"Markandeya continued, 'The Deity then said, "O Brahmana, the gods even
do not know me truly! As however, I have been gratified with thee, I
will tell thee how I created the universe! O regenerate _Rishi_, thou
art devoted to thy ancestors and hast also sought my protection! Thou
hast also beheld me with thy eyes, and thy ascetic merit also is great!
In ancient times I called the waters by the name of _Nara_; and because
the waters have ever been my _ayana_ or home, therefore have I been
called _Narayana_ (the _water-homed_). O best of regenerate ones, I am
_Narayana_, the Source of all things, the Eternal, the Unchangeable. I
am the Creator of all things, and the Destroyer also of all. I am
Vishnu, I am Brahma and I am Sakra, the chief of the gods. I am king
Vaisravana, and I am Yama, the lord of the deceased spirits. I am Siva,
I am Soma, and I am Kasyapa the lord of the created things. And, O best
of regenerate ones, I am he called _Dhatri_, and he also that is called
_Vidhatri_, and I am Sacrifice embodied. Fire is my mouth, the earth my
feet, and the Sun and the Moon are my eyes; the Heaven is the crown of
my head, the firmament and the cardinal points are my ears; the waters
are born of my sweat. Space with the cardinal points are my body, and
the Air is my mind. I have performed many hundreds of sacrifices with
gifts in profusion. I am always present in the sacrifices of the gods;
and they that are cognisant of the _Vedas_ and officiate therein, make
their offerings to me. On earth the Kshatriya chiefs that rule over men,
in performing their sacrifices from desire of obtaining heaven, and the
Vaisyas also in performing theirs from desire of winning those happy
regions, all worship me at such times and by those ceremonials. It is I
who, assuming the form of Sesha support (on my head) this earth bounded
by the four seas and decked by Meru and Mandara. And O regenerate one,
it is I who, assuming the form of a boar, had raised in days of yore
this earth sunk in water. And, O best of Brahmanas, it is I who,
becoming the fire that issues out of the _Equine mouth_, drink up the
waters (of the ocean) and create them again. In consequence of my energy
from my mouth, my arms, my thighs, and my feet gradually sprang
Brahmanas and Kshatriyas and Vaisyas and Sudras. It is from me that the
_Rik_, the _Sama_, the _Yajus_, and the _Atharvan_ Vedas spring, and it
is in me that they all enter when the time cometh. Brahmanas devoted to
asceticism, they that value Peace as the highest attribute, they that
have their souls under complete control, they that are desirous of
knowledge, they that are freed from lust and wrath and envy, they that
are unwedded to things of the earth, they that have their sins
completely washed away, they that are possessed of gentleness and
virtue, and are divested of pride, they that have a full knowledge of
the Soul, all worship me with profound meditation. I am the flame known
as _Samvartaka_, I am the Wind called by that name, I am the Sun wearing
that appellation, and I am the fire that hath that designation. And, O
best of Brahmanas, those things that are seen in the firmament as stars,
know them to be the pores of my skin. The ocean--those mines of gems and
the four cardinal points, know, O Brahmana, are my robes, my bed, and my
home. By me have they been distributed for serving the purposes of the
gods. And, O best of men, know also that lust, wrath, joy, fear, and the
over-clouding of the intellect, are all different forms of myself. And,
O Brahmana, whatever is obtained by men by the practice of truth,
charity, ascetic austerities, and peace and harmlessness towards all
creatures, and such other handsome deeds, is obtained because of my
arrangements. Governed by my ordinance, men wander within my body, their
senses overwhelmed by me. They move not according to their will but as
they are moved by me. Regenerate Brahmanas that have thoroughly studied
the _Vedas_, that have tranquillity in their souls, they that have
subdued their wrath, obtain a high reward by means of their numerous
sacrifices. That reward, however, is unattainable by men that are wicked
in their deeds, overwhelmed by covetousness, mean and disreputable with
souls unblessed and impure. Therefore, must thou know, O Brahmana that
this reward which is obtained by persons having their souls under
control and which is unobtainable by the ignorant and the foolish,--this
which is attainable by asceticism alone,--is productive of high merit.
And, O best of men, at those times when virtue and morality decrease and
sin and immorality increase, I create myself in new forms. And, O
_Muni_, when fierce and malicious _Daityas_ and _Rakshasas_ that are
incapable of being slain by even the foremost of the gods, are born on
earth, I then take my birth in the families of virtuous men, and
assuming human body restore tranquillity by exterminating all evils.
Moved by my own _maya_, I create gods and men, and _Gandharvas_ and
_Rakshasas_, and all immobile things and then destroy them all myself
(when the time cometh). For the preservation of rectitude and morality I
assume a human form, and when the season for action cometh, I again
assume forms that are inconceivable. In the _Krita_ age I become white,
in the _Treta_ age I become yellow, in the _Dwapara_ I have become red
and in the _Kali_ age I become dark in hue. In the _Kali_ age, the
proportion of immorality becometh three-fourths, (a fourth only being
that of morality). And when the end of the _Yuga_ cometh, assuming the
fierce form of Death, alone I destroy all the three worlds with their
mobile and immobile existences. With three steps, I cover the whole
Universe; I am the Soul of the universe; I am the source of all
happiness; I am the humbler of all pride; I am omnipresent; I am
infinite; I am the Lord of the senses; and my prowess is great. O
Brahmana, alone do I set a-going the wheel of Time; I am formless; I am
the Destroyer of all creatures; and I am the cause of all efforts of all
my creatures. O best of _Munis_, my soul completely pervadeth all my
creatures, but, O foremost of all regenerate ones, no one knoweth me. It
is me that the pious and the devoted worship in all the worlds. O
regenerate one, whatever of pain thou hast felt within my stomach, know,
O sinless one, that all that is for thy happiness and good fortune. And
whatever of mobile and immobile objects thou hast seen in the world,
everything hath been ordained by my Soul which is the Spring of all
existence. The grandsire of all creatures is half my body; I am called
Narayana, and I am bearer of the conch-shell, the discus and the mace. O
regenerate _Rishi_, for a period measured by a thousand times the length
of the _Yugas_, I who am the Universal Soul sleep overwhelming all
creatures in insensibility. And, O best of regenerate _Rishis_, I stay
here thus for all time, in the form of a boy though I am old, until
Brahma waketh up. O foremost of Brahmanas, gratified with thee, I who am
_Brahma_ have repeatedly granted thee boons, O thou who art worshipped
by regenerate _Rishis_! Beholding one vast expanse of water and seeing
that all mobile and immobile creatures have been destroyed, thou wert
afflicted with melancholy. I know this, and it is for this that I showed
thee the universe (within my stomach). And while thou wert within my
body, beholding the entire universe, thou wert filled with wonder and
deprived of thy senses. O regenerate _Rishi_, it is for this that thou
wert speedily brought out by me through my mouth. I have (now) told thee
of that Soul which is incapable of being comprehended by the gods and
the _Asuras_. And as long as that great ascetic, the holy Brahma, doth
not awake, thou, O regenerate _Rishi_, canst happily and trustfully
dwell here. And when that Grandsire of all creatures awaketh up, I will
then, O best of Brahmanas, alone create all creatures endued with
bodies, the firmament, the earth, light, the atmosphere, water, and
indeed all else of mobile and immobile creatures (that thou mayst have
seen) on the earth!"'
"Markandeya continued, 'Having said so unto me that wonderful Deity
vanished, O son, from my sight! I then beheld this varied and wondrous
creation start into life. O king, O thou foremost of the Bharata race, I
witnessed all this, so wonderful, O thou foremost of all virtuous men,
at the end of the _Yuga_! And the Deity, of eyes large as lotus leaves,
seen by me, in days of yore is this tiger among men, this Janardana who
hath become thy relative! It is in consequence of the boon granted to me
by this one that memory doth not fail me, that the period of my life, O
son of Kunti, is so long and death itself is under my control. This is
that ancient and supreme Lord Hari of inconceivable soul who hath taken
his birth as Krishna of the Vrishni race, and who endued with mighty
arms, seemeth to sport in this world! This one is _Dhatri_ and
_Vidhatri_, the Destroyer of all the Eternal, the bearer of the
_Sreevatsa_ mark on his breast, the Lord of the lord of all creatures,
the highest of the high, called also Govinda! Beholding this foremost of
all gods, this ever-victorious Being, attired in yellow robes, this
chief of the Vrishni race, my recollection cometh back to me! This
Madhava is the father and mother of all creatures! Ye bulls of the Kuru
race, seek ye the refuge of this Protector!'"
Vaisampayana continued, "Thus addressed, the sons of Pritha and those
bulls among men--the twins, along with Draupadi, all bowed down unto
Janardana. And that tiger among men deserving of every respect thus
revered by the sons of Pandu, then consoled them all with words of great
sweetness."