Third Skandha · Chapter 2
Sourceव्यास उवाच यत्त्वया च महाबाहो पृष्टोऽहं कुरुसत्तम । तान्प्रश्नान्नारदः प्राह मया पृष्टो मुनीश्वरः ॥ १ ॥ नारद उवाच व्यास किं ते ब्रवीम्यद्य पुराऽयं संशयो मम । उत्पन्नो हृदयेऽत्यर्थं संदेहासारपीडितः ॥ २ ॥ गत्वाऽहं पितरं स्थाने ब्रह्माणममितौजसम् । अपृच्छं यत्त्वया पृष्टं व्यासाद्य प्रश्नमुत्तमम् ॥ ३ ॥ पितः कुतः समुत्पन्नं ब्रह्माण्डमखिलं विभो । भवत्कृतेन वा सम्यक् किं वा विष्णुकृतं त्विदम् ॥ ४ ॥ रुद्रकृतं वा विश्वात्मन् ब्रूहि सत्यं जगत्पते । आराधनीयः कः कामं सर्वोत्कृष्टश्च कः प्रभुः ॥ ५ ॥ तत्सर्वं वद मे ब्रह्मन्सन्देहांश्छिन्धि चानघ । निमग्नो ह्यस्मि संसारे दुःखरूपेऽनृतोपमे ॥ ६ ॥ सन्देहान्दोलितं चेतो न प्रशाम्यति कुत्रचित् । न तीर्थेषु न देवेषु साधनेष्वितरेषु च ॥ ७ ॥ अविज्ञाय परं तत्त्वं कुतः शान्तिः परन्तप । विकीर्णं बहुधा चित्तं नैकत्र स्थिरतां व्रजेत् ॥ ८ ॥ कं स्मरामि यजे कं वा कं व्रजाम्यर्चयामि कम् । स्तौमि कं नाभिजानामि देव सर्वेश्वरेश्वरम् ॥ ९ ॥ ततो मां प्रत्युवाचेदं ब्रह्मा लोकपितामहः । मया सत्यवतीसूनो कृते प्रश्ने सुदुस्तरे ॥ १० ॥ ब्रह्मोवाच किं ब्रवीमि सुताद्याहं दुर्बोधं प्रश्नमुत्तमम् । त्वयाशक्यं महाभाग विष्णोरपि सुनिश्चयात् ॥ ११ ॥ रागी कोऽपि न जानाति संसारेऽस्मिन्महामते । विरक्तश्च विजानाति निरीहो यो विमत्सरः ॥ १२ ॥ एकार्णवे पुरा जाते नष्टे स्थावरजङ्गमे भूतमात्रे समुत्पन्ने सञ्जज्ञे कमलादहम् ॥ १३ ॥ नापश्यं तरणिं सोमं न वृक्षान्न च पर्वतान् । कर्णिकायां समाविष्टश्चिन्तामकरवं तदा ॥ १४ ॥ कस्मादहं समुद्भूतः सलिलेऽस्मिन्महार्णवे । को मे त्राता प्रभुः कर्ता संहर्ता वा युगात्यये ॥ १५ ॥ न च भूर्विद्यते स्पष्टा यदाधारं जलं त्विदम् । पङ्कजं कथमुत्पन्नं प्रसिद्धं रूढियोगयोः ॥ १६ ॥ पश्याम्यद्यास्य पङ्कं तं मूलं वै पङ्कजस्य च । भविष्यति धरा तत्र मूलं नास्त्यत्र संशयः ॥ १७ ॥ उत्तरन्सलिले तत्र यावद्वर्षसहस्रकम् । अन्वेषमाणो धरणीं नावाप तां यदा तदा ॥ १८ ॥ तपस्तपेति चाकाशे वागभूदशरीरिणी । ततो मया तपस्तप्तं पद्मे वर्षसहस्रकम् ॥ १९ ॥ सृजेति पुनरुद्भूता वाणी तत्र श्रुता मया । विमूढोऽहं तदाकर्ण्य कं सृजामि करोमि किम् ॥ २० ॥ तदा दैत्यावपि प्राप्तौ दारुणौ मधुकैटभौ । ताभ्यां विभीषितश्चाहं युद्धाय मकरालये ॥ २१ ॥ ततोऽहं नालमालम्ब्य वारिमध्यमवातरम् । तदा तत्र मया दृष्टः पुरुषः परमाद्भुतः ॥ २२ ॥ मेघश्यामशरीरस्तु पीतवासाश्चतुर्भुजः । शेषशायी जगन्नाथो वनमालाविभूषितः ॥ २३ ॥ शङ्खचक्रगदापद्माद्यायुधैः सुविराजितः । तमद्राक्षं महाविष्णुं शेषपर्यङ्कशायिनम् ॥ २४ ॥ योगनिद्रासमाक्रान्तमविस्पन्दिनमच्युतम् । शयानं तं समालोक्य भोगिभोगोपरि स्थितम् ॥ २५ ॥ चिन्ता ममाद्भुता जाता किं करोमीति नारद । मया स्मृता तदा देवी स्तुता निद्रास्वरूपिणी ॥ २६ ॥ देहान्निर्गत्य सा देवी गगने संस्थिता शिवा । अवितर्क्यशरीरा सा दिव्याभरणमण्डिता ॥ २७ ॥ विष्णोर्देहं विहायाशु विरराज नभःस्थिता । उदतिष्ठदमेयात्मा तया मुक्तो जनार्दनः ॥ २८ ॥ पंचवर्षसहस्राणि कृतवान् युद्धमुत्तमम् । तदा विलोकितौ दैत्यौ हरिणा विनिपातितौ ॥ २९ ॥ उत्सङ्गं विमलं कृत्वा तत्रैव निहतौ च तौ । रुद्रस्तत्रैव सम्प्राप्तो यत्रावां संस्थितावुभौ ॥ ३० ॥ त्रिभिः संवीक्षितास्मामिः स्वस्था देवी मनोहरा । संस्तुता परमा शक्तिरुवाचास्मानवस्थितान् ॥ ३१ ॥ कृपावलोकनैः कृत्वा पावनैर्मुदितानथ । देव्युवाच काजेशाः स्वानि कार्याणि कुरुध्वं समतन्द्रिताः ॥ ३२ ॥ सृष्टिस्थितिविशिष्टानि हतावेतौ महासुरौ । कृत्वा स्वानि निकेतानि वसध्वं विगतज्वराः ॥ ३३ ॥ प्रजाश्चतुर्विधाः सर्वाः सृजध्वं स्वविभूतिभिः । ब्रह्मोवाच तच्छ्रुत्वा वचनं तस्याः पेशलं सुखदं मृदु ॥ ३४ ॥ अब्रूम तामशक्तिः स्मः कथं कुर्मस्त्विमाः प्रजाः । न मही वितता मातः सर्वत्र विततं जलम् ॥ ३५ ॥ न भूतानि गुणाश्चापि तन्मात्राणीन्द्रियाणि च । तदाकर्ण्य वचोऽस्माकं शिवा जाता स्मितानना ॥ ३६ ॥ झटित्येवागतं तत्र विमानं गगनाच्छुभम् । सोवाचास्मिन्सुराः कामं विशध्वं गतसाध्वसाः ॥ ३७ ॥ विमाने ब्रह्मविष्ण्वीशा दर्शयाम्यद्य चाद्भुतम् । तन्निशम्य वचस्तस्या ओमित्युक्त्वा पुनर्वयम् ॥ ३८ ॥ समारुह्योपविष्टाः स्मो विमाने रत्नमण्डिते । मुक्तादामसुसंवीते किङ्किणीजालशब्दिते ॥ ३९ ॥ सुरसद्मनिभे रम्ये त्रयस्तत्राविशङ्किताः । सोपविष्टांस्ततो दृष्ट्वा देव्यस्मान्विजितेन्द्रियान् ॥ ४० ॥ स्वशक्त्या तद्विमानं वै नोदयामास चाम्बरे ॥ ४१ ॥
vyāsa uvāca yattvayā ca mahābāho pṛṣṭo'haṃ kurusattama | tānpraśnānnāradaḥ prāha mayā pṛṣṭo munīśvaraḥ || 1 || nārada uvāca vyāsa kiṃ te bravīmyadya purā'yaṃ saṃśayo mama | utpanno hṛdaye'tyarthaṃ saṃdehāsārapīḍitaḥ || 2 || gatvā'haṃ pitaraṃ sthāne brahmāṇamamitaujasam | apṛcchaṃ yattvayā pṛṣṭaṃ vyāsādya praśnamuttamam || 3 || pitaḥ kutaḥ samutpannaṃ brahmāṇḍamakhilaṃ vibho | bhavatkṛtena vā samyak kiṃ vā viṣṇukṛtaṃ tvidam || 4 || rudrakṛtaṃ vā viśvātman brūhi satyaṃ jagatpate | ārādhanīyaḥ kaḥ kāmaṃ sarvotkṛṣṭaśca kaḥ prabhuḥ || 5 || tatsarvaṃ vada me brahmansandehāṃśchindhi cānagha | nimagno hyasmi saṃsāre duḥkharūpe'nṛtopame || 6 || sandehāndolitaṃ ceto na praśāmyati kutracit | na tīrtheṣu na deveṣu sādhaneṣvitareṣu ca || 7 || avijñāya paraṃ tattvaṃ kutaḥ śāntiḥ parantapa | vikīrṇaṃ bahudhā cittaṃ naikatra sthiratāṃ vrajet || 8 || kaṃ smarāmi yaje kaṃ vā kaṃ vrajāmyarcayāmi kam | staumi kaṃ nābhijānāmi deva sarveśvareśvaram || 9 || tato māṃ pratyuvācedaṃ brahmā lokapitāmahaḥ | mayā satyavatīsūno kṛte praśne sudustare || 10 || brahmovāca kiṃ bravīmi sutādyāhaṃ durbodhaṃ praśnamuttamam | tvayāśakyaṃ mahābhāga viṣṇorapi suniścayāt || 11 || rāgī ko'pi na jānāti saṃsāre'sminmahāmate | viraktaśca vijānāti nirīho yo vimatsaraḥ || 12 || ekārṇave purā jāte naṣṭe sthāvarajaṅgame bhūtamātre samutpanne sañjajñe kamalādaham || 13 || nāpaśyaṃ taraṇiṃ somaṃ na vṛkṣānna ca parvatān | karṇikāyāṃ samāviṣṭaścintāmakaravaṃ tadā || 14 || kasmādahaṃ samudbhūtaḥ salile'sminmahārṇave | ko me trātā prabhuḥ kartā saṃhartā vā yugātyaye || 15 || na ca bhūrvidyate spaṣṭā yadādhāraṃ jalaṃ tvidam | paṅkajaṃ kathamutpannaṃ prasiddhaṃ rūḍhiyogayoḥ || 16 || paśyāmyadyāsya paṅkaṃ taṃ mūlaṃ vai paṅkajasya ca | bhaviṣyati dharā tatra mūlaṃ nāstyatra saṃśayaḥ || 17 || uttaransalile tatra yāvadvarṣasahasrakam | anveṣamāṇo dharaṇīṃ nāvāpa tāṃ yadā tadā || 18 || tapastapeti cākāśe vāgabhūdaśarīriṇī | tato mayā tapastaptaṃ padme varṣasahasrakam || 19 || sṛjeti punarudbhūtā vāṇī tatra śrutā mayā | vimūḍho'haṃ tadākarṇya kaṃ sṛjāmi karomi kim || 20 || tadā daityāvapi prāptau dāruṇau madhukaiṭabhau | tābhyāṃ vibhīṣitaścāhaṃ yuddhāya makarālaye || 21 || tato'haṃ nālamālambya vārimadhyamavātaram | tadā tatra mayā dṛṣṭaḥ puruṣaḥ paramādbhutaḥ || 22 || meghaśyāmaśarīrastu pītavāsāścaturbhujaḥ | śeṣaśāyī jagannātho vanamālāvibhūṣitaḥ || 23 || śaṅkhacakragadāpadmādyāyudhaiḥ suvirājitaḥ | tamadrākṣaṃ mahāviṣṇuṃ śeṣaparyaṅkaśāyinam || 24 || yoganidrāsamākrāntamavispandinamacyutam | śayānaṃ taṃ samālokya bhogibhogopari sthitam || 25 || cintā mamādbhutā jātā kiṃ karomīti nārada | mayā smṛtā tadā devī stutā nidrāsvarūpiṇī || 26 || dehānnirgatya sā devī gagane saṃsthitā śivā | avitarkyaśarīrā sā divyābharaṇamaṇḍitā || 27 || viṣṇordehaṃ vihāyāśu virarāja nabhaḥsthitā | udatiṣṭhadameyātmā tayā mukto janārdanaḥ || 28 || paṃcavarṣasahasrāṇi kṛtavān yuddhamuttamam | tadā vilokitau daityau hariṇā vinipātitau || 29 || utsaṅgaṃ vimalaṃ kṛtvā tatraiva nihatau ca tau | rudrastatraiva samprāpto yatrāvāṃ saṃsthitāvubhau || 30 || tribhiḥ saṃvīkṣitāsmāmiḥ svasthā devī manoharā | saṃstutā paramā śaktiruvācāsmānavasthitān || 31 || kṛpāvalokanaiḥ kṛtvā pāvanairmuditānatha | devyuvāca kājeśāḥ svāni kāryāṇi kurudhvaṃ samatandritāḥ || 32 || sṛṣṭisthitiviśiṣṭāni hatāvetau mahāsurau | kṛtvā svāni niketāni vasadhvaṃ vigatajvarāḥ || 33 || prajāścaturvidhāḥ sarvāḥ sṛjadhvaṃ svavibhūtibhiḥ | brahmovāca tacchrutvā vacanaṃ tasyāḥ peśalaṃ sukhadaṃ mṛdu || 34 || abrūma tāmaśaktiḥ smaḥ kathaṃ kurmastvimāḥ prajāḥ | na mahī vitatā mātaḥ sarvatra vitataṃ jalam || 35 || na bhūtāni guṇāścāpi tanmātrāṇīndriyāṇi ca | tadākarṇya vaco'smākaṃ śivā jātā smitānanā || 36 || jhaṭityevāgataṃ tatra vimānaṃ gaganācchubham | sovācāsminsurāḥ kāmaṃ viśadhvaṃ gatasādhvasāḥ || 37 || vimāne brahmaviṣṇvīśā darśayāmyadya cādbhutam | tanniśamya vacastasyā omityuktvā punarvayam || 38 || samāruhyopaviṣṭāḥ smo vimāne ratnamaṇḍite | muktādāmasusaṃvīte kiṅkiṇījālaśabdite || 39 || surasadmanibhe ramye trayastatrāviśaṅkitāḥ | sopaviṣṭāṃstato dṛṣṭvā devyasmānvijitendriyān || 40 || svaśaktyā tadvimānaṃ vai nodayāmāsa cāmbare || 41 ||
English translation
1-19. Vyasa said O mighty armed Kuru! What you have asked me just now, I also asked the same thing to Narada, the lord of the Munis and he gave me the following reply O Vyasa! What shall I say to you on this point more than this that a doubt occurred to me also in my former days. The question that you have put to me today rose in my mind before; and I went to my father Brahma, of endless energy and asked to him thus O Lord! O Father! Whence is this whole Brahmanda born? Have You created it? Or is it Visnu or MahesVara? O all pervading soul! Who is there in this Brahmanda fit to be worshipped? O Lord of the world! Who is the top-most Lord ruling over everything? Kindly say. O Brahman! I am plunged in this sea of Maya and perils; my heart is agitated with doubts; hence it is not appeased in any place of pilgrimage; or in thinking any Deva or in practising any Sadhan or in any other object. O Sinless one! Give me the answers duly and thus remove my doubts. O Tormentor of foes! Unless the highest truth is not known, peace is not found. This heart, distracted in various ways, cannot rest fixed on one subject. Whom am I to remember? Whom to worship? Where to go? Whom to praise? Who is the Supreme God this Universe? I do not understand these things. O Satyavati's son! Hearing these my serious queries, Brahma, the grand-Sire of beings, replied to me as follows O highly illustrious son! What more shall I say to you than this that even Visnu is unable to answer your questions; so difficult are they indeed! O great intelligent one! Nobody that is attached to the world knows anything about this. Those who are unattached to this world, who are free from any envy, these who are without desires and calm, those highsouled ones know the secret of all this. In former days when all was water, water everywhere and all things, moving and non-moving were destroyed, when five elements were sprung, then I was also born from the lotus navel of Visnu. Then not seeing Moon, Sun, trees, or mountains or anything and sitting on the
centre (Karnika) of the lotus thought thus When I am born in this great ocean of waters? Who has created me? Who is now my protector?
And Who will be my Destroyer when this cycle ends? There is no earth distinctly visible anywhere here; on what, then, this mass of water rests? Lotus is termed Pankaja because it springs from mud and dirt; so unless there exists the earth underneath with mud and dirt, how this lotus will come out here! Now let me try and find out where is the root of this lotus, where is the mud and dirt? If this be found, then the earth will be also certainly there. Thus thinking, I dived underneath the water and searched for one thousand years but could not find earth anywhere, when the celestial voice entered my ears “Practise tapasya (austerities).” Hearing this celestial voice, I sat on the lotus, my birth place, and practised tapasya for one thousand years.
20-30. Next, the celestial voice came again “Create.” Hearing this, I became quite confounded and began to think within myself “now what am I to create? What to do?” After this, the two terrible Daityas Madhu and Kaitabha came to me and affrighted me saying “Fight with us.” I became quite terrified and holding the stem of the lotus, I got down within the water. There I saw a wonderful person, sleeping on the Ananta serpent. He was of a deep blue colour like a rain- cloud, wearing yellow clothes, four-armed, garlanded with forest flowers, and the Lord of this whole Universe. On the four arms of this Maha Visnu there were conch-shells, disc, club, and lotus and other weapons. I saw this Achyuta Purusa, sleeping on the Ananta serpent bed, motionless and under the influence of Yoga Nidra. I then thought within myself “What am I to do?” Not being able to find out any other way, I recollected the Devi who was then of the nature of sleep and began to praise Her. The auspicious Devi Yoga Nidra, whose form could not be determined, immediately left the body of
Visnu and decorated with divine ornaments, began to shine in the air. After She left the body of Visnu, Visnu immediately got up. And He fought terribly for five thousand years with the Danavas Madhu Kaitabha; then by the grace of the Bhagavati, He extended His own thighs and then, on those thighs. He slew the two demons. Where Visnu and myself were standing, Rudra Deva came also and joined with us. Then we three saw the beautiful Devi in the celestial space.
31-40. We three, then, commenced to chant hymns to Her and She gladdened our hearts by Her gracious look and said “O Brahma!
O Visnu! O Rudra! The two great Daityas are slain. Now forsake your laziness and do your respective works of creating, preserving, and destroying the Universe; create your own abodes, and live in happiness; create by your respective lordly powers, the fourfold beings.” Hearing the Devi's gentle sweet words, we spoke “O Mother! There is no wide earth here; all is one mass of infinite ocean. No five elements, no five tanmatras, no sensual organs, no Gunas, nothing exist here; how can we then execute the works of creation, etc. Hearing our words, the Devi smiled. Immediately there came from the sky overhead a beautiful aerial car. The Devi said “O Brahma! O Visnu! O Rudra! Get in this car without any fear. To¬ day I will show you one wonderful thing.” At Her word, we got into the beautiful car without any fear. It was decorated with various gems and jewels, bedecked with pearls, emitting sweet tinkling sounds of bells and looking as the abode of the celestials. Seeing us seated without any fear. She made the car get high up in the sky by Her force.
Thus ends the second chapter of the third skandha on Brahma, Visnu and Rudra's going towards the heavens on the celestial car, given by the Devi in the Mahapurana S'rimad Devi Bhagavatam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vyas.
Complete chapter-aligned witnesses. Sanskrit Wikisource page 24728, revision 75581 (2016-08-03T11:22:51Z). English is Swami Vijñanananda’s complete 1921–23 public-domain translation, controlled against the archival OCR and its chapter page at https://sacred-texts.com/hin/db/bk03ch02.htm. Historic spelling and transliteration are lightly normalized; no verse-by-verse alignment is asserted.