Brahma Enlists the Ketaki Flower as a False Witness

Verse 1 (skanda.1.127.1)

नंदिकेश्वर उवाच । केतकीबर्हमप्येनं विहस्य पुनरब्रवीत् । केतक्युवाच । अपि मूढ न किंचित्त्वं वेत्सि कस्त्वं कुतो न तत्

naṁdikeśvara uvāca ketakībarhamapyenaṁ vihasya punarabravīt ketakyuvāca api mūḍha na kiṁcittvaṁ vetsi kastvaṁ kuto na tat

Nandikeshvara said: The ketaki petal, laughing at him, spoke again. The ketaki said: 'Fool! You know nothing at all — who are you, and whence do you come, that you do not know even this?'

Verse 2 (skanda.1.127.2)

ईदृश्यः परितो लग्ना यस्मिन्ब्रह्मांडकोटयः । तस्य प्रमाणमेतावदिति को वेदितुं क्षमः

īdṛśyaḥ parito lagnā yasminbrahmāṁḍakoṭayaḥ tasya pramāṇametāvaditi ko vedituṁ kṣamaḥ

'Countless such cosmic eggs cling all about this pillar — who then is capable of knowing its true measure, of saying this much and no more?'

Verse 3 (skanda.1.127.3)

चतुर्युगायुतैर्यातं ततो निपततो मम । इदानीमपि नाप्रोति तन्मध्यं किल भूतलम्

caturyugāyutairyātaṁ tato nipatato mama idānīmapi nāproti tanmadhyaṁ kila bhūtalam

'It is ten thousand cycles of the four ages since I began falling from it, and even now I have not yet reached its middle, let alone the earth below.'

Verse 4 (skanda.1.127.4)

इति ब्रुवाणमेनं च नमस्कृत्य सरोजभूः । हित्वा निजमहंकारमभाषत कृतांजलिः

iti bruvāṇamenaṁ ca namaskṛtya sarojabhūḥ hitvā nijamahaṁkāramabhāṣata kṛtāṁjaliḥ

Hearing it speak thus, the lotus-born Brahma bowed to it, and, setting aside his own pride, spoke with joined palms.

Verse 5 (skanda.1.127.5)

ब्रह्मोवाच । महात्मन्सत्यमेवास्मि मूढोऽहं केतकच्छद । ब्रह्मणा हि मया स्पर्द्धा विष्णुना सह निर्मिता

brahmovāca mahātmansatyamevāsmi mūḍho'haṁ ketakacchada brahmaṇā hi mayā sparddhā viṣṇunā saha nirmitā

Brahma said: 'O great one, O ketaki petal, it is true — I am indeed a fool. For, being Brahma myself, I entered into rivalry with Vishnu.'

Verse 6 (skanda.1.127.6)

द्वाभ्यामपीदमावाभ्यां विस्मृतं शिववैभवम् । यन्नौ महानभूद्गर्वस्सर्गसंत्राणमात्रतः

dvābhyāmapīdamāvābhyāṁ vismṛtaṁ śivavaibhavam yannau mahānabhūdgarvassargasaṁtrāṇamātrataḥ

'Both of us together forgot Shiva's true greatness — for merely because of our roles as creator and preserver, so great a pride arose in us both.'

Verse 7 (skanda.1.127.7)

ह्रेपणी संकथा तावदास्तामद्याप्यहं यतः । स्पर्द्धया न विमुक्तोऽस्मि बद्धया गरुडध्वजे

hrepaṇī saṁkathā tāvadāstāmadyāpyahaṁ yataḥ sparddhayā na vimukto'smi baddhayā garuḍadhvaje

'Let alone the shame this story will bring — even now I cannot free myself from the rivalry that binds me to the bearer of Garuda's banner.'

Verse 8 (skanda.1.127.8)

सख्यं साप्तपदीनं हि कथ्यते तद्भवान्मयि

sakhyaṁ sāptapadīnaṁ hi kathyate tadbhavānmayi

'It is said that friendship formed after walking seven steps together is true friendship — let such friendship now be yours with me.'

Verse 9 (skanda.1.127.9)

असंस्तुतधियं हित्वा कर्तुमर्हस्यनुग्रहम् । अहं विष्णुश्च मोहांधौ तेजःस्तंभस्य वीक्षणात्

asaṁstutadhiyaṁ hitvā kartumarhasyanugraham ahaṁ viṣṇuśca mohāṁdhau tejaḥstaṁbhasya vīkṣaṇāt

'Set aside any thought that we are strangers, and grant me this favor — for both Vishnu and I have been blinded by delusion at the mere sight of this pillar of light.'

Verse 10 (skanda.1.127.10)

हंसकोलाकृती दध्वो मिथः साम्यं व्यपोहितुम् । मूलं दिदृक्षुः स दशां कीदृशीं यातवानिति

haṁsakolākṛtī dadhvo mithaḥ sāmyaṁ vyapohitum mūlaṁ didṛkṣuḥ sa daśāṁ kīdṛśīṁ yātavāniti

'Taking the forms of swan and boar, we set out to disprove our equality with one another — he to see the root, I the summit. What state has he now come to, I wonder?'

Verse 11 (skanda.1.127.11)

न जाने मम चास्याग्रं दिदृक्षोरीदृक्षी दशा । गतमुड्डीयमानस्य मे सहस्रेण हायनेः

na jāne mama cāsyāgraṁ didṛkṣorīdṛkṣī daśā gatamuḍḍīyamānasya me sahasreṇa hāyaneḥ

'I know not what state he has reached — but as for me, eager to see the summit, this is my plight: a thousand years have passed since this flight began, and still I fly on.'

Verse 12 (skanda.1.127.12)

जातश्रमोऽस्मि नितरां वियुज्य इव चासुभिः । दिष्ट्याद्य भद्र लब्धस्त्वं मयाऽऽलंबोवसीदताम्

jātaśramo'smi nitarāṁ viyujya iva cāsubhiḥ diṣṭyādya bhadra labdhastvaṁ mayā''laṁbovasīdatām

'I have grown utterly weary, as though my very life-breath were leaving me. By great fortune, O gentle one, I have found you today — a support for one who was sinking.'

Verse 13 (skanda.1.127.13)

तन्मे कुरुष्व मित्रस्य सफलां याचनामिमाम् । सखाहं सहसंजल्पादस्मि दासोनुषंजनात्

tanme kuruṣva mitrasya saphalāṁ yācanāmimām sakhāhaṁ sahasaṁjalpādasmi dāsonuṣaṁjanāt

'So grant this plea of your friend, and make it fruitful. Merely by speaking together we have become friends — indeed, by this closeness I am now your servant.'

Verse 14 (skanda.1.127.14)

तत्त्वया करणीयैवं प्रार्थनैषा कृतांजलिः । यदि पश्यति मूलं स जितोऽहममुना तदा

tattvayā karaṇīyaivaṁ prārthanaiṣā kṛtāṁjaliḥ yadi paśyati mūlaṁ sa jito'hamamunā tadā

'This, then, is the plea I make to you with joined palms: if Vishnu should see the root, then I am defeated by him.'

Verse 15 (skanda.1.127.15)

यद्वा न पश्यति तदाप्यस्मि साम्यमुपेयिवान् । इदं द्वयमपि प्रायो ममातिह्रेपणं सखे

yadvā na paśyati tadāpyasmi sāmyamupeyivān idaṁ dvayamapi prāyo mamātihrepaṇaṁ sakhe

'And even if he has not seen it, I shall only have reached equality with him — either way, friend, both outcomes bring me the deepest shame.'

Verse 16 (skanda.1.127.16)

त्वयैव परिहार्यत्वमिदानीं समुपागतम् । अनृतामभिभाष त्वमुचितां च सुहृत्कृते

tvayaiva parihāryatvamidānīṁ samupāgatam anṛtāmabhibhāṣa tvamucitāṁ ca suhṛtkṛte

'It is you alone who can now save me from this shame. Speak an untruth — a fitting one — for the sake of your friend.'

Verse 17 (skanda.1.127.17)

गिरमेकामिमामग्रे चक्रपाणेरुदीरय । एष हंसाकृतिर्ब्रह्मा तेजःस्तंभस्वरूपिणः

giramekāmimāmagre cakrapāṇerudīraya eṣa haṁsākṛtirbrahmā tejaḥstaṁbhasvarūpiṇaḥ

'Speak just this one word before the discus-bearer Vishnu: that this Brahma, in the form of a swan, has indeed seen —'

Verse 18 (skanda.1.127.18)

अत्युच्चं दृष्टवानग्रमत्र साक्ष्ये स्थितोऽस्म्यहम् । तेनापि तेजःस्तम्भत्वमेयुषा चन्द्रमौलिना

atyuccaṁ dṛṣṭavānagramatra sākṣye sthito'smyaham tenāpi tejaḥstambhatvameyuṣā candramaulinā

'— its topmost summit, far above; and that I myself stand as witness to this, that it was reached even by moon-crested Shiva, in this his form as a pillar of light.'

Verse 19 (skanda.1.127.19)

संभावितोयं सुतरां पित्रेव हि पितामहः । अतोऽयमेवाभ्यधिको भवतो विष्टरश्रवाः

saṁbhāvitoyaṁ sutarāṁ pitreva hi pitāmahaḥ ato'yamevābhyadhiko bhavato viṣṭaraśravāḥ

'This grandsire will thus be greatly honored, as though by his own father; and so he, and not you, O broad-eared Vishnu, shall be deemed the greater.'

Verse 20 (skanda.1.127.20)

इत्युक्त्वा मम साहाय्यं सुमहत्क्रियतां त्वया

ityuktvā mama sāhāyyaṁ sumahatkriyatāṁ tvayā

'Having said this, let this be the great help that you render me.'

Verse 21 (skanda.1.127.21)

नंदिकेश्वर उवाच । एवं भूयः प्रार्थितोऽयं विधात्रा दाक्षिण्यार्द्रः केतकीबर्हकोपि । तेजःस्तंभाभ्यर्णभाजे तथैव प्राहाशेषं विष्णवे ब्रह्मवाक्यम्

naṁdikeśvara uvāca evaṁ bhūyaḥ prārthito'yaṁ vidhātrā dākṣiṇyārdraḥ ketakībarhakopi tejaḥstaṁbhābhyarṇabhāje tathaiva prāhāśeṣaṁ viṣṇave brahmavākyam

Nandikeshvara said: Thus entreated again and again by the Creator, the ketaki petal too, its heart softened by kindness, agreed. And drawing near to Vishnu, who stood close by the pillar of light, it repeated in full, exactly as instructed, Brahma's every word.