On the description of the worlds [ p. 741 ] 1-4. Janamejaya asked :— “O Lord! I have heard all that you have described about the sweet nectar-like characters of the Kings of the Solar and the Lunar dynasties. Now kindly describe the real Tattva of the Virât Form of the Great Devî and how She was worshipped in every Manvantara by the Regent of that Manvantara and the Kings thereof. In what part of the year and in which place, under what circumstances and in what form and with what Mantras was the Devî worshipped? I am very anxious to hear all this. O Guru! In fact describe the gross forms of the Âdyâ S’akti, the Devî Bhagavatî by concentrating attention to Which, I can have the power to understand the subtle forms of the Devî and I can get the highest good in this world.”
5-7. Vyâsa said :— O King! Now hear. I am describing to you in detail about the worship of the Devî Bhagavatî that leads to the welfare of the Whole World; the hearing of which or the practice of which enables one to get the highest good. In days of yore, the Devarsi Nârada asked Nârâyana about this very point; I will now tell you what the Bhagavân, the Promulgator of the Yoga Tattva, advised Nârada. Once on a time the all powerful Devarsi Nârada entitled with all the Yogic powers, and born from the body of Brahmâ was travelling all over this earth and came to the hermitage of the Risi Nârâyana. Resting a while, and the troubles of the journey over, he bowed down to the Yogi Nârâyana and asked Him what you ask me now. Nârada said :— O Deva Deva Mahâdeva! O Thou, the Ancient Purusa, the Excellent One!
8-9. O Omniscient ! O Thou, the Holder of the Universe! O Thou Who art the repository of the good qualities and Who art praised by all!
10-12. O Deva! Now tell me what is the ultimate cause of this Universe: whence has this Universe its origin? And how does it rest? To whom does it take refuge? Where does it dissolve in the time of Pralaya? Where do all the Karmas of these beings go to? And what Object is that whose knowledge destroys forever the Mâyâ, the Cause [ p. 742 ] of all this Moha (illusion)? Whose worship, what Japam, and Whose meditation in the lotus of heart are to he made, by which, O Deva! the knowledge of Paramâtman rises in the heart, as the darkness of the night vanishes by the rising of the Sun.
13. O Deva! Kindly reply to these my questions in such a clear manner as the ignorant people in this Samsâra can understand and get themselves across this ocean of Samsâra.
14-15. Vyâsa said :— Thus asked by the Devarsi, the ancient Nârâyana, the Best of the Munis, the great Yogi gladly spoke :— O Devarsi! Hear I will now speak to you all the Tattvas of this world, knowing which the mortal never falls into the illusion of this world.
16. O Child! The original cause of this Universe is the Devî Mahâ Mâyâ (the image of the Supreme Chaitanya Para Brahmâ); this is the opinion of the Risis, the Devas, Gandharvas, and other intelligent persons.
17-23. It is written in the Vedas and other S’âstras that the Devî Bhagavatî, worshipped by all in the Universe, creates, preserves and destroys the Universe by the influence of Her three Gunas. I now describe to you the nature of the Devî, worshipped by the Siddhas, Gandharbas and Risis, the mere remembering of Whom destroys all sins, and gives final liberation Moksa (and Dharma, Artha, and Kama also). The powerful Svâyambhuva Manu, the First, the husband of S’atarûpâ, the prosperous and the Ruler of all the Manvantaras worshipped the sinless Prajâpati Brahmâ, his Father with due devotion and satisfied Him when the Grandsire of the Lokas, the Hiranyagarbha spoke to his son :— The excellent worship of the Devî should be done by you. By Her Grace, O Son, your work of creating worlds will be successful. Thus spoken by Brahmâ, the Bibhu Svâyambhuva Manu, the Virât incarnate, worshipped the World Mother with great austerities. And with his concentrated devotion, he satisfied the Devî Deves’î and began to chant hymns to Her, the First-born, the Mâyâ, the S’akti of all, and the Cause of all causes.
24-36. Manu said :— Thou art Brahmâ, the ocean of the Vedas, Krisna, the abode of Laksmî, Purandara. I bow down again and again to Thee, the Deves’î, the Cause of Mâyâ, the Cause of this Universe. Thou holdest s’ankha (the conchshell), chakra, gadâ, etc., in Thy hands and Thou residest in the heart of Nârâyana; Thou art the Vedas incarnate, the World Mother, the Auspicious One, bowed down by all the Devas, and the Knower of the Three Vedas. O Thou, endowed with all [ p. 743 ] powers and glory! O Mahâmâye! Mahâbhâge! Mahodaye! (the Self-manifested). Thou residest as the better half of Mahâ Deva, and Thou dost all what are dear to Him. Thou art the most beloved of Nanda, the Cow-herd (in the form of Mahâ Mâyâ, the daughter who concealed Krisna and slipped from the hands of Kamsa and got up in the air and remained as Vindhyâvâsinî; also in the form of S’rî Krisna). Thou gavest much pleasure and wert the cause of all the festivities; Thou takest away the fear due to plague, etc.; Thou art worshipped by the Devas. O Thou, the auspicious Bhagavatî! Thou art the welfare of all incarnate; Thou fructifiest the desires of all to success! Thou art the One to Whom all take refuge and Thou removest their all the dangers; O Thou the three-eyed! Gaurî! Nârâyanî! Obeisance to Thee. I bow down to that ocean of all brightness and splendour, without beginning or end, the One Consciousness, wherein this endless Universe rises and remains interwoven therein. I bow down to the Devî, whose Gracious Glance enables Brahmâ, Visnu, and Mahes’vara to do their respective works of creating, preserving, and destroying the Universe. O Devî! Thou art the Only One, whom all can bow, since the lotus-born Brahmâ, terrified by the horrible Daityas, was freed by Thy prowess only. O Bhagavatî! Thou art modesty, fame, memory, lustre; Thou art Laksmî, Girijâ, the daughter of Himâlayâ, Thou art Satî, the Daksa’s daughter; Thou art the Sâvitrî the Mother of the Vedas, Thou art the intelligence of all and Thou art the cause of fearlessness. So I now engage myself reciting Thy Japam, Thy hymns and Thy worship. I meditate on Thee and see Thy form within my heart and hear Thy praises. Be graciously pleased on me, O Devî! It is by Thy Grace that Brahmâ is the Revealer of the Four Vedas, Visnu is the Lord of Laksmî, Indra is the Lord of the Devas and of the three worlds; Varuna is the Lord of waters, Kuvera is the Lord of wealth, Yama is the Lord of the dead, Nairrita is the Lord of the Râksasas, and Soma is the Lord of the water element and praised by the three worlds. Therefore, O Auspicious World Mother! I bow down again and again to Thee.
37-45. Nârâyana said :— O Child! When Svayambhuva Manu, the son of Brahmâ, chanted thus the hymns to the Âdyâ S’akti Bhagavatî Nârâyanî, She became pleased and spoke to him thus :— The Devî said :— “O King, the Brahmâ’s son! I am pleased with your devoted worship and hymns; so ask boon from Me that you desire.” Manu said :— “O Devî! If Thou art graciously pleased, grant that my creation be finished without any hitch.” The Devî said :— “O King of Kings! By My blessing, your work of creation will be completed without any obstruction. And by your punya (merits) they will no doubt multiply on and on. He who reads [ p. 744 ] with devotion this hymn (stotra) composed by you, will get sons, fame and beauty in the world and, in the end, he will be entitled to get the Highest Place. The people will have powers unopposed by anybody, will get wealth and grains, will get victory everywhere and happiness; and his enemies will be ruined.” Nârâyana said :— “O Child! The Devî Bhagavatî Âdyâ S’akti granted thus the desired boon to Svâyambhuva Manu and vanished away at once from his sight.” Then the powerful Manu, obtaining thus the boon, spoke to his father :— O Father! Now give me a solitary place where I can worship the Devî with sacrifices and do my work of creating a good number of people.
46-48. Hearing thus the words of the son, the Prajâpati, the Lord thought over the matter for a long time :— “How this work would be done? Alas! I have spent an endless time in this work of creation; but as yet nothing has been done. For the Earth, the receptacle of all the Jivâs is submerged in water and has gone down to the Rasâtala. What is to be done now? There is only one hope and that is this :— If the Bhagavân, the Primeval Person, under Whose Command I am engaged in this work of creation, helps me in this work of mine, no doubt it will be accomplished then and then only.”
Here ends the First Chapter of the Eighth Book on the description of the worlds in the Mahâpurânam, S’rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam, of 18,000 verses, by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.
On the uplifting of the Earth by the Sacrificial Boar [ p. 744 ] 1-10. Nârâyana said :— O Child! When you have got your senses controlled and have overcome lust, anger, etc., and other enemies, then you are certainly entitled to hear this secret. While Brahmâ was discussing on this subject with Marîchi and the other Brahmârsis and with Svâyambhuva Manu, suddenly there came out of the nose of the meditative Brahmâ, one young boar (the child of a boar) of the dimension of one finger only. That little boar, that was just in the air, soon became, while they were looking at it, enlarged to a very big elephant, in an instant; a very strange sight, indeed! Seeing this, the Kumâras Sanaka, etc., Marîchi and the other Seven Risis, and the Creator Brahmâ were struck with wonder and Brahmâ began to discuss thus :— Oh! This young boar has come out suddenly of My nose; though it is a very small one, it is certainly, come under a disguise and it has all made us merge [ p. 745 ] in an ocean of wonder. Is this something Divine, of a Sâttvic quality under the guise of this boar? It was of the size of a thumb and it is now like the Himâlayâ Mountain? Oh! Is this the Bhagavân, the Yajña Purusa? While they were thus discussing, the Bhagavân, in the shape of the boar, began to make loud sounds, like the rolling of the mountain clouds at the time of the Pralaya resounding all the quarters. At this Brahmâ and all the Risis assembled there became very glad. Hearing the ghurghura noise of the Boar, their troubles ended and the people of Janarloka, Taparloka, Satyaloka and all the Devas being very much gladdened began to chant sweet hymns with Chhandas of Rik, Yajus, Sâma and Atharva Vedas, to that Âdi Purusa, the Bhagavân, from all sides.
11-20. Hearing their praises, the Bhagavân Hari graciously looked on them and immediately merged Himself in the ocean. The ocean was very much agitated with the fierce striking of the hairs of the Boar, when He entered into the waters, and spoke thus :— “O Deva ! O Thou, the destroyer of the afflictions of your refuges! Protect me.” Hearing the words of the ocean, the God Hari tore asunder all the aquatic animals and went down beneath the waters. Searching violently hither and thither, He knew the earth by her smell. At once the Bhagavân Hari, the Lord of all, went to Her and rescued the earth by raising Her up on his big teeth, the Earth that was the abode of all the beings. When the Bhagavân, the Lord of all the sacrifices, came up with the Earth on the top of His teeth, He looked beautiful like the elephant of a quarter taking out by the root and holding a thousand petalled lotus upon his tusks. When the Bhagavân rescued thus the Earth, raising Her up on His tusks, Brahmâ and Indra, the Lord of the Devas, the powerful Manu began praise to Him with sweet words :— Brahmâ said :— O Lotus-eyed! O Bhagavân! Thou art victorious everywhere; O Thou, the Destroyer of the sufferings of the Bhaktas! Thou hast, by Thy own prowess, humiliated the Heaven, the abode of the gods upto Satyaloka! Thou, the Giver all the desires! O Deva! This earth shines so beautiful on Thy teeth as the thousand petalled lotus, taken up by the root by a mad elephant, shines on his two tusks. O Bhagavân! This Form, i. e., that of Thy sacrificial Boar, with earth on Thee looks so very beautiful as the lotus looks beautiful on the tusks of an elephant.
21-22. O Lord! We bow down to Thee, the Creator and the Destroyer of everything; Thou assumest many forms for the purpose of destroying the Dânavas; Thou dost do many acts that redound to Thy Glory, We bow down to Thee, to Thy Front and to Thy Back. (Really thou hast no front nor back. Thou art everywhere.) Thou art the Upholder of all the Celestials and the Immortals! Thy eyes shine equally everywhere. [ p. 746 ] 23-25. O Deva! By Thy power I am brought up and engaged in the work of creation and by Thy order I create in every Kalpa this Universe and destroy it. O Lord of Immortals! In the ancient times the Devas united churned the vast ocean by Thy help and got according to their merits their due shares. O Hari! Indra, the Lord of the Devas is enjoying the vast kingdom of Heaven, the Trilokas, by Thy Will and appointment. All the Devas worship him.
26-27. So the God of Fire has got his burning power and is residing in the bellies of the Devas, the Asuras, men and all other beings and penetrating their bellies, is satisfying all. Yama, the King of Dharma, by Thy appointment, is the Lord of the southern quarters, is presiding over the Pitris and being the witness of all the actions of the Jivâs, is awarding duly to them the fruits thereof.
28-33. Nairrita, the Lord of the Raksasas, the witness of all the actions of all the beings, by Thy commandment, is the destroyer of all the obstacles of the devotees that take refuge unto thee, though he is a Yaksa. The Varuna Deva, by Thy order, has become duly the Lord of the waters, and the Regent of the Loka (Dikpâla). The Vâyu, the Life of all, the carrier of the smell, has become by Thy order Lokâpâla and the Guru of the universe. Kuvera, obedient to Thy order, has become the Lord of the Yaksas and the Kinnaras and is holding a respectful position like other Lokapâlas. Îs’âna, Who is the destroyer of all the Jîvas, has got his Lordship over a quarter by Thy order and is being praised by all the Rudras, the Devas, Gandharbas, Yaksas, Kinnaras, the men and all the beings. O Bhagavân! We bow down to Thee, the Lord of the Universe; the innumerable Devas that are seen are merely the small fractions of Thy powers.
34-38. Narayana said :— “O Child Nârada! When Brahmâ, the Creator and the Grandsire of the Lokas, praised thus the Âdi Purusa Bhagavân, He cast a side long glance at them, offering His Grace. When the Bhagavân, the Sacrificial Boar, was coming up with earth, rescued and placed on his teeth, the awful Hiranyaksa, the chief of the Daityas came before Him and obstructed His passage when He killed him by one violent stroke of his club. He was besmeared all over his body with the blood of the Daitya; and thus He came up from the Rasâtala and placed the earth on the waters. He then went away to His Vaikuntha abode.
O Child Nârada! He who hears or reads devotedly this glorious deed of the Bhagavân and the deliverance of the Earth, will certainly be freed of all his sins and goes to the highest holiest place of Visnu, the Lord of all. There is no doubt in this.”
Here ends the Second Chapter of the Eighth Book on the uplifting of the Earth by the Sacrificial Boar in the Mahâpurânam S’rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam, of 18,000 verses, by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.
On the description of the family of Manu [ p. 747 ] 1-23. Nârâyana said :— O Nârada! When the Bhagavân went away to Vaikuntha, establishing the Earth in due position and equilibrium, Brahmâ spoke thus to his son :— “O Powerful Son of mine, O Svâyamhhuva! The best of those that are filled with Teja (energy) and Tapas! Now go on with your work of creation, as you think proper, on this earth, the Upholdress of all the Jîvas. And worship the Purusa, the Lord of Sacrifices, according to the division of place and time, and with all the necessary materials of various kinds, high and low, and those that will be useful in performing your sacrifices. Do Dharma according to the S’âstras, and according to the Varna(the different castes) and Âsrama (Brahmâcharya, etc.); thus by gradually going on step by step in the path of Yoga, your progeny will be multiplied. Beget lovely sons and daughters, of good fame, culture, modesty and ornamented with various other good qualifications, like yourself; then marry your daughters when they will come to the marriageable age, to proper persons of good qualifications and then fix your mind thoroughly on the Excellent Purusa that is the very Best. O Child! Now go and serve the Bhagavân with devotion as I have advised you; and you will certainly attain that which is difficult to be worshipped and obtained. Advising thus his son Svâyambhuva Manu, and starting him in his work; of creation, the Lotus-born, the Lord of all the subjects, Brahmâ went away to His own abode. When Brahmâ went away, having ordered his son to create progeny and subjects, Manu, took that seriously in his heart and began to do that work. In due time, he had two powerful sons named Priyavrata and Uttânapâda and three lovely beautiful daughters endowed with various good qualities. Hear the names of the three daughters. The first daughter, the purifier of the world, was named Âkûti; the second was named Devahûti and the third was Prasûti. The first daughter Âkûti was married to the Maharsi Ruchi; the second was married to the Prajapati Karddama; and the third was married to the Prajapati Daksa. And know that all the beings in this world had their origin from this last daughter. Now hear the progeny of these three daughters and the Maharsis respectively :— By Maharsi Ruchi was born one son named Yajña, in the womb of Âkûti; he is the part of [ p. 748 ] the Bhagavân Âdi Purusa Visnu; by Maharsi Karddama, in the womb of Devahûti was born the Bhagavân Kapila Deva, the famous author of the S’ânkhya S’âstra; and in the womb of Prasûti, by the Prajâpati Daksa were born some daughters only; know that the Devas, men, beasts and birds were all created by this Prajâpati Daksa. These offsprings were the first promulgators in the work of creation. In the Svâyambhuva Manvantara, the powerful Bhagavân Yajña, by the help of the Deva named Yâma, saved his mother’s Father Manu from the attacks of the Raksasas; and the great Lord of the Yogis, the Bhagavân Kapila, remained for a while in his Âsrama and gave spiritual instructions to his mother Devahûti, by which Avidyâ could be at once destroyed, and disclosed his S’ânkhya S’âstra, the great work on the Spiritual Philosophy and the special Dhyâna Yoga in all its details and finally went for Samâdhi to the Âsrama of Pulaha where the great Deva Sâmkhyâ chârya lives up to today. Oh! I bow down to the great Yogâchârya, the Bhagavân Kapila Deva, the Fructifier of all desires, the more remembrance of Whose Name makes easily the Yogi realise the meaning of the Sâmkhya Jñâna. The sins are immediately destroyed of those that hear or read the holy anecdote of the progeny of the daughters of Manu. O Child! Now I describe to you the progeny of the sons of Svâyambhuva Manu. Hear attentively. The hearing of which will enable one to enter into the highest place. Now is being described the history about the progeny of those who formed those Dvipas (islands) Varsas(countries) and oceans for the welfare and happiness of all the creation and for the use of them. Hear.
Here ends the Third Chapter of the Eighth Book on the description of the family of Manu in S’rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam, the Mahâ Purânam, of 18,000 verses, by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.
On the narration of the family of Priyavrata [ p. 748 ] 1-28. The Risi Nârâyana said :— The eldest son of Svâyambhuva, Priyavrata served always his father and was very truthful. He married the daughter of the Prajâpati Vis’va Karmâ, the exceedingly lovely and beautiful Barhismatî, resembling like him, adorned with modesty, good nature and various other qualifications. He begat ten sons, very spiritual and well qualified and one daughter named Ûrjasvatî. This daughter was the youngest of all. The names of the ten sons are respec- [ p. 749 ] tively :— (1) Âgnîdhra, (2) Idhmajibha, (3) Jajñabâhu, (4) Mahâvîra, (5) Rukmas’ukra (Hiranyaretâ), (6) Ghritapristha, (7) Savana, (8) Medhâtithi, (9) Vîtihotra and (10) Kavi. The name “Agni” was attached to each of the above names. Out of these ten, the three sons named Kavi, Savana, and Mahâvîra were indifferent and dispassionate to the world. In due time, these became extremely free from all desires and they were proficient in Âtmavidyâ (Self-Knowledge). They were all Ûrdharetâ (of perpetual chastity; who has subdued all their passions) and took gladly to the Paramahamsa Dharma. Priyavrata had by his other wife three sons, named Uttama, Tâmasa, and Raivata. These were all widely known; each of them in due time became endowed with great prowess and splendour and became the Lord of one Manvatara. Priyavrata, the son of Svâyambhuva, the King-Emperor enjoyed with his sons and relations, this earth for eleven Arvuda years; the wonder was this, that he lived so long and there was seen no decay in his strength as regards his body or his senses. Once on an occasion, the King observed that when the sun appeared on the horizon and got up, one part of the earth was illumined and the remaining part was enveloped in darkness. Seeing this discrepancy, he thought over for a long time and exclaimed, “What! Will the Darkness be seen in my kingdom, while I am reigning? This can never be. I will stop this by my Yogic powers.” Thus thinking, the King Priyavrata mounted on a luminous chariot, as big as the Sun, to illumine the whole world and circumambulated round the earth seven times. Whatever portion of the earth was trodden by the wheel on each occasion, became an ocean. Thus the seven oceans had their origins. And the portion of the earth, that was included within the ruts, became the seven islands (Dvîpas). 0 Child! Now hear about the seven Dvîpas and the seven Oceans :— The first is the Jambu Dvîpa; the second is Plaksa, the third is S’almalî; the fourth is the Kus’a Dvîpa; the fifth is Krauncha; the sixth is the S’aka Dvîpa; and the seventh is the Puskara Dvîpa. The second Dvîpa Plaksa is twice the first Jambu Dvîpa and so on; each succeeding Dvîpa is twice as large as its previous one. Now hear the names of the oceans. The first ocean is named Ksâroda (the salt water ocean); the second is Iksurasa (the sugarcane ocean); the third is Surâ (the wine ocean), the fourth is Ghritoda (the clarified butter ocean) the fifth is Ksîroda (the ocean of milk); the sixth is Dadhi Manda (the ocean of curds); and the seventh is that of the ordinary water. The Jambu Dvîpa is surrounded by Ksîra Samudra. The King Priyavrata made his son Âgnîdhra, the lord of this Dvîpa. He gave to his Idhmajibha, the Plaksa Dvîpa surrounded by Iksu Sâgara; so he gave to Jajñabâhu the S’âlmalî Dvîpa surrounded by Surâ Sâgara and he [ p. 750 ] gave the lordship of Kus’a Dvîpa to Hiranyaretâ. Then he gave to his powerful son Ghritapristha the Krauncha Dvîpa surrounded by Ksîra Samudra and to his son Medhâtithi the S’âka Dvîpa surrounded by Dadhimanda Sâgara. Finally he gave to his Vîtihotra, the Puskara Dvîpa surrounded by the ordinary water. Thus distributing duly amongst his sons, the separate divisions of the earth, he married his daughter, the youngest Ûrjasvatî to the Bhagavân Us’anâ. In the womb of Ûrjasvatî the Bhagavân S’ukrâchârya had his famous daughter Devayânî. O Child! Thus giving the charge of each Dvîpa to each of his sons and marrying his daughters to the worthy hands, he took to Viveka (discrimination) and adopted the path of Yoga.
Here ends the Fourth Chapter of the Eighth Book on the narration of the family of Priyavrata in the Mahâ Purânam, S’rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.
On the description of the receptacle of beings and on the mountains and on the origin of rivers [ p. 750 ] 1-31. S’rî Nârâyana said :— O Child Nârada! Now hear in detail about the divisions of the earth into the Dvîpas and the Varsas as marked out by the Devas. In brief, I describe about them; no one can speak about this in details. First, the Jambu Dvîpa is one lâkh Yoyanas in its dimensions. This Jambu Dvîpa is round like a lotus. There are nine Varsas in it and excepting the Bhadrâs’va and Ketumâla, each is nine thousand Yoyanas in its dimensions (i.e., in its diameter or circumference?) and there are eight very lofty mountains, in those Varsas, forming their boundaries. Of the Varsas, the two Varsas that are situated in the North and South, are of the size of a bow (segmental); and the four others are elongated in their size. The centre of all these Varsas is named Îlâvrita Varsa and its size is rectangular. In the centre of this Îlâvarsa is situated the golden Sumeru Mountain, the King of all the mountains, one lakh Yoyanas high. It forms the pericarp of the lotus earth. The top of this mountain is thirty Yoyanas wide. O Child! The sixteen thousand Yoyanas of this mountain is under the ground and the eighty four Yoyanas are visible outside. In the north of this Îlâvarsa are the three mountains the Nîlagiri, the S’vetagiri and the S’ringavau, forming the boundaries respectively of the three Varsas named Ramyaka, Hiranmaya and Kuru respectively. These run along from the east and gradually extend at their base and towards the salt ocean (Lavana Samudra).
[ p. 751 ]
These three mountains, that form the boundaries, are each two thousand Yoyanas wide. The length of each from the east towards north is less by one-tenth (1/10) of the above dimensions. Many rivers take their source and flow from them. On the south of Îlâvarsa three beautiful mountain ranges, named Nisadha, Hemakûta, and Himâlayâs, are situated, extending from the east. They are each one Ayuta Yoyanas high. These three mountains form the boundaries again of Kimpurusa and Bhârata Varsa.
To the west of Îlâvrita is situated the mountain called Mâlyavân and to the east are situated the mountains Gandhamâdan, Nîla, and Nisadha, the centres of the highest sublime grandeur and beauty. The length and breadth of these the boundary (limiting) mountains are each two thousand Yoyanas. Then the mountains Mandara, Supârs’vak, and Kumuda and others are situated in the Ketumâla and Bhadrâs’va Varsas; but these all are reckoned as the Pâda Parvatas (mountains at the foot) of the Sumeru mountain. The height and breadth of each of these is one Ayuta Yoyanas. These form the pillars, as it were, of Meru on the four sides. On these mountains, the mangoe, the jack, plantain, and the fig trees and various others are situated, four hundred (400) Yoyanas wide and eleven hundred (1,100) Yoyanas high; they seem to extend to the Heavens and form, as it were, the flagstaffs on the top. The roots, bases of these trees as well as their branches are wonderfully equally thick and extend to enormous distances. On those mountain tops are situated again, the four very capacious lakes. Of these, one lake is all milk; the other lake is all honey; the third lake is all sugarcane juice and the fourth lake is all sweet water. There are, then, again the four very lovely gardens named Nandana, Chaitrarath, Vaibhrâjaka, and Sarvatobhadra, very lovely, enchanting and pleasing to the delicate female sex and where the Devas enjoy the wealth and prosperity and their other Yogic powers. Here the Devas live always with numerous hordes of women and have their free amorous, dealings with them, to their heart’s contents and they hear the sweet songs sung by the Gandharbas and Kinnaras, the Upa Devatâs about their own glorious deeds. On the top of the Mandara mountain, there are the Heavenly mangoe trees eleven hundred Yoyanas high; the sweet delicious nectarlike mangoe fruits, very soft and each of the size as the summit of a mountain, fall to the ground; and out of their juices of a colour of the rising sun, a great river named Arunodâ takes her origin. Here the Devas always worship the great Devî Bhagavatî named Arunâ, the Destructrix of all sins, the Grantrix of all desires, and the Bestower of all fearlessness with various offerings and with the lovely water of this Arunodâ river, with great devotion. O Child! In ancient days, the King of the Daityas worshipped always this Mahâ
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Mâyâ Arunâ Devî (and obtained immense wealth and prosperity). He who worships Her becomes cured of all diseases, gets his health and other happiness by Her grace. Therefore She is named Âdyâ, Mâyâ, Atulâ, Anantâ, Pustî, Îs’varamâlinî, the Destroyer of the wicked and the Giver of lustre and beauty and thus remembered on this capacious earth. The river Jâmbûnada has come out, as a result of Her worship, containing divine gold.
Here ends the Fifth Chapter of the Eighth Book on the description of the receptacle of beings and on the mountains and on the origin of rivers in the Mahâ Purânam S’rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam, of 18,000 verses, by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.
On the rivers and the mountains Sumeru and others [ p. 752 ] 1-32. Nârâyana said :— O Nârada! This Arunodâ river that I mentioned to you rises from the Mandara mountain and flows by the east of Ilâvarsa. The Pavana Deva (the God of wind) takes up the nice smell from the bodies of the wives of the Yaksas and Gandharbas, etc., and the attendants of the Devî Bhavânî and keeps the surroundings of the earth there filled with nice smell for ten Yoyanas around. Again the rose-apples with their nuts, of the size of an elephant, fall down upon the earth from the high peaks of the mountain Mandara and break into pieces; the sweet scented juices flow down as a river. This is called the Jambû river and this flows by the south of Ilâvarsa. The Devî Bhagavatî there is pleased with the Juice of that rose-apple (Jambû) and is known by the name of Jambâdinî. The Devas, Nâgas, and Risis all always worship with great devotion, the lotus-feet of the merciful Devî, wishing the welfare of all the Jîvas. The mere remembering of the name of the Devî destroys all the disease, and all the sins of the sinner. Therefore the Devas always worship and chant the names of the Devî, the Remover of all obstacles. She is installed on both the banks of the Jambû river. If men recite Her names Kokilâksî, Karunâ, Kâmapûjîtâ, Kathoravigrahâ, Devapûjyâ, Dhanyâ, Gavastinî and worship, so they get their welfare both in this world and in the next. With the juice of the Jambû fruit aided by the combination of the wind and the rays of the Sun, is created the gold. Out of this are made the ornaments for the wives of the Immortals and the Vidyâdharas. This gold, created by the Daiva, is known by the name of the Jâmbûnada gold. The love-stricken Devas make their crowns, waist bands and armlets out of this gold for their sweet-hearts. There is a big Kadamba tree on the mountain Supars’va; the five streams of honey called Madhu Dhârâ get [ p. 753 ] out from its cavities and running by the west of Ilãvrita Varsa, flow over the land. The Devas drink its waters; and their mouths become filled with the sweet fragrance. The air carries this sweet fragrant smell to a distance of even one hundred Yoyanas. The Dhâres’varî Mahâ Devî dwells there, the Fulfiller of the desires of the Bhaktas, highly energetic, of the nature of Kâla (the Time, the Destroyer), and having large face (Mahânanâ), faces everywhere, worshipped by the Devas and is the presiding Deity of the woods and forests all around. The Devî, the Lady of the Devas, is to be worshipped by the names “Karâla Dehâ,” “Kâlâmgî”, “Kâmakotipravartinî”. The great Banyan tree named S’atabala is situated on the top of the Kumud mountain. From its trunk many big rivers take their origin. These rivers possess such influences as to give to the holy persons there, the milk, curd, honey, clarified butter, raw sugar, rice, clothing, ornaments, seats, and beddings, etc., whatever they desire. Therefore these rivers are called Kâmadugh. They come gradually down the earth and flow by the north of Ilâvarsa. The Bhagavatî Mînâksi dwell there and is worshipped by the Suras and the Asuras alike. That Deity clothed blue, of fearful countenance, and ornamented with hairs of blue colour, always fulfil the desires of the Devas dwelling in the Heavens. Those that worship Her, remember Her or praise Her by the names Atimânyâ, Atipûjyâ, Mattamâtanga Gâminî, Madanonmâdinî, Mânapriyâ, Mânapriyatarâ, Mârabegadharâ, Marapûjitâ, Mâramâdinî, Mayûravaras’obhâdhyâ, S’ikhivâhanagarbhabhû, etc., are honoured by the Deity Mînalochanâ Ekângarûpinî and the Parames’vara and get all sorts of happiness. Those drink the clear waters of these rivers become free from old age or decay, worry, perspiration, bad smell, from any disease, or premature death. They do not suffer anything from error, from cold, heat, or rains, or from any paleness in their colour. They enjoy extreme happiness as long as they live and no dangers come to them. O Child! Now hear the names of the other twenty mountains that encircle the Golden Sumeru mountain at its base, as if they were the filaments round the pericarp of a flower. The first is Kuranga; they come in order Kuraga, Kus’umbha, Vikankata, Trikûta, S’is’ira, Patanga, Ruchaka, Nisadha, S’itîvâsa, Kapila, S’amkha, Vaidûrya, Chârudhi, Hamsa, Risabha, Naga, Kâlanjara and lastly Nârada. The central one is the twentieth.
Here ends the Sixth Chapter of the Eighth Book on the rivers and the mountains Sumeru and others in the Mahâpuranam S’rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam, of 18,000 verses, by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.
On the Ganges and the Varsas [ p. 754 ] 1-37. Nârâyana said :— Jathara and Devakûta are the two mountains situated on the east of Sumeru; their dimensions towards the north are eighteen thousand Yoyanas wide and two thousand Yoyanas high. On the west of Meru, are situated the two famous lofty mountains Pavamâna and Pâriyâtra; their length and height are well known. On the south of Meru are situated the two lofty mountains Kailâsa and Karavira. On the north, again, of the Sumeru mountain, are situated the mountains S’ringagiri and Makaragiri. Thus the golden Sumeru mountain, shines like the Sun, surrounded by these eight mountains. In the centre of the Sumeru, there is a Divine city built of the Creator Brahmâ, ten thousand Yoyanas in dimensions. The learned sages that know everything from the highest to the lowest, describe that as square in dimensions and all made of gold. On the top of the Sumeru, are situated the world known eight golden cities, subservient to the Brahmapurî, for the eight Lokapâlas. The Lords of the four directions, east, west, north and south and of the four corners, north-east, north-west, south-west, south-east, occupy these. The dimensions of each of these eight cities are two thousand Yoyanas and a half. In fact, there are nine cities there including the Brahmapurî. Now hear the names of these nine cities in due order. The First is Manovatî, the second is Amarâvatî, the third is Tejovatî, next come in order Samyamanî, Krisnânganâ, S’raddhâvatî, Gandhavatî, and Mahodayâ, the ninth is Yas’ovatî. The Lords of the Purîs are Brahmâ, Indra, Fire and the other Dikpâlas in due order. When Visnu Bhagavân assumed the Tri Vikrama Form in His Dwarf Incarnation and went at the sacrifice, to get back the Kingdom of the Heavens from the demon Vali, there was created one hole or cavity over this Brahmânda Katâha (skull) by the nails of the toes of that foot that went up towards his left; and through that cavity, the famous river Bhagavatî Gangâ flowed on the top of those heavenly Kingdoms, the clear waters of which are ever ready to destroy the sins of the whole people. For this reason, She is known in the three Lokas as the Visnupadî manifested. This took place long long ago, many thousand Yugas ago, a period difficult to determine. The Ganges fell first on the top of the Indra’s Heavens, near the place called Visnudhâma, known in the three worlds. Here the pure-souled Dhruva, the son of Uttânapâda, observed within his heart the lotus-feet [ p. 755 ] of Srî Visnu Bhagavân and exists still there taking refuge on that immoveable position. There the high-souled Seven Risis, knowing the highest purifying influence of the Ganges, circumambulate the river, wishing for the welfare of all the Lokas. This is the great place where one gets success, and final liberation, the success-giving place of the ascetics and where the Munis with clots of hairs on their heads daily take their dip in the Ganges with the greatest pleasure and admiration. The Ganges flows thence from the Dhruva Mandala, the abode of Visnu, in Kotis and Kotis of Divine Channels, interspersed with many Vimânas or carriages, deluges the Chandra Mandala (the Moon Sphere), comes gradually to the Brahmâ Loka. Here She is divided into the four channels, Sîtâ, Alakanandâ, Bhadrâ, and Chaturbhadrâ and irrigating many countries, mountains, and forests ultimately falls in the oceans. The Sîtâ, the famous Dhârâ, purifying all, while falling down from the Brahmâloka, passes round the mountains that form as it were the filaments of the flower-like Sumeru mountain, and falls on the top of the Gandhamâdana range. Thence She, worshipped by the Devas, irrigates the Bhadras’vavarsa and falls eastward into the salt ocean. The second Dhârâ (stream), named Chaksu, getting out of the Malyavân range, gradually gains strength and assumes great force and flows by Ketumâlavarsa to the western ocean. The third Dhârâ (stream), the very pure Alakananda, getting out of the Brahmâ Loka, passes through the Girikûta mountain and other forests, falls to Hemakûta; next She flows through the Bhârata Varsa and meets with the southern ocean. No words can describe the glory and the purifying effect of this river; suffice it to say that those who march out to bathe in this river get at each of their steps, the fruits of doing the great sacrifices, Râjasûya and As’vamedha, etc. The fourth Dhârâ of the Trailokyapavanî Ganga Devi, named Bhadrâ, falling from the mountain S’ringavân, become swift and capacious, flows by the Northern Kuru country and satisfying the people there flows down into the ocean. Many other rivers, getting out from the mountains, Meru, Mandara and others, flow through the various Varsas or continents, but of all the Varsas, continents, this Bhârata Varsa is called the Karma Ksettra (or the field of actions). The other eight Varsas, though on earth, give the pleasures of the Heavens. The reason for this is that when the period of the persons’ enjoyments in the Heavens cease, they come and take their birth in the one or other of these eight Varsas. The people here live for ten thousand years; their body is hard like thunderbolt and all are endowed with powers of Ayuta elephants. No one is satisfied with a little of the pleasures of sexes; so all men live happily with their wives, etc. It is not that the males alone are so happy; the females also are [ p. 756 ] full of youth throughout their lives and become pregnant, when they are less than one year old. In short, the inhabitants of the Varsas enjoy for ever as the persons of Tretâ Yuga do.
Hear ends the Seventh Chapter of the Eighth Book on the story of the Ganges and the continents in Srî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam, the Mahâ Purânam, of 18,000 verses, by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.
On the description of Ilâvrita [ p. 756 ] 1-11. Nârâyana said :— In those Varsas, Visnu and the other Devas used to worship always the Great Devî with Japam and meditation and to chant hymns to Her. The forests there are ornamented with all sorts of fruits, flowers and leaves, in all the seasons. In those excellent forests, and on the mountains, in those Varsas and on the clear waters interspersed with full blewn lotuses and S’ârasas (cranes) and in those countries where varieties of mountain trees are standing and where varieties of birds frequent and echo all around, the people play in waters and engage themselves with a great many pleasant occupations; and the beautiful women, as well, roam there with the knitting of their eyebrows. The people there enjoy as they like, surrounded by young women; Nârâyana, the Âdipurusa Bhagavân Himself, worships the Devî there, to shew his extreme grace to all the inhabitants of the Navavarsa. The people also worship the Deity. By worshipping the Devî only, the Bhagavân remains there in Samâdhi, surrounded with Aniruddha and his other Vyûhachatustaya (the four forms). But in Ilâvrita Varsa, the Bhagavân Rudra, originated from the eye-brows of Brahmâ, resides only with women. No other person can enter there; for the Bhâvanî, the S’akti of Rudra has cursed that any male entering there would be transformed into a female. The Lord of Bhavanî, surrounded by innumerable women, remains here engaged in the worship of the unmanifested unborn Bhagavân Samkarsana. For the good of humanity, with intense meditation, He worships His Own Turîya Form of the nature of Tamas, thus :—
12-19. S’rî Bhagavâna said :— “Obeisance to Thee! the Bhagavân, the Great Purusa, endowed with all the qualities (the principal six Ais’varyas or prosperities), the Ananta (the Infinite) and to the Unmanifested! We worship Thee, Whose lotus feet are the refuge of all. Thou art the great storehouse of all the superhuman powers and the divine [ p. 757 ] faculties of omnipotence, etc. Thou art always present to the Bhaktas. Thou art creating all these beings. Thou givest Moksa to the Bhaktas and destroyest their attachment to the world and Thou bindest Thy non-devotees in bondage to this world. Thou art the Lord. We worship Thee. We are entirely under the control of the passions, anger, etc., and our minds are always attached to the senses; but though Thou art always looking at this world for its creation, etc., Thy mind is not a bit attached to it. So who will not turn to Thee, desirous to conquer his self. Thou art appearing by Thy Mâyâ as one whose sight is ignorant; Thou lookest dreadful with Thy eyes reddened with the drink of Madhu (wine). By the touch of Thy feet, the mental faculties are very much enchanted; hence the women folk of the Nâgas cannot in any way worship Thee, out of bashfulness. The Risis say that though Thou art the Only One to create, preserve and destroy, yet Thou art quite unconcerned with them. Thou art Infinite and Thou hast innumerable heads. This vast universe is like the mustard seed resting somewhere on one of these heads, which Thou canst not feel even. The Mahat Tattva is Thy body manifested first. It is built of Sattva, Raja and Tamo Gunas. Brahmâ has come out of this and I again have sprung from this Brahmâ and am nurtured by the Sattva and the other Gunas and with the help of the Teja, created these elements and the senses. These Mahat Tattvas and we all are controlled by Thy Extraordinary Form. Thou hast kept us in our respective places by Thy Kriyâ S’akti as birds are kept duly by the strings through them. Mahat Tattva, Ahamkâra, and the Devas, elements and the senses, before mentioned all united create this Universe by Thy Grace. Thy creation is very big and grand; for this reason the gross thinkers, deluded by Thy power, never understand it. This Mâyâ is the only means to get the Samsâra Nivritti, Moksa, the real Goal of man: and this Mâyâ, again involves them in the Karma entanglements, very hard to get through. Coming in and going out, both of these are Thy forms; so we bow down to Thee.
20-23. Nârâyana said :— Thus the Bhagavân Rudra, with His Own persons in Ilâvrita Varsa used to worship the Devî and the Sankarsana, the Controller of all the Lokas. The son of Dharma, well known by the name of Bhadras’rava and all the persons born of his family and his attendants, worship thus the Devî. This form is well known to all by the name of Hayagrîva and worshipped thus. All the persons there worship Him with the intense meditation and Samâdhi and realise Him thoroughly. Then they praise Him, according to due customs and get the thorough Siddhis (success in getting extraordinary powers). [ p. 758 ] 24-29. The Bhadras’ravâs said :— Obeisance to Thee, the Bhagavân, the Incarnate of Virtue, and to Him who destroys completely the desires, attachments, etc., to worldly objects! Ho! How wonderful are the feats of the Bhagavân! Death always destroys all, but people, seeing this, seem not to see this. Seeing that the son meets with death, the father desires to live long not for a virtuous purpose but for sense enjoyments, what is called Vikarma. Those who are skilled in Jñâna and Vijñâna say that this Universe that is seen is very transient. Moreover those Pundits who are endowed with much Jñâna, see vividly the transitoriness of this Universe. Still, O Unborn One! When practically they come to deal with this, they all become overpowered with the influence of Mâyâ. So Thy Pastime (Lîla) is wonderfully variegated. (Instead of spending our time uselessly in discussing on S’âstras) we bow down to Thee, and Thee alone. Thou art the Self-manifest Chaitanya. Thou are not the object to be covered by Mâyâ. Thou dost not do anything in the sort of creation, etc. Thou remainest simply as the Witness thereof. Sill the Vedas declare that Thou createst, preservest and destroyest the Universe. It is quite reasonable and nothing to be wondered at. Thou art the Âtman of all. When the Pralaya (the time of great dissolution) comes, the Vedas were stolen by the Daityas and taken to the nether regions, the Rasâtala. Thou, in the form of Hayagrîva (Horse-faced), rescued the Vedas and gave them to the Grandsire Brahmâ who was very eager to get them back and understand their meanings. Thou art the true Sankalap (resolve); we bow down to Thee. Thus the Bhadras’ravâs praise the Haiyagrîva form of Hari and sing the glorious deeds of Him. He who reads these narratives of the Mahâ Purusa (the high-souled personage) or he who makes others hear these things, both of them, quitting their sinful bodies, go to the Devî Loka.
Here ends the Eighth Chapter of the Eighth Book on the description of Ilâvrîta in the Mahâpurânam S’rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam, of 18,000 verses, by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.
On the narration of the division of the continents [ p. 758 ] 1-2. Nârâyana said :— In Harivarsa, the Bhagavân Hari is shining splendid as a Yogi in the form of Narasimha. The Mahâ Bhâgavat (most devoted) Prahlâda, who knows the attributes of God worships and chants hymns with his whole hearted devotion, seeing that beautiful form, gladdening to all the people. [ p. 759 ] 3-11. Prahlâda spoke :— I bow down to Thee, the Bhagavân Nrisingha Deva. Thou art the Light of all Lights. Thy big teeth are like thunderbolts. Let Thee manifest in Thy most terrible form. Let Thee destroy the desires of the people to do Karma and let Thou devour the great Ignorance (Ajñâna) the Moha (delusion) of the people. Thou art the receptacle of the Sattva, Raja and Tamo Gunas. Let myself be always free from any fear by Thy Grace. “Om Khraum!” Let this whole world rest completely in peace and happiness. Let the cheats quit their guiles and be pure and simple. Let all the people quit completely their animosities towards each other and think of their welfare. Let all the people be free from making injuries to others and be peaceful; and let them have their control over their passions. Let our mind be completely free from desires and rest entirely and devotedly to Thy lotus-feet. Let us not be attached to sons, wives, wealth, house or to any other worldly objects. If there be any attachment, let it be to the objects dear to the Bhagavân. He who barely sustains his body and soul and controls himself completely, success is very near to him; not so to the persons that are attached to the senses. The dirt of the mind, that is not washed away by bathing in the Ganges or by taking recourse to the Tîrthas, etc., is removed by the company of the devotees to the God and by their influence, hearing, thinking, and meditating on the attributes of the Bhagavân. So who is there that does not serve the Bhagavân! He who has got Niskâma Bhakti (devotion without regard to any fruits thereof) to the Bhagavân, to him come always the Devatâ, Dharma and Jñâna and other higher qualities. But he who indulges in various mental phantasms, without any Bhakti to the Bhagavân, he follows the worldly happiness that is certainly to be hated and never he gets Vairâgyan and other higher qualities. As water is life to the fish, so the Bhagavân Hari is the self of all embodied beings and so He is to be specially prayed for. So if a high-souled person be attached to household happiness, without thinking of God, then his greatness dwindles into a trifling insignificance like the ordinary pleasures of man and woman when they are full of youth. So leave, at once, the home that is the source of Birth and Death and leave Trisnâ (thirst, desire), clinging to life, low-spiritedness, name, and fame, egoism, shame, fear, poverty and loss of one’s honour and worship the Lotus-Feet of the Bhagavân Nrisingha Deva and be entirely fearless. Thus Prahlâda, the Lord of the Daityas, daily worships devotedly the Bhagavân Nrisingha, resplendent in his lotus heart, the death blow, the lion to all the elephant sins. In the Ketumâla Varsa, the Bhagavân Nârâyana is reigning in the form of the Kâma Deva, the God of Love. The people there always worship Him. The daughter of Ocean, the Indirâ Devî, who confers honour and glory to the Mahatmas, [ p. 760 ] is the presiding Deity of the Varsa. She always worships the Kama Deva with the following verses :—
12-18. The Laksmî Devî spoke :— “Om, Hrâm, Hrîm, Hrûm, Om namo Bhagavate Hrisikesâya! Thou art the Bhagavân of the nature of Om. Thou are the Director, the Lord of the senses: Thy Âtman is the Highest and the Receptacle of all the good things. All the Karma Vrittis, all the Jñâna Vrittis, and effort and resolution and other faculties of the mind, act in their respective channels by Thy looking and by their being constantly practised in Thee. And the elements over which they get their masteries are subservient to Thy Laws. The mind and the other eleven Indriyas, and touch, taste and other five senses are but Thy parts. All the rites and ceremonies observed in the Vedas are found in Thee. Thou art the infinite store of all the foodings of the Jîvas. From Thee flows the Paramânanda, the Highest Bliss. Thou art All, Thou art the Substance, Purity incarnate; Thou art the Energy, the Strength manifest in all. Thou art the Finish of all the happiness and Thou art the Only One Substance, that can be desired by the people. So obeisance to Thee! This Thy Lordship is not dependent on any other body. The women that know Thee, the Lord of all and worship other bodies for their husbands, those husbands can never save them, their lives, their wealth, progeny or other dear things as those are controlled by Kâla (Time) and Karma. So they cannot be termed husbands at all; Thou art the Real Husband; and no other. For Thou art naturally fearless and Thou protectest in every way the persons that become afraid. Thou art the Lord of all wealth; so no other is superior to Thee. How can then, they be independent whose happiness depends on others! The lady that desires to worship Thy lotus feet only and becomes subservient to no others, she attains all the desires. Again the lady who, desiring other desires than to get Thee, does not worship Thy lotus-feet, Thou fulfillest the desires of her too. But, O Bhagavân! When the period of enjoyment of these things ceases and when the objects of these enjoyments are destroyed, then she repents much due to the loss of those things. Brahmâ, Mahâdeva, the Suras and the Asuras practise hard Tapasyâs to get me, impelled by their desires to attain the objects of sense enjoyments; but he only really gets me who worships and takes refuge of Thy lotus feet only, for my heart is entirely attached to Thee. So, O Achyuta! Kindly shew Thy Grace and put, on my head, Thy lotus palm, praised by the universal people that Thou placest on Thy Bhaktas. O Bhagavân! That Thou takest me in Thy Bosom is a sign of Thy Grace. No one can fathom the deeds of Thee, the Only Controller of all. Thus the Prajâpati and the Lords of that Varsa, worship the Bhagavân, [ p. 761 ] the Friend of all, with a view to attain their respective desires and Siddhis. In Ramyak Varsa, the Matsya form of the Bhagavân is set up and consecrated. The Suras and the Asuras worship Him. The highly intelligent Manu always chant hymns to that Excellent Form thus :— “Obeisance to Him who is the Life of all, the Essence and Strength of all, to that Great Fish Form, the Body Incarnate of Sattva Guna, who is of the nature of Om and Bliss.”
19-23. Thou art the Lord of all the Lokapâlas and of the form of the Vedas. Thou art within and without all this universe, moving and non-moving; still all the beings are unable to see Thy form. As the people bring under their control the wooden dolls, so Thou controllest the universe by the rules and prohibitions under the names of the Brâhmanas, etc. Thou art the God. The Lokapâlas, being overcome by the fever of jealousy and pride, become quite unable, either individually or collectively, to quit their jealousies and to protect the tripeds, quadrupeds, reptiles and snakes; so Thou art the God. Thou hadst upheld this earth along with me and with the medicinal plants and creepers; and Thou shewedest the highest luminous light in the great ocean, at the time of Pralaya, tossed with surging waves and didst roam there. Thou art the Self of all the beings in the universe. So we bow down to Thee. Thus the Manu, the best of the mortal beings, used to praise the Bhagavân, who took His incarnation in the shape of the Fish, the Remover of all doubts. Manu, the foremost of the Bhâgavatas (the devotees) is reigning there in the service of the Fish Incarnation of the Bhagavân, with intense meditation and expurging all sins and with great devotion.
Here ends the Ninth Chapter of the Eighth Book on the narration of the division of the continents in the Mahâ Purânam S’rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.
On the description of Bhuvanakosa [ p. 761 ] 1-7. Nârâyana said :— In Hiranmaya Varsa, the Bhagavân is remaining in the form of Kurma, the Tortoise, as the Lord of Yoga. He is thus praised and worshipped by Aryamâ, the Ruler of the Pitris. Aryamâ said :— Om namo Bhagavate Akûpârâya; (King of tortoises, sustaining the world) Obeisance to Thee, [ p. 762 ] the Lord of all prosperities, in the form of Tortoise (Kurma); Thou art built of Sattva Guna Incarnate; no one can make out where Thou dost dwell; Thou art not encompassed by Time; (Thou art in the Present, Past and Future); so obeisance to Thee. Thou dost pervade all things; we bow down to Thee. All are established in Thee; so obeisance to Thee. By Thy extraordinary Mâyâ (power) Thou hast made manifest this universe that is seen. This is Thy Form. It is by no means distinct from Thee. This Thy Form is seen in so many forms. So the true reality being not known like the mirage, these cannot be counted really speaking, what is Thy form, no one can definitely say. The beings generated by heat and moisture (said of insects and worms), those that are born of eggs, from wombs and the plants and other moving, non-moving beings, the Devas, Risis, Pitris, Bhûtas, and these senses; the sky, the heavens, earth, mountains, rivers, oceans, islands, planets, and stars all these art Thou and Thou alone. Thy name, form, and appearance, are as varied; and their numbers cannot be counted. Still, Kapila and others have determined their numbers, by the knowledge of which Thou canst become visible to the Eye of Knowledge. Thy form and nature are determined by these Sânkhyas ascertained by Kapila. So we bow down to Thee. Thus Aryamâ, and the other rulers of the Varsa all united sing, praise, and worship the Bhagavân Kurma Deva, the Controller of all and the Generator of all. All Hail to Thee! The Bhagavân Yajña Purusa is manifest in Uttara Kuru Mandala in the form of Âdi Varâha. The Earth Herself worships Him always. The Goddess Earth praises Hari, the Yajña Varâha, the Destroyer of the Daityas and worships duly that Deva, with Her heart lotus, naturally devoted, rendered more devoted by Her attachment to the Lord.
8-13. The Goddess Earth spoke :— “Om Namo Bhagavate Mantratattva Lingâya Yajña Kratave” I bow down to the Bhagavân, the Great Boar; Thou art Om; Thy real form and nature can be known by only the Mantra and Tattva. Thou art Yajña and Kratu (sacrifice) incarnate; therefore all the great sacrifices are Thy limbs. Thou art the Three Yugas (there being no Yajña in the Satya Yuga); Thou art that which is left as Pure, after doing Karma (so as to be fit for performing Yajñas). So obeisance to Thee. The sages, versed in Jñâna and Vijñâna say that Thou art hidden in the body and in the senses as fire is hidden in the wood. So they, ardent to see Thee, seek for Thee with a discriminative and dispassionate mind, judging Karmas and their fruits; and then Thy Nature is revealed, I bow down to Thee, Thy Form can be ascertained by the cause and effect of the Karmas and other Gunas of Mâyâ, sense objects, senses, actions, Devas, body, time, Ahamkâra and others. I bow [ p. 763 ] down to Thee, Those can see thus Thy form, whose mind is firmly established in Thee, by their discrimination and Yama, Niyama, etc., and who have abandoned all sorts of fickleness and changeability of their tempers. So obeisance to Thee. As iron goes attracted towards the magnet, so Mâyâ dances before Thee with Her Gunas and Her works in the way of the creation, preservation and destruction of this universe; but Thou art totally indifferent to it. For the sake of the Jîvas (embodied souls), desire comes to Thee, though Thou art not quite willing! Thou art the Witness of the Jîvas and their Adrista (the Fate). I bow down to Thee. The Yajña Varâha, the Cause of this universe, has lifted me up from the Rasâtala and placing me on His big tusks, has come out from the Pralaya, the great ocean, after overpowering in battle His enemy, the powerful Daitya, like an elephant, I bow down to that Controller of all, to Thee. In the Kimpurusa Varsa, the Bhagavân Âdi Purusa (the Prime Man), the Self-manifest, and the Lord of all, is residing in the form of Râma, the son of Das’aratha and the Joy of the heart of Sîtâ Devî.
14-18. S’rî Hanumâna thus spoke:— “Om namo Bhagavate Uttama Slokaya” I bow down to the Bhagavân, who art sung by the excellent verses, purifying all. I bow down to Thee, the incarnate of modesty, good temper, vow and good signs; Thy mind is always under control; Thou dost imitate, as Thy nature is good, the actions of all persons; obeisance to Thee. Thou art the Supreme Place to award praise. Obeisance to Thee. Thou art Brahmanya Deva (in the creation of the universe), the high souled Person Mahâpurusa. Thou gettest the First Share, above all the persons! Thou art the One Tattva and That Alone, as established in the Vedânta. The holy realisation is the only guide to it. This Tattva dominates over all the Gunas. It can never be an object. Only by pure intellect, It can be realised. There is no name, no form of It. It is always beyond the pale of Ahamkâra. I take refuge to this Tattva, the most Peaceful, with my body and mind. Thy incarnation in human shape in this world is not simply for killing Râvana but for giving instructions to the mortals. The contact with woman and the suffering thereof are very difficult to avoid; to give this lesson also He took this incarnation, He Who is merged in enjoying the Supreme Bliss of His Own Nature and He Who is the Lord of all, how can He suffer miseries in the bereavement of Sîtâ. He is the best friend and the very Âtman of those who have conquered their minds and senses. Especially He is the receptacle of all the qualities and is in enjoyment of other divine extraordinary powers. So He is not attached to the worldly objects. How can the delusion due to His wife come and darken Him? and why will He send Laksmana [ p. 764 ] in exile? He is the Mahat Tattva and the Parama Purusa; so good birth, beauty, intelligence, oratory or good form, nothing can please Him. Bhakti (devotion) can only attract Him. If that be not the case, then why will He, the elder of Laksmana, the Bhagavân, the son of Das’aratha make friendship with us, the wanderers of the forest and who are by nature, not the receptacles of any beauty, etc. So everyone, be he a Sura or Asura, man, or not man, should worship the Hari manifest in Râma, in the human body with all his heart. He is so good that if anybody worships Him even to a very small extent, He always considers it to be much; what more can be said than this that He took all the inhabitants of Kos’ala to Heaven!
19-20. Nârâyana said :— Thus Hanumân, the best of monkeys, sings the praises and worships duly in Kimpurusa Varsa, the lotus-eyed Râma, truthful, and determined in his vows. He who hears this wonderful description of Râma, is freed of all his sins and goes with his body pure to the abode of Râma.
Here ends the Tenth Chapter of the Eighth Book on the description of Bhuvanakosa in the Mahâpurânam S’rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam, of 18,000 verses, by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.