SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM: CANTO 3

(1) S'rî S'uka said: 'After hearing Maitreya Muni talk about the most virtuous, o King, did the best of the Kurus, adoring the talks about Vâsudeva, inquire further. (2) Vidura said: 'O great sage, what did Svâyambhuva Manu, the king of all kings and dear son of Brahmâ, do after obtaining his loving wife? (3) Be so good to tell me about the character of this saintly, original king, o most pious one; I'd very much like to hear about that king who must have taken to the shelter of the harbor of Vishnu. (4) Persons of fortitude and great effort in listening to what most certain elaborately is explained by pure devotees, will by their statements find the quality of thought of the ones who have the lotus feet of the Lord of Liberation installed in their hearts'.'

(5) S'rî S'uka said: 'Speaking thus very modest he found the lotus feet of the marvel of energies and intelligence [the Lord] on his lap and had his hairs standing on end in the realization. Then the sage, inspired by the spirit of the words relating to the Lord, addressed him. (6) Maitreya said: 'When Svâyambhuva Manu along with his wife had appeared, the father of mankind with folded hands and obeisances addressed the reservoir of vedic wisdom: (7) 'You are the one progenitor of all living entities, the father and source of subsistence, yet how can we, of all who are born from you, be of your service as well? (8) Give us, with all respect, to that directions about the duties unto you, o worshipful one, to our capacities of acting in this world as should be done for spreading the fame all around and the progress to the next world.'

(9) Brahmâ said: 'I am very pleased with you, my son, let there be all my blessings for the both of you, o lord of the world, because without any reservation of heart you surrendered your soul to me. (10) Precisely this way should offspring, o hero, for sure exercise respect unto its teachers; the sane of mind should to the full of their capacity, with great delight and free from envy, take instruction. (11) You therefore beget children of her that are alike yourself in quality, so that once born they can rule the world with the principles of humanity, sacrificing for and honoring the Original Personality. (12) Protecting the living entities you should see as the best way to be of my service, o ruler of man; with you as the guardian of their lives is Hrishîkes'a, the Supreme Lord of the senses, most satisfied. (13) The work of those who never satisfied the Supreme Lord Janârdana [Krishna as the drive of man and], the object of all sacrifice, is certainly of no avail as they did not respect the Supreme Soul as their own self.'

(14) Manu said: 'By the order of your powerful self I will abide, o killer of all sin, please tell me what my place, and the place of the ones born from me, is in this world. (15) Because this earth immersed in the great waters [of the Garbhodhaka ocean of the created universe] is the dwelling place of all beings, o god of this planet, please let it be so that you try to lift it up.'

(16) Maitreya said: 'The one beyond [Brahmâ] who also saw that the earth was within the waters thought: 'How shall I lift it up?' and thus gave it attention meditating for a long time as follows: (17) 'While I was engaged in its creation, the earth has been deeply inundated going down in a flood. What would be the right course of action for us who are engaged in this matter of creating? May the one from whose heart I was born be the Lord that directs me.' (18) While thinking thus from his nostril all of a sudden, o sinless one, a minute boar [Varâha], came forth no bigger than the top of a thumb. (19) Seeing Him in the sky suddenly that form verily, o son of Bharata, expanded into a wonderful gigantic body with the size of an elephant. (20) Seeing the form of that boarlike appearance, he with all the learned sons headed by Marîci and with Manu began to argue among himselves in various ways: (21) 'What is this extraordinary being that pretends to be a boar? Oh how wondrous the fact that it came from my nose! (22) One moment He is just the size of the tip of a thumb and in no time He is as big as a monolith! Would this be the Supreme Lord of sacrifice Vishnu? I am baffled!' (23) While Brahmâ was thus deliberating with his sons, the Supreme Lord of Sacrifice, the Original Person, made an enormous tumult. (24) Enlivening Brahmâ and the best of the brahmins, the omnipotent Lord with an heretofore unknown voice echoed from all directions. (25) When the great sages and thinkers as the inhabitants of the worlds of man, the saints and the truth heard the loud roaring with which the all-merciful Lord as a Boar destroyed all the lamentation, they all chanted from the three Vedas the all-auspicious mantras.

(26) Knowing Himself well as the expanded form of the vedic sound of all the knowledge of the great ones of truth, He again roared in response to the transcendental glorifications of the wise and intelligent and entered the water playing like an elephant to their benefit. (27) Slashing His tail in the sky and quivering with the sharp and hard hairs of His skin, scattered He the clouds with His hooves and radiated He, with His glittering white tusks, as the Supreme Lord and Maintainer of the world. (28) Sniffing out the earth was He, who had assumed the transcendental body of a hog, searching and showed He His frightening tusks, but in spite of that did all the brahmins engaged in prayer not fear Him seeing His glancing them over while He entered the water. (29) That enormous mountain of a body from the force of the diving drove, creating two high waves, apart the ocean which, as with two arms in distress, cried out in prayer: 'O Master of all Sacrifices, please protect me against this!' (30) As the Master of Sacrifice penetrating with His arrow-sharp hooves the water found He the limit of the unlimited and saw He lying there the earth, the wealth of the living beings, as from the beginning and lifted He her personally up. (31) Getting above the water, raising the submerged earth with His tusks, He appeared in His full splendor and held there glowing with a fierce anger His cakra [His disc-weapon or wheel] against the demon [Hiranyâksha - the golden-eyed one] that had rushed towards Him with a club. (32) He then in the water with His inimitable prowess easily killed the obstructive enemy, just like an elephant does with a lion, and had His cheeks and tongue smeared with blood the way an elephant looks from digging in the [reddish] earth. (33) Bluish as a tamâla tree while upholding the earth on His curved tusks like a playing elephant, o Vidura, the ones headed by Brahmâ could understand Him to be the Supreme Lord and consequently with folded hands offered Him prayers.

(34) The wise uttered: 'All glories and victory to You, o Unconquerable One, who, loved by sacrifice, are the embodiment of the Vedas; all obeisances unto Him in whose pores of His body the sunken oceans undulate; our respects to the One who was motivated to assume the form of a hog! (35) O Lord, for the miscreants this form of Yours is but difficult to see; that what is worshipable by sacrifice, the gâyatrî and other mantras, is Your touch; the hairs on Your body are the kus'a-grass [on which one sits meditating]; the clarified butter [used in sacrifices] is as Your eyes and Your four legs are the four functions of sacrifice [see 3.12:35]. (36) Your tongue is the offering plate and Your nostrils are another one, o Lord; in Your belly we see the plate of eating and the holes of Your ears are also such a plate; Your mouth is the plate of the spiritual sacrifice and Your throat is the plate for soma [a ritual drink], but that which is of Your chewing, o Supreme Lord, is what You eat through the sacrificial fire [agni-hotra]. (37) Your repeated incarnation is how You initiate, Your neck stands for the three desires [for relationship, activities and the ultimate goal] and Your tusks are the begin of You and end of all desire; Your tongue is the preparation, Your head the fire with as well as without sacrifice and for sure is Your life-breath the aggregate of all desires [or sacrifices]. (38) Your semen is the soma of sacrifice, Your stages of growth are the morning rituals, o Lord, Your flesh and bones are the seven types of sacrifice [see 3.12:40], the joints of Your body are the different sacrifices one performs in twelve days; o Lord, You are the object of desire of all the soma and non-soma-sacrifices that bind. (39) Our obeisances unto You, who are worshipable by the universal prayers as the Supreme Lord for all the ingredients and types of sacrifice; You can be realized as the supreme of sacrifice by conquering the mind in devotion. You as the spiritual master of such knowledge, we again and again offer our obeisances. (40) With the earth and its mountains so beautifully situated on the tips of Your protruding teeth, o Supreme Lord of the Uplifting, You came out of the water like an infuriated elephant that has captured a lotusflower with leaves by its tusk. (41) This form of a boar and the Veda personified, that now sustains the planet earth on its tusks, for sure is glowing like the peaks of great mountains that are beautified by the decoration of clouds. (42) For the residence of as well the moving as the nonmoving, You as a father uplift this mother earth as Your wife; as well as unto You, we offer our respects unto this mother earth in whom You invested Your potency, like the sacrificial fire that is put in the arani wood. (43) Who else but You, o Master, could, from within the water deliver the earth. For You such acts are nothing wondrous as the wonder of the miraculous universe that You created from Your potencies surpasses all others. (44) When You as the Vedas in person were shaking Your body, we as the inhabitants of the worlds of man, the saints and the truth were sprinkled by the drops of water that remained in the hairs of Your shoulders and were purified, o Supreme Lord. (45) He who desires to know the limit of Your activities is certainly nonsensical; the oneness and potency of He who is of unlimited activities bewilders with its mystical power the total universe of the material modes; o Supreme Personality of Godhead, just grant us Your causeless mercy.'

(46) Maitreya said: 'Thus being praised by the great sages and transcendentalists did Lord Boar, the Maintainer, place the earth on the water touched by His hooves. (47) He, the Personality of Godhead, Vishvaksena, the Master of All Living Entities, lifted this way as the Supreme Lord, the earth and its creatures as a pastime from below on top of the water and then returned to His abode. (48) With the one who in a devotional attitude narrates to others this auspicious and worthwhile tale about Him who destroys the material motive, is the Lord either very pleased or will He very soon in the heart be pleased. (49) The Lord pleased is unto him of all benediction and will give, of what is so difficult to obtain, all that, which standing apart from the service in devotion shows itself as insignificant gains; residing in the hearts of those who are of devotion He personally elevates to the supreme transcendental of His own abode. (50) Indeed, who else than, alas, the non-human being, could, in the world known with the goal of life and the essence of the ancient stories regarding the Fortunate One, refuse the nectar of the narrations which, drank through the ears, put an end to all material pangs?

S'rî S'uka said: 'After hearing Maitreya Muni talk about the most virtuous, o King, did the best of the Kurus, adoring the talks about Vâsudeva, inquire further.

S'ri S'ukadeva Gosvâmî said: O King, after hearing all these most virtuous topics from the sage Maitreya, Vidura inquired further on the topics of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, which he adored to hear. (Vedabase)

Text 2

Vidura said: 'O great sage, what did Svâyambhuva Manu, the king of all kings and dear son of Brahmâ, do after obtaining his loving wife?

Vidura said: O great sage, what did Svâyambhuva, the dear son of Brahmâ, do after obtaining his very loving wife? (Vedabase)

Text 3

Be so good to tell me about the character of this saintly, original king, o most pious one; I'd very much like to hear about that king who must have taken to the shelter of the harbor of Vishnu.

O best of the virtuous, the original king of kings [Manu] was a great devotee of the Personality of Godhead Hari, and thus it is worth hearing of his sublime character and activities. Please describe them. I am very eager to hear. (Vedabase)

Text 4

Persons of fortitude and great effort in listening to what most certain elaborately is explained by pure devotees, will by their statements find the quality of thought of the ones who have the lotus feet of the Lord of Liberation installed in their hearts'.'

Persons who hear from a spiritual master with great labor and for a long time must hear from the mouths of pure devotees about the character and activities of pure devotees. Pure devotees always think within their hearts of the lotus feet of the Personality of Godhead, who awards His devotees liberation. (Vedabase)

Text 5

S'rî S'uka said: 'Speaking thus very modest he found the lotus feet of the marvel of energies and intelligence [the Lord] on his lap and had his hairs standing on end in the realization. Then the sage, inspired by the spirit of the words relating to the Lord, addressed him.

S'rî S'ukadeva Gosvâmî said: The Personality of Godhead S'rî Krishna was pleased to place His lotus feet on the lap of Vidura because Vidura was very meek and gentle. The sage Maitreya was very pleased with Vidura's words, and, being influenced by his spirit, he attempted to speak. (Vedabase)

Text 6

Maitreya said: 'When Svâyambhuva Manu along with his wife had appeared, the father of mankind with folded hands and obeisances addressed the reservoir of vedic wisdom:

The sage Maitreya said to Vidura: After his appearance, Manu, the father of mankind, along with his wife, thus addressed the reservoir of Vedic wisdom, Brahmâ, with obeisances and folded hands. (Vedabase)

Text 7

'You are the one progenitor of all living entities, the father and source of subsistence, yet how can we, of all who are born from you, be of your service as well?

You are the father of all living entities and the source of their subsistence because they are all born of you. Please order us how we may be able to render service unto you. (Vedabase)

Text 8

Give us, with all respect, to that directions about the duties unto you, o worshipful one, to our capacities of acting in this world as should be done for spreading the fame all around and the progress to the next world.

O worshipful one, please give us your direction for the execution of duty within our working capacity so that we can follow it for fame in this life and progress in the next. (Vedabase)

Text 9

Brahmâ said:' I am very pleased with you, my son, let there be all my blessings for the both of you, o lord of the world, because without any reservation of heart you surrendered your soul to me.

Lord Brahmâ said: My dear son, O lord of the world, I am very pleased with you, and I desire all blessings for both you and your wife. You have without reservation surrendered yourself unto me with your heart for my instructions. (Vedabase)

Text 10

Precisely this way should offspring, o hero, for sure exercise respect unto its teachers; the sane of mind should to the full of their capacity, with great delight and free from envy, take instruction.

O hero, your example is quite befitting a son in relationship with his father. This sort of adoration for the superior is required. One who is beyond the limit of envy and who is sane accepts the order of his father with great delight and executes it to his full capacity. (Vedabase)

Text 11

You therefore beget children of her that are alike yourself in quality, so that once born they can rule the world with the principles of humanity, sacrificing for and honoring the Original Personality.

Since you are my very obedient son, I ask you to beget children qualified like yourself in the womb of your wife. Rule the world in pursuance of the principles of devotional service unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and thus worship the Lord by performances of yajña. (Vedabase)

Text 12

Protecting the living entities you should see as the best way to be of my service, o ruler of man; with you as the guardian of their lives is Hrishîkes'a, the Supreme Lord of the senses, most satisfied.

O King, if you can give proper protection to the living beings in the material world, that will be the best service for me. When the Supreme Lord sees you to be a good protector of the conditioned souls, certainly the master of the senses will be very pleased with you. (Vedabase)

Text 13

The work of those who never satisfied the Supreme Lord Janârdana [Krishna as the drive of man and], the object of all sacrifice, is certainly of no avail as they did not respect the Supreme Soul as their own self.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Janârdana [Lord Krishna], is the form to accept all the results of sacrifice. If He is not satisfied, then one's labor for advancement is futile. He is the ultimate Self, and therefore one who does not satisfy Him certainly neglects his own interests. (Vedabase)

Text 14

Manu said: 'By the order of your powerful self I will abide, o killer of all sin, please tell me what my place, and the place of the ones born from me, is in this world.

S'rî Manu said: O all-powerful lord, O killer of all sins, I shall abide by your order. Now please let me know my place and that of the living entities born of me. (Vedabase)

Text 15

Because this earth immersed in the great waters [of the Garbhodhaka ocean of the created universe] is the dwelling place of all beings, o god of this planet, please let it be so that you try to lift it up.'

O master of the demigods, please attempt to lift the earth, which is merged in the great water, because it is the dwelling place for all the living entities. It can be done by your endeavor and by the mercy of the Lord.

Text 16

Maitreya said: 'The one beyond [Brahmâ] who also saw that the earth was within the waters thought: 'How shall I lift it up?' and thus gave it attention meditating for a long time as follows:

S'rî Maitreya said: Thus, seeing the earth merged in the water, Brahmâ gave his attention for a long time to how it could be lifted. (Vedabase)

Text 17

'While I was engaged in its creation, the earth has been deeply inundated going down in a flood. What would be the right course of action for us who are engaged in this matter of creating? May the one from whose heart I was born be the Lord that directs me.'

Brahmâ thought: While I have been engaged in the process of creation, the earth has been inundated by a deluge and has gone down into the depths of the ocean. What can we do who are engaged in this matter of creation? It is best to let the Almighty Lord direct us. (Vedabase)

Text 18:

While thinking thus from his nostril all of a sudden, o sinless one, a minute boar [Varâha], came forth no bigger than the top of a thumb.

O sinless Vidura, all of a sudden, while Brahmâ was engaged in thinking, a small form of a boar came out of his nostril. The measurement of the creature was not more than the upper portion of a thumb. (Vedabase)

Text 19:

Seeing Him in the sky suddenly that form verily, o son of Bharata, expanded into a wonderful gigantic body with the size of an elephant.

O descendant of Bharata, while Brahmâ was observing Him, that boar became situated in the sky in a wonderful manifestation as gigantic as a great elephant. (Vedabase)

Text 20:

Seeing the form of that boarlike appearance, he with all the learned sons headed by Marîci and with Manu began to argue among himselves in various ways:

Struck with wonder at observing the wonderful boarlike form in the sky, Brahmâ, with great brâhmanas like Marîci, as well as the Kumâras and Manu, began to argue in various ways. (Vedabase)

Text 21:

'What is this extraordinary being that pretends to be a boar? Oh how wondrous the fact that it came from my nose!

Is this some extraordinary entity come in the pretense of a boar? It is very wonderful that He has come from my nose. (Vedabase)

Text 22:

One moment He is just the size of the tip of a thumb and in no time He is as big as a monolith! Would this be the Supreme Lord of sacrifice Vishnu? I am baffled!

First of all this boar was seen no bigger than the tip of a thumb, and within a moment He was as large as a stone. My mind is perturbed. Is He the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vishnu? (Vedabase)

Text 23:

While Brahmâ was thus deliberating with his sons, the Supreme Lord of Sacrifice, the Original Person, made an enormous tumult.

While Brahmâ was deliberating with his sons, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vishnu, roared tumultuously like a great mountain. (Vedabase)

Text 24:

Enlivening Brahmâ and the best of the brahmins, the omnipotent Lord with an heretofore unknown voice echoed from all directions.

The omnipotent Supreme Personality of Godhead enlivened Brahmâ and the other highly elevated brahmanas by again roaring with His uncommon voice, which echoed in all directions. (Vedabase)