The Gods Are Born as Monkeys and Bears

Verse 1 (3.277.1)

ततो ब्रह्मर्षयः सर्वे सिद्धा देवर्षयस्तथा । हव्यवाहं पुरस्कृत्य ब्रह्माणं शरणं गताः ॥

tato brahmarṣayaḥ sarve siddhā devarṣayastathā | havyavāhaṃ puraskṛtya brahmāṇaṃ śaraṇaṃ gatāḥ

Then all the brahmin seers, the perfected ones and the divine seers, placing Agni, the bearer of oblations, at their head, went to Brahma for refuge.

Verse 2 (3.277.2)

योसौ विश्रवसः पुत्रो दशग्रीवो महाबलः । अवध्यो वरदानेन कृतो भगवता पुरा ॥

yosau viśravasaḥ putro daśagrīvo mahābalaḥ | avadhyo varadānena kṛto bhagavatā purā

"That mighty son of Vishravas, the ten-necked one, was made unslayable long ago by your boon, O blessed one.

Verse 3 (3.277.3)

स बाधते प्रजाः सर्वा विप्रकारैर्महाबलः । ततो नस्त्रातु भगवान्नान्यस्त्राता हि विद्यते ॥

sa bādhate prajāḥ sarvā viprakārairmahābalaḥ | tato nastrātu bhagavānnānyastrātā hi vidyate

"That mighty one torments all creatures with outrages of every kind. So may the blessed one protect us, for there is no other protector."

Verse 4 (3.277.4)

न स देवासुरैः शक्यो युद्धे जेतुं विभावसो । विहितं तत्रयत्कार्यमभितस्तस्य निग्रहः ॥

na sa devāsuraiḥ śakyo yuddhe jetuṃ vibhāvaso | vihitaṃ tatrayatkāryamabhitastasya nigrahaḥ

"He cannot be conquered in battle by gods or asuras, O Vibhavasu. What must be done about him has been arranged; his downfall is close at hand.

Verse 5 (3.277.5)

तदर्थमवतीर्णोऽसौ मन्नियोगाच्चतुर्भुजः । विष्णुः प्रहरतां श्रेष्ठः स तत्कर्म करिष्यति ॥

tadarthamavatīrṇo'sau manniyogāccaturbhujaḥ | viṣṇuḥ praharatāṃ śreṣṭhaḥ sa tatkarma kariṣyati

"For that purpose, at my bidding, the four-armed Vishnu, foremost of warriors, has descended; he will accomplish that deed."

Verse 6 (3.277.6)

पितामहस्ततस्तेषां संनिधौ शक्रमब्रवीत् । सर्वैर्देवगणैः सार्धं संभव त्वं महीतले ॥

pitāmahastatasteṣāṃ saṃnidhau śakramabravīt | sarvairdevagaṇaiḥ sārdhaṃ saṃbhava tvaṃ mahītale

Then, in the presence of them all, the grandsire said to Shakra: "Take birth on the earth, together with all the hosts of the gods.

Verse 7 (3.277.7)

विष्णोः सहायानृक्षीषु वानरीषु च सर्वशः । जनयध्वं सुतान्वीरान्कामरूपबलान्वितान् ॥

viṣṇoḥ sahāyānṛkṣīṣu vānarīṣu ca sarvaśaḥ | janayadhvaṃ sutānvīrānkāmarūpabalānvitān

"Beget brave sons on she-bears and she-monkeys everywhere, to be allies of Vishnu, endowed with strength and able to take any form at will."

Note on the text: Speaker: the whole verse is Brahma's command, begun in the previous verse; Wikisource prints no heading and carries मार्कण्डेय on.

Verse 8 (3.277.8)

ते यथोक्ता भगवता तत्प्रतिश्रुत्य शासनम् । ससृजुर्देवगन्धर्वाः पुत्रान्वानररूपिणः ॥

te yathoktā bhagavatā tatpratiśrutya śāsanam | sasṛjurdevagandharvāḥ putrānvānararūpiṇaḥ

Thus addressed by the blessed one, they accepted his command, and the gods and gandharvas brought forth sons in the form of monkeys.

Note on the text: Removed stray wiki marks (backtick and quote mark). Not in the critical text; this verse is the starred passage 3.260.7d*1240 of its apparatus.

Verse 9 (3.277.9)

ततो भागानुभागेन देवगन्धर्वदानवाः । अवतर्तुं महीं सर्वे मन्त्रयामासुरञ्जसा ॥

tato bhāgānubhāgena devagandharvadānavāḥ | avatartuṃ mahīṃ sarve mantrayāmāsurañjasā

Then the gods, gandharvas and danavas all promptly took counsel together about descending to earth, each with his portion and share.

Verse 10 (3.277.10)

अवतेरुर्महीं स्वर्गादंशैश्च सहिताः सुराः । ऋषयश्च महात्मानः सिद्धाश्च सह किन्नरैः । चारणाश्चासृजन्घोरान्वानरान्वनचारिणः ॥

avaterurmahīṃ svargādaṃśaiśca sahitāḥ surāḥ | ṛṣayaśca mahātmānaḥ siddhāśca saha kinnaraiḥ | cāraṇāścāsṛjanghorānvānarānvanacāriṇaḥ

The gods came down from heaven to earth with their portions; and the great-souled seers, the perfected ones with the kinnaras, and the charanas brought forth fierce monkeys that roamed the forests.

Note on the text: Removed a stray opening wiki mark (backtick). Not in the critical text: the first line is not in the critical edition at all (found in the vulgate recension); the second and third lines are the starred passage 3.260.8d*1241 (lines 1–2) of its apparatus.

Verse 11 (3.277.11)

यस्य देवस्य यद्रूपं वेषस्तेजश्च यद्विधम् । अजायन्त समास्तेन तस्य तस्य सुतास्तदा ॥

yasya devasya yadrūpaṃ veṣastejaśca yadvidham | ajāyanta samāstena tasya tasya sutāstadā

Whatever form each god had, whatever dress and whatever kind of splendour, sons just like him were then born to each one.

Note on the text: Removed a stray closing wiki mark (quote mark). Not in the critical text; this verse is the starred passage 3.260.8d*1241 (lines 5–6) of its apparatus.

Verse 12 (3.277.12)

तेषां समक्षं गन्धर्वी दुन्दुभीं नाम नामतः । शशास वरदो देवो गच्छ कार्यार्थसिद्धये ॥

teṣāṃ samakṣaṃ gandharvī dundubhīṃ nāma nāmataḥ | śaśāsa varado devo gaccha kāryārthasiddhaye

In their presence the boon-giving god commanded the gandharvi named Dundubhi: "Go, so that the task may be accomplished."

Verse 13 (3.277.13)

पितामहवचः श्रुत्वा गन्धर्वी दुन्दुभी ततः । मन्थरा मानुषे लोके कुब्जा समभवत्तदा ॥

pitāmahavacaḥ śrutvā gandharvī dundubhī tataḥ | mantharā mānuṣe loke kubjā samabhavattadā

Hearing the grandsire's words, the gandharvi Dundubhi was then born in the world of men as Manthara, the hunchback.

Verse 14 (3.277.14)

शक्रप्रभृतयश्चैव सर्वे ते सुरसत्तमाः । वानरर्क्षवरस्त्रीषु जनयामासुरात्मजान् ॥

śakraprabhṛtayaścaiva sarve te surasattamāḥ | vānararkṣavarastrīṣu janayāmāsurātmajān

Shakra and all the other foremost gods begot sons on the finest females of the monkeys and bears.

Note on the text: Wikisource divides verses 14–17 differently from the critical edition: this verse is 3.260.11ab (lines 3.260.11a and 11c).

Verse 15 (3.277.15)

तेऽन्ववर्तन्पितॄन्सर्वे यशसा च बलेन च । भेत्तारो गिरिशृङ्गाणां सालतालशिलायुधाः ॥

te'nvavartanpitṝnsarve yaśasā ca balena ca | bhettāro giriśṛṅgāṇāṃ sālatālaśilāyudhāḥ

All of them matched their fathers in fame and in strength; they could shatter mountain peaks, and their weapons were sal trees, palms and rocks.

Note on the text: Lines 3.260.11e and 3.260.12a of the critical edition (Wikisource divides these verses differently).

Verse 16 (3.277.16)

वज्रसंहननाः सर्वेसर्वेऽमोघबलास्तथा । कामवीर्यबलाश्चैवसर्वे बुद्धिविशारदाः ॥

vajrasaṃhananāḥ sarvesarve'moghabalāstathā | kāmavīryabalāścaivasarve buddhiviśāradāḥ

All had bodies hard as the thunderbolt, all were of unfailing strength; all had might and valour at will, and all were wise and skilled.

Note on the text: Corrected वज्चसंहननाः → वज्रसंहननाः (misprint in Wikisource; च for र; the critical edition reads vajrasaṃhananāḥ, and the Wikisource commentary glosses वज्रसंहननाः) and ऽमोघवलास्तथा → ऽमोघबलास्तथा (misprint in Wikisource; व for ब). Lines 3.260.12c and 3.260.13a of the critical edition (Wikisource divides these verses differently).

Verse 17 (3.277.17)

नागायुतसमप्राणा वायुवेगसमा जवे । यथेच्छविनिपाताश्च केचिदत्र वनौकसः ॥

nāgāyutasamaprāṇā vāyuvegasamā jave | yathecchavinipātāśca kecidatra vanaukasaḥ

They had the strength of ten thousand elephants and the speed of the wind, and some of these forest-dwellers could alight wherever they pleased.

Note on the text: Lines 3.260.13c and 3.260.13e of the critical edition (Wikisource divides these verses differently).

Verse 18 (3.277.18)

एवं विधाय तत्सर्वं भगवाँल्लोकभावनः । मन्थरां बोधयामास यद्यत्कार्यं त्वया तथा ॥

evaṃ vidhāya tatsarvaṃ bhagavām̐llokabhāvanaḥ | mantharāṃ bodhayāmāsa yadyatkāryaṃ tvayā tathā

Having arranged all this, the blessed creator of the worlds instructed Manthara in all that she was to do, and how.

Verse 19 (3.277.19)

सा तद्वचनमाज्ञाय तथा चक्रे मनोजवा । इतश्चेतश्च गच्छन्ती वैरसंधुक्षणे रता ॥

sā tadvacanamājñāya tathā cakre manojavā | itaścetaśca gacchantī vairasaṃdhukṣaṇe ratā

Taking in his words, she, swift as thought, did just as she was told, going here and there, intent on kindling enmity.

Note on the text: Corrected तद्वच समाज्ञाय → तद्वचनमाज्ञाय (misprint in Wikisource; स for न, giving the non-word वच; the critical edition reads tadvacanam ājñāya).