Veda Vyasa - Agni Purana Part 1

Agni Purana

Chapters 1 - 100

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Kausiki

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1. I bow to (goddesses) Sri (Laksmi), Sarasvati, Gauri (Parvati) and gods Ganesha, Skanda, Ishvara (Siva), Brahma, Vahni, Indra and other celestials and Vasudeva (Krishna).

2. Saunaka and other sages (staying at the sacred forest) of Naimia, conducting a sacrifice devoted to Hari (Vishnu), welcomed Suta (the reciter of ancient lores) on his arrival there after a pilgrimage.

The sages said:

3. O Suta! You are adored by us. Tell us the quintessence of all things, by knowing which alone one gets omnisc i ence.

Suta said:

4. The illustrious Vishnu (who is) the Supreme Being (and) the Creator, is the quintessence. By knowing that 'I am Brahman', one gets omniscience.

5. Two Brahmans are to be known, the Sabdabrahman (the Vedas) and Parabrahman (the Supreme Spirit). The Atharvani Sruti (Mundakopanisad) refers to this as the two (kinds of) knowledge to be learnt.

6. Myself, (sage) Suka (son of sage Vyasa), (sage) Paila (disciple of sage Vyasa) and others bowed Vyasa having resorted to the hermitage at (holy) Badarikashrama. He imparted. to us the quintessence (of all things).

Vyasa said:

7. O suta, listen in the company of Suka and others what Vasistha has said to me about the excellent quintessence of the Brahman, when he was requested by the sages.

Vasistha said:

8. O Vyasa, Listen, in entirety, to the two (kinds of) knowledge, which (god) Agni narrated to me in the company of the sages and the celestials.

9. The excellent Purana (known as) the Agneya (or Agni) and the two (kinds of) knowledge, Para (the superior) and Apara (the inferior) signifying respectively the knowledge about the Brahman and the knowledge about the Rugveda and so on, which satisfies all the celestials (will be narrated to you).

10. The Purana spoken by Agni and designated as the Agneya by Brahma and which gives bhukti (enjoyment) and mukti (release from mundane existence) for those who read it or hear it (will be narrated to you).

11. Being requested by the sages (I will also describe) (god) Vishnu in the form of the destructive Fire at the end of the world (who is) the effulgent Brahman (and) the most Supreme Being (who is) worshipped by means of knowledge and action (religious rites and so on).

Vasistha said:

12. O Brahman (Agni), point out to me the masterly way of crossing the ocean of mundane existence, by knowing the quintessence of which knowledge one becomes omniscient.

Agni said:

13. Vishnu is the destructive Fire at the end of the world (in the form of) Rudra (Siva). I shall tell you the essence of knowl-edge (in the form of) this Purana, which represents all learning and is the cause of all things.

14. (Lord) Vishnu, who assumes the form of a fish, a tortoise (and other beings), is the cause of the primary creation, the secondary creation, the genealogy of the sages, the cycles of Manu-periods and the genealogy of the kings.

15-17. O Twice-born! (Lord) Vishnu (is the cause of) the two kinds of knowledge Para (the superior) and Apara (the in-ferior). Here the Apara is represented by the Rugveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda, Atharvaveda, the six supplementary texts, (namely)- Siksh (phonetics), Kalpa (rules governing rituals), Vyakarana (grammar), Nirukta (etymological science), (the science dealing with) the movement of the luminary bodies, Chandovidhana (metrics), Mimamsa (investigation of the interpretation of the ritual of the Vedas), Dharmasastra (law -books), Puranas (18 in number), Nyaya (logical philosophical system), Vaidya (medical science), Gandharva (science of music), and Arthasastra (polity). The Para-Vidya (superior knowledge) is that through which the Brahman is known.

18. I shall narrate to you (that Purana) which was told to me by Vishnu and the celestials by Brahma and which deals with that invisible, incomprehensible, not having a cause for itself and eternal (form of Vishnu) which is the cause of the forms such as the fish and others.

Vasistha said:

1. O Brahma! Describe unto me the manifestations of Vishnu, such as the Fish etc., which are the cause of creation. Also narrate to me the Agni Purana as heard from Vishnu in the days of yore.

Agni said:

2. O Vasistha! I shall describe to you the manifestation of Hari as a Fish. Listen. The manifestations are for the destruction of the wicked and for the protection of the pious.

3. At the end of the past kalpa (of 432 million years), there was a periodical dissolution. Brahma was its instrumental cause. O sage! the carth and the people were submerged under the rising water.

4-5. Vaivasvata Manu was practising penance for gaining objects of enjoyment and for release from mundane existence.

Once when he was offering waters of libation in the (river) Krutamala, a small fish came in the waters in his folded palms. As he desired to throw it into the waters, it said "O excellent man I do not throw me away.

6. Now I have fear from the crocodiles (and others)." Having heard this (Vaivasvata Manu) put it into a vessel. When

it had grown there in size, it requested him, Get me a bigger vessel.

7. Having heard these words, the king put the fish in a bigger vessel. Growing there again in size it requested the king, O Manu! Get me a bigger place".

8. When it was put into a tank, it soon grew in size as big as it (the tank) and said, Get me to a bigger place. Then (Manu) put it into the ocean.

9. In a moment, it grew in size extending to a lakh of yojanas (one yojana 8 or 9 miles). Seeing that wonderful fish, Manu got surprised and said:

10. "Who are you, but Vishnu? O Naraya n a (Vishnu) I salute you. Why do you stupefy me with your illusory power, O Janardana (Vishnu)?

11. Having heard the words of Manu, the Fish replied Manu who had been engaged in the protection (of the world), I have manifested for the protection of this universe and for the destruct- tion of the wicked.

12-13. On the seventh day, the ocean would flood the earth. Having put the seeds (of creation) etc. in the boat that would approach you, you would spend the night (of 100O mortal years) of Brahma on it being encircled by the seven sages. (You) bind this boat to my horn with the big serpent..

14. Saying thus, the fish disappeared. Manu, who was waiting for the appointed hour, boarded the boat as the ocean commenced to swell.

15. The fish now appeared with a single golden horn of one million yojanas in length. He tied the boat to its horn.

16-17. After having praised it with adoration, he heard from the fish the Purana known as the Matsya which is capable of des- troying the sins. Keshava (Vishnu) killed the demon Hayagriva,1 the destroyer of the Vedas of Brahman and thus protected the vedic mantras. And when the Varahakalpa (one of the periods of time) set in, Hari (Vishnu) assumed the form of a tortoise.

1. Hayagrive was the name of a powerful demon, who carried away the Vodas during Deluge. He was killed by Vishnu manifesting as a fush and the Vedas were rescued. Bhdg, P. VIII. xxiv. 8 and 57 P. Index III.p.742.

Agni said:

1. I shall describe unto you (now) about the manifestation (of Vishnu) as a tortoise, by hearing which one's sins will be destroyed. In days of yore the celestial gods were defeated by the demons in a battle between them.

2. On account of the curse of sage Durvasas,1 the celestials were deprived of all their prosperity. Then they praised Vishnu who was (reclining) in the milky ocean and said, Protect us from the demons.

1. Name of an irascible sage, son of Sage Atri and Anasuya. Once he met a Vidyadhara maid with a garland. He took that garland and presented it to Indra. Indra put it on his elephant, which in turn threw it on the ground and trampled upon it. Enraged at this the sage cursed him that he would lose all his fortune. See VI.P. I. ix. 1 ff.; P. Index II. p. 106.