Mokshadharma Parva — An account of the Creator

Yudhishthira said O grandfather, O you of great wisdom, I wish to hear fully, O chief of the Bharatas, of that lotus-eyed and indestructible one, who is the Crcator of all but who has been created by none, who is called Vishnu, who is the origin of all creatures and to whom all creatures return, who is known by the names of Narayana and Hrishikesha and Govinda and Keshava, and who is incapable of being defeated by any one.

Bhishma said I have heard of this subject from Jamadagni's son Rama while he described it from the celestial saint Narada and from Krishna-Dvaipayana. to

Asita-Devala, O son, Valmiki of austere penances and Markandeya, describe Govinda as the most Wonderful and the Supreme.

Keshava, O chief of Bharata's race, is the divine and powerful Lord of all. He is called Purusha, and is present in everything, having multiplied himself.

Listen now, O Yudhisthira of powerful arms, those attributes which great Brahmanas say are to be seen in the great wielder of Sharnga.

I shall also, O king recite to you those acts which persons well-read in old histories attribute to Govinda.

He is the soul of all creatures, the great one, and the foremost of all beings. He crealed (by his will) the five elements viz., Wind, Light, Water, Space and Earth.

Having created the Earth that powerful Lord of all things, that great one, that foremost of all beings, lay on the surface of the waters.

While thus floating upon the waters, that foremost of all beings, that resort of every sort of energy and splendour, created consciousness, the first-born of all beings in the universe.

We have heard that He created consciousness with the mind,-Consciousness which is the resort of all created things. That Consciousness maintains all creatures and both the past and the future.

After that great Being. O mighty-armed one, viz., Consciousness originated a highly beautiful lotus effulgent like the Sun out of the navel of the Supreme Being.

Then, O son the illustrious and divine Brahman, the Grandfather of all creatures, came into being from that lotus, lighting all the points of the horizon with his effulgence.

After the high-souled Grandfather had, O mighty-armed one, thus originated from the primeval lotus, a great Asura of the name of Madhu, having no beginning, came into being from the quality of ignorance, (Tamas).

The foremost of all Beings for helping Brahman, killed that dreadful Asura of terrific deeds, engaged even then in the fearful act of killing the Grandfather.

For slaying this demon, O son, all the gods and the Danavas and men called that foremost of all righteous person by the name of Madhusudana (slayer of Madhu).

After this, Brahman, created, by his will, seven sons with Daksha at their head. They were Marichi, Atri, Angiras, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu.

The eldest born, viz., Marichi, beget, by his will, a son named Kashyapa, highly energetic and the foremost of all person conversant with Brahma.

From his toe, Brahmana had, even before the birth of Marichi, created a son. That son, O Bharata's chief, was Daksha, the progenitor of creatures.

Daksha begot thirteen daughters, 0 Bharata, the eldest of whom was called Diti.

Marichi's son Kashyapa, O son, who was a master of duties and their distinctions, who was of righteous deeds and great fame, espoused them.

The highly blessed Daksha next beget ten other daughters. That progenitor of creatures, viz., the righteous Daksha, conferred these upon Dharma.

Dharma became father of the Vasus, the highly energetic Rudras the Vishvedevas, the Saddhyas, and the Maruts, O Bharata.

Daksha next beget twenty-seven other younger daughters. The highly blessed Soma espoused them all.

The other wives of Kashyapa gave births to Gandharvas, horses, birds, kine, Kimpurushas, fishes, and trees and plants.

Aditi gave birth to the Adityas, the foremost ones among the gods, and highly powerful. Amongst them Vishnu was born in the form of a dwarf. Otherwise called Govinda, he became the foremost of them all.

By his power the prosperity of the gods increased. The Danavas were defeated. The children of Diti were the Asuras.

Danu gave birth to the Danavas having Viprachitti as their head. Diti gave birth to all the powerful Asuras.

The destroyer of Madhu also created the Day and the Night, and the Seasons in their order, and the Morning and the Evening.

After meditation he also created the clouds, and all the immobile and mobile objects. Highly energetic he also created the Vishvas and the Earth with all things upon her.

Then the highest used and powerful Krishna, O Yudhishthira, once again created from his mouth one hundred foremost Brahmans.

From his two arms, he created one hundred Kshatriyas, and from his thighs one hundred. Vaishyas. Then, O foremost of Bharata's racc, Keshava created from his two feet one hundred Shudras.

Endued with great ascetic merit, the destroyer of Madhu, having thus created the four orders of men, made (Dhatri Brahman) the master and ruler of all created beings.

Of incomparable effulgence, Brahman became also the exponent of the Vedic lore. And Keshava made himn called Virupaksha, the ruler of the spirits and ghosts and of those females called the Matrikas (mothers).

And he made Yama the ruler of the departed manes of all sinful men. The Supreme Soul of ail creatures also made Kuvera the lord of all riches.

He then created Varuna the lord of waters and governor of all acquatic animals. The powerful Vishnu made Vasava the king of all celestials.

In those times, men lived as long as they chose to live, and had no fear of Yama.

Sexual intercourse, O chief of the Bharatas, was then not necessary for perpetuating the race. In those days, offspring were begotten by the will.

In the cycle that followed, viz., Treta, children were begotten by touch alone. The people of that cycle even, O king, had no necessity of sexual intercourse.

It was in the next cycle, viz., Dvapara, that the practice of sexual intercourse originated, O king, amongmen. In the Kali age, O monarch, men have come to marry and live in pairs.

I have now told you of the supreme Lord of all creatures. He is also called the Ruler of all and everything. I shall now, O son of Kunti, describe to you the sinful creatures of the Earth. Listen to me.

Those men, O king, are born in the southern region and are called Andhakas, Gushes, Palinodes, Shavers, Chuchukas, Madrakas.

I shall also name those that are born in the northern region. They are Yaunas, Kambojas, Ghandharas, Kiratas, and Barbbaras.

All of them, O son, are sinful, and live on this Earth, acting like Chandalas, ravens and vultures.

In the Krita cycle, O son, they did not live on Earth. It is from the Treta that they sprang and began to multiply, O chief of Bharata's race.

When the terrible period of the junction of Treta and the Dvapara, set in the Kshatriyas, approaching one another, began to fight.

Thus, O chief of Kuru's race, this universe was created by the great Krishna. He is the end of intelligent. That observer of all the worlds, viz., the celestial saint Narada, has said that Krishna is the Supreme God.

Even Narada, O king, acknowledge the supremacy and eternity of Krishna, O mightyarmed chief of Bharata's race.

Thus, O mighty-armed one, is Keshava of unvanquishable prowess. That lotus-eyed one is not a man. He is inconceivable!'