4 - Greatness of Narayana

Earth said:

1. Tell me whether this illustrious Näräyana, the supreme soul and the eternal, is God in all respects or not.

Varäha replied:

2-3. Matsya (fish), Kürma (tortoise), Varäha (boar), Narasimha (man-lion), Vämana (dwarf), Parašhuräma, Räm. (son of Dašharatha), (dark-one), Buddha (enlightened) and Kalki—these ten are told as His forms, O beautiful one bearing all the beings. These are the steps for those who wish to attain the vision (of Vishnu).

4. Even the gods do not see His real form. Hence they satisfy them selves with the forms like mine.

5. Brahmä, the Räjasa and Tämasa forms establish and sustain the universe.

6. O Earth, you arc the first form of that God. The second is water and the third fire.

7. The fourth form is air and the fifth ether. These are His forms. With the controller of these in three aspects, the total forms are eight.

8. All this world is pervaded by Näräyana. Thus, I have told you this. What else, O goddess, do you wish to hear?

Earth asked:

9. Be pleased to tell me, O great lord, what king Priyavrata did after having been told thus by Närada.

Varäha replied:

10. After hearing the wonder from Närada, Priyavrata, giving his sons you (the earth, i.e., his kingdom), divided into seven, performed penance.

11. Uttering the great Naräyana-mantra and his mind absorbed in it, he attamed liberation,

12. Hear, O beautiful lady, again, the deeds of the great Lord for the worship by kings in olden days.

13-14. There was a righteous king named Ašhvašhiras. When the saintly king performed munificently the Ashvamedha sacrifice and accompanied by Brähmanas finished it with the Avabhrutha bath, there came the great sages Kapila and Jaigishavya.

15. Then the king quickly stood up in great delight and welcomed them.

16. Offering them seats and showing hospitality the great king asked them who had keen intelligence and knowledge of Yoga and who had come there of their own accord.

 17. “O great Brahmins, be pleased to tell me how we should worship the eternal god Vishnu—Näräyana?” 

The Brahmins replied:

18. O king, who is this   about whom you ask? We two, standing before you, are Näräyanas.

Ashvašhiras said:

19. “Both of you are Brahmins who are cleansed of sins due to penance and attained great spiritual power. But how do you say that you arc Näräyanas?

20. The great God Janärdana (Näräyana) has in his hands the conch, disc and mace, and is clad in yellow garment. He sits on Garuda (the king of birds). Who can be like Him in this world?”

21. Hearing the words of the King, the two ascetic Brahmins laughed aloud and said: ‘O king, see Vishnu (in us)’.

22. Then Kapila transformed himself into Vishnu and at the same time Jaigishavya became Garuda.

23. Suddenly, there arose an uproar of wonder in the assembly of the king.

24-25. Then the great king, having seen the eternal God Näräyana sitting on Garuda, told them with folded hands: “Forbear, O Brahmins, Vishnu is not like this. He is the great god, from the lotus in whose navel Brahma arose, and from that Brahma arose Rudra!”

26. Then those great sages made a miracle by their Yogic power.

27. (Thus) Kapila became Padmanäbha (one having a lotus-flower in his navel) and Jaigishavya Brahma. Brahma shone on that lotus-flower and the resplendent Rudra thereon.

28-31. The King saw Him who had reddish eyes and who was emanating the lustre like the enveloping fire at the end of the world. And he said: “The lord of the world cannot be seen. This is the illusion created by you, sages. The illustrious Vishnu is all-pervading.”

As soon as he uttered this, O Earth, there appeared in the assembly of the king, bugs, mosquitoes, lice, beetles, birds, snakes, horses, cows, elephants, lions, tigers, jackals, deer and other beasts, domestic and Wild, in crores.

 32-33. Dismayed at the sight of this multitude of beings, the king thought: “What may be this Realising the greatness of Jaigishavya and the intelligent Kapila, king Ašhvašhiras asked those (two) sages with hands folded in respect: “excellent Brahmins what is this

The Brahmins said:

34. 0 king you asked us how Vishnu should be worshipped and how he could be attamed. Therefore, O great king, we have shown this to you.

35. The powers of omniscience are, O king, shown before you. The god Näräyana is omniscient and has the power to take any form.

36. This benign being can be attamed by men everywhere. Worship (in any particular form alone) will not be the ultimate.

37-38. But the lord of world, the Supreme Soul, is omnipresent. As he is present everywhere, he can be seen in one’s own body through devotion. That was why the form of the illustrious Supreme Soul was shown to you in our body so that you may be convinced.

40. Likewise, O king, the omnipresent Vishnu is there in your own body. So too in your ministers and servants.

40. O king, the divine beings as well as the multitude of animals and germs are all Vishnu himself. Meditate upon Vishnu as present in all beings.

41. Worship Him with the conviction that there is no being like Him. It is the attainment of knowledge, O king, that is revealed to you.

42. Remember the great   with full dedication, with oblations, offerings, incense and by propitiating Brahmins. The supreme lord can easily be attamed by firm meditation.