37 - Grant of boons to Brahma 

Sanatkumăra said: 

1. How did you attain Mahadeva the lord of Umā? 0 holy lord, it behoves you to narrate everything. I wish to hear. 

Shailādi said: 

2. Ogreat sage, my blind father Shilāda was desirous of a progeny. For a long time, he perfirmed a penance very difficult to be performed by others. 

3. The thunderbolt-wielding lord Indra was pleased with his penance. He said to Shilāda--"I am pleased. Choose your boons". 

4. O leading sage, he bowed down to the thousand-eyed lord of Devas along with Devas. With palms joined in reverence he spoke to him. 

Shilāda said: 

5. O lord of good lioly rites, O destroyer of the enemies of Devas, O bestower of boons, I wish for a son devoid of death and not born of a womb. 

Indra said: 

6. O brahmin sage, I shall give you a son born of a womb and liable to die. I will not give you anyone otherwise. There are no persons without death. 

7. O great sage, even lord Brahmã will not grant you a son without death or not born of a womb. Then what about others? 

8. Even that lord Brahmā is not devoid of death himself. The lord himself is born of a womb. The lotus-born deity of great splendour is born of an egg. 

9. The lord is born of Maheśhvara. He is the son of Umā. His span of life is limited to two Parārdhas, 

10. Thousands and crores of kalpas that constitute his day have passed by. So many yet remain. 

11. Hence O leading brahmin, eschew your ardent desire for a son devoid of death or not born of a womb. Accept a son like yourself. 

Shailādi said: 

12. On hearing his words my meritorious father well known in the world as Shilāda again spoke to the husband of Shachi (i.e. Indra). 

Shilāda said: 

13. O lord, I have already heard that Brahmã was born of an Egg, was born of a lotus and also was born of Maheśhvara. 

14-15. Formerly O Mahendra, of great arms, Nārada my elder brother, had been saying this and I have heard it from him. But tell me, how this can be? Dākṣhāyaṇi was the grand-daughter of Brahmā since Dakșha was the son of the lotus born deity? How then can Brahmā be her son? 

Indra said: 

16-18. O brahmin, your doubt is reasonable. I shall tell you the cause of the same that happened to Brahmă in the Tatpuruşha kalpa. After pondering over all things the supreme lord created Brahmä. In the Meghavāhana kalpa, Vişhnu, the lord of the universe, became a cloud and bore the supreme lord Shiva for a thousand years with ease and comfort. 

19. On seeing the devotional feeling of Vişhnu towards himself the great lord entrusted to him everything along with Brahma with instructions to create further. 

20-21. Then they call that kalpa by the nam. Meghavāhana. On seeing him born of His body Brahmī approached Shiva and said: "O lord, Vishņu was born of your left and I am born of your right side." 

22-26. “Still Vishnu created the entire universe along with me. Taking the form of a cloud identical with the world he bore you the lord of Devas, preceptor of the universe, day and night. O lord, I am a better devotee of yours than him. Be pleased with me, o lord, grant ine omniscience." 

Then Brahmã attained omniscience in a knee. He then hurried out and met Vişhnu in the vast ocean251 enveloped by darkness. He saw Vişhnu in an illustrious spot studded with cold and jewels which was mentally created by Vishņu himself. It was inaccessible to wicked persons, invisible even to the pious like Indra and others. 

251. See p. 15 note 22.

27-32. Brahmă saw the Purusha in whose heart the entire universe rested. He was lying down on the couch constituted by the body of the serpent Shesha.252 He had lotus-like eyes and four arms holding the conch, dicus, iron club, and the lotus. He was wearing ornaments and in that forın he resembled the orb of the moon. He bore the mark Shrivatsa over his breast. Brahmā beheld him with pleasure evident in his face. His lotus-like feet had turned red due to the contact with the lotus-like soft hands of Lakshmī. He was Ishana the greatest Atman. By tamas he was in the form of Kula. By rajas he was the initiator of creation of the world. By Sattva lie was The sustainer of all. He was Parameshvara, the soul of all, the noble Atman, the supreme soul. Brahma saw him lying down in his yogic slumber in the milky ocean hull of nectar. On seeing him he spoke to him thus:

252. See p. 15 note 23.  

33-35. "Just as you lhad swallowed me before, so also I shall swallow you now by the grace of Shiva. The lord with great arms woke up a little surprised and looking at him smiled slightly. Swallowed by that noble soul, he entered the body of that deity born of the Egg. Then Brahmã created Vişhņu through the middle of the eye-brows. Created by him Vişhņu stood near him observing. 

36-40. In the meantime Rudra, the source of origin of all Devas, who had granted boons to both, assumed an uncivil form and came to the place where Vişhnu stood. Lord Parameśhvara, the soul of the universe, wanted to bless both with great favour. Both of them simultaneously saw the lord resembling the fire of Death. They eulogised the terrible lord with matted hair. They bowed to the lord, the bestower of boons, standing far away out of respect. The great lord, the protector of the universe blessed Brahma and Vişhnu and vanished there itself.