Scheduled Incarnations with Specific Functions

Verse 1 (bhagavata.2.7.1)

ब्रह्मोवाच यत्रोद्यतः क्षितितलोद्धरणाय बिभ्रत् क्रौडीं तनुं सकलयज्ञमयीमनन्तः । अन्तर्महार्णव उपागतमादिदैत्यं तं दंष्ट्रयाद्रिमिव वज्रधरो ददार ॥ 7.1 ॥

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

Brahmā said: When the unlimited Lord took up the task of raising the surface of the earth, assuming a boar's form wholly composed of sacrifice, He tore apart with His tusk the primeval demon who had come to Him within the great ocean, as easily as the wielder of the thunderbolt splits a mountain.

Verse 2 (bhagavata.2.7.2)

जातो रुचेरजनयत् सुयमान् सुयज्ञ आकूतिसूनुरमरानथ दक्षिणायाम् । लोकत्रयस्य महतीमहरद् यदार्तिं स्वायम्भुवेन मनुना हरिरित्यनूक्तः ॥ 7.2 ॥

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

Suyajña, born as the son of Ākūti [wife of Ruci], then begot the Suyāma gods in the womb of Dakṣiṇā; and because he removed the great affliction of the three worlds, he came to be called Hari by Svāyambhuva Manu.

Verse 3 (bhagavata.2.7.3)

जज्ञे च कर्दमगृहे द्विज देवहूत्यां स्त्रीभिः समं नवभिरात्मगतिं स्वमात्रे । ऊचे ययात्मशमलं गुणसङ्गपङ्क- मस्मिन् विधूय कपिलस्य गतिं प्रपेदे ॥ 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

O twice-born Nārada, He was born in the house of Kardama, from Devahūti, together with nine sister co-wives, and to His own mother He spoke of the path to self-realization. By that teaching she washed away, in that very life, the mire of attachment to the material modes, and attained the destination reached by Kapila.

Verse 4 (bhagavata.2.7.4)

अत्रेरपत्यमभिकाङ्क्षत आह तुष्टो दत्तो मयाहमिति यद् भगवान् स दत्तः । यत्पादपङ्कजपरागपवित्रदेहा योगर्द्धिमापुरुभयीं यदुहैहयाद्याः ॥ 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

When the sage Atri desired offspring, the Lord, well pleased with him, said, 'I have been given by Myself,' and thus He came to be known as Datta. By the pollen of His lotus feet the Yadus, the Haihayas and others, their bodies made pure, attained both kinds of yogic power — material and spiritual.

Verse 5 (bhagavata.2.7.5)

तप्तं तपो विविधलोकसिसृक्षया मे आदौ सनात् स्वतपसः स चतुःसनोऽभूत् । प्राक्कल्पसम्प्लवविनष्टमिहात्मतत्त्वं सम्यग् जगाद मुनयो यदचक्षतात्मन् ॥ 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

In the beginning, when I desired to create the various worlds, I performed austerity; and out of that austerity of mine He appeared as the four Sanas — Sanaka and his brothers. The truth of the self, lost in the deluge that ended the previous age, they explained so perfectly that the sages came to perceive it directly within their own hearts.

Verse 6 (bhagavata.2.7.6)

धर्मस्य दक्षदुहितर्यजनिष्ट मूर्त्यां नारायणो नर इति स्वतपःप्रभावः । दृष्ट्वात्मनो भगवतो नियमावलोपं देव्यस्त्वनङ्गपृतना घटितुं न शेकुः ॥ 7.6 ॥

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

In Mūrti, the daughter of Dakṣa and wife of Dharma, He was born as the twin sages Nara and Nārāyaṇa, a manifestation of the power of His own austerity. The celestial women, Cupid's own army, seeing that they could not break the Lord's vow of self-control, found themselves unable to accomplish their aim.

Verse 7 (bhagavata.2.7.7)

कामं दहन्ति कृतिनो ननु रोषदृष्टया रोषं दहन्तमुत ते न दहन्त्यसह्यम् । सोऽयं यदन्तरमलं प्रविशन् बिभेति कामः कथं नु पुनरस्य मनः श्रयेत ॥ 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

Great adepts can indeed burn away lust with a single wrathful glance, yet they cannot burn away that very wrath, unbearable as it is, which then consumes them in turn. But this same Lust, on merely trying to enter Him, grows afraid — so how could Lust ever find shelter again in His mind?

Verse 8 (bhagavata.2.7.8)

विद्धः सपत्न्युदितपत्रिभिरन्ति राज्ञो बालोऽपि सन्नुपगतस्तपसे वनानि । तस्मा अदाद् ध्रुवगतिं गृणते प्रसन्नो दिव्याः स्तुवन्ति मुनयो यदुपर्यधस्तात् ॥ 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

Wounded by the sharp words spoken by his stepmother in the very presence of the king, though still a boy he went to the forest to perform austerity. To him, as he praised the Lord in prayer, the Lord, well pleased, granted the imperishable station of Dhruva, which the celestial sages praise from both above and below.

Verse 9 (bhagavata.2.7.9)

यद्वेनमुत्पथगतं द्विजवाक्यवज्र- निष्प्लुष्टपौरुषभगं निरये पतन्तम् । त्रात्वार्थितो जगति पुत्रपदं च लेभे दुग्धा वसूनि वसुधा सकलानि येन ॥ 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

When King Vena, having strayed from the path of righteousness, had his glory scorched by the thunderbolt of the brāhmaṇas' curse and was falling toward hell, the Lord, entreated by the sages, saved him and Himself took birth as his son in this world, and by Him all the earth's wealth was drawn forth like milk.

Verse 10 (bhagavata.2.7.10)

नाभेरसावृषभ आस सुदेविसूनु- र्यो वै चचार समदृग् जडयोगचर्याम् । यत्पारमहंस्यमृषयः पदमामनन्ति स्वस्थः प्रशान्तकरणः परिमुक्तसङ्गः ॥ 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

He appeared as Ṛṣabha, the son born to Sudevī, wife of King Nābhi. Seeing all beings with an equal eye, He practiced the conduct of a yogī who appears outwardly inert — a state the sages declare to be the very station of the paramahaṁsa: self-abiding, His senses perfectly stilled, entirely free from attachment.

Verse 11 (bhagavata.2.7.11)

सत्रे ममास भगवान् हयशीरषाथो साक्षात् स यज्ञपुरुषस्तपनीयवर्णः । छन्दोमयो मखमयोऽखिलदेवतात्मा वाचो बभूवुरुशतीः श्वसतोऽस्य नस्तः ॥ 7.11 ॥

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

In a sacrifice I performed, the Lord appeared as Hayagrīva — golden of hue, He Himself the very person of sacrifice, composed of the Vedic meters and of the sacrifice, the very Self of all the gods — and from His nostrils, as He breathed, there arose the beautiful, desired sounds of the Veda.

Verse 12 (bhagavata.2.7.12)

मत्स्यो युगान्तसमये मनुनोपलब्धः क्षोणीमयो निखिलजीवनिकायकेतः । विस्रंसितानुरुभये सलिले मुखान्मे आदाय तत्र विजहार ह वेदमार्गान् ॥ 7.12 ॥

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

At the end of that age, Manu came upon the Lord in His form as the Fish, the shelter of the entire host of living beings identified with the earth. When, out of great fear, the Vedas had slipped from My mouth into the waters, He gathered them up and, sporting there, kept safe the paths of Vedic knowledge.

Verse 13 (bhagavata.2.7.13)

क्षीरोदधावमरदानवयूथपाना- मुन्मथ्नताममृतलब्धय आदिदेवः । पृष्ठेन कच्छपवपुर्विदधार गोत्रं निद्राक्षणोऽद्रिपरिवर्तकषाणकण्डूः ॥ 7.13 ॥

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

In the Ocean of Milk, when the hosts of gods and demons were churning for the sake of nectar, the primeval Lord, in the form of a tortoise, bore the mountain upon His back — feeling, as He lay half asleep, a pleasant, scratching itch from the mountain's turning.

Verse 14 (bhagavata.2.7.14)

त्रैपिष्टपोरुभयहा स नृसिंहरूपं कृत्वा भ्रमद्भ्रुकुटिदंष्ट्रकरालवक्त्रम् । दैत्येन्द्रमाशु गदयाभिपतन्तमारा- दूरौ निपात्य विददार नखैः स्फुरन्तम् ॥ 7.14 ॥

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

He who removes the great fear of the celestials assumed the form of Nṛsiṁha, His brows knit and moving, His face terrible with bared fangs. He swiftly seized the king of the demons as he rushed upon Him with his club, laid him across His thighs, and tore him apart, still quivering, with His nails.

Verse 15 (bhagavata.2.7.15)

अन्तःसरस्युरुबलेन पदे गृहीतो ग्राहेण यूथपतिरम्बुजहस्त आर्तः । आहेदमादिपुरुषाखिललोकनाथ तीर्थश्रवः श्रवणमङ्गलनामधेय ॥ 7.15 ॥

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

Within a lake, the leader of the elephant herd, his leg seized by a powerful crocodile and grievously distressed, holding a lotus flower in his trunk, cried out: 'O primeval Person, Lord of all the worlds, whose fame is as a place of pilgrimage, whose very name is auspicious to hear —'

Verse 16 (bhagavata.2.7.16)

श्रुत्वा हरिस्तमरणार्थिनमप्रमेय- श्चक्रायुधः पतगराजभुजाधिरूढः । चक्रेण नक्रवदनं विनिपाट्य तस्मा- द्धस्ते प्रगृह्य भगवान् कृपयोज्जहार ॥ 7.16 ॥

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

Hearing his plea for protection, the immeasurable Lord Hari, bearing His discus, came riding upon the arms of Garuḍa, king of birds. With His discus He split open the crocodile's jaws, and then, taking hold of the elephant by his trunk, the Lord mercifully delivered him.

Verse 17 (bhagavata.2.7.17)

ज्यायान् गुणैरवरजोऽप्यदितेः सुतानां लोकान् विचक्रम इमान् यदथाधियज्ञः । क्ष्मां वामनेन जगृहे त्रिपदच्छलेन याच्ञामृते पथि चरन् प्रभुभिर्न चाल्यः ॥ 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

Though the youngest in age among Aditi's sons, He was greatest of all in His qualities, since He, the Lord who presides over every sacrifice, then strode across these worlds. As Vāmana He took the earth from Bali under the pretext of three paces — for no one who walks the righteous path can rightfully be dispossessed by any other authority except through the asking.

Verse 18 (bhagavata.2.7.18)

नार्थो बलेरयमुरुक्रमपादशौच- मापः शिखाधृतवतो विबुधाधिपत्यम् । यो वै प्रतिश्रुतमृते न चिकीर्षदन्य- दात्मानमङ्ग मनसा हरयेऽभिमेने ॥ 7.18 ॥

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

For Bali, who had borne upon his head the water that had washed the feet of the great strider, even lordship over heaven held no value — he who resolved to do nothing other than fulfill his promise, and in his mind dedicated even his own self to Hari.

Verse 19 (bhagavata.2.7.19)

तुभ्यं च नारद भृशं भगवान् विवृद्ध- भावेन साधुपरितुष्ट उवाच योगम् । ज्ञानं च भागवतमात्मसतत्त्वदीपं यद्वासुदेवशरणा विदुरञ्जसैव ॥ 7.19 ॥

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

And to you, O Nārada, the Lord — well pleased by your ever-deepening devotion — spoke of yoga and of that knowledge which is the Bhāgavata, the lamp that illumines the truth of the self, and which those who have taken shelter in Vāsudeva come to know directly and with ease.

Verse 20 (bhagavata.2.7.20)

चक्रं च दिक्ष्वविहतं दशसु स्वतेजो मन्वन्तरेषु मनुवंशधरो बिभर्ति । दुष्टेषु राजसु दमं व्यदधात् स्वकीर्तिं सत्ये त्रिपृष्ठ उशतीं प्रथयंश्चरित्रैः ॥ 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

He bears His unobstructed radiance, like a discus, in all ten directions, and in age after age He appears as a bearer of the Manu dynasty. He disciplines wicked kings and, standing above the three worlds, spreads His beautiful fame through His deeds even to the realm of Satyaloka.

Verse 21 (bhagavata.2.7.21)

धन्वन्तरिश्च भगवान् स्वयमेव कीर्ति- र्नाम्ना नृणां पुरुरुजां रुज आशु हन्ति । यज्ञे च भागममृतायुरवावरुन्ध आयुष्यवेदमनुशास्त्यवतीर्य लोके ॥ 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

And the Lord, as Dhanvantari, being Himself fame personified, swiftly destroys, merely by His name, the diseases of those who are so often afflicted. He also secured a share of the sacrifice that grants nectarean longevity, and, having descended into the world, He teaches the science of life, Āyurveda.

Verse 22 (bhagavata.2.7.22)

क्षत्रं क्षयाय विधिनोपभृतं महात्मा ब्रह्मध्रुगुज्झितपथं नरकार्तिलिप्सु । उद्धन्त्यसाववनिकण्टकमुग्रवीर्य- स्त्रिःसप्तकृत्व उरुधारपरश्वधेन ॥ 7.22 ॥

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

That great soul, of fierce might, destroys the warrior class when, in its enmity toward the brāhmaṇas, it has abandoned the righteous path and courted the suffering of hell. With His broad-bladed axe He uproots them, the very thorns of the earth, thrice seven times over.

Verse 23 (bhagavata.2.7.23)

अस्मत्प्रसादसुमुखः कलया कलेश इक्ष्वाकुवंश अवतीर्य गुरोर्निदेशे । तिष्ठन् वनं सदयितानुज आविवेश यस्मिन् विरुध्य दशकन्धर आर्तिमार्च्छत् ॥ 7.23 ॥

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

Gracious to us in His compassion, the Lord of all divine portions descended with His plenary expansion into the Ikṣvāku dynasty. Remaining under His father's command, He entered the forest together with His beloved wife and younger brother, and the ten-headed Rāvaṇa, having opposed Him, met his ruin.

Verse 24 (bhagavata.2.7.24)

यस्मा अदादुदधिरूढभयाङ्गवेपो मार्गं सपद्यरिपुरं हरवद् दिधक्षोः । दूरे सुहृन्मथितरोषसुशोणदृष्टया तातप्यमानमकरोरगनक्रचक्रः ॥ 7.24 ॥

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

To Him — who, His mind stirred with grief for His beloved and burning with a wrath like Hara's to consume the enemy's city with His reddened glance — the ocean, its very body trembling with fear, at once gave way, its sharks, serpents and crocodiles scorched even from a distance by that fierce, red-hot gaze.

Verse 25 (bhagavata.2.7.25)

वक्षःस्थलस्पर्शरुग्नमहेन्द्रवाह- दन्तैर्विडम्बितककुब्जुष ऊढहासम् । सद्योऽसुभिः सह विनेष्यति दारहर्तु- र्विस्फूर्जितैर्धनुष उच्चरतोऽधिसैन्ये ॥ 7.25 ॥

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

Rāvaṇa, made proud by the tusks of Indra's elephant, broken from striking against his own chest — as if all directions now bowed mockingly before him — laughed aloud in triumph. But that abductor of Sītā will be destroyed at once, life-breath and all, by the mere twang of the Lord's bow as He strides across the field of battle.

Verse 26 (bhagavata.2.7.26)

भूमेः सुरेतरवरूथविमर्दितायाः क्लेशव्ययाय कलया सितकृष्णकेशः । जातः करिष्यति जनानुपलक्ष्यमार्गः कर्माणि चात्ममहिमोपनिबन्धनानि ॥ 7.26 ॥

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

To relieve the earth of the burden of hosts hostile to the gods, He will take birth with His plenary portion — one fair, one dark of hair — and, His true nature imperceptible to ordinary people, will perform deeds that draw all toward the knowledge of His own glory.

Verse 27 (bhagavata.2.7.27)

तोकेन जीवहरणं यदुलूकिकाया- स्त्रैमासिकस्य च पदा शकटोऽपवृत्तः । यद् रिङ्गतान्तरगतेन दिविस्पृशोर्वा उन्मूलनं त्वितरथार्जुनयोर्न भाव्यम् ॥ 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

That a mere infant could take the life of the owl-formed demoness Pūtanā, that a three-month-old could overturn a cart with a mere kick of his foot, and that, while crawling between them, he could uproot the towering, sky-touching arjuna trees — none of this could happen except through the Lord Himself.

Verse 28 (bhagavata.2.7.28)

यद् वै व्रजे व्रजपशून् विषतोयपीतान् पालांस्त्वजीवयदनुग्रहदृष्टिवृष्टया । तच्छुद्धयेऽतिविषवीर्यविलोलजिह्व- मुच्चाटयिष्यदुरगं विहरन् ह्रदिन्याम् ॥ 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

In Vraja, when the cowherds and their cattle had drunk the poisoned water, He revived them all with a mere shower of His merciful glance; and to purify that same water, sporting in the river, He will drive out the serpent Kāliya, whose flickering tongue carried the force of intense venom.

Verse 29 (bhagavata.2.7.29)

तत् कर्म दिव्यमिव यन्निशि निःशयानं दावाग्निना शुचिवने परिदह्यमाने । उन्नेष्यति व्रजमतोऽवसितान्तकालं नेत्रे पिधाप्य सबलोऽनधिगम्यवीर्यः ॥ 7.29 ॥

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

That deed too will be truly divine: when, one night, as all of Vraja lay sleeping and the whole forest blazed around them with wildfire, so that its final hour seemed to have come, He, together with Balarāma, whose might none can fathom, will save them all simply by having them close their eyes.

Verse 30 (bhagavata.2.7.30)

गृह्णीत यद् यदुपबन्धममुष्य माता शुल्बं सुतस्य न तु तत् तदमुष्य माति । यज्जृम्भतोऽस्य वदने भुवनानि गोपी संवीक्ष्य शङ्कितमनाः प्रतिबोधितासीत् ॥ 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

Whatever rope His mother took up to bind her son, that very rope always proved too short for Him; and when, as He yawned, the cowherd woman beheld all the worlds within His mouth, her mind filled with wonder and doubt — yet she was made to understand, in her own way, His true nature.

Verse 31 (bhagavata.2.7.31)

नन्दं च मोक्ष्यति भयाद् वरुणस्य पाशाद् गोपान् बिलेषु पिहितान् मयसूनुना च । अह्न्यापृतं निशि शयानमतिश्रमेण लोकं विकुण्ठमुपनेष्यति गोकुलं स्म ॥ 7.31 ॥

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

He will free Nanda from the fear of Varuṇa's noose, and will free the cowherd boys who had been shut up in a cave by Vyomāsura, the son of Maya. And to the people of Gokula, busy by day and, from sheer weariness, fast asleep by night, He will in the end grant the very abode of Vaikuṇṭha.

Verse 32 (bhagavata.2.7.32)

गोपैर्मखे प्रतिहते व्रजविप्लवाय देवेऽभिवर्षति पशून् कृपया रिरक्षुः । धर्तोच्छिलीन्ध्रमिव सप्तदिनानि सप्त- वर्षो महीध्रमनघैककरे सलीलम् ॥ 7.32 ॥

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

When the cowherds stopped their sacrifice to Indra, provoking that god to pour down rain to destroy Vraja, He, the sinless one, desiring to protect the cattle out of compassion, held up the great mountain for seven days with a single hand, as easily as one might hold a mushroom — and He was then only seven years old.

Verse 33 (bhagavata.2.7.33)

क्रीडन् वने निशि निशाकररश्मिगौर्यां रासोन्मुखः कलपदायतमूर्च्छितेन । उद्दीपितस्मररुजां व्रजभृद्वधूनां हर्तुर्हरिष्यति शिरो धनदानुगस्य ॥ 7.33 ॥

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

Sporting at night in the forest silvered by moonlight, ready to begin the rāsa dance, with the sweet, entrancing, drawn-out melody of His flute kindling the pangs of love in the hearts of the cowherd wives — He will sever the head of their abductor, a follower of Kuvera, the lord of wealth.

Verse 34 (bhagavata.2.7.34)

ये च प्रलम्बखरदर्दुरकेश्यरिष्ट- मल्लेभकंसयवनाः कपिपौण्ड्रकाद्याः । अन्ये च शाल्वकुजबल्वलदन्तवक्र- सप्तोक्षशम्बरविदूरथरुक्मिमुख्याः ॥ 7.34 ॥

ye ca pralamba-khara-dardura-keśy-ariṣṭa- mallebha-kaṁsa-yavanāḥ kapi-pauṇḍrakādyāḥ anye ca śālva-kuja-balvala-dantavakra- saptokṣa-śambara-vidūratha-rukmi-mukhyāḥ

And those demons — Pralamba, Dhenuka, Keśī, Ariṣṭa, the wrestlers, the elephant Kuvalayāpīḍa, Kaṁsa, the Yavana king, the monkey Dvivida, Pauṇḍraka and others; and still others — Śālva, Balvala, Dantavakra, the seven bulls, Śambara, Vidūratha, and, foremost among them, Rukmī —

Verse 35 (bhagavata.2.7.35)

ये वा मृधे समितिशालिन आत्तचापाः काम्बोजमत्स्यकुरुसृञ्जयकैकयाद्याः । यास्यन्त्यदर्शनमलं बलपार्थभीम- व्याजाह्वयेन हरिणा निलयं तदीयम् ॥ 7.35 ॥

ye vā mṛdhe samiti-śālina ātta-cāpāḥ kāmboja-matsya-kuru-sṛñjaya-kaikayādyāḥ yāsyanty adarśanam alaṁ bala-pārtha-bhīma- vyājāhvayena hariṇā nilayaṁ tadīyam

and those bow-wielding warriors renowned in the field of battle — the Kambojas, Matsyas, Kurus, Sṛñjayas, Kekayas and others — will, through the Lord acting under the guise of names such as Balarāma, Pārtha and Bhīma, vanish utterly from this world into His own abode.

Verse 36 (bhagavata.2.7.36)

कालेन मीलितधियामवमृश्य नृणां स्तोकायुषां स्वनिगमो बत दूरपारः । आविर्हितस्त्वनुयुगं स हि सत्यवत्यां वेदद्रुमं विटपशो विभजिष्यति स्म ॥ 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

Considering that, with the passage of time, people's intelligence would grow dim and their lifespans short, and that His own Vedic revelation was, alas, of such vast and unfathomable extent, He — appearing in every age — will, as the son of Satyavatī, divide the tree of the Veda, branch by branch.

Verse 37 (bhagavata.2.7.37)

देवद्विषां निगमवर्त्मनि निष्ठितानां पूर्भिर्मयेन विहिताभिरदृश्यतूर्भिः । लोकान् घ्नतां मतिविमोहमतिप्रलोभं वेषं विधाय बहु भाष्यत औपधर्म्यम् ॥ 7.37 ॥

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

When the enemies of the gods, having mastered the outward forms of Vedic ritual, use invisible, swift-moving cities built by the demon Maya to lay waste the worlds, He will assume a form that thoroughly bewilders and allures the mind, and will preach at great length a mere semblance of religion.

Verse 38 (bhagavata.2.7.38)

यर्ह्यालयेष्वपि सतां न हरेः कथाः स्युः पाषण्डिनो द्विजजना वृषला नृदेवाः । स्वाहा स्वधा वषडिति स्म गिरो न यत्र शास्ता भविष्यति कलेर्भगवान् युगान्ते ॥ 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

When even in the homes of the pious there will be no talk left of Hari, when those born as brāhmaṇas will have turned heretic and kings will have become mere śūdras, and when even the sacred sacrificial words 'svāhā,' 'svadhā' and 'vaṣaṭ' will no longer be heard — then, at the end of Kali-yuga, the Lord will appear as its chastiser.

Verse 39 (bhagavata.2.7.39)

सर्गे तपोऽहमृषयो नव ये प्रजेशाः स्थानेऽथ धर्ममखमन्वमरावनीशाः । अन्ते त्वधर्महरमन्युवशासुराद्या मायाविभूतय इमाः पुरुशक्तिभाजः ॥ 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

At the time of creation there are penance, myself, and the nine sages who are the Prajāpatis; during the maintenance of the world there are Dharma, sacrifice, the Manus, the demigods and the kings of the earth; and at the time of dissolution there are Adharma, Lord Hara, and those overpowered by wrath, the demons and the rest — all of these are manifestations of His māyā, sharing in that vast power.

Verse 40 (bhagavata.2.7.40)

विष्णोर्नु वीर्यगणनां कतमोऽर्हतीह यः पार्थिवान्यपि कविर्विममे रजांसि । चस्कम्भ यः स्वरहसास्खलता त्रिपृष्ठं यस्मात् त्रिसाम्यसदनादुरुकम्पयानम् ॥ 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

Who indeed is capable of counting the powers of Viṣṇu, when even a learned sage might sooner count all the particles of the earth? By His own effortless motion, without ever stumbling, He reached beyond the three worlds to the very abode where the three modes of nature rest in equilibrium — and at His passing, that whole realm trembled greatly.

Verse 41 (bhagavata.2.7.41)

नान्तं विदाम्यहममी मुनयोऽग्रजास्ते मायाबलस्य पुरुषस्य कुतोऽवरा ये । गायन् गुणान् दशशतानन आदिदेवः शेषोऽधुनापि समवस्यति नास्य पारम् ॥ 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

Neither do I know the limit of His glories, nor do these sages born before you — how then could those born after us ever know it? Even Lord Śeṣa, the primeval one, with His thousand mouths singing His qualities, has not, even now, arrived at their end.

Verse 42 (bhagavata.2.7.42)

येषां स एष भगवान् दययेदनन्तः सर्वात्मनाश्रितपदो यदि निर्व्यलीकम् । ते दुस्तरामतितरन्ति च देवमायां नैषां ममाहमिति धीः श्वशृगालभक्ष्ये ॥ 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

Those upon whom this unlimited Lord bestows His favor — because they have taken refuge at His feet with their whole being, without any pretense — cross over His otherwise insurmountable māyā. For them there arises no notion of 'I' and 'mine' concerning this body, which in the end is meant to be devoured by dogs and jackals.

Verse 43 (bhagavata.2.7.43)

वेदाहमङ्ग परमस्य हि योगमायां यूयं भवश्च भगवानथ दैत्यवर्यः । पत्नी मनोः स च मनुश्च तदात्मजाश्च प्राचीनबर्हिर्ऋभुरङ्ग उत ध्रुवश्च ॥ 7.43 ॥

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

My dear one, I know the yoga-māyā of the Supreme, and so do you, and Bhava, and that noble one foremost among the demon clan, Mahārāja Prahlāda; so too do Manu's wife, Manu himself and his children, Prācīnabarhi, Ṛbhu, Aṅga, and Dhruva as well —

Verse 44 (bhagavata.2.7.44)

इक्ष्वाकुरैलमुचुकुन्दविदेहगाधि- रघ्वम्बरीषसगरा गयनाहुषाद्याः । मान्धात्रलर्कशतधन्वनुरन्तिदेवा देवव्रतो बलिरमूर्त्तरयो दिलीपः ॥ 7.44 ॥

ikṣvākur aila-mucukunda-videha-gādhi- raghv-ambarīṣa-sagarā gaya-nāhuṣādyāḥ māndhātr-alarka-śatadhanv-anu-rantidevā devavrato balir amūrttarayo dilīpaḥ

— Ikṣvāku, Aila, Mucukunda, Videha, Gādhi, Raghu, Ambarīṣa, Sagara, Gaya, Nāhuṣa and others; Māndhātā, Alarka, Śatadhanva, Anu, Rantideva, Devavrata, Bali, Amūrtaraya, Dilīpa —

Verse 45 (bhagavata.2.7.45)

सौभर्युतङ्कशिबिदेवलपिप्पलाद- सारस्वतोद्धवपराशरभूरिषेणाः । येऽन्ये विभीषणहनूमदुपेन्द्रदत्त- पार्थार्ष्टिषेणविदुरश्रुतदेववर्याः ॥ 7.45 ॥

saubhary-utaṅka-śibi-devala-pippalāda- sārasvatoddhava-parāśara-bhūriṣeṇāḥ ye ’nye vibhīṣaṇa-hanūmad-upendradatta- pārthārṣṭiṣeṇa-vidura-śrutadeva-varyāḥ

— Saubhari, Utaṅka, Śibi, Devala, Pippalāda, Sārasvata, Uddhava, Parāśara, Bhūriṣeṇa, and other eminent souls besides — Vibhīṣaṇa, Hanumān, Upendra, Pārtha, Ārṣṭiṣeṇa, Vidura, and the excellent Śrutadeva —

Verse 46 (bhagavata.2.7.46)

ते वै विदन्त्यतितरन्ति च देवमायां स्त्रीशूद्रहूणशबरा अपि पापजीवाः । यद्यद्भुतक्रमपरायणशीलशिक्षा- स्तिर्यग्जना अपि किमु श्रुतधारणा ये ॥ 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

— all these know Him and cross over His divine māyā. Even women, śūdras, Hūṇas, Śabaras and other beings of sinful life cross beyond it, if they are devoted to His wondrous deeds and disciplined in conduct — even creatures born among the animals do so. How much more, then, those who truly retain what they have heard of the scriptures!

Verse 47 (bhagavata.2.7.47)

शश्वत् प्रशान्तमभयं प्रतिबोधमात्रं शुद्धं समं सदसतः परमात्मतत्त्वम् । शब्दो न यत्र पुरुकारकवान् क्रियार्थो माया परैत्यभिमुखे च विलज्जमाना तद् वै पदं भगवतः परमस्य पुंसो ब्रह्मेति यद् विदुरजस्रसुखं विशोकम् ॥ 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

Ever tranquil, fearless, pure consciousness alone, unsullied and impartial toward both what exists and what does not — that is the truth of the Supreme Self, where no word implying an agent and its many instruments of action can apply, and before which māyā, ashamed, turns and departs. That very state of the Supreme Person, the Lord, is what the wise know as Brahman — a bliss unbroken and free of all sorrow.

Verse 48 (bhagavata.2.7.48)

सध्रयङ् नियम्य यतयो यमकर्तहेतिं । जह्युः स्वराडिव निपानखनित्रमिन्द्रः ॥ 7.48 ॥

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

Just as the sovereign Indra, once a well has been dug, abandons the digging tool, so too the ascetics, having brought their disciplined efforts under full control, set aside even those very instruments of restraint, once the goal is reached.

Verse 49 (bhagavata.2.7.49)

स श्रेयसामपि विभुर्भगवान् यतोऽस्य भावस्वभावविहितस्य सतः प्रसिद्धिः । देहे स्वधातुविगमेऽनुविशीर्यमाणे व्योमेव तत्र पुरुषो न विशीर्यतेऽजः ॥ 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

He, the Lord, is the source and master even of every auspicious goal, since the fulfillment of whatever exists — as ordained by its own nature — comes from Him alone. When the body gradually decays through the dissolution of its own elements, the unborn Person within it does not perish, just as the space within a jar remains undisturbed when the jar itself breaks.

Verse 50 (bhagavata.2.7.50)

सोऽयं तेऽभिहितस्तात भगवान् विश्वभावनः । समासेन हरेर्नान्यदन्यस्मात् सदसच्च यत् ॥ 7.50 ॥

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

My dear son, thus have I explained to you, in brief, this Supreme Lord, the source of the universe. Apart from Hari there is nothing else at all, whether cause or effect, existent or non-existent.

Verse 51 (bhagavata.2.7.51)

इदं भागवतं नाम यन्मे भगवतोदितम् । संग्रहोऽयं विभूतीनां त्वमेतद् विपुलीकुरु ॥ 7.51 ॥

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

This work, called the Bhāgavata, which the Lord Himself spoke to me, is a summary treatment of His divine glories. You should now take this and expand it further.

Verse 52 (bhagavata.2.7.52)

यथा हरौ भगवति नृणां भक्तिर्भविष्यति । सर्वात्मन्यखिलाधारे इति सङ्कल्प्य वर्णय ॥ 7.52 ॥

yathā harau bhagavati nṛṇāṁ bhaktir bhaviṣyati sarvātmany akhilādhāre iti saṅkalpya varṇaya

Describe it with this resolve in your heart: that through it, devotion may arise in human beings toward the Lord Hari, who is the Self within all and the support of everything that exists.

Verse 53 (bhagavata.2.7.53)

मायां वर्णयतोऽमुष्य ईश्वरस्यानुमोदतः । शृण्वतः श्रद्धया नित्यं माययात्मा न मुह्यति ॥ 7.53 ॥

māyāṁ varṇayato ’muṣya īśvarasyānumodataḥ śṛṇvataḥ śraddhayā nityaṁ māyayātmā na muhyati

For one who describes the Lord's māyā, who takes joy in doing so, and who constantly listens to it with faith, the self is never again bewildered by that same māyā.