Lord Vishnu's Appearance in Maharaja Prithu's Sacrificial Arena

Verse 1 (bhagavata.4.20.1)

मैत्रेय उवाच । भगवानपि वैकुण्ठः साकं मघवता विभुः । यज्ञैर्यज्ञपतिस्तुष्टो यज्ञभुक् तमभाषत ॥ १ ॥

maitreya uvāca bhagavān api vaikuṇṭhaḥ sākaṁ maghavatā vibhuḥ yajñair yajña-patis tuṣṭo yajña-bhuk tam abhāṣata

Maitreya said: Then the mighty Lord of Vaikuntha — satisfied by the sacrifices, enjoyer and very lord of the offering — arrived together with Maghavan, Indra, and spoke to him.

Verse 2 (bhagavata.4.20.2)

श्रीभगवानुवाच एष तेऽकार्षीद्भङ्गं हयमेधशतस्य ह । क्षमापयत आत्मानममुष्य क्षन्तुमर्हसि ॥ २ ॥

śrī-bhagavān uvāca eṣa te ’kārṣīd bhaṅgaṁ haya-medha-śatasya ha kṣamāpayata ātmānam amuṣya kṣantum arhasi

The blessed Lord said: This one caused a disruption in your hundred horse-sacrifices; he now offers himself in apology — you should forgive him.

Verse 3 (bhagavata.4.20.3)

सुधियः साधवो लोके नरदेव नरोत्तमाः । नाभिद्रुह्यन्ति भूतेभ्यो यर्हि नात्मा कलेवरम् ॥ ३ ॥

sudhiyaḥ sādhavo loke naradeva narottamāḥ nābhidruhyanti bhūtebhyo yarhi nātmā kalevaram

O god among men, the wise and virtuous, the best among men, never bear enmity toward any being, since they know that the self is not the body.

Verse 4 (bhagavata.4.20.4)

पुरुषा यदि मुह्यन्ति त्वादृशा देवमायया । श्रम एव परं जातो दीर्घया वृद्धसेवया ॥ ४ ॥

puruṣā yadi muhyanti tvādṛśā deva-māyayā śrama eva paraṁ jāto dīrghayā vṛddha-sevayā

If persons like you should be bewildered by the divine illusory power, then all your long service to your elders will have proved nothing but wasted effort.

Verse 5 (bhagavata.4.20.5)

अतः कायमिमं विद्वानविद्याकामकर्मभिः । आरब्ध इति नैवास्मिन्प्रतिबुद्धोऽनुषज्जते ॥ ५ ॥

ataḥ kāyam imaṁ vidvān avidyā-kāma-karmabhiḥ ārabdha iti naivāsmin pratibuddho ’nuṣajjate

Therefore, the person who understands that this body arises from ignorance, desire, and past action does not, once truly awakened, remain attached to it.

Verse 6 (bhagavata.4.20.6)

असंसक्तः शरीरेऽस्मिन्नमुनोत्पादिते गृहे । अपत्ये द्रविणे वापि कः कुर्यान्ममतां बुधः ॥ ६ ॥

asaṁsaktaḥ śarīre ’sminn amunotpādite gṛhe apatye draviṇe vāpi kaḥ kuryān mamatāṁ budhaḥ

What wise person, unattached even to this body, would feel any sense of 'mine' toward the house, children, or wealth produced through it?

Verse 7 (bhagavata.4.20.7)

एकः शुद्धः स्वयंज्योतिर्निर्गुणोऽसौ गुणाश्रयः । सर्वगोऽनावृतः साक्षी निरात्मात्मात्मनः परः ॥ ७ ॥

ekaḥ śuddhaḥ svayaṁ-jyotir nirguṇo ’sau guṇāśrayaḥ sarva-go ’nāvṛtaḥ sākṣī nirātmātmātmanaḥ paraḥ

That self is one, pure, self-luminous, beyond the material qualities though the very ground on which they rest; all-pervading, uncovered, the witness, without any self but itself, and beyond the individual soul.

Verse 8 (bhagavata.4.20.8)

य एवं सन्तमात्मानमात्मस्थं वेद पूरुषः । नाज्यते प्रकृतिस्थोऽपि तद्गुणैः स मयि स्थितः ॥ ८ ॥

ya evaṁ santam ātmānam ātma-sthaṁ veda pūruṣaḥ nājyate prakṛti-stho ’pi tad-guṇaiḥ sa mayi sthitaḥ

The person who knows the self in this way, dwelling within, is not tainted by the qualities of material nature even while remaining amid them — such a one abides in Me.

Verse 9 (bhagavata.4.20.9)

यः स्वधर्मेण मां नित्यं निराशीः श्रद्धयान्वितः । भजते शनकैस्तस्य मनो राजन् प्रसीदति ॥ ९ ॥

yaḥ sva-dharmeṇa māṁ nityaṁ nirāśīḥ śraddhayānvitaḥ bhajate śanakais tasya mano rājan prasīdati

O King, the mind of one who, through his own duty, worships Me constantly, free of craving and endowed with faith, grows serene by slow degrees.

Verse 10 (bhagavata.4.20.10)

परित्यक्तगुणः सम्यग्दर्शनो विशदाशयः । शान्तिं मे समवस्थानं ब्रह्म कैवल्यमश्नुते ॥ १० ॥

parityakta-guṇaḥ samyag darśano viśadāśayaḥ śāntiṁ me samavasthānaṁ brahma kaivalyam aśnute

Having relinquished the material qualities, seeing truly, his heart made clear, he attains peace, a standing equal to My own, and the absolute oneness that is Brahman.

Verse 11 (bhagavata.4.20.11)

उदासीनमिवाध्यक्षं द्रव्यज्ञानक्रियात्मनाम् । कूटस्थमिममात्मानं यो वेदाप्नोति शोभनम् ॥ ११ ॥

udāsīnam ivādhyakṣaṁ dravya-jñāna-kriyātmanām kūṭa-stham imam ātmānaṁ yo vedāpnoti śobhanam

Whoever knows this self — the unmoved witness, as it were, presiding over matter, the instruments of knowledge, and of action, ever unchanging — attains what is truly auspicious.

Verse 12 (bhagavata.4.20.12)

भिन्नस्य लिङ्गस्य गुणप्रवाहो द्रव्यक्रियाकारकचेतनात्मनः । दृष्टासु सम्पत्सु विपत्सु सूरयो न विक्रियन्ते मयि बद्धसौहृदाः ॥ १२ ॥

bhinnasya liṅgasya guṇa-pravāho dravya-kriyā-kāraka-cetanātmanaḥ dṛṣṭāsu sampatsu vipatsu sūrayo na vikriyante mayi baddha-sauhṛdāḥ

The subtle body, made of matter, action, the instruments of action, and consciousness, is a mere flow of the material qualities, distinct from the self. Seeing prosperity or misfortune befall it, the wise, whose hearts are bound to Me in affection, are never shaken.

Verse 13 (bhagavata.4.20.13)

समः समानोत्तममध्यमाधमः सुखे च दुःखे च जितेन्द्रियाशयः । मयोपक्लृप्ताखिललोकसंयुतो विधत्स्व वीराखिललोकरक्षणम् ॥ १३ ॥

samaḥ samānottama-madhyamādhamaḥ sukhe ca duḥkhe ca jitendriyāśayaḥ mayopakḷptākhila-loka-saṁyuto vidhatsva vīrākhila-loka-rakṣaṇam

O hero, remain even-minded toward the equal, the superior, and the inferior alike, in pleasure and in pain, with mind and senses mastered; and, furnished by Me with all the resources of the world, take up the protection of all the people.

Verse 14 (bhagavata.4.20.14)

श्रेयः प्रजापालनमेव राज्ञो यत्साम्पराये सुकृतात् षष्ठमंशम् । हर्तान्यथा हृतपुण्यः प्रजाना- मरक्षिता करहारोऽघमत्ति ॥ १४ ॥

śreyaḥ prajā-pālanam eva rājño yat sāmparāye sukṛtāt ṣaṣṭham aṁśam hartānyathā hṛta-puṇyaḥ prajānām arakṣitā kara-hāro ’gham atti

The true good for a king lies simply in protecting his subjects, by which in the next world he shares a sixth part of their merit; otherwise, a king who collects taxes but grants no protection loses his own merit and instead eats the sin of his unprotected people.

Verse 15 (bhagavata.4.20.15)

एवं द्विजाग्र्यानुमतानुवृत्त धर्मप्रधानोऽन्यतमोऽवितास्याः । ह्रस्वेन कालेन गृहोपयातान् द्रष्टासि सिद्धाननुरक्तलोकः ॥ १५ ॥

evaṁ dvijāgryānumatānuvṛtta- dharma-pradhāno ’nyatamo ’vitāsyāḥ hrasvena kālena gṛhopayātān draṣṭāsi siddhān anurakta-lokaḥ

Thus, giving dharma the foremost place and following what the leading brahmanas have approved, protecting this earth as none other could, in a short time, your people devoted to you, you shall see perfected sages arrive at your very home.

Verse 16 (bhagavata.4.20.16)

वरं च मत्कञ्चन मानवेन्द्र वृणीष्व तेऽहं गुणशीलयन्त्रितः । नाहं मखैर्वै सुलभस्तपोभि- र्योगेन वा यत्समचित्तवर्ती ॥ १६ ॥

varaṁ ca mat kañcana mānavendra vṛṇīṣva te ’haṁ guṇa-śīla-yantritaḥ nāhaṁ makhair vai sulabhas tapobhir yogena vā yat sama-citta-vartī

And, O lord of men, ask of Me whatever boon you wish, for I am bound by your virtue and character. I am not easily attained through sacrifices, austerities, or yoga — I dwell within the heart of one whose mind remains even.

Verse 17 (bhagavata.4.20.17)

मैत्रेय उवाच स इत्थं लोकगुरुणा विष्वक्सेनेन विश्वजित् । अनुशासित आदेशं शिरसा जगृहे हरेः ॥ १७ ॥

maitreya uvāca sa itthaṁ loka-guruṇā viṣvaksenena viśva-jit anuśāsita ādeśaṁ śirasā jagṛhe hareḥ

Maitreya said: Thus instructed by the teacher of the worlds, Vishvaksena, the world-conquering Prithu received Hari's command upon his own bowed head.

Verse 18 (bhagavata.4.20.18)

स्पृशन्तं पादयोः प्रेम्णा व्रीडितं स्वेन कर्मणा । शतक्रतुं परिष्वज्य विद्वेषं विससर्ज ह ॥ १८ ॥

spṛśantaṁ pādayoḥ premṇā vrīḍitaṁ svena karmaṇā śata-kratuṁ pariṣvajya vidveṣaṁ visasarja ha

As Shatakratu, Indra, ashamed of his own deed, touched his feet in love, Prithu embraced him and let go of all enmity.

Verse 19 (bhagavata.4.20.19)

भगवानथ विश्वात्मा पृथुनोपहृतार्हणः । समुज्जिहानया भक्त्या गृहीतचरणाम्बुजः ॥ १९ ॥

bhagavān atha viśvātmā pṛthunopahṛtārhaṇaḥ samujjihānayā bhaktyā gṛhīta-caraṇāmbujaḥ

Then the illustrious Lord, the Self of the universe, having been honored with offerings by Prithu, had His lotus feet held fast, in devotion that rose ever higher.

Verse 20 (bhagavata.4.20.20)

प्रस्थानाभिमुखोऽप्येनमनुग्रहविलम्बितः । पश्यन् पद्मपलाशाक्षो न प्रतस्थे सुहृत्सताम् ॥ २० ॥

prasthānābhimukho ’py enam anugraha-vilambitaḥ paśyan padma-palāśākṣo na pratasthe suhṛt satām

Though ready to depart, He was held back by His own grace, and the lotus-eyed friend of the virtuous, gazing upon him, did not set out.

Verse 21 (bhagavata.4.20.21)

स आदिराजो रचिताञ्जलिर्हरिं विलोकितुं नाशकदश्रुलोचनः । न किञ्चनोवाच स बाष्पविक्लवो हृदोपगुह्यामुमधादवस्थितः ॥ २१ ॥

sa ādi-rājo racitāñjalir hariṁ vilokituṁ nāśakad aśru-locanaḥ na kiñcanovāca sa bāṣpa-viklavo hṛdopaguhyāmum adhād avasthitaḥ

That first of kings, hands joined, his eyes brimming with tears, could not even manage to look upon Hari; choked with weeping, he could say nothing at all, and simply stood there, holding Him close within his heart.

Verse 22 (bhagavata.4.20.22)

अथावमृज्याश्रुकला विलोकयन्- नतृप्तदृग्गोचरमाह पूरुषम् । पदा स्पृशन्तं क्षितिमंस उन्नते विन्यस्तहस्ताग्रमुरङ्गविद्विषः ॥ २२ ॥

athāvamṛjyāśru-kalā vilokayann atṛpta-dṛg-gocaram āha pūruṣam padā spṛśantaṁ kṣitim aṁsa unnate vinyasta-hastāgram uraṅga-vidviṣaḥ

Then, wiping away the last of his tears, and gazing with eyes still unsatisfied upon that Supreme Person — His feet just brushing the earth, His hand resting on the raised shoulder of the serpents' foe, Garuda — he spoke to Him.

Verse 23 (bhagavata.4.20.23)

पृथुरुवाच वरान्विभो त्वद्वरदेश्वराद् बुधः कथं वृणीते गुणविक्रियात्मनाम् । ये नारकाणामपि सन्ति देहिनां तानीश कैवल्यपते वृणे न च ॥ २३ ॥

pṛthur uvāca varān vibho tvad varadeśvarād budhaḥ kathaṁ vṛṇīte guṇa-vikriyātmanām ye nārakāṇām api santi dehināṁ tān īśa kaivalya-pate vṛṇe na ca

Prithu said: O mighty one, how could a wise person ask of You, the very Lord of all who grant boons, for those benedictions meant for beings changed by the material qualities — benedictions that even the inhabitants of hell already possess? O Lord, master of absolute oneness, I ask for none of those.

Verse 24 (bhagavata.4.20.24)

न कामये नाथ तदप्यहं क्वचिन् न यत्र युष्मच्चरणाम्बुजासवः । महत्तमान्तर्हृदयान्मुखच्युतो विधत्स्व कर्णायुतमेष मे वरः ॥ २४ ॥

na kāmaye nātha tad apy ahaṁ kvacin na yatra yuṣmac-caraṇāmbujāsavaḥ mahattamāntar-hṛdayān mukha-cyuto vidhatsva karṇāyutam eṣa me varaḥ

Nor, my lord, do I desire even that state of liberation in which there is no place for the nectar of Your lotus feet, flowing forth from the innermost hearts of the greatest devotees through their mouths. Grant me instead this one boon: ten thousand ears.

Verse 25 (bhagavata.4.20.25)

स उत्तमश्लोक महन्मुखच्युतो भवत्पदाम्भोजसुधा कणानिलः । स्मृतिं पुनर्विस्मृततत्त्ववर्त्मनां कुयोगिनां नो वितरत्यलं वरैः ॥ २५ ॥

sa uttamaśloka mahan-mukha-cyuto bhavat-padāmbhoja-sudhā kaṇānilaḥ smṛtiṁ punar vismṛta-tattva-vartmanāṁ kuyogināṁ no vitaraty alaṁ varaiḥ

O Lord of matchless praise, the breeze carrying particles of the nectar of Your lotus feet, flowing from the mouths of the great, restores memory even to lesser seekers who have forgotten the path of truth — I need no other boon beyond that.

Verse 26 (bhagavata.4.20.26)

यशः शिवं सुश्रव आर्यसङ्गमे यदृच्छया चोपशृणोति ते सकृत् । कथं गुणज्ञो विरमेद्विना पशुं श्रीर्यत्प्रवव्रे गुणसङ्ग्रहेच्छया ॥ २६ ॥

yaśaḥ śivaṁ suśrava ārya-saṅgame yadṛcchayā copaśṛṇoti te sakṛt kathaṁ guṇa-jño viramed vinā paśuṁ śrīr yat pravavre guṇa-saṅgrahecchayā

Your fame, auspicious and sweet to hear, once heard even by chance in the company of the noble — how could anyone who knows its worth turn away from it, unless he were no better than an animal — seeing that even the Goddess of Fortune herself embraced it, out of a desire to gather Your qualities?

Verse 27 (bhagavata.4.20.27)

अथाभजे त्वाखिलपूरुषोत्तमं गुणालयं पद्मकरेव लालसः । अप्यावयोरेकपतिस्पृधोः कलि- र्न स्यात्कृतत्वच्चरणैकतानयोः ॥ २७ ॥

athābhaje tvākhila-pūruṣottamaṁ guṇālayaṁ padma-kareva lālasaḥ apy āvayor eka-pati-spṛdhoḥ kalir na syāt kṛta-tvac-caraṇaika-tānayoḥ

So now I would serve You, longing like the lotus-handed goddess herself, You who are the Supreme Person, the very abode of every virtue — though I wonder whether some rivalry might not arise between the two of us, both devoted to a single Lord, once I too become wholly fixed at Your feet.

Verse 28 (bhagavata.4.20.28)

जगज्जनन्यां जगदीश वैशसं स्यादेव यत्कर्मणि नः समीहितम् । करोषि फल्ग्वप्युरु दीनवत्सलः स्व एव धिष्ण्येऽभिरतस्य किं तया ॥ २८ ॥

jagaj-jananyāṁ jagad-īśa vaiśasaṁ syād eva yat-karmaṇi naḥ samīhitam karoṣi phalgv apy uru dīna-vatsalaḥ sva eva dhiṣṇye ’bhiratasya kiṁ tayā

O Lord of the universe, some harm might indeed come to the Mother of the World from the very rivalry I fear in this service I long for; yet You, tender toward the lowly, make even a trifling deed great — and what, after all, is such rivalry to one who is content simply to remain in his own place?

Verse 29 (bhagavata.4.20.29)

भजन्त्यथ त्वामत एव साधवो व्युदस्तमायागुणविभ्रमोदयम् । भवत्पदानुस्मरणादृते सतां निमित्तमन्यद्भगवन्न विद्महे ॥ २९ ॥

bhajanty atha tvām ata eva sādhavo vyudasta-māyā-guṇa-vibhramodayam bhavat-padānusmaraṇād ṛte satāṁ nimittam anyad bhagavan na vidmahe

That is why the virtuous worship You, in whom the confusion born of maya's qualities has been utterly cast off; O Lord, we know of no other reason for the good, apart from constant remembrance of Your feet.

Verse 30 (bhagavata.4.20.30)

मन्ये गिरं ते जगतां विमोहिनीं वरं वृणीष्वेति भजन्तमात्थ यत् । वाचा नु तन्त्या यदि ते जनोऽसितः कथं पुनः कर्म करोति मोहितः ॥ ३० ॥

manye giraṁ te jagatāṁ vimohinīṁ varaṁ vṛṇīṣveti bhajantam āttha yat vācā nu tantyā yadi te jano ’sitaḥ kathaṁ punaḥ karma karoti mohitaḥ

I think this word of Yours — 'ask a boon' — spoken to one who worships You, bewilders the worlds. For if a person, bound as if by a rope of Your own speech, becomes caught in it, how does he, thus deluded, go on acting again and again?

Verse 31 (bhagavata.4.20.31)

त्वन्माययाद्धा जन ईश खण्डितो यदन्यदाशास्त ऋतात्मनोऽबुधः । यथा चरेद् बालहितं पिता स्वयं तथा त्वमेवार्हसि नः समीहितुम् ॥ ३१ ॥

tvan-māyayāddhā jana īśa khaṇḍito yad anyad āśāsta ṛtātmano ’budhaḥ yathā cared bāla-hitaṁ pitā svayaṁ tathā tvam evārhasi naḥ samīhitum

O Lord, a person, truly fragmented by Your illusory power, in his ignorance desires something other than his own true nature. Just as a father himself acts for his child's good without waiting to be asked, so You alone are fit to decide what is best for us.

Verse 32 (bhagavata.4.20.32)

मैत्रेय उवाच इत्यादिराजेन नुतः स विश्वदृक् तमाह राजन्मयि भक्तिरस्तु ते । दिष्ट्येदृशी धीर्मयि ते कृता यया मायां मदीयां तरति स्म दुस्त्यजाम् ॥ ३२ ॥

maitreya uvāca ity ādi-rājena nutaḥ sa viśva-dṛk tam āha rājan mayi bhaktir astu te diṣṭyedṛśī dhīr mayi te kṛtā yayā māyāṁ madīyāṁ tarati sma dustyajām

Maitreya said: Thus praised by that first of kings, He who beholds the universe said to him: O King, may your devotion to Me continue. Fortunate indeed that such understanding of Me has arisen in you, by which one crosses over My illusory power, so hard to relinquish.

Verse 33 (bhagavata.4.20.33)

तत्त्वं कुरु मयादिष्टमप्रमत्तः प्रजापते । मदादेशकरो लोकः सर्वत्राप्नोति शोभनम् ॥ ३३ ॥

tat tvaṁ kuru mayādiṣṭam apramattaḥ prajāpate mad-ādeśa-karo lokaḥ sarvatrāpnoti śobhanam

Therefore, O lord of the people, carry out without negligence what I have instructed. Whoever acts according to My command attains what is good everywhere.

Verse 34 (bhagavata.4.20.34)

मैत्रेय उवाच इति वैन्यस्य राजर्षेः प्रतिनन्द्यार्थवद्वचः । पूजितोऽनुगृहीत्वैनं गन्तुं चक्रेऽच्युतो मतिम् ॥ ३४ ॥

maitreya uvāca iti vainyasya rājarṣeḥ pratinandyārthavad vacaḥ pūjito ’nugṛhītvainaṁ gantuṁ cakre ’cyuto matim

Maitreya said: Having thus welcomed the meaningful words of the royal sage, the son of Vena, and having been duly worshiped by him, the infallible Lord blessed him and resolved to depart.

Verse 35 (bhagavata.4.20.35)

देवर्षिपितृगन्धर्वसिद्धचारणपन्नगाः । किन्नराप्सरसो मर्त्याः खगा भूतान्यनेकशः ॥ ३५ ॥

devarṣi-pitṛ-gandharva- siddha-cāraṇa-pannagāḥ kinnarāpsaraso martyāḥ khagā bhūtāny anekaśaḥ

The gods, sages, ancestors, Gandharvas, Siddhas, Charanas, and serpents; the Kinnaras, Apsarases, mortals, birds, and beings of many other kinds — all were present there.

Verse 36 (bhagavata.4.20.36)

यज्ञेश्वरधिया राज्ञा वाग्वित्ताञ्जलिभक्तितः । सभाजिता ययुः सर्वे वैकुण्ठानुगतास्ततः ॥ ३६ ॥

yajñeśvara-dhiyā rājñā vāg-vittāñjali-bhaktitaḥ sabhājitā yayuḥ sarve vaikuṇṭhānugatās tataḥ

Honored by the king — who beheld them all with the awareness of the Lord of sacrifice — with kind words, wealth, folded hands, and devotion, they all then departed, following in the wake of the Lord of Vaikuntha.

Verse 37 (bhagavata.4.20.37)

भगवानपि राजर्षेः सोपाध्यायस्य चाच्युतः । हरन्निव मनोऽमुष्य स्वधाम प्रत्यपद्यत ॥ ३७ ॥

bhagavān api rājarṣeḥ sopādhyāyasya cācyutaḥ harann iva mano ’muṣya sva-dhāma pratyapadyata

The infallible Lord too, as though carrying away with Him the hearts of the royal sage and his priests, returned to His own abode.

Verse 38 (bhagavata.4.20.38)

अदृष्टाय नमस्कृत्य नृपः सन्दर्शितात्मने । अव्यक्ताय च देवानां देवाय स्वपुरं ययौ ॥ ३८ ॥

adṛṣṭāya namaskṛtya nṛpaḥ sandarśitātmane avyaktāya ca devānāṁ devāya sva-puraṁ yayau

Having bowed before Him who, though unseen by ordinary sight, had revealed Himself — the unmanifest God of the gods — the king then returned to his own city.