Upendrāya namah.
The Supreme Lord’s body was glowing luminously due to the radiance of His multi-coloured clothing and glittering jewellery. The toe-nails on His lotus feet were gleaming like Moon-rays. His toes appeared like tender lotus petals. In order to fulfill their varied desires, human beings worship this Supreme Lord in various methods as prescribed by the Vedas. These lotus feet fulfill the desires of all such beings.
His charming and pleasing face dispels grief. His pleasing face gleams brightly with its delicate nose, beautiful eyebrows and glittering earrings that delicately move. His red lower lip shines like the red bimba fruit. With such pleasant face He looks at devotees who reverentially worship Him.
Kadamba-kiñjalka-piśaṅga-vāsasā svalaṅkṛtaṁ mekhalayā nitambe
Hāreṇa cānanta-dhanena vatsa śrīvatsa-vakṣaḥsthala-vallabhena
His waist shines resplendently with yellow clothing that resembles the yellow dust of the Kadamba flowers and with His waist belt. The mark called śrivatsa decorates His chest. The beautiful garland that adorns His neck adds to His beauty.
This primordial cause of the universe is like the supreme sandalwood tree. He is like the tree called the universe. His long arms are like the long branches of that tree. The armlets and other jewels that adorn His arms are like fruits and flowers that adorn the branches. This tree is visible only due to supreme grace and it appears to contain the primary mother root. With arms that appear like the inter-twined hoods of serpent Adishesha, He appears like the sandalwood tree that is a shelter to snakes.
This Lord who is surrounded by the turbulent waters of dissolution, appeared like a mountain submerged in the water. Mountains are the refuge for trees, creepers, animals, birds and other entities. The Supreme Lord is the shelter for the entire universe consisting of moving and non-moving entities. Just as mountains offer shelter for the large snakes, this Lord appeared to be a relative of the eminent snake Adishesha.
On each of its hoods Adishesha has innumerable gems that glitter like golden mountain peaks. It is a well known fact that mountains are the storehouse of gems. As the Lord appears like a luminous golden mountain, on His waist the Kausthuba gem illumines exquisitely.
Just as bees encircle flowers, Vedas encircle the bright Vanamāla garland that adorns His neck and they render profusely His glories. The Sun, Moon, Fire and other luminous objects fade completely in front of His divine luster. Wind does not even dare to approach Him. Even Sudarshana and other weapons that encircle Him, and prevent even that being who has performed intense penance in all the three worlds and in all the three periods of time from seeing Him, are afraid to approach Him. There is nothing that approaches Him.
At that moment to Lord Brahma who had the intense desire to create the worlds and the knowledge necessary for the same, only the lotus which had emerged from the navel of that Supreme Lord, his own body, the gigantic waters, the devastating winds of dissolution and space were visible. Nothing apart from these five was visible.
Brahma’s mind was filled with the traits of action (rajo guna). He was determined to understand the playful transcendental activities of māya. He desired to create living beings through different methods. As he began to investigate the primary principles pertaining to creation, the above mentioned five elements were visible to him. He then prayed to Lord Srihari.
With this the eight chapter of the third canto comes to an end.
Third Canto Chapter Nine
In this chapter Brahma worshipping Lord Srihari and Srihari bestowing boons upon Brahma are covered.
Brahma prayed to Lord Srihari, “O Supreme Lord! After this very long period of time I have come to know You. The living beings, who consider that they are nothing but material body are truly unfortunate, for they cannot see You. There is nothing apart from You! That which appears to exist is not real. It is all an illusion. Due to the turbulence caused by Your illusory power consisting of the three attributes, You appear as many. You alone are real. You are the truth.
Rūpaṁ yad etad avabodha-rasodayena śaśvan-nivṛtta-tamasaḥ sad-anugrahāya
Ādau gṛhītam avatāra-śataika-bījaṁ yan-nābhi-padma-bhavanād aham āvirāsam
As You inherently illumine, spiritual ignorance which is in the form of darkness stays away from You. For the purpose of blessing noble beings, You have accepted this form. This form of Yours is the primary cause for the many hundreds and thousands of incarnations of Yours. From this form of Yours a lotus was born. From that lotus I emerged.
O Lord who is beyond Nature (Prakriti)! O form of the Self! The veil called ignorance cannot envelop Your power of illumination. Your bliss is beyond all forms of differentiation. I believe that this visible form of Yours is in no way different from it.
This form of Yours, which is beyond any form of comparison, eternally remains over and above the manifested worlds although it is the cause for the manifestation. I surrender to this form of Yours, which is superior and far more powerful than all the elements and the senses.
O well-wisher of the universe! In order to bless me, your ardent devotee, You have appeared to me in this form during my meditation. O Supreme Lord! Again and again I offer my obeisance to You.
The ignorant human beings have extreme attachment and desire towards this material world which is created by Your illusionary energy. They are dedicated towards wasteful speech. Wasting time in unnecessary arguments and debates, they fail to understand You. Due to negligence shown towards You they end up in hell.
O Lord! The Vedas extol the greatness of Your lotus feet in varied ways. Through the ear holes, ardent devotees smell the aroma of Your lotus feet, which is carried by the wind called the Vedas and relish them joyfully. With their devotion they tie down Your lotus feet. You will never distance from the lotus hearts of such devotees. You will never stay away from ardent devotees”.
Janārdhanāya namah.
