Padmanābhaya namah
Seeing the fallen demon Hiranyāksha, Brahma and other Devatas who had assembled there thought,
“Hiranyāksha and Hiranyakashipu were none other than Jaya and Vijaya, the personal attendants of Lord Mahavishnu. The curse of Maharishi Sanaka and others was the reason for this demonic birth. After few more such births they will return to their original positions.”
Brahma and other Devatas then pleased the Lord with their hymns,
“Namo namas te ’khila-yajña-tantave sthitau gṛhītāmala-sattva-mūrtaye
Diṣṭyā hato ’yaṁ jagatām aruntudas tvat-pāda-bhaktyā vayam īśa nirvṛtāḥ.
O Lord! You are the cause for all Yagnas (sacrificial rituals). For the well-being of the worlds, You incarnate in Your pure (satvik) form which is untainted by the three attributes of Nature (trigunas). To You, we offer many prostrations.
O Lord, You have killed this demon who was an impediment to this world. We, who serve Your lotus feet with devotion, have thus obtained happiness”.
In this and in many other ways Brahma and other Devatas profusely praised Lord Varāha for having killed Hiranyāksha. With His glance which was replete with compassion and love, Srihari looked at them. He then returned to His ever auspicious and splendorous residence of Vaikunṭha.
O Vidura! You are my dear friend. As playfully as one breaks a toy, Lord Varāha playfully destroyed the demon Hiranyāksha. I have narrated this story to you, exactly as I have heard from my teachers”.
Having narrated this story, which was in the form of a conversation between Maitreya Maharishi and Vidura, Maharishi Suta addressed Maharishi Śounaka and said,
“O great saint! Vidura, the ardent devotee of Lord Srihari, was supremely thrilled to hear these glories of the Lord.
Anyeṣāṁ puṇya-ślokānām uddāma-yaśasāṁ satām
Upaśrutya bhaven modaḥ śrīvatsāṅkasya kiṁ punaḥ
When the pure, all-pervading and well-known glories of saints are heard, they give immense happiness to the mind. This being the case, what more can be said about the joy that is attained by listening to the glory of Lord Srihari, who wears the Srivatsa mark on His chest?
When Elephant-king Gajendra was caught by a crocodile, female elephants grieved a lot. At that time, Gajendra meditated upon the lotus feet of Lord Srihari. Instantly Srihari rescued him from the clutches of the crocodile.
Worshipping Srihari is a very simple task for those devotees who, without any trace of deceit and with pure unflinching devotion, seek shelter in Him! However it is impossible for the wicked to ever worship and please Him.
Any person who realizes that his entire good-fortune is simply due to the Lord’s grace upon him will undoubtedly worship Him! He will serve Him with devotion.
Yo vai hiraṇyākṣa-vadhaṁ mahādbhutaṁ Vikrīḍitaṁ kāraṇa-sūkarātmanaḥ
Śṛṇoti gāyaty anumodate ’ñjasā Vimucyate brahma-vadhād api dvijāḥ
O great saints! For protecting the world the Supreme Lord incarnated as Varāha boar and killed the demon. He, who listens to this astonishing glory of the Lord, who glorifies and enjoys it and who ensures that these stories are narrated everywhere, will be freed from even the terrible sin of killing a Brahmin! This is undoubtedly true!
Etan mahā-puṇyam alaṁ pavitraṁ Dhanyaṁ yaśasyaṁ padam āyur-āśiṣām
Prāṇendriyāṇāṁ yudhi śaurya-vardhanaṁ Nārāyaṇo ’nte gatir aṅga śṛṇvatām
O Vidura! This story purifies those who listen attentively to it. It blesses them with great merit. It helps them obtain wealth, fame and longevity. It fulfills all their desires. At times of war it increases the strength of the life-force (prana) and senses. Those who listen to it will reach Lord Narayana after their death”.
With this the nineteenth chapter of the third canto comes to an end.
Third Canto Chapter Twenty
In this chapter the process of creation adopted by Lord Brahma is explained.
Śounaka Maharishi enquired, “O Maharishi Suta! What were the activities of Swayambhuva Manu after the earth was restored to its original position? What were the methods adopted by him towards creation of living species? Please explain this to us.
Vidura was an ardent devotee of the Lord. He was a friend of Lord Srikrishna and had enjoyed His love. He gave up association with Duryodhana for behaving wrongly towards Srikrishna. He also gave up association with his brother Dhritarashtra for having supported the Kauravas in this matter. In greatness, Vidura was equal to his father Maharishi Vyasa. He would serve the devotees of Lord Srikrishna and would associate with them. He visited all pilgrim centres and had washed away all his impurities.
What more did he enquire from Maharishi Maitreya, when he met him at the sacred Haridwar kshetra? O Maharishi Suta! It is undoubtedly true that these two supreme beings would have discussed only stories pertaining to Lord Srikrishna. Like River Ganga, these stories of the Lord wash away the sins of the devotees to listen to them.
Tā naḥ kīrtaya bhadraṁ te kīrtanyodāra-karmaṇaḥ
Rasajñaḥ ko nu tṛpyeta hari-līlāmṛtaṁ piban
Padmanābhāya namah
