SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM: CANTO 8

(1) S'rî S'uka said: 'De Suras invited the king of the snakes, Vâsuki, promising him a share and wound him around the mountain to serve as a churning rope. Thereupon commenced they in great glee with the job of trying for the nectar, o best of the Kurus. (2) Lord Hari took him first by the head and the godly followed His example. (3) The daitya leaders didn't like the arrangement and thought to the mature and outstanding knowledge of their study, their birth and experience: 'None of us will try the tail of the serpent because that is the inferior part'. (4) Seeing how consequently the Daityas kept silent, smiled the Supreme Personality. He gave up the front portion and grasped with the demigods the rear end. (5) Thus settling the positions for where to hold, did they, the sons of Kas'yapa [godly and demoniac], with great zeal churn to get the nectar from the ocean of milk. (6) As they were churning sank of its weight, having no support, that hill down in the water despite of it being captured by the strong, o son of Pându. (7) Heavily disappointed, dried all of the beauty of their faces up as they saw how their efforts by the stronger will of God were overruled.

(8) When He saw how by divine intervention the mountain sank, expanded the Infallible Controller whose ways and powers are so inscrutable, Himself into the wondrous body of a giant tortoise, entered He the water and lifted He [Kûrma] it up [see also Das'âvatâra-stotra verse 2]. (9) Observing it being lifted cheered up as well Sura as Asura to churn the body that as a big island on top of another one stretched out on His back for a hundred thousand yojanas. (10) The rotating of the mountain moved by the strong arms of the sura and asura leaders, my best, was by the original tortoise who bore it on His back considered an infinitely pleasant scratching. (11) Thereafter, to encourage them and increase their strength and vigor, entered Lord Vishnu the Asuras in the form of their own quality [that of passion], infused He the godly with divinity [the mode of goodness], and assumed He the form of ignorance with the king of the serpents. (12) On top of the big mountain as another mountain grasping Mandara with one hand, exhibited He thousands of hands while from the sky Lord Brahmâ and S'iva headed by Indra offered Him prayers and showered Him with flowers. (13) As well as on top as below, as with themselves, with the mountain and with the rope having entered as the Supreme, was the ocean that with great strength vehemently was churned, seriously agitated by the great rock, and were all the alligators disturbed. (14) The serpent king heavily breathing in all directions, spitted by the thousands of him fire and smoke and thus affected with the heat of his radiation the Asuras headed by Pauloma, Kâleya, Bali and Ilvala who all began to look like sarala trees scorched in a forest fire. (15) Also the godly were affected in their luster by his fiery breath that smoked their dresses, fine garlands, armament and faces; under the direction of the Supreme Lord it then profusely rained while breezes blew clouds of vapor from the waves of the ocean. (16) When the ocean to the best ability of the godly and Asuras was duly churned but no nectar appeared, began the Invincible One Himself to churn. (17) As dark as a cloud, in yellow silks, with lightning earrings on His ears, with His gleaming hair on His head disheveled, with His garland, reddish eyes and victorious arms securing the universe, churned He, after taking the snake, the churning rod for which the mountain was used and assumed He for that purpose a size as big as that of a mountain Himself. (18) After first highly agitating all kinds of fish, sharks, snakes, all sorts of tortoises, whales, water-elephants, crocodiles and timingilas [whale-eating whales], appeared, with all the churning going on, from the ocean a very strong poison called Hâlahala [or Kâlakûtha, see 8.6: 25]. (19) That potent unbearable poison, unstoppable spreading in all directions high and low, scared all the people who together with their leaders found no rest, o my best, so that they, not being protected, sought the shelter of Lord S'iva's lotus feet. (20) When they saw him who for the welfare of the three worlds together with his wife sat on his mountain [Kailâsa], he, the best of the demigods hailed by the saints who in austerity walk the path of liberation in service, offered they him their obeisances.

(21) The leaders of mankind said: 'O Lord of Lords, o Mahâdeva, o soul of each, o love of all, deliver us, who took to your lotus feet, from this poison burning the three worlds. (22) You alone in the whole universe are the lord and master over bondage and liberation, you are the one we worship as persons seeking the fortune; you are the spiritual master to mitigate all distress. (23) By the modes of matter, by your own potency, do you execute the creation, maintenance and annihilation of this material world, o mighty one, when you manifest yourself, o greatest, as Brahmâ, Vishnu or S'iva. (24) You are the Brahman Supreme, the confidential of the cause and the effect of all the varieties of creation; you with all your potencies manifested are the Supersoul and the Controller of the universe. (25) You are the source of the [spiritual, vedic] sound, the origin of the universe, the Soul, the life breath, the senses and the elements, the modes of nature and the self-realization, the eternal time, the determination and the religiousness of the truth [satya] and truthfulness [rita]; it is unto you that one utters the original syllable consisting of the three letters [A-U-M]. (26) Fire, your mouth, represents the complete of all divine souls; the surface of the globe one does know, o love of all worlds, as your lotus feet; time is the progress of the aggregate of your demigods; the directions are your ears and the controller of the waters [Varuna] is your taste. (27) With the sky as your navel, the air as your breath, the sun globe for your eyes, the water indeed as your semen, the moon as your mind and the higher worlds, o Lord, as your head, is your self the shelter of all living beings high and low [compare 8.5: 33-43]. (28) With the oceans as your belly, the mountains as your bones, the plants, creepers and herbs as your hairs and the mantras as your seven layers [koshas], are, o Vedas in person, all the religions the core of your heart [see also 2.1: 32]. (29) The five options [basic texts] of philosophy [called Tatpurusha, Aghora, Sadyojâta,Vâmadeva, and Îs'âna] are your faces with the thirty-eight important mantras [*] that ascertain the reality of the Supersoul, the reality of you o Lord, celebrated as S'iva in the position of your self-illumination. (30) The waves of irreligion [lust, anger, greed and illusion] constitute but your shadow, the shadow on the basis of which there are so many types of creation; your three eyes are the goodness, the passion and the darkness; your simply glancing over brought about the analytic scriptures of the soul, o Lord full of verses, o god of the vedic literatures and their supplements.

(31) None of the directors of the world, o Ruler on the Mountain, not Brahmâ, not Vishnu, nor the king of the Suras [Indra], can fathom your supreme effulgence, the impersonal spirit equal to gods and man, wherein the modes of passion, ignorance and goodness are not found. (32) In this world which, having originated from you, is being destroyed by the sparks of the fire from your eyes at the time of annihilation, have you burned to ashes Tripura [7.10: 53], the sacrifices of desire [see e.g. 4.5], the poison of time [in this story], and many other forms of trouble to the living beings; but these matters do, because you keep this world out of your mind, not serve the praise of you. (33) People who by the self-satisfied spiritual masters within their hearts think of your two lotus feet as moving with Umâ your consort do, later on in their penance, criticize your acts and consider you in the crematorium not always a nice person; they indeed being of such a shameless attitude do not understand your activities. (34) For the reason of that being transcendentally situated above the moving and the nonmoving, are you difficult to understand; and when it is not possible for even Brahmâ and the ones belonging to him to comprehend your reality as-it-is, o great one, how much wouldn't that be true for us? Even though we are but creations to the creation [that is of Brahmâ] do we, to our ability, offer you our prayers. (35) With all things transcendental we cannot see the actual supreme position of you who indeed are there for the happiness of the manifested world, o great controller not known in your activities.'

(36) S'rî S'uka said: 'Seeing their pernicious predicament spoke he, Mahâdeva, the friend of all living beings out of his compassion for the great sorrow to his consort Satî. (37) Lord S'iva said: 'Dear Bhavânî, how pitiable this situation of all the living beings, just see how threatening the present situation is because of all the poison produced from the churning of the ocean. (38) Feeling responsible for all of their lives must I indeed do something for their safety; considered their master is it my duty to protect the ones suffering. (39) Devotees protect with their own life other living beings who time bound, bewildered by the external energy, are of enmity with one another. (40) Doing good to others o gentle one, is the Soul of All, the Lord, pleased and because the Supreme Personality of the Lord is pleased are also I and all other moving and nonmoving entities happy; let me therefore drink this poison so that there from me will be the well-being of all creatures.'

(41) S'rî S'uka said: 'Lord S'iva, the well-wisher of the universe, this way addressing Bhavânî then began, with the permission of her knowing the best of him, to drink the poison. (42) Mahâdeva thereto took the widespread Hâlahala poison in his hand and drank it compassionately for the good of all living beings. (43) To him exhibited that poison from the water its potency by giving his neck a bluish line, the line that in the eyes of the saintly person is an ornament. (44) The saints as good as always voluntarily take upon them the sufferings of the common people; that action of theirs is truly the highest form of worship of the original person, the complete of the soul [see also 1.5: 17-19 , B.G. 18: 68-69 and 4: 7-8]. (45) Hearing of that act of S'iva, the god of gods, the graceful one, was he highly praised by all the people, by the daughter of Daksha [Satî see also 4.3 & 4], and by Brahmâ and the Lord of Vaikunthha. (46) And to the little bit that was scattered here and there as he drank from the palm, attended some other known living creatures like scorpions, cobras and other poisonous animals and plants.

S'rî S'uka said: 'S'rî S'uka said: 'De Suras invited the king of the snakes, Vâsuki, promising him a share and wound him around the mountain to serve as a churning rope. Thereupon commenced they in great glee with the job of trying for the nectar, o best of the Kurus.

S'ukadeva Gosvâmî said: O best of the Kurus, Mahârâja Parîkshit, the demigods and demons summoned Vâsuki, king of the serpents, requesting him to come and promising to give him a share of the nectar. They coiled Vâsuki around Mandara Mountain as a churning rope, and with great pleasure they endeavored to produce nectar by churning the ocean of milk. (Vedabase)

Text 2

Lord Hari took him first by the head and the godly followed His example.

The Personality of Godhead, Ajita, grasped the front portion of the snake, and then the demigods followed. (Vedabase)

Text 3

The daitya leaders didn't like the arrangement and thought to the mature and outstanding knowledge of their study, their birth and experience: 'None of us will try the tail of the serpent because that is the inferior part'.

The leaders of the demons thought it unwise to hold the tail, the inauspicious portion of the snake. Instead, they wanted to hold the front, which had been taken by the Personality of Godhead and the demigods, because that portion was auspicious and glorious. Thus the demons, on the plea that they were all highly advanced students of Vedic knowledge and were all famous for their birth and activities, protested that they wanted to hold the front of the snake. (Vedabase)

Text 4

Seeing how consequently the Daityas kept silent, smiled the Supreme Personality. He gave up the front portion and grasped with the demigods the rear end.

Thus the demons remained silent, opposing the desire of the demigods. Seeing the demons and understanding their motive, the Personality of Godhead smiled. Without discussion, He immediately accepted their proposal by grasping the tail of the snake, and the demigods followed Him. (Vedabase)

Text 5

Thus settling the positions for where to hold, did they, the sons of Kas'yapa [godly and demoniac], with great zeal churn to get the nectar from the ocean of milk.

After thus adjusting how the snake was to be held, the sons of Kas'yapa, both demigods and demons, began their activities, desiring to get nectar by churning the ocean of milk. (Vedabase)

Text 6

As they were churning sank of its weight, having no support, that hill down in the water despite of it being captured by the strong, o son of Pându.

O son of the Pându dynasty, when Mandara Mountain was thus being used as a churning rod in the ocean of milk, it had no support, and therefore although held by the strong hands of the demigods and demons, it sank into the water. (Vedabase)

Text 7

Heavily disappointed, dried all of the beauty of their faces up as they saw how their efforts by the stronger will of God were overruled.

Because the mountain had been sunk by the strength of providence, the demigods and demons were disappointed, and their faces seemed to shrivel. (Vedabase)

Text 8

When He saw how by divine intervention the mountain sank, expanded the Infallible Controller whose ways and powers are so inscrutable, Himself into the wondrous body of a giant tortoise, entered He the water and lifted He [Kûrma] it up [see also Das'âvatâra-stotra verse 2].

Seeing the situation that had been created by the will of the Supreme, the unlimitedly powerful Lord, whose determination is infallible, took the wonderful shape of a tortoise, entered the water, and lifted the great Mandara Mountain. (Vedabase)

Text 9

Observing it being lifted cheered up as well Sura as Asura to churn the body that as a big island on top of another one stretched out on His back for a hundred thousand yojanas.

When the demigods and demons saw that Mandara Mountain had been lifted, they were enlivened and encouraged to begin churning again. The mountain rested on the back of the great tortoise, which extended for eight hundred thousand miles like a large island. (Vedabase)

Text 10

The rotating of the mountain moved by the strong arms of the sura and asura leaders, my best, was by the original tortoise who bore it on His back considered an infinitely pleasant scratching.

O King, when the demigods and demons, by the strength of their arms, rotated Mandara Mountain on the back of the extraordinary tortoise, the tortoise accepted the rolling of the mountain as a means of scratching His body, and thus He felt a pleasing sensation. (Vedabase)

Text 11

Thereafter, to encourage them and increase their strength and vigor, entered Lord Vishnu the Asuras in the form of their own quality [that of passion], infused He the godly with divinity [the mode of goodness], and assumed He the form of ignorance with the king of the serpents.

Thereafter, Lord Vishnu entered the demons as the quality of passion, the demigods as the quality of goodness, and Vâsuki as the quality of ignorance to encourage them and increase their various types of strength and energy. (Vedabase)

Text 12

On top of the big mountain as another mountain grasping Mandara with one hand, exhibited He thousands of hands while from the sky Lord Brahmâ and S'iva headed by Indra offered Him prayers and showered Him with flowers.

Manifesting Himself with thousands of hands, the Lord then appeared on the summit of Mandara Mountain, like another great mountain, and held Mandara Mountain with one hand. In the upper planetary systems, Lord Brahmâ and Lord S'iva, along with Indra, King of heaven, and other demigods, offered prayers to the Lord and showered flowers upon Him. (Vedabase)

Text 13

As well as on top as below, as with themselves, with the mountain and with the rope having entered as the Supreme, was the ocean that with great strength vehemently was churned, seriously agitated by the great rock, and were all the alligators disturbed.

The demigods and demons worked almost madly for the nectar, encouraged by the Lord, who was above and below the mountain and who had entered the demigods, the demons, Vâsuki and the mountain itself. Because of the strength of the demigods and demons, the ocean of milk was so powerfully agitated that all the alligators in the water were very much perturbed. Nonetheless the churning of the ocean continued in this way. (Vedabase)

Text 14

The serpent king heavily breathing in all directions, spitted by the thousands of him fire and smoke and thus affected with the heat of his radiation the Asuras headed by Pauloma, Kâleya, Bali and Ilvala who all began to look like sarala trees scorched in a forest fire.

Vâsuki had thousands of eyes and mouths. From his mouths he breathed smoke and blazing fire, which affected the demons, headed by Pauloma, Kâleya, Bali and Ilvala. Thus the demons, who appeared like sarala trees burned by a forest fire, gradually became powerless. (Vedabase)

Text 15

Also the godly were affected in their luster by his fiery breath that smoked their dresses, fine garlands, armament and faces; under the direction of the Supreme Lord it then profusely rained while breezes blew clouds of vapor from the waves of the ocean.

Because the demigods were also affected by the blazing breath of Vâsuki, their bodily lusters diminished, and their garments, garlands, weapons and faces were blackened by smoke. However, by the grace of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, clouds appeared on the sea, pouring torrents of rain, and breezes blew, carrying particles of water from the sea waves, to give the demigods relief. (Vedabase)

Text 16

When the ocean to the best ability of the godly and Asuras was duly churned but no nectar appeared, began the Invincible One Himself to churn.

When nectar did not come from the ocean of milk, despite so much endeavor by the best of the demigods and demons, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Ajita, personally began to churn the ocean. (Vedabase)

Text 17

As dark as a cloud, in yellow silks, with lightning earrings on His ears, with His gleaming hair on His head disheveled, with His garland, reddish eyes and victorious arms securing the universe, churned He, after taking the snake, the churning rod for which the mountain was used and assumed He for that purpose a size as big as that of a mountain Himself.

The Lord appeared like a blackish cloud. He was dressed with yellow garments, His earrings shone on His ears like lightning, and His hair spread over His shoulders. He wore a garland of flowers, and His eyes were pinkish. With His strong, glorious arms, which award fearlessness throughout the universe, He took hold of Vâsuki and began churning the ocean, using Mandara Mountain as a churning rod. When engaged in this way, the Lord appeared like a beautifully situated mountain named Indranîla. (Vedabase)

Text 18:

After first highly agitating all kinds of fish, sharks, snakes, all sorts of tortoises, whales, water-elephants, crocodiles and timingilas [whale-eating whales], appeared, with all the churning going on, from the ocean a very strong poison called Hâlahala [or Kâlakûtha, see 8.6: 25].

The fish, sharks, tortoises and snakes were most agitated and perturbed. The entire ocean became turbulent, and even the large aquatic animals like whales, water elephants, crocodiles and timingila fish [large whales that can swallow small whales] came to the surface. While the ocean was being churned in this way, it first produced a fiercely dangerous poison called hâlahala. (Vedabase)

Text 19:

That potent unbearable poison, unstoppable spreading in all directions high and low, scared all the people who together with their leaders found no rest, o my best, so that they, not being protected, sought the shelter of Lord S'iva's lotus feet.

O King, when that uncontrollable poison was forcefully spreading up and down in all directions, all the demigods, along with the Lord Himself, approached Lord S'iva [Sadâs'iva]. Feeling unsheltered and very much afraid, they sought shelter of him. (Vedabase)

Text 20:

When they saw him for the welfare of the three worlds together with his wife sitting on his mountain [Kailâsa], he, the best of the demigods hailed by the saints who in austerity walk the path of liberation in service, offered they him their obeisances.

The demigods observed Lord S'iva sitting on the summit of Kailâsa Hill with his wife, Bhavânî, for the auspicious development of the three worlds. He was being worshiped by great saintly persons desiring liberation. The demigods offered him their obeisances and prayers with great respect. (Vedabase)

Text 21:

The leaders of mankind said: 'O Lord of Lords, o Mahâdeva, o soul of each, o love of all, deliver us, who took to your lotus feet, from this poison burning the three worlds.

The prajâpatis said: O greatest of all demigods, Mahâdeva, Supersoul of all living entities and cause of their happiness and prosperity, we have come to the shelter of your lotus feet. Now please save us from this fiery poison, which is spreading all over the three worlds. (Vedabase)

Text 22:

You alone in the whole universe are the lord and master over bondage and liberation, you are the one we worship as persons seeking the fortune; you are the spiritual master to mitigate all distress.

O lord, you are the cause of bondage and liberation of the entire universe because you are its ruler. Those who are advanced in spiritual consciousness surrender unto you, and therefore you are the cause of mitigating their distresses, and you are also the cause of their liberation. We therefore worship Your Lordship. (Vedabase)

Text 23:

By the modes of matter, by your own potency, do you execute the creation, maintenance and annihilation of this material world, o mighty one, when you manifest yourself, o greatest, as Brahmâ, Vishnu or S'iva.

O Lord, you are self-effulgent and supreme. You create this material world by your personal energy, and you assume the names Brahmâ, Vishnu and Mahes'vara when you act in creation, maintenance and annihilation. (Vedabase)

Text 24:

You are the Brahman Supreme, the confidential of the cause and effect of all the varieties of creation; you with all your potencies manifested are the Supersoul and the Controller of the universe.

You are the cause of all causes, the self-effulgent, inconceivable, impersonal Brahman, which is originally Parabrahman. You manifest various potencies in this cosmic manifestation. (Vedabase)

Text 25:

You are the source of the [spiritual, vedic] sound, the origin of the universe, the Soul, the life breath, the senses and the elements, the modes of nature and the self-realization, the eternal time, the determination and the religiousness of the truth [satya] and truthfulness [rita]; it is unto you that one utters the original syllable consisting of the three letters [A-U-M].

O Lord, you are the original source of Vedic literature. You are the original cause of material creation, the life force, the senses, the five elements, the three modes and the mahat-tattva. You are eternal time, determination and the two religious systems called truth [satya] and truthfulness [rita]. You are the shelter of the syllable om, which consists of three letters a-u-m. (Vedabase)

Text 26:

Fire, your mouth, represents the complete of all divine souls; the surface of the globe one does know, o love of all worlds, as your lotus feet; time is the progress of the aggregate of your demigods; the directions are your ears and the controller of the waters [Varuna] is your taste.

O father of all planets, learned scholars know that fire is your mouth, the surface of the globe is your lotus feet, eternal time is your movement, all the directions are your ears, and Varuna, master of the waters, is your tongue. (Vedabase)

Text 27:

With the sky as your navel, the air as your breath, the sun globe for your eyes, the water indeed as your semen, the moon as your mind and the higher worlds, o Lord, as your head, is your self the shelter of all living beings high and low [compare 8.5: 33-43].

O lord, the sky is your navel, the air is your breathing, the sun is your eyes, and the water is your semen. You are the shelter of all kinds of living entities, high and low. The god of the moon is your mind, and the upper planetary system is your head. (Vedabase)

Text 28:

With the oceans as your belly, the mountains as your bones, the plants, creepers and herbs as your hairs and the mantras as your seven layers [koshas], are, o Vedas in person, all the religions the core of your heart [see also 2.1: 32].

O lord, you are the three Vedas personified. The seven seas are your abdomen, and the mountains are your bones. All drugs, creepers and vegetables are the hairs on your body, the Vedic mantras like Gâyatrî are the seven layers of your body, and the Vedic religious system is the core of your heart. (Vedabase)

Text 29:

The five options [basic texts] of philosophy [called Tatpurusha, Aghora, Sadyojâta,Vâmadeva, and Îs'âna] are your faces with the thirty-eight important mantras [*] that ascertain the reality of the Supersoul, the reality of you o Lord, celebrated as S'iva in the position of your self-illumination.

O lord, the five important Vedic mantras are represented by your five faces, from which the thirty-eight most celebrated Vedic mantras have been generated. Your Lordship, being celebrated as Lord S'iva, is self-illuminated. You are directly situated as the supreme truth, known as Paramâtmâ. (Vedabase)

Text 30:

The waves of irreligion [lust, anger, greed and illusion] constitute but your shadow, the shadow on the basis of which there are so many types of creation; your three eyes are the goodness, the passion and the darkness; your simply glancing over brought about the analytic scriptures of the soul, o Lord full of verses, o god of the vedic literatures and their supplements.

O lord, your shadow is seen in irreligion, which brings about varieties of irreligious creations. The three modes of nature - goodness, passion and ignorance - are your three eyes. All the Vedic literatures, which are full of verses, are emanations from you because their compilers wrote the various scriptures after receiving your glance. (Vedabase)

Text 31:

None of the directors of the world, o Ruler on the Mountain, not Brahmâ, not Vishnu, nor the king of the Suras [Indra], can fathom your supreme effulgence, the impersonal spirit equal to gods and man, wherein the modes of passion, ignorance and goodness are not found.

O Lord Girîs'a, since the impersonal Brahman effulgence is transcendental to the material modes of goodness, passion and ignorance, the various directors of this material world certainly cannot appreciate it or even know where it is. It is not understandable even to Lord Brahmâ, Lord Vishnu or the King of heaven, Mahendra. (Vedabase)

Text 32:

In this world which, having originated from you, is being destroyed by the sparks of the fire from your eyes at the time of annihilation, have you burned to ashes Tripura [7.10: 53], the sacrifices of desire [see e.g. 4.5], the poison of time [in this story], and many other forms of trouble to the living beings; but these matters do, because you keep this world out of your mind, not serve the praise of you.

When annihilation is performed by the flames and sparks emanating from your eyes, the entire creation is burned to ashes. Nonetheless, you do not know how this happens. What then is to be said of your destroying the Daksha-yajña, Tripurasura and the kâlakûtha poison? Such activities cannot be subject matters for prayers offered to you. (Vedabase)

Text 33:

People who by the self-satisfied spiritual masters within their hearts think of your two lotus feet as moving with Umâ your consort do, later on in their penance, criticize your acts and consider you in the crematorium not always a nice person; they indeed being of such a shameless attitude do not understand your activities.

Exalted, self-satisfied persons who preach to the entire world think of your lotus feet constantly within their hearts. However, when persons who do not know your austerity see you moving with Umâ, they misunderstand you to be lusty, or when they see you wandering in the crematorium they mistakenly think that you are ferocious and envious. Certainly they are shameless. They cannot understand your activities. (Vedabase)

Text 34:

For the reason of that being transcendentally situated above the moving and the nonmoving, are you difficult to understand; and when it is not possible for even Brahmâ and the ones belonging to him to comprehend your reality as-it-is, o great one, how much wouldn't that be true for us? Even though we are but creations to the creation [that is of Brahmâ] do we, to our ability, offer you our prayers.

Even personalities like Lord Brahmâ and other demigods cannot understand your position, for you are beyond the moving and nonmoving creation. Since no one can understand you in truth, how can one offer you prayers? It is impossible. As far as we are concerned, we are creatures of Lord Brahmâ's creation. Under the circumstances, therefore, we cannot offer you adequate prayers, but as far as our ability allows, we have expressed our feelings. (Vedabase)

Text 35:

With all things transcendental we cannot see the actual supreme position of you who indeed are there for the happiness of the manifested world, o great controller not known in your activities.'

O greatest of all rulers, your actual identity is impossible for us to understand. As far as we can see, your presence brings flourishing happiness to everyone. Beyond this, no one can appreciate your activities. We can see this much, and nothing more. (Vedabase)

Text 36:

S'rî S'uka said: 'Seeing their pernicious predicament spoke he, Mahâdeva, the friend of all living beings out of his compassion for the great sorrow to his consort Satî.

S'rîla S'ukadeva Gosvâmî continued: Lord S'iva is always benevolent toward all living entities. When he saw that the living entities were very much disturbed by the poison, which was spreading everywhere, he was very compassionate. Thus he spoke to his eternal consort, Satî, as follows. (Vedabase)

Text 37:

Lord S'iva said: 'Dear Bhavânî, how pitiable this situation of all the living beings, just see how threatening the present situation is because of all the poison produced from the churning of the ocean.

Lord S'iva said: My dear Bhavânî, just see how all these living entities have been placed in danger because of the poison produced from the churning of the ocean of milk. (Vedabase)

Text 38:

Feeling responsible for all of their lives must I indeed do something for their safety; considered their master is it my duty to protect the ones suffering.

It is my duty to give protection and safety to all living entities struggling for existence. Certainly it is the duty of the master to protect his suffering dependents. (Vedabase)

Text 39:

Devotees protect with their own life other living beings who time bound, bewildered by the external energy, are of enmity with one another.

People in general, being bewildered by the illusory energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, are always engaged in animosity toward one another. But devotees, even at the risk of their own temporary lives, try to save them. (Vedabase)

Text 40:

Doing good to others o gentle one, is the Soul of All, the Lord, pleased and because the Supreme Personality of the Lord is pleased are also I and all other moving and nonmoving entities happy; let me therefore drink this poison so that there from me will be the well-being of all creatures.'

My dear gentle wife Bhavânî, when one performs benevolent activities for others, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, is very pleased. And when the Lord is pleased, I am also pleased, along with all other living creatures. Therefore, let me drink this poison, for all the living entities may thus become happy because of me. (Vedabase)

Text 41:

S'rî S'uka said: 'Lord S'iva, the well-wisher of the universe, this way addressing Bhavânî then began, with the permission of her knowing the best of him, to drink the poison.

S'rîla S'ukadeva Gosvâmî continued: After informing Bhavânî in this way, Lord S'iva began to drink the poison, and Bhavânî, who knew perfectly well the capabilities of Lord S'iva, gave him her permission to do so. (Vedabase)

Text 42:

Mahâdeva thereto took the widespread Hâlahala poison in his hand and drank it compassionately for the good of all living beings.

Thereafter, Lord S'iva, who is dedicated to auspicious, benevolent work for humanity, compassionately took the whole quantity of poison in his palm and drank it. (Vedabase)

Text 43:

To him exhibited that poison from the water its potency by giving his neck a bluish line, the line that in the eyes of the saintly person is an ornament.

As if in defamation, the poison born from the ocean of milk manifested its potency by marking Lord S'iva's neck with a bluish line. That line, however, is now accepted as an ornament of the Lord. (Vedabase)

Text 44:

The saints as good as always voluntarily take upon them the sufferings of the common people; that action of theirs is truly the highest form of worship of the original person, the complete of the soul [see also 1.5: 17-19 , B.G. 18: 68-69 and 4: 7-8].

It is said that great personalities almost always accept voluntary suffering because of the suffering of people in general. This is considered the highest method of worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is present in everyone's heart. (Vedabase)

Text 45:

Hearing of that act of S'iva, the god of gods, the graceful one, was he highly praised by all the people, by the daughter of Daksha [Satî see also 4.3 & 4], and by Brahmâ and the Lord of Vaikunthha.

Upon hearing of this act, everyone, including Bhavânî [the daughter of Mahârâja Daksha], Lord Brahmâ, Lord Vishnu, and the people in general, very highly praised this deed performed by Lord S'iva, who is worshiped by the demigods and who bestows benedictions upon the people. (Vedabase)

Text 46:

And to the little bit that was scattered here and there as he drank from the palm, attended some other known living creatures like scorpions, cobras and other poisonous animals and plants.

Scorpions, cobras, poisonous drugs and other animals whose bites are poisonous took the opportunity to drink whatever little poison had fallen and scattered from Lord S'iva's hand while he was drinking. (Vedabase)

*: The thirty-six mantras called pañcopanishadas taves'a are: (1) tat purushâya vidmahe s'ântyai, (2) mahâ-devâya dhîmahi vidyâyai, (3) tan no rudrah pratishthhâyai, (4) pracodayât dhrityai, (5) aghorebhyas tamâ, (6) atha ghorebhyo mohâ, (7) aghorebhyo rakshâ, (8) aghoratarebhyo nidrâ, (9) sarvebhyah sarva-vyâdhyai, (10) sarva-sarvebhyo mrityave, (11) namas te 'stu kshudhâ, (12) rudra-rûpebhyas trishnâ, (13) vamadevâya rajâ, (14) jyeshthhâya svâhâ, (15) s'reshthhâya ratyai, (16) rudrâya kalyânyai, (17) kâlâya kâmâ, (18) kala-vikaranâya sandhinyai, (19) bala-vikaranâya kriyâ, (20) balâya vriddhyai, (21) balacchâyâ, (22) pramathanâya dhâtryai, (23) sarva-bhûta-damanâya bhrâmanyai, (24) manah-s'oshinyai, (25) unmanâya jvarâ, (26) sadyojâtam prapadyâmi siddhyai, (27) sadyojâtâya vai namah riddhyai, (28) bhave dityai, (29) abhave lakshmyai, (30) nâtibhave medhâ, (31) bhajasva mâm kântyai, (32) bhava svadhâ, (33) udbhavâya prabhâ, (34) îs'ânah sarva-vidyânâm s'as'inyai, (35) îs'varah sarva-bhûtânâm abhaya-dâ, (36) brahmâdhipatir brahmanodhipatir brahman brahmeshtha-dâ, (37) s'ivo me astu marîcyai, (38) sadâs'ivah jvâlinyai.