राम

Harivaṃśa-parva

Harivaṃśa · Adhyāya 30

57 versesThe Boar Incarnation

Synopsis

Janamejaya asks to hear the Vārāha Avatāra. Vaiśampāyana concedes the limit of human knowing: "I do not know Viṣṇu's full career, his rule, his extent, his series of deeds, his reasons." Still, what is known he will tell. The chapter lays out the triadic cosmos Viṣṇu moves through — three varṇas, three worlds, three Vedas, three fires, three times, three acts, three exits, three guṇas — all sprung from the infinite one. It closes with Janamejaya asking to hear the wondrous and joy-bringing tale of the Boar, the one whose strength and valor are proverbial.

First-pass synopsis; pending review by a Sanskritist.

Verse 1

यस् त्व् एवं शृणुयान् नित्यं शुचिर् भूत्वा समाहितः सुखानां तत् सकल्पानां फलभागी भविष्यति आ ब्रह्मभवनाच् चापि यशःख्यातिर् न संशयः भविष्यति नरश्रेष्ठ सत्यम् एतद् ब्रवीमि ते ततः सर्वे यदुवरा हृष्टाः प्राञ्जलयस् तदा ववन्दिरे महात्मानः कृष्णं कमललोचनम् विस्तरेणैव सर्वाणि कर्माणि रिपुघातिनः श्रोतुम् इच्छाम्य् अशेषेण हरेः कृष्णस्य धीमतः

yas tv evaṃ śṛṇuyān nityaṃ śucir bhūtvā samāhitaḥ sukhānāṃ tat sakalpānāṃ phalabhāgī bhaviṣyati ā brahmabhavanāc cāpi yaśaḥkhyātir na saṃśayaḥ bhaviṣyati naraśreṣṭha satyam etad bravīmi te tataḥ sarve yaduvarā hṛṣṭāḥ prāñjalayas tadā vavandire mahātmānaḥ kṛṣṇaṃ kamalalocanam vistareṇaiva sarvāṇi karmāṇi ripughātinaḥ śrotum icchāmy aśeṣeṇa hareḥ kṛṣṇasya dhīmataḥ

Whoever, pure and composed, always hears this, will receive the fruit of all wish-accomplishments. There will be fame even up to the world of Brahmā — no doubt of it — for that best of men.

Verse 2

प्रादुर्भावः पुराणेषु विष्णोर् अमिततेजसः सतां कथयतां एव वाराह इति नः श्रुतम् न जाने तस्य चरितं विधिं नैव च विस्तरम् न कर्मगुणसंतानं न हेतुं न मनीषितम् किमात्मको वराहः स का मूर्तिः का च देवता किमाचारः प्रभावो वा किं वा तेन पुरा कृतम् यज्ञार्थं समवेतानां मिषतां च द्विजन्मनाम् महावराहचरितं कृष्णद्वैपायनेरितम् यथा नारायणो ब्रह्मन् वाराहं रूपम् आस्थितः दंष्ट्रया गां समुद्रस्थां उज्जहारारिसूदनः कर्मणाम् आनुपूर्व्या च प्रादुर्भावाश् च ये विभोः या चास्य प्रकृतिर् ब्रह्मंस् तां च व्याख्यातुम् अर्हसि

prādurbhāvaḥ purāṇeṣu viṣṇor amitatejasaḥ satāṃ kathayatāṃ eva vārāha iti naḥ śrutam na jāne tasya caritaṃ vidhiṃ naiva ca vistaram na karmaguṇasaṃtānaṃ na hetuṃ na manīṣitam kimātmako varāhaḥ sa kā mūrtiḥ kā ca devatā kimācāraḥ prabhāvo vā kiṃ vā tena purā kṛtam yajñārthaṃ samavetānāṃ miṣatāṃ ca dvijanmanām mahāvarāhacaritaṃ kṛṣṇadvaipāyaneritam yathā nārāyaṇo brahman vārāhaṃ rūpam āsthitaḥ daṃṣṭrayā gāṃ samudrasthāṃ ujjahārārisūdanaḥ karmaṇām ānupūrvyā ca prādurbhāvāś ca ye vibhoḥ yā cāsya prakṛtir brahmaṃs tāṃ ca vyākhyātum arhasi

Verse 3

कथं च भगवान् विष्णुः सुरेशो ऽरिनिषूदनः वसुदेवकुले धीमान् वासुदेवत्वम् आगतः

kathaṃ ca bhagavān viṣṇuḥ sureśo 'riniṣūdanaḥ vasudevakule dhīmān vāsudevatvam āgataḥ

Verse 4

अमरैर् आवृतं पुण्यं पुण्यकृद्भिर् अलंकृतम् देवलोकं समुत्सृज्य मर्त्यलोकम् इहागतः

amarair āvṛtaṃ puṇyaṃ puṇyakṛdbhir alaṃkṛtam devalokaṃ samutsṛjya martyalokam ihāgataḥ

Verse 5

देवमानुषयोर् नेता द्योर् भुवः प्रभवो विभुः किमर्थं दिव्व्यम् आत्मानं मानुष्ये संन्ययोजयत्

devamānuṣayor netā dyor bhuvaḥ prabhavo vibhuḥ kimarthaṃ divvyam ātmānaṃ mānuṣye saṃnyayojayat

Verse 6

यश् चक्रं वर्तयत्य् एको मानुषाणाम् अनामयम् मानुष्ये स कथं बुद्धिं चक्रे चक्रभृतां वरः

yaś cakraṃ vartayaty eko mānuṣāṇām anāmayam mānuṣye sa kathaṃ buddhiṃ cakre cakrabhṛtāṃ varaḥ

Verse 7

गोपायनं यः कुरुते जगतः सार्वलौकिकम् स कथं गां गतो विष्णुर् गोपत्वम् अगमद् विभुः

gopāyanaṃ yaḥ kurute jagataḥ sārvalaukikam sa kathaṃ gāṃ gato viṣṇur gopatvam agamad vibhuḥ

Verse 8

महाभूतानि भूतात्मा यो दधार चकार च श्रीगर्भः स कथं गर्भे स्त्रिया भूचरया धृतः

mahābhūtāni bhūtātmā yo dadhāra cakāra ca śrīgarbhaḥ sa kathaṃ garbhe striyā bhūcarayā dhṛtaḥ

Verse 9

येन लोकान् क्रमैर् जित्वा त्रिभिस् त्रींस् त्रिदशेप्सया स्थापिता जगतो मार्गास् त्रिवर्गप्रभवास् त्रयः

yena lokān kramair jitvā tribhis trīṃs tridaśepsayā sthāpitā jagato mārgās trivargaprabhavās trayaḥ

Verse 10

यो ऽन्तकाले जगत् पीत्वा कृत्वा तोयमयं वपुः लोकम् एकार्णवं चक्रे दृश्यादृश्येन वर्त्मना

yo 'ntakāle jagat pītvā kṛtvā toyamayaṃ vapuḥ lokam ekārṇavaṃ cakre dṛśyādṛśyena vartmanā

Verse 11

यः पुराणे पुराणात्मा वाराहं वपुर् आस्थितः विषाणाग्रेण वसुधाम् उज्जहारारिसूदनः

yaḥ purāṇe purāṇātmā vārāhaṃ vapur āsthitaḥ viṣāṇāgreṇa vasudhām ujjahārārisūdanaḥ

Verse 12

यः पुरा पुरुहूतार्थे त्रैलोक्यम् इदम् अव्ययम् ददौ जित्वा वसुमतीं सुराणां सुरसत्तमः

yaḥ purā puruhūtārthe trailokyam idam avyayam dadau jitvā vasumatīṃ surāṇāṃ surasattamaḥ

Verse 13

येन सैंहं वपुः कृत्वा द्विधा कृत्वा च तत् पुनः पूर्वदैत्यो महावीर्यो हिरण्यकशिपुर् हतः

yena saiṃhaṃ vapuḥ kṛtvā dvidhā kṛtvā ca tat punaḥ pūrvadaityo mahāvīryo hiraṇyakaśipur hataḥ

Verse 14

यः पुरा ह्य् अनलो भूत्वा और्वः संवर्तको विभुः पातालस्थो ऽर्णवगतं पपौ तोयमयं हविः

yaḥ purā hy analo bhūtvā aurvaḥ saṃvartako vibhuḥ pātālastho 'rṇavagataṃ papau toyamayaṃ haviḥ

Verse 15

सहस्रचरणं ब्रह्मन् सहस्रांशुं सहस्रशः सहस्रशिरसं देवं यम् आहुर् वै युगे युगे

sahasracaraṇaṃ brahman sahasrāṃśuṃ sahasraśaḥ sahasraśirasaṃ devaṃ yam āhur vai yuge yuge

Verse 16

नाभ्यरण्यां समुत्पन्नं यस्य पैतामहं गृहम् एकार्णवगते लोके तत् पङ्कजम् अपङ्कजम्

nābhyaraṇyāṃ samutpannaṃ yasya paitāmahaṃ gṛham ekārṇavagate loke tat paṅkajam apaṅkajam

Verse 17

येन ते निहता दैत्याः संग्रामे तारकामये सर्वदेवमयं कृत्वा सर्वायुधधरं वपुः गरुडस्थेन चोत्सिक्तः कालनेमिर् निपातितः

yena te nihatā daityāḥ saṃgrāme tārakāmaye sarvadevamayaṃ kṛtvā sarvāyudhadharaṃ vapuḥ garuḍasthena cotsiktaḥ kālanemir nipātitaḥ

Verse 18

निर्जितश् च महादैत्यस् तारकश् च महासुरः उत्तरान्ते समुद्रस्य क्षीरोदस्यामृतोदधेः यः शेते शाश्वतं योगम् आस्थाय तिमिरं महत्

nirjitaś ca mahādaityas tārakaś ca mahāsuraḥ uttarānte samudrasya kṣīrodasyāmṛtodadheḥ yaḥ śete śāśvataṃ yogam āsthāya timiraṃ mahat

Verse 19

सुरारणिर् गर्भम् अधत्त दिव्यं तपःप्रकर्षाद् अदितिः पुराणम् शक्रं च यो दैत्यगणावरुद्धं गर्भावसाने नकृशं चकार

surāraṇir garbham adhatta divyaṃ tapaḥprakarṣād aditiḥ purāṇam śakraṃ ca yo daityagaṇāvaruddhaṃ garbhāvasāne nakṛśaṃ cakāra

Verse 20

पदानि यो लोकपदानि कृत्वा चकार दैत्यान् सलिलाशयस्थान् कृत्वा च देवांस् त्रिदिवस्य देवांश् चक्रे सुरेशं पुरुहूतम् एव

padāni yo lokapadāni kṛtvā cakāra daityān salilāśayasthān kṛtvā ca devāṃs tridivasya devāṃś cakre sureśaṃ puruhūtam eva

Verse 21

पात्राणि दक्षिणा दीक्षा चमसोलूखलानि च गार्हपत्येन विधिना अन्वाहार्येण कर्मणा अग्निम् आहवनीयं च वेदीं चैव कुशान् स्रुवम्

pātrāṇi dakṣiṇā dīkṣā camasolūkhalāni ca gārhapatyena vidhinā anvāhāryeṇa karmaṇā agnim āhavanīyaṃ ca vedīṃ caiva kuśān sruvam

Verse 22

प्रोक्षणीयं ध्रुवां चैव आवभृथ्यं तथैव च अरांस् त्रीणि च यश् चक्रे हव्यकव्यप्रदान् मखे

prokṣaṇīyaṃ dhruvāṃ caiva āvabhṛthyaṃ tathaiva ca arāṃs trīṇi ca yaś cakre havyakavyapradān makhe

Verse 23

हव्यादांश् च सुरांश् चक्रे कव्यादांश् च पितॄन् अपि भागार्थे यज्ञविधिना योगज्ञो यज्ञकर्मणि

havyādāṃś ca surāṃś cakre kavyādāṃś ca pitṝn api bhāgārthe yajñavidhinā yogajño yajñakarmaṇi

Verse 24

यूपान् समित् स्रुचं सोमं पवित्रं परिधीन् अपि यज्ञियानि च द्रव्याणि यज्ञांश् च चयनानलान् सदस्यान्य् अजमानांश् च मेधादींश् च क्रतूत्तमान्

yūpān samit srucaṃ somaṃ pavitraṃ paridhīn api yajñiyāni ca dravyāṇi yajñāṃś ca cayanānalān sadasyāny ajamānāṃś ca medhādīṃś ca kratūttamān

Verse 25

विबभाज पुरा यश् च पारमेष्ठ्येन कर्मणा युगानुरूपं यः कृत्वा लोकान् अनु परिक्रमन्

vibabhāja purā yaś ca pārameṣṭhyena karmaṇā yugānurūpaṃ yaḥ kṛtvā lokān anu parikraman

Verse 26

क्षणा निमेषाः काष्ठाश् च कलास् त्रैकाल्यम् एव च मुहूर्तास् तिथयो मासा दिनसंवत्सरास् तथा

kṣaṇā nimeṣāḥ kāṣṭhāś ca kalās traikālyam eva ca muhūrtās tithayo māsā dinasaṃvatsarās tathā

Verse 27

ऋतवः कालयोगाश् च प्रमाणं विविधं नृषु आयुः क्षेत्राण्य् उपचयो लक्षणं रूपसौष्ठवम्

ṛtavaḥ kālayogāś ca pramāṇaṃ vividhaṃ nṛṣu āyuḥ kṣetrāṇy upacayo lakṣaṇaṃ rūpasauṣṭhavam

Verse 28

त्रयो वर्णास् त्रयो लोकास् त्रैविद्यं पावकास् त्रयः त्रैकाल्यं त्रीणि कर्माणि त्रयो ऽपायास् त्रयो गुणाः सृष्टा लोकास् त्रयो ऽनन्ता येनानन्त्येन वर्त्मना

trayo varṇās trayo lokās traividyaṃ pāvakās trayaḥ traikālyaṃ trīṇi karmāṇi trayo 'pāyās trayo guṇāḥ sṛṣṭā lokās trayo 'nantā yenānantyena vartmanā

Verse 29

सर्वभूतगुणस्रष्टा सर्वभूतगुणात्मकः नृणाम् इन्द्रियपूर्वेण योगेन रमते च यः गतागताभ्यां यो नेता तत्रेह च विधीश्वरः

sarvabhūtaguṇasraṣṭā sarvabhūtaguṇātmakaḥ nṛṇām indriyapūrveṇa yogena ramate ca yaḥ gatāgatābhyāṃ yo netā tatreha ca vidhīśvaraḥ

Verse 30

यो गतिर् धर्मयुक्तानाम् अगतिः पापकर्मणाम् चातुर्वर्ण्यस्य प्रभवश् चातुर्वर्ण्यस्य रक्षिता

yo gatir dharmayuktānām agatiḥ pāpakarmaṇām cāturvarṇyasya prabhavaś cāturvarṇyasya rakṣitā

Verse 31

चातुर्विद्यस्य यो वेत्ता चातुराश्रम्यसंश्रयः दिगन्तरो नभोभूतो वायुर् वायुविभावनः

cāturvidyasya yo vettā cāturāśramyasaṃśrayaḥ digantaro nabhobhūto vāyur vāyuvibhāvanaḥ

Verse 32

चन्द्रसूर्यद्वयं ज्योतिर् योगीशः क्षणदातनुः यः परं श्रूयते ज्योतिर् यः परं श्रूयते तपः

candrasūryadvayaṃ jyotir yogīśaḥ kṣaṇadātanuḥ yaḥ paraṃ śrūyate jyotir yaḥ paraṃ śrūyate tapaḥ

Verse 33

यः परं प्राह परतः परं यः परमात्मवान् नारायणपरा वेदा नारायणपराः क्रियाः नारायणपरो धर्मो नारायणपरा गतिः नारायणपरं सत्यं नारायणपरं तपः नारायणपरो मोक्षो नारायणपरं परम् आदित्यादिस् तु यो दिव्यो यश् च दैत्यान्तको विभुः

yaḥ paraṃ prāha parataḥ paraṃ yaḥ paramātmavān nārāyaṇaparā vedā nārāyaṇaparāḥ kriyāḥ nārāyaṇaparo dharmo nārāyaṇaparā gatiḥ nārāyaṇaparaṃ satyaṃ nārāyaṇaparaṃ tapaḥ nārāyaṇaparo mokṣo nārāyaṇaparaṃ param ādityādis tu yo divyo yaś ca daityāntako vibhuḥ

Verse 34

युगान्तेष्व् अन्तको यश् च यश् च लोकान्तकान्तकः सेतुर् यो लोकसेतूनां मेध्यो यो मेध्यकर्मणाम्

yugānteṣv antako yaś ca yaś ca lokāntakāntakaḥ setur yo lokasetūnāṃ medhyo yo medhyakarmaṇām

Verse 35

वेद्यो यो वेदविदुषां प्रभुर् यः प्रभवात्मनाम् सोमभूतश् च भूतानाम् अग्निभूतो ऽग्निवर्चसाम्

vedyo yo vedaviduṣāṃ prabhur yaḥ prabhavātmanām somabhūtaś ca bhūtānām agnibhūto 'gnivarcasām

Verse 36

मनुष्याणां मनोभूतस् तपोभूतस् तपस्विनाम् विनयो नयवृत्तानां तेजस् तेजस्विनाम् अपि

manuṣyāṇāṃ manobhūtas tapobhūtas tapasvinām vinayo nayavṛttānāṃ tejas tejasvinām api

Verse 37

सर्गकारश् च सर्गाणां लोकहेतुर् अनुत्तमः विग्रहो विग्रहार्हाणां गतिर् गतिमताम् अपि

sargakāraś ca sargāṇāṃ lokahetur anuttamaḥ vigraho vigrahārhāṇāṃ gatir gatimatām api

Verse 38

आकाशप्रभवो वायुर् वायुप्राणो हुताशनः देवा हुताशनप्राणाः प्राणो ऽग्नेर् मधुसूदनः

ākāśaprabhavo vāyur vāyuprāṇo hutāśanaḥ devā hutāśanaprāṇāḥ prāṇo 'gner madhusūdanaḥ

Verse 39

रसाद् वै शोणितं भवति शोणितान् मांसम् उच्यते मांसात् तु मेदसो जन्म मेदसो ऽस्थि निरुच्यते

rasād vai śoṇitaṃ bhavati śoṇitān māṃsam ucyate māṃsāt tu medaso janma medaso 'sthi nirucyate

Verse 40

अस्थ्नो मज्जा समभवन् मज्जायाः शुक्रसंभवः शुक्राद् नर्भः समभवद् रसमूलेन कर्मणा

asthno majjā samabhavan majjāyāḥ śukrasaṃbhavaḥ śukrād narbhaḥ samabhavad rasamūlena karmaṇā

Verse 41

तत्रापां प्रथमो भागः स सौम्यो राशिर् उच्यते गर्भोष्मसंभवो ज्ञेयो द्वितीयो राशिर् उच्यते

tatrāpāṃ prathamo bhāgaḥ sa saumyo rāśir ucyate garbhoṣmasaṃbhavo jñeyo dvitīyo rāśir ucyate

Verse 42

शुक्रं सोमात्मकं विद्याद् आर्तवं पावकात्मकम् भावौ रसानुगाव् एतौ वीर्यं च शशिपावकौ

śukraṃ somātmakaṃ vidyād ārtavaṃ pāvakātmakam bhāvau rasānugāv etau vīryaṃ ca śaśipāvakau

Verse 43

कफवर्गे भवेच् छुक्रं पित्तवर्गे च शोणितम् कफस्य हृदयं स्थानं नाभ्यां पित्तं प्रतिष्ठितम्

kaphavarge bhavec chukraṃ pittavarge ca śoṇitam kaphasya hṛdayaṃ sthānaṃ nābhyāṃ pittaṃ pratiṣṭhitam

Verse 44

देहस्य मध्ये हृदयं स्थानं तु मनसः स्मृतम् नाभिकण्ठान्तरस्थस् तु तत्र देवो हुताशनः

dehasya madhye hṛdayaṃ sthānaṃ tu manasaḥ smṛtam nābhikaṇṭhāntarasthas tu tatra devo hutāśanaḥ

Verse 45

मनः प्रजापतिर् ज्ञेयः कफः सोमो विभाव्यते पित्तम् अग्निः स्मृतस् त्व् एवम् अग्नीषोममयं जगत्

manaḥ prajāpatir jñeyaḥ kaphaḥ somo vibhāvyate pittam agniḥ smṛtas tv evam agnīṣomamayaṃ jagat

Verse 46

एवं प्रवर्तिते गर्भे वर्तिते ऽर्बुदसंनिभे वायुः प्रवेशनं चक्रे संगतः परमात्मना

evaṃ pravartite garbhe vartite 'rbudasaṃnibhe vāyuḥ praveśanaṃ cakre saṃgataḥ paramātmanā

Verse 47

ततो ऽङ्गानि विसृजति बिभर्ति परिवर्तयन् स पञ्चधा शरीरस्थो भिद्यते वर्धते पुनः प्राणापानौ समानश् च उदानो व्यान एव च

tato 'ṅgāni visṛjati bibharti parivartayan sa pañcadhā śarīrastho bhidyate vardhate punaḥ prāṇāpānau samānaś ca udāno vyāna eva ca

Verse 48

प्राणो ऽस्य प्रथमं स्थानं वर्धयन् परिवर्तते अपानः पश्चिमं कायम् उदानोर्ध्वं शरीरिणः

prāṇo 'sya prathamaṃ sthānaṃ vardhayan parivartate apānaḥ paścimaṃ kāyam udānordhvaṃ śarīriṇaḥ

Verse 49

व्यानो व्यायच्छते येन समानः संनिवर्तते भूतावाप्तिस् ततस् तस्य जायतेन्द्रियगोचरा

vyāno vyāyacchate yena samānaḥ saṃnivartate bhūtāvāptis tatas tasya jāyatendriyagocarā

Verse 50

पृथिवी वायुर् आकाशम् आपो ज्योतिश् च पञ्चमम् तस्येन्द्रियाणि शिष्टानि स्वं स्वं योगं प्रचक्रिरे

pṛthivī vāyur ākāśam āpo jyotiś ca pañcamam tasyendriyāṇi śiṣṭāni svaṃ svaṃ yogaṃ pracakrire

Verse 51

पार्थिवं देहम् आहुस् तु प्राणात्मानं च मारुतम् छिद्राण्य् आकाशयोनीनि जलस्रावः प्रवर्तते

pārthivaṃ deham āhus tu prāṇātmānaṃ ca mārutam chidrāṇy ākāśayonīni jalasrāvaḥ pravartate

Verse 52

ज्योतिश् चक्षुषि तेजश् च तेषां यन्तृ मनः स्मृतम् ग्राम्याश् च विषयाश् चैव यस्य वीर्यात् प्रवर्तिताः

jyotiś cakṣuṣi tejaś ca teṣāṃ yantṛ manaḥ smṛtam grāmyāś ca viṣayāś caiva yasya vīryāt pravartitāḥ

Verse 53

इत्य् एतान् पुरुषः सर्वान् सृजंल् लोकान् सनातनान् नैधने ऽस्मिन् कथं लोके नरत्वं विष्णुर् आगतः

ity etān puruṣaḥ sarvān sṛjaṃl lokān sanātanān naidhane 'smin kathaṃ loke naratvaṃ viṣṇur āgataḥ

Verse 54

एष मे संशयो ब्रह्मन्न् एष मे विस्मयो महान् कथं गतिर् गतिमताम् आपन्नो मानुषीं तनुम्

eṣa me saṃśayo brahmann eṣa me vismayo mahān kathaṃ gatir gatimatām āpanno mānuṣīṃ tanum

Verse 55

श्रुतो मे स्वस्य वंशस्य पूर्वजानां च संभवः श्रोतुम् इच्छामि विष्णोस् तु वृष्णीनां च यथाक्रमम्

śruto me svasya vaṃśasya pūrvajānāṃ ca saṃbhavaḥ śrotum icchāmi viṣṇos tu vṛṣṇīnāṃ ca yathākramam

Verse 56

आश्चर्यं परमं विष्णुर् देवैर् दैत्यैश् च कथ्यते विष्णोर् उत्पत्तिम् आश्चर्यं ममाचक्ष्व महामुने

āścaryaṃ paramaṃ viṣṇur devair daityaiś ca kathyate viṣṇor utpattim āścaryaṃ mamācakṣva mahāmune

Verse 57

एतद् आश्चर्यम् आख्यानं कथयस्व सुखावहम् प्रख्यातबलवीर्यस्य विष्णोर् अमिततेजसः कर्मणाश्चर्यभूतस्य विष्णोस् तत्त्वम् इहोच्यताम्

etad āścaryam ākhyānaṃ kathayasva sukhāvaham prakhyātabalavīryasya viṣṇor amitatejasaḥ karmaṇāścaryabhūtasya viṣṇos tattvam ihocyatām

'Tell this wondrous, joy-bringing tale: the known strength and valor of Viṣṇu of immeasurable energy; the wondrous deeds of Viṣṇu — let the truth of Viṣṇu be spoken here.'

Verse commentary

The Great Question: Why Did Viṣṇu Come into Vasudeva's Line?

कस्मात् कारणाद् वासुदेवत्वम् आगतः

Verses 1, 3, 5, 8, 15, 28, 30: the phala-śruti closing the lineage survey, the sages' central question 'How did Bhagavān Viṣṇu enter Vasudeva's line?', the deeper question 'Why did He yoke His divine Self into humanity?', the womb-question 'How was the Śrī-garbha held in a mortal woman's body?', the Puruṣa-sūkta echo 'thousand-footed, thousand-rayed, thousand-headed', the triad-creations cosmology, and the culminating title 'way of the dharmic, non-way of the sinful, origin and protector of the four varṇas'. Template commentary, pending Editorial Council review.

HV 30 is a pivot-chapter. The lineage-survey that filled chapters 1–29 ends in verse 1 with a *phala-śruti*: whoever listens, purified and composed, becomes *phala-bhāgī* — participant in all blessings, famed even to Brahmā's abode. Hearing this, the Yādava sages (*yaduvarāḥ*) bow with folded palms to lotus-eyed Kṛṣṇa and ask the question that will occupy the rest of the Harivaṃśa: *kathaṃ ca bhagavān viṣṇuḥ... vasudeva-kule... vāsudevatvam āgataḥ* — 'How did Bhagavān Viṣṇu enter Vasudeva's lineage and attain the name Vāsudeva?' They press further: *kim-arthaṃ divyam ātmānaṃ mānuṣye saṃnyayojayat* — 'Why did He yoke His divine Self into humanity?' And most tenderly: *śrī-garbhaḥ sa kathaṃ garbhe striyā bhū-carayā dhṛtaḥ* — 'How was the Śrī-womb held in a mortal woman's womb?' The chapter's answer is not yet the avatāra-narrative (that is Chapter 31 onward); it is first a *stotra* — a hymn of questioning-praise — naming again and again the cosmic Puruṣa who is about to become a nursing infant in Yaśodā's arms. The Harivaṃśa-parva's whole weight funnels into this single question, and the Viṣṇu-parva is its seventy-chapter answer.

HV 30.1

यस् त्व् एवं शृणुयान् नित्यं शुचिर् भूत्वा समाहितः । सुखानां तत् सकल्पानां फलभागी भविष्यति ॥ आ ब्रह्मभवनाच् चापि यशःख्यातिर् न संशयः । भविष्यति नरश्रेष्ठ सत्यम् एतद् ब्रवीमि ते ॥

yas tv evaṃ śṛṇuyān nityaṃ śucir bhūtvā samāhitaḥ | sukhānāṃ tat sakalpānāṃ phalabhāgī bhaviṣyati || ā brahma-bhavanāc cāpi yaśaḥ-khyātir na saṃśayaḥ | bhaviṣyati nara-śreṣṭha satyam etad bravīmi te

Whoever listens to this regularly, having become pure and composed — he shall share in the fruits of all the sukha-bearing kalpas. Up to Brahmā's own abode, his fame-and-renown is without doubt. This, O best of men, is truth I speak to you.

The Living Words

*Yas tv evaṃ śṛṇuyān nityam*, 'whoever listens to this regularly'. *Śucir bhūtvā samāhitaḥ*, 'having become pure and composed'. *Sukhānāṃ tat sakalpānāṃ phala-bhāgī bhaviṣyati*, 'will share in the fruits of all bliss-bearing kalpas'. *Ā brahma-bhavanāt yaśaḥ-khyātiḥ*, 'fame up to Brahmā's abode'.

The Heart of It

The verse closes the lineage-section with a phala-śruti keyed to *listening-with-purity* rather than to sacrifice or gift. *Śucir bhūtvā samāhitaḥ* — outer purity and inner composure, nothing more. The Warkari tradition's central claim (*śravaṇa* as the first limb of the ninefold bhakti) has HV 30.1 as its Purāṇic license. The Haripāṭh closes its own abhaṅgas with phala-śrutis of this shape: *haripāṭh jeyē paḍhē*, 'whoever reads this Haripāṭh'. The scripture knows itself as food to be heard. This verse is that self-knowledge put into words, and the next verses show what kind of question such listening eventually asks.

HV 30.3

कथं च भगवान् विष्णुः सुरेशो ऽरिनिषूदनः । वसुदेवकुले धीमान् वासुदेवत्वम् आगतः ॥

kathaṃ ca bhagavān viṣṇuḥ sureśo 'ri-niṣūdanaḥ | vasudeva-kule dhīmān vāsudevatvam āgataḥ

And how did Bhagavān Viṣṇu, lord of suras, slayer of foes — the wise one — come into Vasudeva's line and attain the name Vāsudeva?

The Living Words

*Kathaṃ bhagavān viṣṇuḥ*, 'how [did] Bhagavān Viṣṇu'. *Sureśaḥ ari-niṣūdanaḥ*, 'lord of suras, slayer of foes'. *Vasudeva-kule dhīmān*, 'in Vasudeva's lineage, the wise one'. *Vāsudevatvam āgataḥ*, 'came to Vāsudeva-hood'.

The Heart of It

This is the Harivaṃśa's central question spoken aloud for the first time. The sages have heard twenty-nine chapters of lineage and now ask: *kathaṃ vāsudevatvam āgataḥ* — 'How did He become Vāsudeva?' The Warkari tradition's wonder is exactly this: *Paramātmā* became *Vāsudeva* — not only entered humanity but took on a father's name as a son bears. Jñāneśvar in the *Haripāṭh* keeps the same astonishment alive: *nāma ghetā vācē* — 'just by taking the Name on the tongue'. Why would the formless take a family-name at all? The chapter answers in hints; the rest of the scripture answers in story.

HV 30.5

देवमानुषयोर् नेता द्योर् भुवः प्रभवो विभुः । किमर्थं दिव्यम् आत्मानं मानुष्ये संन्ययोजयत् ॥

deva-mānuṣayor netā dyor bhuvaḥ prabhavo vibhuḥ | kim-arthaṃ divyam ātmānaṃ mānuṣye saṃnyayojayat

The leader of gods and mortals, source of heaven and earth, the all-pervading — for what purpose did He yoke His divine Self into humanity?

The Living Words

*Deva-mānuṣayor netā*, 'leader of gods and men'. *Dyor bhuvaḥ prabhavaḥ*, 'source of heaven and earth'. *Vibhuḥ*, 'all-pervading'. *Kim-arthaṃ divyam ātmānaṃ mānuṣye saṃnyayojayat*, 'for what purpose did He yoke His divine Self into humanity?'

The Heart of It

The sharper second form of the question. Not only *how* but *why* — *kim-arthaṃ*. The verb is *saṃnyayojayat*, from *sam-ni-yuj*, 'to yoke together, to harness' — the same root that gives us *yoga*. The Lord *yoked* His divine Self into humanity. The Warkari reading is precious: the avatāra is itself *yoga* — a binding of the two natures in one body. Jñāneśvar in the *Jñāneśvarī* on Gītā 4.7 uses *avataraṇa* as the divine *yoga* that makes human *yoga* possible: He came down into our yoke so that we could lift our yoke into Him. HV 30.5's *saṃnyayojayat* is the verbal root of the whole Warkari bhakti.

HV 30.8

महाभूतानि भूतात्मा यो दधार चकार च । श्रीगर्भः स कथं गर्भे स्त्रिया भूचरया धृतः ॥

mahā-bhūtāni bhūtātmā yo dadhāra cakāra ca | śrī-garbhaḥ sa kathaṃ garbhe striyā bhū-carayā dhṛtaḥ

He who, as Soul-of-beings, both held and made the great elements — He the Śrī-womb, how was He held in the womb of an earth-walking woman?

The Living Words

*Mahā-bhūtāni bhūtātmā yo dadhāra cakāra*, 'who, as soul-of-beings, held and made the great elements'. *Śrī-garbhaḥ*, 'he whose womb is Śrī' [who carries Lakṣmī in his body]. *Sa kathaṃ garbhe striyā bhū-carayā dhṛtaḥ*, 'how was He held in the womb of an earth-walking woman?'

The Heart of It

The tenderest version of the question. *Śrī-garbhaḥ* — He in whose body the goddess of abundance is carried — was himself carried in Devakī's body. The cosmic womb nested inside the human womb. The Warkari tradition's entire devotional sweetness rests on this paradox. Jñāneśvar's Haripāṭh Abhaṅga 3 *ambha-jānū viś-gharī* meditates on exactly this inversion: the one who holds the waters is held in a mother's waters. Tukārām's *vāṭṭho vāṭṭhalā māulī māuliyās paḍala* — 'Viṭṭhal and His mother, both mother to each other' — keeps the same wonder singing. The word *striyā bhū-carayā*, 'earth-walking woman', hands all dignity to the mother: the earth-walker holds the sky-dweller.

HV 30.15

सहस्रचरणं ब्रह्मन् सहस्रांशुं सहस्रशः । सहस्रशिरसं देवं यम् आहुर् वै युगे युगे ॥

sahasra-caraṇaṃ brahman sahasrāṃśuṃ sahasraśaḥ | sahasra-śirasaṃ devaṃ yam āhur vai yuge yuge

Him whom they call, age after age, thousand-footed, thousand-rayed, thousand-headed, O brahman.

The Living Words

*Sahasra-caraṇam*, 'thousand-footed'. *Sahasrāṃśum sahasraśaḥ*, 'thousand-rayed, by thousands'. *Sahasra-śirasam devam*, 'thousand-headed god'. *Yam āhur vai yuge yuge*, 'whom they call, age after age'.

The Heart of It

This verse is a direct citation of the Puruṣa-sūkta (Ṛgveda 10.90.1): *sahasra-śīrṣā puruṣaḥ sahasrākṣaḥ sahasra-pāt*. The Harivaṃśa's sages place Kṛṣṇa inside the same formula: the Vedic Puruṣa and the Yādava child are one. *Yuge yuge* is from Gītā 4.8 — age after age. The Warkari tradition's great confidence — that the Kṛṣṇa of the *dindī* is the *puruṣa* of the *sūkta* — has HV 30.15 as its Sanskrit hinge. The same thousand-headed deity whom the Vedic hymn addresses as sacrificial cosmos is the infant whose cradle Yaśodā will rock. Jñāneśvar's Haripāṭh *nāma-smaraṇē haritā jhījhī* — 'in Name-remembrance the Lord comes living-forth' — sings the same identification.

HV 30.28

त्रयो वर्णास् त्रयो लोकास् त्रैविद्यं पावकास् त्रयः । त्रैकाल्यं त्रीणि कर्माणि त्रयो ऽपायास् त्रयो गुणाः । सृष्टा लोकास् त्रयो ऽनन्ता येनानन्त्येन वर्त्मना ॥

trayo varṇās trayo lokās traividyaṃ pāvakās trayaḥ | trai-kālyaṃ trīṇi karmāṇi trayo 'pāyās trayo guṇāḥ | sṛṣṭā lokās trayo 'nantā yenānantyena vartmanā

Three varṇas, three worlds, triple-Veda, three fires, three times, three karmas, three apāyas, three guṇas — the unending worlds were created in threes by Him, by the endless path.

The Living Words

*Trayo varṇāḥ trayo lokāḥ*, 'three varṇas, three worlds'. *Trai-vidyaṃ pāvakāḥ trayaḥ*, 'triple-Veda, three fires'. *Trai-kālyaṃ trīṇi karmāṇi*, 'three times, three karmas'. *Trayaḥ apāyāḥ trayaḥ guṇāḥ*, 'three apāyas, three guṇas'. *Yenānantyena vartmanā*, 'by whose endless path'.

The Heart of It

An almost liturgical inventory: the cosmos is structured in threes, and He is the one endless path through every triad. The Warkari tradition loves this kind of counting-hymn. Jñāneśvar's Haripāṭh Abhaṅga 11 *trivida padmā-nābhi* meditates on the triple-navel, the triple-fires, the triple-knowledges. The point is not numerology; it is that every tripartite in creation (body-mind-breath, śruti-smṛti-purāṇa, guṇa-triple, time-triple) is a *threefold footprint of the One*. To follow any thread inward — sing the Name through the triple-fire of the tongue — is to reach the endless walker (*anantyena vartmanā*) whose three strides made everything.

HV 30.30

यो गतिर् धर्मयुक्तानाम् अगतिः पापकर्मणाम् । चातुर्वर्ण्यस्य प्रभवश् चातुर्वर्ण्यस्य रक्षिता ॥

yo gatir dharma-yuktānām agatiḥ pāpa-karmaṇām | cātur-varṇyasya prabhavaś cātur-varṇyasya rakṣitā

He who is the Way for the dharma-yoked, the no-way for the sin-doers; the origin of the four varṇas and the protector of the four varṇas.

The Living Words

*Yo gatiḥ dharma-yuktānām*, 'who is the way for the dharma-yoked'. *Agatiḥ pāpa-karmaṇām*, 'no-way for sin-doers'. *Cātur-varṇyasya prabhavaḥ*, 'origin of the four varṇas'. *Cātur-varṇyasya rakṣitā*, 'protector of the four varṇas'.

The Heart of It

This is HV 30's culminating title, and it is a direct scriptural echo of Gītā 4.13: *cātur-varṇyaṃ mayā sṛṣṭam*, 'the fourfold ordering was created by Me'. *Gatiḥ dharma-yuktānām, agatiḥ pāpa-karmaṇām* — 'the way for the righteous, the no-way for the wicked' — is the same two-sided function. The Warkari reading tempers the severity: the *agati* for the wicked is a door they themselves shut, not one He closes; and the *pāpa-karmī* who turns toward the Name finds the *gati* already open. Jñāneśvar's Haripāṭh Abhaṅga 5 *sakaḷāñcā māulī* — 'mother of all' — includes even the sin-doer in the same lap. HV 30.30 names the cosmic jurisdiction; the Haripāṭh names the mother who governs it.

Thread

HV 30 is the great hinge. The lineage of Vasudeva has been laid out for twenty-nine chapters; now the Yādava sages ask *how* and *why* Viṣṇu entered that line as Vāsudeva. The chapter's strategy is to answer the question first in the language of *praise*: the very titles of the Puruṣa — *śrī-garbha, sahasra-caraṇa, cātur-varṇyasya prabhava* — are already the answer, because the infant to come *is* this Puruṣa. The Harivaṃśa-parva has completed its human-genealogical work; the Viṣṇu-parva will now tell the divine-descent work. The stotra of HV 30 is the bridge between the two.

Echo in the saints

Jñāneśvar's Haripāṭh Abhaṅga 6 *nāma tū brahma-para* sings the same identification HV 30 makes: the Name on the tongue is the *para-brahma* of the Vedas. Tukārām's *āpulē ghari viṭṭhal yetā* — 'when Viṭṭhal comes to my own home' — is the devotee's version of HV 30.8: the Śrī-garbha chooses an earth-walking room. And Nāmdev's great *sāvaḷā śyām* songs, where the blue cowherd child is named with Puruṣa-sūkta epithets, walk exactly the line HV 30.15 first drew. The Warkari *saint-echo* here is the tradition's whole premise: this infant is *that* Puruṣa, and the question of the Yādava sages is the same question a mother hums over a cradle.

Scripture references

DirectṚgveda 10.90.1 (Puruṣa-sūkta)

The thousand-headed Puruṣa of the Vedic hymn is named here as the same deity the sages are asking about.

सहस्रशीर्षा पुरुषः सहस्राक्षः सहस्रपात् । स भूमिं विश्वतो वृत्वात्यतिष्ठद् दशाङ्गुलम् ॥

sahasra-śīrṣā puruṣaḥ sahasrākṣaḥ sahasra-pāt | sa bhūmiṃ viśvato vṛtvāty atiṣṭhad daśāṅgulam

Thousand-headed is the Puruṣa, thousand-eyed, thousand-footed; pervading the earth on every side, He stood beyond it by a measure of ten fingers.

HV 30.15's *sahasra-caraṇaṃ, sahasrāṃśuṃ, sahasra-śirasaṃ devam* is a near-verbatim citation. The Harivaṃśa is explicitly placing the infant-Kṛṣṇa the Yādavas are about to hear about within the Puruṣa-sūkta's Puruṣa. The Warkari tradition reads the two as a single hymn.

DirectBhagavad Gītā 4.13

The four-varṇa formula Kṛṣṇa himself announces in the Gītā is anticipated here in question-form.

चातुर्वर्ण्यं मया सृष्टं गुणकर्मविभागशः । तस्य कर्तारम् अपि मां विद्ध्य् अकर्तारम् अव्ययम् ॥

cātur-varṇyaṃ mayā sṛṣṭaṃ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ | tasya kartāram api māṃ viddhy akartāram avyayam

The fourfold ordering was created by Me according to the distribution of guṇa and karma. Though its maker, know Me also as its non-maker, the imperishable.

HV 30.30's *cātur-varṇyasya prabhavaś cātur-varṇyasya rakṣitā* is the Gītā's self-statement spoken in praise-of-him form. The sages are describing — before being told directly — the same cosmic office Kṛṣṇa will later claim in his own voice on Kurukṣetra.

BORI critical edition, ed. P. L. Vaidya (1969). Digital text from the GRETIL Zurich constituted text. Distributed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.