Srimad Bhagvata Mahapurana Book 8 Chapter 5:1-18

Book 8: Chapter 5

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Srimad Bhagvata Mahapurana: Book 8: Chapter 5: Verses 1-18
The gods resort to Brahma and the latter glorifies the Lord

Sri Suka resumed: O king ! the sacred account of the aforesaid exploit of Sri Hari in the shape of deliverance of the king of elephants, which wipes out one's sins, has (just) been narrated to you. Now hear the story of the Manvantara presided over by Raivata. The fifth Manu, Raivata by name, was a co-uterine brother of Tamasa (the fourth Manu, son of Priyavrata). Bali, Vindhya and others, the eldest of whom was Arjuna, were his sons. Vibhu was the Indra (the lord of paradise); while the Bhutarayas and others were the hosts of gods, O Pariksit ! (And) Hiranyaroma,Vedasira, Urdhvabahu and others[1] were the (seven)Brahmana seers. Vikuntha was the wife of the sage Subhra; from the union of these two appeared in His partial being the Lord Himself under the name of Vaikuntha along with the foremost of the gods known by the name of the Vaikunthas. It was by Him as requested by (His divine Spouse) Goddess Rama (Laksmi) and with the intention of pleasing Her that the (divine) region of Vaikuntha, the adored of (all) the worlds, was brought into existence (revealed). His glory and excellences (such as devotion to the Brahmanas) as well as (His) supreme elevation have (already) been recounted [2] He who would (undertake to) exhaust the virtues of Lord Visnu might (as well) count the particles of dust of the (entire) globe.

Indeed, the sixth Manu was son of Caksu, Caksusa by name; while Puru, Purusa, Sudyumna and others were the sons of Chaksusa. Mantradruma was (the name of) the Indra during the Caksusa Manvantara; while Apyas and others were the hosts of the gods. Similarly Havisman, Viraka and others[3] were the (seven) seers in that Manvantara, O king! In that very Manvantara the divine Lord, the Protector of the universe, appeared in His partial being as the son of Vairaja through the latter's wife, Sambhuti, under the name of Ajita, by whom nectar was made available to the gods after churning the ocean (of milk) and by whom, in the form of the (divine) Tortoise, Mount Mandara revolving in the water was supported (on His back). The king (Pariksit) submitted : (Pray). describe (to me) that most marvellous feat of the almighty Lord, how and what for the ocean of milk was churned by the Lord, O (holy) Brahmana; wherefore He, in the form of an aquatic animal (tortoise), propped up Mount Mandara (on His back); how nectar was obtained by the gods and what else than this happened (on the said occasion). My mind, afflicted by (the threefold) agony for a pretty long time, does not feel sated with the glory of Sri Krsna (the Lord of the Yadus), which is being told at length by you (and which is so charming). Suta went on : Implored thus (by Pariksit), O Brahmanas, and welcoming his inquiry, the omniscient sage Suka (son of Dwaipayana), proceeded to describe in detail (as follows) the feat of Sri Hari (in the form of the churning of the ocean).

Sri Suka continued : When, pressed hard on the field of battle with sharp-edged weapons, the gods fell dead in large numbers and did not rise again, and when as a result of the imprecation pronounced by the sage Durvasa[4], O ruler of men, (all) the three worlds (viz., earth, heaven and the intermediate region) along with indra (their lord) were divested of their splendour, (all) sacrificial and other (sacred) performances disappeared (fell into desuetude). Observing this (state of things), the great Indra (the lord of paradise), Varuna (the god presiding over water and the western quarter) and other hosts of gods, though deliberating (among themselves) through (mutual) consultations, did not arrive by themselves at any definite conclusion (regarding the course of action to be followed by them). Thereupon they all went to the court of Brahma (the creator) on the summit of Mount Meru and submissively made everything fully known to that supreme ruler.

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References

  1. The names of the other lour seers, as gathered from the Harivamsa, are:- Devabahu, Sudhema, Parjanya and Mahamuni.
  2. Vide Book III.
  3. The names of the other fire seers, as gathered from the Harivamsa, are: Sumedha, Uttama, Madhu, Atinama and Sahisnu.
  4. The sage Durvasa was once returning from Vaikuntha (the divine realm of Lord Visnu). He wore on his bosom a wreathof flowers bestowed on him by the Lord as a token of His pleasure. On the way he met Indra riding his elephant, Airavata. The sage, in his turn, gifted the garland to Indra, who in his pride disdainfully threw it on the head of the elephant and the latter Playfully tore it from its head and trampled it under toot. At this the sage grew indignant and pronounced the curse that indra as well as the three worlds ruled over by him would soon be divested of their splendour.