CHAPTER LXIV
(VISHNU PROMISES HELP TO THE GODS)
Vaishampāyana said:—Hearing those most excellent eulogistic verses recited by the foremost of the twice-born Kashyapa the Lord Nārāyana, having a grave but sweet voice, delightedly and distinctly said to the great gods through the muttering of clouds. The words were heard from the sky, but nobody could see the Lord. Iswara said it with great delight (1-3).
Vishnu said:—O leading celestials, I am pleased with you. May you fare well. Do you pray for boons and I am ready to grant them (4).
Kashyapa said:—O immortals, blessed are we all since the Lord has been pleased with us. Thou art our supreme refuge. If O Lord, thou art propitiated and desirous of giving us boons, be thou born as Vāsava's younger brother, ever enhancing the joy of thy kinsmen and as the son of myself and Aditi.
Vaishampāyana said:—Then Aditi, the mother of Devas, desirous of praying for a boon, said to the Lord:—"I pray to thee for a boon. For the well being of all the gods be thou born as my son (5-8)".
The Gods said:—O lord, do thou become our brother, master, king and protector. If thou art born as Aditi's son Vāsava and other celestials will be able to hear the name of Deva. Do thou therefore be born as Kashyapa's son (9).
Vaishampāyana said:—Thereupon Vishnu said to the Devas and Kashyapa:—"O gods, your enemies will not be able to stand even for a moment before me. Having slain the Asuras and other enemies of the celestials I will make the latter partake of sacrificial offerings. By my creative power I will make the gods partake of Havya and the Pitris of Kavya. Therefore O ye gods, return by the same way by which you came. I will satisfy the desire of Aditi the mother of gods as well as that of the great Kashyapa. Do you repair to your respective abodes. May good betide you and may you attain to your desired-for objects" (10-14).
Thus addressed by the powerful Vishnu the gods delightedly worshipped the Lord (15). Having bowed unto the Deity, the great Vishwadevas, Kashyapa, Aditi, Sādhyas, Maruts, and the highly powerful Indra repaired to the great hermitage of Kashyapa in the eastern quarter. And having arrived at that hermitage filled with saints they engaged in the study of the Vedas and awaited Aditi's conception. Aditi, the mother of gods, held in her womb that great one, the soul of the universe of great power for a thousand celestial years. After the completion of the thousandth year she gave birth to the son, the protector of the gods and the destroyer of the Asuras. Living in the womb the Lord withdrew the energies of the three worlds and saved the gods. When that master of gods, the joy of the three worlds, the fear of the Daityas and the enhancer of the delight of the gods was born the celestials were freed from fear (15–21).
Source: https://archive.org/details/AProseEnglishTranslationOfHarivamsh
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