"'Yudhishthira said, "O grandsire, O thou of great wisdom and invincible
prowess in battle, I wish to hear in detail of Krishna who is immutable
and omnipotent. O bull among men, tell me truly everything about his
great energy and the great feats achieved by him in days of old. Why did
that puissant one assume the form of an animal, and for achieving what
particular act? Tell me all this, O mighty warrior!"
"'Bhishma said, "Formerly, on one occasion, while out ahunting, I arrived
at the hermitage of Markandeya. There I beheld diverse classes of
ascetics seated by thousands. The Rishis honoured me by the offer of
honey and curds. Accepting their worship, I reverentially saluted them in
return. The following that I shall recite was narrated there by the great
Rishi Kasyapa. Listen with close attention to that excellent and charming
account. In former days, the principal Danavas, endued with wrath and
cupidity, and mighty Asuras numbering by hundreds and drunk with might,
and innumerable other Danavas that were invincible in battle, became
exceedingly jealous of the unrivalled prosperity of the gods. Oppressed
(at last) by the Danavas, the gods and the celestial Rishis, failing to
obtain peace, fled away in all directions. The denizens of heaven saw the
earth looking like one sunk in sore distress. Overspread with mighty
Danavas of terrible mien, the earth seemed to be oppressed with a heavy
weight. Cheerless and grief-stricken, she seemed as if going down into the
nether depths. The Adityas, struck with fear, repaired to Brahman, and
addressing him, said, 'How, O Brahman, shall we continue to bear these
oppressions of the Danavas?' The Self-born answered them, saying, 'I have
already ordained what is to be done in this matter. Endued with boons,
and possessed of might, and swelling with pride, those senseless wretches
do not know that Vishnu of invisible form, that God incapable of being
vanquished by the very deities all acting together, hath assumed the form
of a boar. That Supreme Deity, rushing to the spot whither those wretches
among Danavas, of terrible aspect, are dwelling in thousands below the
earth, will slay them all.' Hearing these words of the Grandsire,
foremost ones among the deities felt great joy. Sometime after, Vishnu,
of mighty energy, encased in the form of a Boar, penetrating into
the nether regions, rushed against those offspring of Diti. Beholding
that extraordinary creature, all the Daityas, uniting together and
stupefied by Time, quickly proceeded against it for exerting their
strength, and stood surrounding it. Soon after, they all rushed against
that Boar and seized it simultaneously. Filled with rage they endeavoured
to drag the animal from every side. Those foremost of Danavas, of huge
bodies, possessed of mighty energy, swelling with strength, succeeded
not, however, O monarch, in doing anything to that Boar. At this they
wondered much and then became filled with fear. Numbering in thousands,
they regarded that their last hour had come. Then that Supreme God of all
the gods, having yoga for his soul and yoga for his companion, became
rapt in yoga, O chief of the Bharatas, and began to utter tremendous
roars, agitating those Daityas and Danavas. All the worlds and the ten
points of the compass resounded with those roars, which, for this reason,
agitated all creatures and filled them with fear. The very gods with
Indra at their head became terror-stricken. The whole universe became
stilled in consequence of that sound. It was a dreadful time. All mobile
and immobile beings became stupefied by that sound. The Danavas,
terrified by that sound, began to fall down lifeless, paralysed by the
energy of Vishnu. The Boar, with its hoofs, began to pierce those enemies
of the gods, those denizens of the nether regions, and tear their flesh,
fat, and bones. In consequence of those tremendous roars, Vishnu came to
be called by the name of Sanatana.[712] He is also called Padmanabha. He
is the foremost of yogins. He is the Preceptor of all creatures, and
their supreme Lord. All the tribes of the gods then repaired to the
Grandsire. Arrived at the presence, those illustrious ones addressed the
Lord of the universe, saying, 'What sort of a noise is this, O puissant
one? We do not understand it. Who is this one, or whose is this sound at
which the universe hath been stupefied? With the energy of this sound or
of its maker, the gods and the Danavas have all been deprived of their
senses.' Meanwhile, O mighty-armed one, Vishnu in his porcine form was in
sight of the assembled gods, his praises hymned by the great Rishis.
"'"The Grandsire said, 'That is the Supreme God, the Creator of all beings,
the soul of all creatures, the foremost of all yogins. Of huge body and
great strength, he cometh here, having slain the foremost ones among the
Danavas. He is the Lord of all beings, the master of yoga, the great
ascetic, the Soul of all living beings. Be still, all of you. He is
Krishna, the destroyer of all obstacles and impediments.[713] That
Supreme God, of immeasurable splendour, that great refuge of all
blessings, having achieved a most difficult feat that is incapable of
being accomplished by others, has returned to his own unmixed
nature.[714] It is He from whose navel the primeval lotus had sprung. He
is the foremost of yogins. Of supreme soul, He is the creator of all
beings. There is no need for sorrow or fear or grief, ye foremost of
gods! He is the Ordainer. He is the Creating Principle. He is
all-destroying Time. It is He who upholds all the world. The roars that
have alarmed you are being uttered by that high-souled one. Of mighty
arms, He is the object of the universal worship. Incapable of
deterioration, that lotus-eyed one is the origin of all beings and their
lord.'"'"