Varaha Purana — Chapter 91

VrP 91.91

श्रीवराह उवाच । या मन्दरगता देवी तपस्तप्तुं तु वैष्णवी । राजसी परमा शक्तिः कौमारव्रतधारिणी सैकाकिनी तपस्तेपे विशालायां तु शोभने । तस्यास्तपन्त्याः कालेन महता क्षुभितं मनः तस्मात् क्षोभात् समुत्तस्थुः कुमार्यः सौम्यलोचनाः । नीलकुञ्चितकेशान्ता बिम्बोष्ठायतलोचनाः । नितम्बरशनोद्दामा नूपुराढ्याः सुवर्चसः एवंविधाः स्त्रियो देव्या क्षोभिते मनसि द्रुतम् । उत्तस्थुः शतसाहस्त्राः कोटिशो विविधाननाः दृष्ट्वा कुमार्यः सा देवी तस्मिन्नेव गिरौ शुभा । तपसा निर्ममे देवी पुरं हर्म्यशताकुलम् विशालरथ्यं सौवर्णप्रासादैरुपशोभितम् । अन्तर्जलानि वेश्मानि मणिसोपानवन्ति च । रत्नजालगवाक्षाणि आसन्नोपवनानि च असंख्यातानि हर्म्याणि तथा कन्या धराधरे । प्राधान्येन प्रवक्ष्यामि कन्यानामानि शोभने विद्युत्प्रभा चन्द्रकान्तिः सूर्यकान्तिस्तथाऽपरा । गम्भीरा चारुकेशी च सुजाता मुञ्जकेशिनी घृताची चोर्वशी चान्या शशिनी शीलमण्डिता । चारुकन्या विशालाक्षी धन्या पीनपयोधरा चन्द्रप्रभा गिरिसुता तथा सूर्यप्रभाऽमृता । स्वयंप्रभा चारुमुखी शिवदूती विभावरी जया च विजया चैव जयन्ती चापराजिता । एताश्चान्याश्च शतशः कन्यास्तस्मिन् पुरोत्तमे देव्या अनुचराः सर्वाः पाशाङ्कुशधराः शुभाः । ताभिः परिवृता देवी सिंहासनगता शुभा सुसितैश्चामरैः स्त्रीभिर्वीज्यमाना विलासिनी । कौमारं व्रतमास्थाय तपः कर्तुं समुद्यता यौवनस्था महाभागा पीनवृत्तपयोधरा । चम्पकाशोकपुन्नागनागकेसरदामभिः सर्वाङ्गेष्वर्चिता देवी ऋषिदेवनमस्कृता । पूज्यमाना वरस्त्रीभिः कुमारीभिः समन्ततः सर्वाङ्गभोगिनी देवी यावदास्ते तपोऽन्विता । तावदागतवांस्तत्र नारदो ब्रह्मणः सुतः तं दृष्ट्वा सहसा देवी ब्रह्मपुत्रं तपोधनम् । विद्युत्प्रभामुवाचेदमासनं दीयतामिति । पाद्यमाचमनीयं च क्षिप्रमस्मै प्रदीयताम् एवमुक्ता तदा देव्या कन्या विद्युप्रभा शुभा । आसनं पाद्यमर्घ्यं च नारदाय न्यवेदयत् ततः कृतासनं दृष्ट्वा प्रणतं नारदं मुनिम् । उवाच वचनं देवी हर्षेण महताऽन्विता स्वागतं भो मुनिश्रेष्ठ कस्माल्लोकादिहागतः । किं कार्यं वद ते कृत्यं मा ते कालात्ययो भवेत् एवमुक्तस्तदा देव्या नारदः प्राह लोकवित् । ब्रह्मलोकादिन्द्रलोकं तस्माद् रौद्रमथाचलम् ततस्त्वामिह देवेशि द्रष्टुमभ्यागतः शुभे । एवमुक्त्वा मुनिः श्रीमांस्तां देवीमन्ववेक्षत दृष्ट्वा मुहूर्तं देवेशि विस्मितो नारदोऽभवत् । अहो रूपमहो कान्तिरहो धैर्यमहो वयः अहो निष्कामता देव्या इति खेदमुपाययौ । देवगन्धर्वसिद्धानां यक्षकिन्नररक्षसाम् न रूपमीदृशं क्वापि स्त्रीष्वन्यासु प्रदृश्यते । एवं संचिन्त्य मनसा नारदो विस्मयान्वितः प्रणम्य देवीं वरदामुत्पपात नभस्तलम् । गतश्च त्त्वरया युक्तः पुरीं दैत्येन्द्रपालिताम् महिषाख्येन भूतेशि समुद्रान्तःस्थितां पुरीम् । तत्राससाद भगवानसुरं महिषाकृतिम् दृष्ट्वा लब्धवरं वीरं देवसैन्यान्तकं महत् । स तेन पूजितो भक्त्या तदा लोकचरो मुनिः प्रीतात्मा नारदस्तस्मै देव्या रूपमनुत्तमम् । आचचक्षे यथान्यायं यद् दृष्टं देवतापुरे नारद उवाच । असुरेन्द्र श्रृणुष्वेकं कन्यारत्नं समाहितः । येन लब्धं तु त्रैलोक्यं वरदानाच्चराचरम् ब्रह्मलोकादहं दैत्य मन्दराद्रिमुपागतः । तत्र देवीपुरं दृष्टं कुमारीशतसङ्कुलम् तत्र प्रधाना या कन्या तापसी व्रतधारिणी । सा देवदैत्ययक्षाणां मध्ये काचिन्न दृश्यते यादृशी सा शुभा दैत्य तादृश्येकाण्डमध्यतः । भ्रमता तादृशी दृष्ट्वा न कदाचिन्मया सती तस्याश्च देवगन्धर्वा ऋषयः सिद्धचारणाः । उपासांचक्रिरे सर्वे येऽप्यन्ये दैत्यनायकाः तां दृष्ट्वा वरदां देवीमहं तूर्णमिहागतः । अजित्वा देवगन्धर्वान् न तां जयति कश्चन एवमुक्त्वा क्षणं स्थित्वा तमनुज्ञाप्य नारदः । यथागतं ययौ धीमानन्तर्धानेन तत्क्षणात्

śrīvarāha uvāca | yā mandaragatā devī tapastaptuṃ tu vaiṣṇavī | rājasī paramā śaktiḥ kaumāravratadhāriṇī saikākinī tapastepe viśālāyāṃ tu śobhane | tasyāstapantyāḥ kālena mahatā kṣubhitaṃ manaḥ tasmāt kṣobhāt samuttasthuḥ kumāryaḥ saumyalocanāḥ | nīlakuñcitakeśāntā bimboṣṭhāyatalocanāḥ | nitambaraśanoddāmā nūpurāḍhyāḥ suvarcasaḥ evaṃvidhāḥ striyo devyā kṣobhite manasi drutam | uttasthuḥ śatasāhastrāḥ koṭiśo vividhānanāḥ dṛṣṭvā kumāryaḥ sā devī tasminneva girau śubhā | tapasā nirmame devī puraṃ harmyaśatākulam viśālarathyaṃ sauvarṇaprāsādairupaśobhitam | antarjalāni veśmāni maṇisopānavanti ca | ratnajālagavākṣāṇi āsannopavanāni ca asaṃkhyātāni harmyāṇi tathā kanyā dharādhare | prādhānyena pravakṣyāmi kanyānāmāni śobhane vidyutprabhā candrakāntiḥ sūryakāntistathā'parā | gambhīrā cārukeśī ca sujātā muñjakeśinī ghṛtācī corvaśī cānyā śaśinī śīlamaṇḍitā | cārukanyā viśālākṣī dhanyā pīnapayodharā candraprabhā girisutā tathā sūryaprabhā'mṛtā | svayaṃprabhā cārumukhī śivadūtī vibhāvarī jayā ca vijayā caiva jayantī cāparājitā | etāścānyāśca śataśaḥ kanyāstasmin purottame devyā anucarāḥ sarvāḥ pāśāṅkuśadharāḥ śubhāḥ | tābhiḥ parivṛtā devī siṃhāsanagatā śubhā susitaiścāmaraiḥ strībhirvījyamānā vilāsinī | kaumāraṃ vratamāsthāya tapaḥ kartuṃ samudyatā yauvanasthā mahābhāgā pīnavṛttapayodharā | campakāśokapunnāganāgakesaradāmabhiḥ sarvāṅgeṣvarcitā devī ṛṣidevanamaskṛtā | pūjyamānā varastrībhiḥ kumārībhiḥ samantataḥ sarvāṅgabhoginī devī yāvadāste tapo'nvitā | tāvadāgatavāṃstatra nārado brahmaṇaḥ sutaḥ taṃ dṛṣṭvā sahasā devī brahmaputraṃ tapodhanam | vidyutprabhāmuvācedamāsanaṃ dīyatāmiti | pādyamācamanīyaṃ ca kṣipramasmai pradīyatām evamuktā tadā devyā kanyā vidyuprabhā śubhā | āsanaṃ pādyamarghyaṃ ca nāradāya nyavedayat tataḥ kṛtāsanaṃ dṛṣṭvā praṇataṃ nāradaṃ munim | uvāca vacanaṃ devī harṣeṇa mahatā'nvitā svāgataṃ bho muniśreṣṭha kasmāllokādihāgataḥ | kiṃ kāryaṃ vada te kṛtyaṃ mā te kālātyayo bhavet evamuktastadā devyā nāradaḥ prāha lokavit | brahmalokādindralokaṃ tasmād raudramathācalam tatastvāmiha deveśi draṣṭumabhyāgataḥ śubhe | evamuktvā muniḥ śrīmāṃstāṃ devīmanvavekṣata dṛṣṭvā muhūrtaṃ deveśi vismito nārado'bhavat | aho rūpamaho kāntiraho dhairyamaho vayaḥ aho niṣkāmatā devyā iti khedamupāyayau | devagandharvasiddhānāṃ yakṣakinnararakṣasām na rūpamīdṛśaṃ kvāpi strīṣvanyāsu pradṛśyate | evaṃ saṃcintya manasā nārado vismayānvitaḥ praṇamya devīṃ varadāmutpapāta nabhastalam | gataśca ttvarayā yuktaḥ purīṃ daityendrapālitām mahiṣākhyena bhūteśi samudrāntaḥsthitāṃ purīm | tatrāsasāda bhagavānasuraṃ mahiṣākṛtim dṛṣṭvā labdhavaraṃ vīraṃ devasainyāntakaṃ mahat | sa tena pūjito bhaktyā tadā lokacaro muniḥ prītātmā nāradastasmai devyā rūpamanuttamam | ācacakṣe yathānyāyaṃ yad dṛṣṭaṃ devatāpure nārada uvāca | asurendra śrṛṇuṣvekaṃ kanyāratnaṃ samāhitaḥ | yena labdhaṃ tu trailokyaṃ varadānāccarācaram brahmalokādahaṃ daitya mandarādrimupāgataḥ | tatra devīpuraṃ dṛṣṭaṃ kumārīśatasaṅkulam tatra pradhānā yā kanyā tāpasī vratadhāriṇī | sā devadaityayakṣāṇāṃ madhye kācinna dṛśyate yādṛśī sā śubhā daitya tādṛśyekāṇḍamadhyataḥ | bhramatā tādṛśī dṛṣṭvā na kadācinmayā satī tasyāśca devagandharvā ṛṣayaḥ siddhacāraṇāḥ | upāsāṃcakrire sarve ye'pyanye daityanāyakāḥ tāṃ dṛṣṭvā varadāṃ devīmahaṃ tūrṇamihāgataḥ | ajitvā devagandharvān na tāṃ jayati kaścana evamuktvā kṣaṇaṃ sthitvā tamanujñāpya nāradaḥ | yathāgataṃ yayau dhīmānantardhānena tatkṣaṇāt

The Blessed Boar said: The goddess who went to Mandara to perform austerity — that Vaiṣṇavī, the supreme rājasic power, holding the vow of maidenhood — she practised austerity alone at Viśālā, O lovely one. As she was performing austerity, after a great length of time her mind became stirred. From that stirring there arose maidens with gentle eyes, with dark curling hair, with bimba-red lips and long eyes, with girdles on their hips, adorned with anklets, of fine radiance. Women of this kind arose swiftly when the goddess's mind was stirred — hundreds of thousands, crores of them, with many kinds of faces. Seeing the maidens, that auspicious goddess, on that very mountain, fashioned by her austerity a city crowded with hundreds of mansions, with broad streets, adorned with golden palaces, with dwellings having water within and steps of jewels, with lattice-windows of gems and pleasure-groves close by. Countless were the mansions and likewise the maidens, O Earth-bearer; I shall tell you the chief maidens' names, O lovely one: Vidyutprabhā, Candrakānti, and Sūryakānti; Gambhīrā, Cārukeśī, Sujātā, Muñjakeśinī; Ghṛtācī, Urvaśī, and another, Śaśinī, Śīlamaṇḍitā; Cārukanyā, Viśālākṣī, Dhanyā, Pīnapayodharā; Candraprabhā, Girisutā, and Sūryaprabhā, Amṛtā; Svayaṃprabhā, Cārumukhī, Śivadūtī, Vibhāvarī; Jayā and Vijayā, Jayantī and Aparājitā. These and others by the hundreds were the maidens in that best of cities, all attendants of the goddess, auspicious, bearing noose and goad. Surrounded by them the auspicious goddess sat on a lion-throne, fanned by the women with pure white yak-tail whisks, graceful; having taken up the vow of maidenhood she was intent on performing austerity — youthful, greatly blessed, with full round breasts. With garlands of campaka, aśoka, punnāga, nāga and kesara flowers the goddess was honoured on all her limbs, saluted by sages and gods, worshipped all around by excellent women and maidens. While the goddess, enjoying all things, remained thus engaged in austerity, Nārada, son of Brahmā, came there. Seeing him suddenly, that son of Brahmā rich in austerity, the goddess said to Vidyutprabhā: "Let a seat be given; let water for the feet and for rinsing the mouth be given him at once." Thus addressed by the goddess, the auspicious maiden Vidyutprabhā offered Nārada a seat, water for the feet, and the guest-offering. Then, seeing Nārada the sage seated and bowing, the goddess, filled with great joy, spoke: "Welcome, O best of sages! From what world have you come here? Tell me what your business is, what is to be done; let no time of yours be wasted." Thus addressed by the goddess, Nārada, knower of the worlds, said: "From Brahmā's world to Indra's world, from there to Rudra's, and then to the mountain; and then, O mistress of gods, I have come here to see you, O auspicious one." Having said this the illustrious sage gazed upon that goddess. Having looked for a moment, O mistress of gods, Nārada was astonished: "Ah, the beauty! Ah, the loveliness! Ah, the steadfastness! Ah, the youth! Ah, the desirelessness of the goddess!" — and so he fell into distress. "Among gods, gandharvas, siddhas, yakṣas, kinnaras and rākṣasas, such beauty is nowhere seen in any other women." Thinking thus in his mind, Nārada, filled with wonder, bowed to the boon-giving goddess and flew up into the sky. And going swiftly he reached the city ruled by the lord of the Daityas — the city named after Mahiṣa, situated within the ocean, O mistress of beings. There the lord approached the asura who had the form of a buffalo, seeing that hero who had obtained a boon, the great destroyer of the armies of the gods. He was worshipped by him with devotion; then the sage who roams the worlds, Nārada, pleased at heart, described to him duly the unsurpassed beauty of the goddess, what he had seen in the goddess's city. Nārada said: "Lord of asuras, hear attentively of one jewel of a maiden, by whom the three worlds with all that moves and does not move have been won through the granting of a boon. From Brahmā's world, O Daitya, I came to Mount Mandara. There I saw the goddess's city, thronged with hundreds of maidens. The maiden who is chief there, ascetic, holder of a vow — no one like her is seen among gods, daityas or yakṣas. Such as that auspicious one is, O Daitya, such a one within the whole egg (of the universe) I, wandering, have never seen — no such chaste woman. And gods, gandharvas, sages, siddhas and cāraṇas — all attend upon her, and other daitya chiefs as well. Having seen that boon-giving goddess I came here at once. Without conquering the gods and gandharvas no one can win her." Having said this and stayed a moment, Nārada took his leave of him and, wise, went as he had come, vanishing that very instant.

AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition