temporal.

2.6.35

so 'haṁ samāmnāyamayas tapomayaḥ
prajāpatīnām abhivanditaḥ patiḥ
āsthāya yogaṁ nipuṇaṁ samāhitas
taṁ nādhyagacchaṁ yata ātma-sambhavaḥ

 (35) I am the personification of Vedic wisdom, full of austerity, the worshipable master of all the forefathers and a self-realized expert in the practice of yoga, yet I couldn't fathom Him from whom I myself generated.

2.6.36

nato 'smy ahaṁ tac-caraṇaṁ samīyuṣāṁ
bhavac-chidaṁ svasty-ayanaṁ sumaṅgalam
yo hy ātma-māyā-vibhavaṁ sma paryagād
yathā nabhaḥ svāntam athāpare kutaḥ

 (36) I am [therefore] devoted to the all-auspicious feet of the Lord of the surrendered souls, which stop the repetition of births and deaths and grant the vision of happiness. One surely cannot estimate the potency of His personal energies - just like the sky that can't see its own limit. Therefore, how can others know?

2.6.37

nāhaṁ na yūyaṁ yad-ṛtāṁ gatiṁ vidur
na vāmadevaḥ kim utāpare surāḥ
tan-māyayā mohita-buddhayas tv idaṁ
vinirmitaṁ cātma-samaṁ vicakṣmahe

 (37) Since neither I, nor you oh sons, nor the Destroyer have an idea of the true nature of  His movements, one cannot expect that the other God-conscious would do any better. With one's intelligence bewildered by the illusory energy of what is created one is only able to see as far as one's ability reaches.

2.6.38

yasyāvatāra-karmāṇi
gāyanti hy asmad-ādayaḥ
na yaṁ vidanti tattvena
tasmai bhagavate namaḥ

(38) We offer Him, the Supreme Lord, our respectful obeisances, whose incarnation and activities we glorify, even though persons like us do not fully know Him.

2.6.39

sa eṣa ādyaḥ puruṣaḥ
kalpe kalpe sṛjaty ajaḥ
ātmātmany ātmanātmānaṁ
sa saṁyacchati pāti ca

 (39) He, the very Primordial Original Personality in each millennium creates within Himself, by Himself, His own transcendental presence, maintaining Himself [for some time] and absorbing [Himself again].

2.6.40-41

viśuddhaṁ kevalaṁ jñānaṁ
pratyak samyag avasthitam
satyaṁ pūrṇam anādy-antaṁ
nirguṇaṁ nityam advayam
ṛṣe vidanti munayaḥ
praśāntātmendriyāśayāḥ
yadā tad evāsat-tarkais
tirodhīyeta viplutam

(40-41) Without a material tinge, pure and perfect in knowledge and all-pervading in His fullness He is situated in truth as the absolute without a beginning and an end, in freedom from the modes of nature and in a position in which He is eternally unrivaled. Oh wise one, the great thinkers can only understand this with a pacified self and their senses under cover, otherwise it will certainly be beyond their scope and be distorted by untenable arguments.

2.6.42

ādyo 'vatāraḥ puruṣaḥ parasya
kālaḥ svabhāvaḥ sad-asan-manaś ca
dravyaṁ vikāro guṇa indriyāṇi
virāṭ svarāṭ sthāsnu cariṣṇu bhūmnaḥ

(42) The first avatâra of the Lord is the Original Person: [Mahâvishnu or Kâranodakas'âyî Vishnu. He forms the basis of] spacetime [kâla svabhavah, the original nature of time], cause, effect, the elements, the modes, as also the ego, the senses and the mind. These together constitute the diversity of  the complete whole of all that moves and doesn't move of the universal being [also called Garbhodakas'âyî Vishnu].

2.6.43-45

ahaṁ bhavo yajña ime prajeśā
dakṣādayo ye bhavad-ādayaś ca
svarloka-pālāḥ khagaloka-pālā
nṛloka-pālās talaloka-pālāḥ
gandharva-vidyādhara-cāraṇeśā
ye yakṣa-rakṣoraga-nāga-nāthāḥ
ye vā ṛṣīṇām ṛṣabhāḥ pitṝṇāṁ
daityendra-siddheśvara-dānavendrāḥ
anye ca ye preta-piśāca-bhūta-
kūṣmāṇḍa-yādo-mṛga-pakṣy-adhīśāḥ
yat kiñca loke bhagavan mahasvad
ojaḥ-sahasvad balavat kṣamāvat
śrī-hrī-vibhūty-ātmavad adbhutārṇaṁ
tattvaṁ paraṁ rūpavad asva-rūpam

(43-45) I myself [Brahmâ], the Destroyer and the Maintainer; all the fathers of the living beings like Daksha [and Manu], you yourself and the other sons [the Kumâras]; the leaders of the higher worlds, the space travelers, the earth and the lower worlds; the leaders of the denizens of heaven [of the Ghandarva, Vidyâdhara and Cârana worlds] as well as the leaders of the demons [the Yakshas, Râkshasas and Uragas] and the underworld; the first among the sages, the forefathers, the atheists, the specially gifted, the uncivilized and the dead; the evil spirits, the Jinn and the Kûshmândas [other evil spirits], including all the great aquatics, beasts and birds - in other words each and everyone in the world who is of power to a special degree or of a specific mental or perceptual dexterity or exceptional strength, forgiveness, beauty, modesty, opulence, intelligence or breeding, exists as if he himself would offer the [ultimate] form of [representing] His transcendental reality, but in fact they are only a part of it.

2.6.46

prādhānyato yān ṛṣa āmananti
līlāvatārān puruṣasya bhūmnaḥ
āpīyatāṁ karṇa-kaṣāya-śoṣān
anukramiṣye ta imān supeśān

(46) Oh Nârada, now relish the devotion for the pastimes of all those incarnations of the Original Supreme Personality. That devotion will evaporate the foul matter that accumulated in your ears. I will relate these stories, that are all a pleasure to hear, one after the other the way they are present in my heart.'

 

Chapter 7: Brief Description of the Past and Coming Avatâras

2.7.1

brahmovāca
yatrodyataḥ kṣiti-taloddharaṇāya bibhrat
krauḍīṁ tanuṁ sakala-yajña-mayīm anantaḥ
antar-mahārṇava upāgatam ādi-daityaṁ
taṁ daṁṣṭrayādrim iva vajra-dharo dadāra

(1) The Creator said: 'When the Lord as the Unlimited One within the universe for His pastimes assumed the form of the sum total of all sacrifices  [as the boar avatâra Varâha], He was determined to lift the earth out of the great [Garbhodaka] ocean. In the ocean the first demon [called Hiranyâksha, the demon of gold] appeared who by Him, like a thunderbolt piercing a pack of clouds, was defeated with His tusk.
2.7.2

jāto rucer ajanayat suyamān suyajña
ākūti-sūnur amarān atha dakṣiṇāyām
loka-trayasya mahatīm aharad yad ārtiṁ
svāyambhuvena manunā harir ity anūktaḥ

(2) From Âkûti ['good intention'] the wife of the Prajâpati Ruci, Suyajña ['appropriate sacrifice'] was born who with his wife Dakshinâ ['the reward'] gave birth to the godly headed by Suyama ['proper regulation']. With them He greatly diminished the distress in the three worlds and for that reason the father of mankind Svâyambhuva Manu renamed Him Hari [the Lord].
2.7.3

jajñe ca kardama-gṛhe dvija devahūtyāṁ
strībhiḥ samaṁ navabhir ātma-gatiṁ sva-mātre
ūce yayātma-śamalaṁ guṇa-saṅga-paṅkam
asmin vidhūya kapilasya gatiṁ prapede

(3) Next He took birth in the house of the twice-born Kardama ['the shadow of the Creator'] from the womb of Devahûti ['the invocation of the Gods'] together with nine sisters. As Lord Kapila ['the analytic one'] He spoke to His mother about spiritual realization because of which she in that life was freed from the material modes that cover the soul and achieved liberation.
2.7.4

atrer apatyam abhikāṅkṣata āha tuṣṭo
datto mayāham iti yad bhagavān sa dattaḥ
yat-pāda-paṅkaja-parāga-pavitra-dehā
yogarddhim āpur ubhayīṁ yadu-haihayādyāḥ

(4) Satisfied about the surrender of the sage Atri who prayed for offspring, the  Supreme Lord said to him: 'I will give Myself to you!' and for that reason He received the name of Datta [Dattâtreya, 'the given one']. The dust of His lotus feet purified the body of mysticism and brought the wealth of the spiritual and material worlds of Yadu [the founder of the dynasty], Haihaya [a descendant] and others.
2.7.5

taptaṁ tapo vividha-loka-sisṛkṣayā me
ādau sanāt sva-tapasaḥ sa catuḥ-sano 'bhūt
prāk-kalpa-samplava-vinaṣṭam ihātma-tattvaṁ
samyag jagāda munayo yad acakṣatātman

(5) Because I formerly lived austere in penance for the sake of the creation of the different worlds, the Lord appeared as the four Sanas [ 'of old', the four celibate sons called Sanat-kumâra, Sanaka, Sanandana and Sanâtana]. In the epoch before, the spiritual truth was devastated in the inundation of the world, but with these sages who had a clear vision of the soul the knowledge was fully recreated.
2.7.6

dharmasya dakṣa-duhitary ajaniṣṭa mūrtyāṁ
nārāyaṇo nara iti sva-tapaḥ-prabhāvaḥ
dṛṣṭvātmano bhagavato niyamāvalopaṁ
devyas tv anaṅga-pṛtanā ghaṭituṁ na śekuḥ

(6) From Mûrti ['the idol'], the wife of Dharma ['righteousness'] and the daughter of Daksha ['the able one', a Prajâpati], He took  birth in the form of Nara-Nârâyana ['man, the progress of man']. The Supreme Lord thus [descending] never allowed, by the strength of [the beauties originating from] His personal penances, that His vows would break because of the celestial beauties that came to Him from Cupid [the god of love].

2.7.7

kāmaṁ dahanti kṛtino nanu roṣa-dṛṣṭyā
roṣaṁ dahantam uta te na dahanty asahyam
so 'yaṁ yad antaram alaṁ praviśan bibheti
kāmaḥ kathaṁ nu punar asya manaḥ śrayeta

(7) Great stalwarts [like Lord S'iva] can overcome their being overwhelmed by lust by means of their wrathful vision, but they cannot overcome their own intolerance. But with [the both of] Him within, the lust is too afraid to enter. How can with Him in mind the lust ever demand attention?
2.7.8

viddhaḥ sapatny-udita-patribhir anti rājño
bālo 'pi sann upagatas tapase vanāni
tasmā adād dhruva-gatiṁ gṛṇate prasanno
divyāḥ stuvanti munayo yad upary-adhastāt

(8) Incited by the sharp words of a co-wife who uttered them even in the presence of the king [Uttânapâda], his son Dhruva [the immovable], only a boy at the time, took to severe penances in a great forest. The Lord pleased with his prayers confirmed the goal of his realization [Dhruva loka, the pivot of the stars] for which the great sages and denizens of heaven directed up and downward pray ever since.
2.7.9

yad venam utpatha-gataṁ dvija-vākya-vajra-
niṣpluṣṭa-pauruṣa-bhagaṁ niraye patantam
trātvārthito jagati putra-padaṁ ca lebhe
dugdhā vasūni vasudhā sakalāni yena

(9) When the twice-born, cursed King Vena ['the anxious one'] who strayed from the path of religion, it burnt him like a thunderbolt with him going to hell with all his great deeds and opulence. The Lord being prayed for delivered him coming to earth as his son [named Prithu, 'the great one'] and achieved with that as well that the earth could be exploited to yield all kinds of crops.
2.7.10

nābher asāv ṛṣabha āsa sudevi-sūnur
yo vai cacāra sama-dṛg jaḍa-yoga-caryām
yat pāramahaṁsyam ṛṣayaḥ padam āmananti
svasthaḥ praśānta-karaṇaḥ parimukta-saṅgaḥ

(10) As the son of King Nâbhi ['the pivot'] He was born as Rishabha ['the best one'] from Sudevî. Equipoised in the matter of yoga appearing foolish He performed at the highest level of achievement of the sages in which one in acceptance of the spiritual essence - one's independence - has subdued the activities of the senses and is perfectly liberated from material influences.
2.7.11

satre mamāsa bhagavān haya-śīraṣātho
sākṣāt sa yajña-puruṣas tapanīya-varṇaḥ
chandomayo makhamayo 'khila-devatātmā
vāco babhūvur uśatīḥ śvasato 'sya nastaḥ

(11) The Supreme Lord, the soul of all the gods, the Personality of Sacrifice who is worshiped in all sacrifices, appeared in a sacrifice of mine with a horselike head and a golden hue [and is thus called Hayagrîva]. From His breathing through His nostrils the sounds of the Vedic hymns can be heard.

2.7.12

matsyo yugānta-samaye manunopalabdhaḥ
kṣoṇīmayo nikhila-jīva-nikāya-ketaḥ
visraṁsitān uru-bhaye salile mukhān me
ādāya tatra vijahāra ha veda-mārgān

(12) He who became the Manu [called Satyavrata, 'the truth-abiding one'] at the end of the epoch saw Lord Matsya ['the fish'] who as the stay of the earth offered shelter to all living beings [in the form of a boat during the deluge]. The Vedas that because of the great fear for the waters came forth from my mouth then were taken up by Him who sported there.

2.7.13

kṣīrodadhāv amara-dānava-yūthapānām
unmathnatām amṛta-labdhaya ādi-devaḥ
pṛṣṭhena kacchapa-vapur vidadhāra gotraṁ
nidrākṣaṇo 'dri-parivarta-kaṣāṇa-kaṇḍūḥ

(13) When in the ocean of milk [or knowledge] the leaders of the immortals and their opponents where churning the mountain [called Mandara, the 'big one'] for gaining the nectar, the primeval Lord half asleep as a tortoise [called Kurma] supported him, so that it scratched and itched on His back.
2.7.14

trai-piṣṭaporu-bhaya-hā sa nṛsiṁha-rūpaṁ
kṛtvā bhramad-bhrukuṭi-daṁṣṭra-karāla-vaktram
daityendram āśu gadayābhipatantam ārād
ūrau nipātya vidadāra nakhaiḥ sphurantam

(14) As Nrisimha ['the lion'] He appeared as the one who took away the fear of the God-conscious with the movements of His eyebrows and the terrifying teeth of His mouth, while He on His lap without delay with His nails pierced the fallen king of the demons [Hiranyakas'ipu] who had challenged Him with a club in his hands.
2.7.15

antaḥ-sarasy uru-balena pade gṛhīto
grāheṇa yūtha-patir ambuja-hasta ārtaḥ
āhedam ādi-puruṣākhila-loka-nātha
tīrtha-śravaḥ śravaṇa-maṅgala-nāmadheya

(15) The leader of the elephants [Gajendra] who within the river was seized by his leg by an exceptionally strong crocodile, holding a lotus in great distress addressed [Him] as follows: 'You are the Original Personality and Lord of the Universe. From You being as famous as a place of pilgrimage all good ensues by just hearing Your name, the name so worthy to be sung.'

2.7.16

śrutvā haris tam araṇārthinam aprameyaś
cakrāyudhaḥ patagarāja-bhujādhirūḍhaḥ
cakreṇa nakra-vadanaṁ vinipāṭya tasmād
dhaste pragṛhya bhagavān kṛpayojjahāra

(16) The Lord who heard him in his distress, as the Unlimited Powerful One seated on the king of the birds [Garuda], cut the beak of the crocodile in two with His cakra weapon and in His causeless mercy freed him by pulling him up by his trunk.
2.7.17

jyāyān guṇair avarajo 'py aditeḥ sutānāṁ
lokān vicakrama imān yad athādhiyajñaḥ
kṣmāṁ vāmanena jagṛhe tripada-cchalena
yācñām ṛte pathi caran prabhubhir na cālyaḥ

(17) Despite of His transcendence, He [as Lord Vâmana] surpassed the qualities of the sons of Aditi by covering all the worlds in this universe. For that reason He was called the Lord of Sacrifice. Begging He had pretended that He needed only three steps of land but seized that way all the lands [of Bali Mahârâja] without ever offending the authorities under whose wings one may never lose one's property.

2.7.18

nārtho baler ayam urukrama-pāda-śaucam
āpaḥ śikhā-dhṛtavato vibudhādhipatyam
yo vai pratiśrutam ṛte na cikīrṣad anyad
ātmānam aṅga manasā haraye 'bhimene

(18) Oh Nârada, by virtue of the strength of the water that washed from the feet of the Lord, he [Bali Mahârâja], who kept it on his head and who had the supremacy over the kingdom of the godly, never, not even when it would cost him his body, tried for anything else but to keep to his promise because he had decided to be dedicated to the Lord.
2.7.19

tubhyaṁ ca nārada bhṛśaṁ bhagavān vivṛddha-
bhāvena sādhu parituṣṭa uvāca yogam
jñānaṁ ca bhāgavatam ātma-satattva-dīpaṁ
yad vāsudeva-śaraṇā vidur añjasaiva

(19) The Supreme Lord satisfied about the goodness you developed through your transcendental love oh Nârada, nicely explained to you in all detail the light of the knowledge of yoga and the science of relating to the soul, which all who have surrendered to Vâsudeva so perfectly know to appreciate.
2.7.20

cakraṁ ca dikṣv avihataṁ daśasu sva-tejo
manvantareṣu manu-vaṁśa-dharo bibharti
duṣṭeṣu rājasu damaṁ vyadadhāt sva-kīrtiṁ
satye tri-pṛṣṭha uśatīṁ prathayaṁś caritraiḥ

(20) Undeterred in all circumstances of the ten directions He by the glories of His personal strength subdues the three systems [see loka] as He in the different ages of Manu [manvantaras] incarnates as a descendant of  the Manu dynasty. Ruling over the miscreants and kings of that type  with the help of His cakra weapon, He thus establishes His fame up to the world of truth [Satyaloka] *.

2.7.21

dhanvantariś ca bhagavān svayam eva kīrtir
nāmnā nṛṇāṁ puru-rujāṁ ruja āśu hanti
yajñe ca bhāgam amṛtāyur-avāvarundha
āyuṣya-vedam anuśāsty avatīrya loke

(21) As fame personified the Supreme Lord carrying the name of Dhanvantari ['moving in a curve'] descends in this universe in order to direct the knowledge that is necessary to obtain a long life. This He accomplishes by providing the nectar of the [Kurma churning] sacrifice that swiftly cures the diseases of all living entities.

2.7.22

kṣatraṁ kṣayāya vidhinopabhṛtaṁ mahātmā
brahma-dhrug ujjhita-pathaṁ narakārti-lipsu
uddhanty asāv avanikaṇṭakam ugra-vīryas
triḥ-sapta-kṛtva urudhāra-paraśvadhena

(22) For the purpose of diminishing the increasing dominance of the ruling class the great soul [Lord Paras'urâma],  the Ultimate Spiritual Truth in person, will remove all those thorns from the world who  strayed from the path and opted for a hellish life. He awfully powerful for that purpose will wield His transcendental hatchet twenty-one times.

2.7.23

asmat-prasāda-sumukhaḥ kalayā kaleśa
ikṣvāku-vaṁśa avatīrya guror nideśe
tiṣṭhan vanaṁ sa-dayitānuja āviveśa
yasmin virudhya daśa-kandhara ārtim ārcchat

(23) Because of His causeless all-embracing mercy, the Lord of All Time will descend [as Lord Râma] in the dynasty of Ikshvâku [the dynasty of the solar order]. Together with His wife [Sîtâ] and brother [Lakshmana] He upon the command of his father [Das'aratha] will take to the forest under the opposition of the ten-headed one [the demoniac ruler Râvana] who caused great distress.

2.7.24

yasmā adād udadhir ūḍha-bhayāṅga-vepo
mārgaṁ sapady ari-puraṁ haravad didhakṣoḥ
dūre suhṛn-mathita-roṣa-suśoṇa-dṛṣṭyā
tātapyamāna-makaroraga-nakra-cakraḥ

(24) The fearful Indian ocean, seeing her aquatics [sharks, sea snakes and such] burnt, will quickly give way the moment He in His anger about His aggrieved intimate friend [the kidnapped Sîtâ], from a distance meditates the city of the enemy [on the island of Lankâ] with red-hot eyes like Hara did in his desire to burn down [the heavenly kingdom with his fiery looks].

2.7.25

vakṣaḥ-sthala-sparśa-rugna-mahendra-vāha-
dantair viḍambita-kakubjuṣa ūḍha-hāsam
sadyo 'subhiḥ saha vineṣyati dāra-hartur
visphūrjitair dhanuṣa uccarato 'dhisainye

(25) When the trunk of the elephant carrying Indra breaks on the chest of Râvana light will radiate in all directions. Râvana overtaken by joy will parade proud between the armies, but in no time the laughter and life breath of the one who had kidnapped Sîtâ will be put to an end by the twanging bow [of Râma].

2.7.26

bhūmeḥ suretara-varūtha-vimarditāyāḥ
kleśa-vyayāya kalayā sita-kṛṣṇa-keśaḥ
jātaḥ kariṣyati janānupalakṣya-mārgaḥ
karmāṇi cātma-mahimopanibandhanāni

(26) When the entire world is miserable because of the burden of soldiers of the disbelievers, He [Krishna] together with His plenary expansion [Balarâma], His beauty and His black hair, He whose glorious path of activities is so hard to recognize for the people in general, is bound to appear for the sake of the decimation of those atheists.

2.7.27

tokena jīva-haraṇaṁ yad ulūki-kāyās
trai-māsikasya ca padā śakaṭo 'pavṛttaḥ
yad riṅgatāntara-gatena divi-spṛśor vā
unmūlanaṁ tv itarathārjunayor na bhāvyam

(27) Who else but Him would for God's sake as a child kill a living being that has assumed the form of a giant demoness [Pûtanâ] or being only three months old with His leg will turn over a cart as also uproot two high rising Arjuna trees?

2.7.28

yad vai vraje vraja-paśūn viṣatoya-pītān
pālāṁs tv ajīvayad anugraha-dṛṣṭi-vṛṣṭyā
tac-chuddhaye 'ti-viṣa-vīrya-vilola-jihvam
uccāṭayiṣyad uragaṁ viharan hradinyām

 (28) At Vrindâvana [where Krishna will grow up] He with His merciful glance will bring back to life the cowherd boys and their animals who drank from the poisoned water [of the Yamunâ]. In order to purify [the water] from the excess of the highly potent poison He in the river will take pleasure in severely punishing the snake that is lurking there with its venomous tongue.

2.7.29

tat karma divyam iva yan niśi niḥśayānaṁ
dāvāgninā śuci-vane paridahyamāne
unneṣyati vrajam ato 'vasitānta-kālaṁ
netre pidhāpya sabalo 'nadhigamya-vīryaḥ

 (29) He with His superhuman deeds that very night will save all the inhabitants of Vraja [the cowherd-village] who free from worries are sleeping, from being burned by the fire ablaze in the dry forest. He thus will prove to them who are sure to be seeing the last of their days, together with Balarâma, His unfathomable prowess by simply having them close their eyes [and thus deliver them the same way He later on will free the gopas from another forest fire].

2.7.30

gṛhṇīta yad yad upabandham amuṣya mātā
śulbaṁ sutasya na tu tat tad amuṣya māti
yaj jṛmbhato 'sya vadane bhuvanāni gopī
saṁvīkṣya śaṅkita-manāḥ pratibodhitāsīt

 (30) Whatever rope His [foster] mother [Yas'odâ] will try to bind her son with, will time and again prove to be too short. And that what she will see when He opens His mouth to the doubting cowherd woman [who looks for dirt He would have eaten] are all the worlds, which is something that will convince her another way.

2.7.31

nandaṁ ca mokṣyati bhayād varuṇasya pāśād
gopān bileṣu pihitān maya-sūnunā ca
ahny āpṛtaṁ niśi śayānam atiśrameṇa
lokaṁ vikuṇṭham upaneṣyati gokulaṁ sma

(31) Nanda Mahârâja His [foster] father whom He as well will save from the fear for Varuna [the demigod of the waters] and the cowherd men who were held captive in the caves by the son of Maya [a demon] as also the ones [living in Vrindâvana] who because of their hard labor worked during the day and slept during the night, He will all award the highest world of the spiritual sky [Brahmaloka or Vaikunthha].

2.7.32

gopair makhe pratihate vraja-viplavāya
deve 'bhivarṣati paśūn kṛpayā rirakṣuḥ
dhartocchilīndhram iva sapta-dināni sapta-
varṣo mahīdhram anaghaika-kare salīlam

(32) When the cowherd men are being stopped [by Krishna] in their sacrifices for the king of heaven, Indra will cause a heavy downpour of rain. He [Krishna], only seven years of age, wishing to protect the animals, in His causeless mercy playfully with one hand only for seven days in a row then will hold up Govardhana hill like [an umbrella], without getting tired.

2.7.33

krīḍan vane niśi niśākara-raśmi-gauryāṁ
rāsonmukhaḥ kala-padāyata-mūrcchitena
uddīpita-smara-rujāṁ vraja-bhṛd-vadhūnāṁ
hartur hariṣyati śiro dhanadānugasya

(33) When He in His nightly pastimes in the forest desires to dance in the silver light of the moon with sweet songs and melodious music He will awaken the amorous desires of the wives of Vrajabhûmi [the region of Vrindâvana] and decapitate their kidnapper [S'ankhacûda] who was after the riches of Kuvera [the heavenly treasurer].

2.7.34-35

ye ca pralamba-khara-dardura-keśy-ariṣṭa-
mallebha-kaṁsa-yavanāḥ kapi-pauṇḍrakādyāḥ
anye ca śālva-kuja-balvala-dantavakra-
saptokṣa-śambara-vidūratha-rukmi-mukhyāḥ
ye vā mṛdhe samiti-śālina ātta-cāpāḥ
kāmboja-matsya-kuru-sṛñjaya-kaikayādyāḥ
yāsyanty adarśanam alaṁ bala-pārtha-bhīma-
vyājāhvayena hariṇā nilayaṁ tadīyam

(34-35) All [demons] like Pralamba, Dhenuka, Baka, Kes'î, Arishtha, Cânûra and Mushthika [wrestling for Kamsa], Kuvalayâpîda [the elephant], Kamsa [the demoniac uncle]; many foreign kings [like those of Persia], the ape Dvivida, Paundraka and others, as well as kings like S'âlva, Narakâsura, Balvala, Dantavakra, Saptoksha, S'ambara, Vidûratha and Rukmî and all powerful and well equipped warriors like Kâmboja, Matsya, Kuru [the sons of Dhritarâshthra], Sriñjaya, and Kekaya, will thanks to Him disappear from the scene and attain His heavenly abode or else because of the actions of one of the other names belonging to Him, like Baladeva [Krishna's brother], Arjuna or Bhîma.
2.7.36

kālena mīlita-dhiyām avamṛśya nṝṇāṁ
stokāyuṣāṁ sva-nigamo bata dūra-pāraḥ
āvirhitas tv anuyugaṁ sa hi satyavatyāṁ
veda-drumaṁ viṭa-paśo vibhajiṣyati sma

(36) Born from Satyavatî He [as Vyâsadeva] will in due course of time understand the difficulties of the less intelligent and short-lived people with the all too complex and specialized Vedic literatures. According to the circumstances of the age He then will divide the entire collection of the desire tree of the Vedas into different branches. 

2.7.37

deva-dviṣāṁ nigama-vartmani niṣṭhitānāṁ
pūrbhir mayena vihitābhir adṛśya-tūrbhiḥ
lokān ghnatāṁ mati-vimoham atipralobhaṁ
veaṁ vidhāya bahu bhāṣyata aupadharmyam

(37) For those who became well informed on the path of education but envious with the divine roam the worlds and the ether with inventions of Maya [or with modern technology], He will dress up most attractively and [as the Buddha and His representatives] with the use of many terms deviating from the tradition extensively discourse on their destructive bewilderment.

2.7.38

yarhy ālayeṣv api satāṁ na hareḥ kathāḥ syuḥ
pāṣaṇḍino dvija-janā vṛṣalā nṛdevāḥ
svāhā svadhā vaṣaḍ iti sma giro na yatra
śāstā bhaviṣyati kaler bhagavān yugānte

(38) When even with the civilized gentlemen there is no mention of the Lord, and when the twice-born [the higher classes] and the government consisting of members of the laborer class itself never under any circumstances take to His hymns, paraphernalia, altars and words, then, at the end of the Age of Dissent, the Supreme Lord [Kalki], the chastiser will appear.

2.7.39

sarge tapo 'ham ṛṣayo nava ye prajeśāḥ
sthāne 'tha dharma-makha-manv-amarāvanīśāḥ
ante tv adharma-hara-manyu-vaśāsurādyā
māyā-vibhūtaya imāḥ puru-śakti-bhājaḥ

(39) In the beginning there was penance with me and the seven wise who brought about everything, in the middle there is the activity of dharma with Vishnu, Manu, the demigods and the kings in their worlds and in the end there is the godless with S'iva and the angry atheists and such. They are all powerful representatives of the deluding energy of the One of Supreme Power.

2.7.40

viṣṇor nu vīrya-gaṇanāṁ katamo 'rhatīha
yaḥ pārthivāny api kavir vimame rajāṁsi
caskambha yaḥ sva-rahasāskhalatā tri-pṛṣṭhaṁ
yasmāt tri-sāmya-sadanād uru-kampayānam

(40) Who can fully describe the prowess of Lord Vishnu? Not even the scientist who might have counted the atoms. All were greatly moved by Him who by His own leg could cover the universe [as Trivikrama] up to the topmost world beyond the operating modes.

2.7.41

nāntaṁ vidāmy aham amī munayo 'gra-jās te
māyā-balasya puruṣasya kuto 'varā ye
gāyan guṇān daśa-śatānana ādi-devaḥ
śeṣo 'dhunāpi samavasyati nāsya pāram

(41) Neither I, nor all the sages who prior to you were born are capable of determining the reach of the Almighty Supreme Person. What then would one expect from others who were born after us? Not even Ananta S'esha [the 'snake bed' of Vishnu] the first incarnation of  the primordial God with the thousand faces is to the present day singing the qualities not able to reach His limit.

2.7.42

yeṣāṁ sa eṣa bhagavān dayayed anantaḥ
sarvātmanāśrita-pado yadi nirvyalīkam
te dustarām atitaranti ca deva-māyāṁ
naiṣāṁ mamāham iti dhīḥ śva-śṛgāla-bhakṣye

(42) Only they to whom the Lord extends His grace are able to cross over the  infinite ocean of matter. It concerns those protected souls whose seeking shelter meant that they without reservation, without duplicity surrendered at His lotus feet, or that they consciously refused to consider His diverse energies to be their own including that of them [their bodies] which is meant to serve as food for the dogs and jackals.

2.7.43-45

vedāham aṅga paramasya hi yoga-māyāṁ
yūyaṁ bhavaś ca bhagavān atha daitya-varyaḥ
patnī manoḥ sa ca manuś ca tad-ātmajāś ca
prācīnabarhir ṛbhur aṅga uta dhruvaś ca
ikṣvākur aila-mucukunda-videha-gādhi-
raghv-ambarīṣa-sagarā gaya-nāhuṣādyāḥ
māndhātr-alarka-śatadhanv-anu-rantidevā
devavrato balir amūrttarayo dilīpaḥ
saubhary-utaṅka-śibi-devala-pippalāda-
sārasvatoddhava-parāśara-bhūriṣeṇāḥ
ye 'nye vibhīṣaṇa-hanūmad-upendradatta-
pārthārṣṭiṣeṇa-vidura-śrutadeva-varyāḥ

(43-45) Oh Nârada, know that we both belong to the bewildering game of illusion of the Supreme One, as do also the great Lord S'iva, Prahlâda Mahârâja from the atheist family, S'atarûpâ, the wife of Manu and Svâyambhuva Manu himself with his children, Prâcînabarhi, Ribhu, Anga [the father of Vena], as also Dhruva, Ikshvâku, Aila, Mucukunda, Janaka, Gâdhi, Raghu, Ambarîsha, Sagara, Gaya, Nâhusha, and others like Mândhâtâ, Alarka, S'atadhanu, Anu, Rantideva, Bhîshma, Bali, Amûrttaraya, Dilîpa, Saubhari, Utanka, S'ibi, Devala, Pippalâda, Sârasvata, Uddhava, Parâs'ara, Bhûrishena and champions like Vibhîshana, Hanumân, S'ukadeva Gosvâmî, Arjuna, Ârshthishena, Vidura and S'rutadeva.

2.7.46

te vai vidanty atitaranti ca deva-māyāṁ
strī-śūdra-hūṇa-śabarā api pāpa-jīvāḥ
yady adbhuta-krama-parāyaṇa-śīla-śikṣās
tiryag-janā api kim u śruta-dhāraṇā ye

(46) Undoubtedly do also those persons who are women, laborers, barbarians and outcasts - provided they follow the instructions of the admirable devotees - manage to surpass the illusion of the divine energy and to arrive at knowledge, even if they led sinful lives. And when even animals that were trained by humans succeed in it, how much more wouldn't that be true for those people who have heard about Him?

2.7.47

śaśvat praśāntam abhayaṁ pratibodha-mātraṁ
śuddhaṁ samaṁ sad-asataḥ paramātma-tattvam
śabdo na yatra puru-kārakavān kriyārtho
māyā paraity abhimukhe ca vilajjamānā
tad vai padaṁ bhagavataḥ paramasya puṁso
brahmeti yad vidur ajasra-sukhaṁ viśokam

(47) The Absolute of the Spirit [Brahman] is known as unlimited happiness free from grief. It is the ultimate position of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in front of whom illusion flies away in shame. That pure uncontaminated state free from distinctions is beyond the words belonging to the material motive of fruitive actions, it is the original principle of the Supersoul, the cause of all cause and effect, it is consciousness free from fear and the undisturbed counterpart of the totality of matter [see also B.G. 2: 52].

2.7.48

sadhryaṅ niyamya yatayo yama-karta-hetiṁ
jahyuḥ svarāḍ iva nipāna-khanitram indraḥ

 (48) In that state of full independence the diverse practices of the mystics who in the process of their spiritual culture strive for perfection, are then given up, just as Indra [the god of rain] doesn't have to dig a well.

2.7.49

sa śreyasām api vibhur bhagavān yato 'sya
bhāva-svabhāva-vihitasya sataḥ prasiddhiḥ
dehe sva-dhātu-vigame 'nuviśīryamāṇe
vyomeva tatra puruṣo na viśīryate 'jaḥ

(49) The Supreme Lord is the one master of all goodness because He brings the success of [spiritual realization to] all the good work that by the living entity was performed according  to its natural disposition. After the work is done the body dissolves in its constituent elements but just like the ether never is vanquished, the unborn spirit soul of the person is never lost either [see also B.G. 2: 24].

2.7.50

so 'yaṁ te 'bhihitas tāta
bhagavān viśva-bhāvanaḥ
samāsena harer nānyad
anyasmāt sad-asac ca yat

(50) My dear, I thus explained in brief to you how the Supreme Lord created the universe. Whatever that may exist in the phenomenal [material] or noumenal [spiritual] world cannot be of any other cause than Hari, the Lord.

2.7.51

idaṁ bhāgavataṁ nāma
yan me bhagavatoditam
saṅgraho 'yaṁ vibhūtīnāṁ
tvam etad vipulī kuru

(51) This story of the Fortunate One called the S'rîmad Bhâgavatam, was handed down to me by Him, the Supreme Lord and constitutes the summary of His diverse potencies. Now you from your good self must expound on this science of Godhead yourself.

2.7.52

yathā harau bhagavati
nṛṇāṁ bhaktir bhaviṣyati
sarvātmany akhilādhāre
iti saṅkalpya varṇaya

 (52) Therefore describe with determination, for the cause of enlightening mankind, this science of devotion [bhakti] for the Supreme Personality, the summum bonum and Absolute of all Souls.

2.7.53

māyāṁ varṇayato 'muṣya
īśvarasyānumodataḥ
śṛṇvataḥ śraddhayā nityaṁ
māyayātmā na muhyati

(53) With the description of the Lord His external affairs the living being who is of regular attention and devoted appreciation for it will never be deluded by the external energy.'

 *: At verse twenty the time of Brahmâ's speech changes into the present and thereafter into the future tense from verse twenty-one on. From this can be derived that Vyâsadeva projected this conversation in the period of Avatâra Kurma when Dhanvantari appeared.

(My humble saltutations to the Swamyjis, Scholars, knowledge seekers for the collection)