Brahmā’s Stotra to Vishṇu after the Churning
This is the stotra that Brahmā and the assembled devas sang to Bhagavān Vishṇu when the churning of the ocean (the Samudra Manthana) was over. Bhagavān Vishṇu had taken the form of Mohinī and given the amṛta (the drink of deathlessness) to the devas, and the asuras were beaten. The stotra is found in the Vishṇu Mahā Purāṇa, first aṃśa (Pradhamāṃśa), chapter 9. It praises Bhagavān Vishṇu as the supreme Bhagavān Vishṇu who holds up the three works of the world, creation, keeping and dissolution, and whose will and grace brought the devas their victory.
The setting
The ocean had been churned. The serpent Vāsuki was the rope and Mount Mandara was the churning staff. The treasures came out one after another: Dhanvantari, the divine healer, with the kumbha (pot) of amṛta; the Kaustubha jewel; Lakshmī herself; the divine horse Uccaiḥśravas; the divine elephant Airāvata; and many other ratnas (jewels).
The asuras and the devas fought over the amṛta. Bhagavān Vishṇu then took the form of Mohinī, a form of beauty without equal. He charmed the asuras into giving up the kumbha, and gave the amṛta only to the devas.
When the devas had drunk the amṛta, their strength came back and the asuras ran away. The three worlds were safe. Brahmā stood before Bhagavān Vishṇu with all the devas behind him, and led this stotra of thanks and recognition.
The stotra
Brahmā and the devas praised Bhagavān Vishṇu in these ways.
The true cause of all that happened
The churning, the agreements, the plan with Vāsuki, the coming of the amṛta, the form of Mohinī and the giving out of the amṛta were not the cleverness or power of the devas. All of it was the will and grace of Bhagavān Vishṇu working through them. The devas saw that they were instruments, and that Bhagavān Vishṇu was the doer.
The upholder of all three works
Brahmā praised Bhagavān Vishṇu as Brahmā the maker, Vishṇu the keeper and Śiva the dissolver, all at once. They are not three different devas but three works of one supreme reality. The threefold order that makes life possible is the self-expression of Bhagavān Vishṇu.
The one whose Māyā cannot be measured
The form of Mohinī, the great illusion that held even the mighty asuras, showed how deep the māyā-śakti (the power of illusion) of Bhagavān Vishṇu is. The strongest, the wisest and the most determined of his enemies could not see through it. The devas praised this śakti as the proof of his complete rule.
Śrī-Nārāyaṇa, never apart from Lakshmī
The devas had just seen Lakshmī rise from the ocean and at once know Bhagavān Vishṇu as her eternal husband. So they praised the oneness of Śrī and Nārāyaṇa: Bhagavān Vishṇu and his divine śakti, who cannot be parted. Where Bhagavān Vishṇu is, Śrī is. Where Śrī lives, Bhagavān Vishṇu lives. This pair, which is not two, is the source of all good fortune in the world.
The master of the Kaustubha
The Kaustubha jewel that came out of the ocean was at once known as belonging to Bhagavān Vishṇu, and was placed on his chest. The devas praised it as the sign of his rule. It is the gem of consciousness that shines on the heart of Brahman, and it shows that pure awareness is the most precious thing in all creation.
The answer of Bhagavān Vishṇu and the vibhūtis of Lakshmī
After the stotra, Bhagavān Vishṇu agreed with what the devas understood. He then spoke at length of the nature of Lakshmī and her vibhūtis (the forms in which she shows herself). They are all the good, beautiful and fortunate things of creation. Where there is wealth, she is the wealth. Where there is beauty, she is the beauty. In the earth she is its richness. In water she is its purity. In fire she is its warmth. In wind she is its life-giving power. In wisdom she is its clearness. In compassion she is its tenderness. All the good side of the world as it appears is the self-expression of Lakshmī.
Sources
- Vishṇu Mahā Purāṇa, first aṃśa (Pradhamāṃśa), chapter 9