SrI VishNu PurANam (Vol 4) Annotated Commentary in English by VidvAn SrI A. Narasimhan SvAmi Sincere thanks to "SrI Nrsimha Seva Rasikar" Oppiliappan Koil SrI V.Sadagopan SvAmi for hosting this title in his website www.sadagopan.org Sri Vishnu Puraana Classes conducted online by Sri A Narasimhan Notes prepared by Dr Amarnath Organized by Sri Tirunarayana Trust in memory of Mahavidvaan U Ve Sri V T Tirunarayana Iyengar Swamy **************************************************** Sri Tirunarayana Trust, ShanbagaDhama-Yaduvanam Villa 16, Brigade PalmGrove,Bogadi Road Mysuru 570026. India. Tel:91-97311 09114 Trust Website: www.tirunarayana.in Sri Vishnu Purana Class Notes: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!categories/sri- tirunarayana-trust-studygroup/ sri-vishnu-purana-class-notes Sri Vishnu Purana Study Website: https://sites.google.com/site/srivishnupuranastudy/ Study Video Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist? list=PLqqIUwcsJupptBzp8KeXoDJIgHfS4MTo **************************************************** Classes Started on : 15 August 2018 Sri Vishnu Puraana, Amsha 4 || Atha Chaturtho Amshah || Now, the Amsha 4. || Atha Prathamo Adhyaayah || Brahma’s Vamsha Now Chapter 1 of Amsha 4. Sri Vishnu Puraana, Amsha 4, Chapter 1, Shloka 1: Maitreyah - Bhagavan yat naraih kaaryam saadhu karmani avasthitaih | Tat mahyam gurunaa aakhyaatam nitya naimittikaatmakam || Maitreyar – Those who are established in saadhu karma, vaidika karmaas, whatever one has to do, that you told me in great detail. Nitya and Naimittika karmaas which are very much required, by those who are following the vaidika dharmaas, you told me about them. Sri Engal Aalwaan's Commentary: Truteeye amshe bhagavatah sthiti hetu bhoota manvaadi roopa bhedaanaam adhikaara bhedah uktah | Visheshatah cha jagatah sthiti hetuh varna aashrama dharmah sadaachaarah cha uktah | Chaturthe amshe tu tat sthaapaka dhaarmika soma soorya udbhava kshatra vamshah tat anucharitam cha uchyate | In the Third Amsha, in order to take care of the sustenance of this world, Manus, Manvantaraas were all told; the differences in their adhikaara was also told; various Manus, Manvantaraas, vamshaas of devaas, were all told. Especially with great detail, that which causes the sustenance of the world, that on which the world sustains, was told, which is nothing but varna aashrama dharma, and sadaachaara. It is made very clear that the world stands on these. If the varna aashrama Page 1 of 249 www.sadagopan.org Sri Vishnu Puraana, Amsha 4 dharmaas are followed, then the world will be peaceful, and sustenance happens in a nice way. Similarly sadaachaara. This was explained. In the Fourth Amsha, those who established this varna aashrama dharma, details of those vamshaas are going to be told. The Soma, Soorya vamsha, will all be told. Sri Vishnu Puraana, Amsha 4, Chapter 1, Shloka 2: Varna dharmaah tathaa aakhyaataa dharmaa ye cha aashrameshu cha | Shrotum icchaami aham vamsham raajnyaam tat broohi me guro || Also the varna dharmaas were told - aashrama dharmaas were also told in detail by you. I am interested in listening to the vamsha of all the kings, who established all these things. Sri Vishnu Puraana, Amsha 4, Chapter 1, Shloka 3: Sri Paraasharah - Maitreya shrooyataam ayam aneka yajva shoora veera dheera bhoopaala alankruto brahmaadih maanavo vamshah || Sri Paraasharar - Manu vamsha, I am going to tell starting from Chaturmukha Brahma, to all the Manus, it is decorated by such great kings, who were performing a lot of yaagaas, who were very valiant, and powerful. Sri Engal Aalwaan's Commentary: Maitreya iti | Veerah utsaahee | Shoorah paraabhibhaavee | Sri Vishnu Puraana, Amsha 4, Chapter 1, Shloka 4: Page 2 of 249 www.sadagopan.org Sri Vishnu Puraana, Amsha 4 Tat asya vamshasya anupoorveem ashesha paapa prakshaalanaaya maitreya etaam shrunu || What is the purpose of this, all your sins will get destroyed because it is such a dhaarmika vamsha. Even listening to it will wash away all our sins. Sri Vishnu Puraana, Amsha 4, Chapter 1, Shloka 5: Sakala jagataam aadih anaadi bhootah sa rik yajus saama aadimayo bhagavaan vishnuh | Tasya brahmano moortam svaroopam hiranyagarbhaakhyo bhramaanda bhooto bhagavaan brahmaa vai praak babhoova || Bhagavaan Vishnu is the sole creator of this whole world. He is beginningless. He is Ringmaya, Yajurmaya, Saamaveda maya, Bhagavaan Vishnu. He is praised by the Vedaas, He is established in the Vedaas. Every word of the Vedaas is telling about Him only. He is that Brahmaa's moorta svaroopa, that which is manifested. He is called Hiranyagarbha, and is the whole Brahmaanda itself. He is Chaturmukha Brahma who was born first. He is the first chetana in the Brahmaanda, called Hiranyagarbha. Sri Vishnu Puraana, Amsha 4, Chapter 1, Shloka 6: Brahmanah cha dakshina angushtha janmaa dakshah prajaapatih | Dakshasya api aditih aditeh vivasvaan vivasvato manuh || From Chaturmukha Brahma's right thumb, Daksha Prajaapati was born. From Daksha, Aditi was born. From Aditi, Vivasvaan, and from Vivasvaan, Manu was born. Sri Engal Aalwaan's Commentary: Braahmana iti | * Aditih hi aja nishta dakshayaa duhitaa tava taam devaa anu ajaayanta * ityaadi shruti sammatatvaat brahma dakshaadi kramah uktah | Na tu brahma mareechi aadih | The Brahma Daksha krama is told. Not Brahma and Mareechi. Page 3 of 249 www.sadagopan.org Sri Vishnu Puraana, Amsha 4 Sri Vishnu Puraana, Amsha 4, Chapter 1, Shloka 7: Manoh ikshvaaku nruga dhrushta sharyaati narishyanta naabhaaga dishta karoosha prushadhyaakhyaa nava putraa babhoovuh | Manu had nine sons. They are Iskhvaaku, Nruga, Drushta, Sharyaati, Narishyanta, Naabhaaga, Dishta, Karoosha and Prushadhra. Sri Vishnu Puraana, Amsha 4, Chapter 1, Shloka 8: Ishtim cha mitraa varunayoh manuh putrakaamah chakaara || With the desire to beget sons, he performed yaaga Ishti for Mitra and Varuna. Sri Engal Aalwaan's Commentary: Ishtim cha iti | Ikshvaaku aadi putra utpatteh poorvam ishtim chakaara | Tasmaat iskvaaku aadi utpatteh praak ilaa janma, * Akarot putra kaamah tu munih ishtim prajaapatih || Anutpanneshu navasu punneshu eteshu suvrata || * iti vaayu ukteh | Manu performed the Ishti first, and then got all the sons. Ilaa was born first, and then the nine sons were born. This is the order which we have to understand, though in the paatha krama, it is different. The Vaayu Puraana pramaana is being told. Sri Vishnu Puraana, Amsha 4, Chapter 1, Shloka 9: Tatra taavat apahnute hotuh apachaaraadilaa naama kanyaa babhoova || He did Putrakaameshti for Mitra, Varuna; there was a mistake by the hotru during the yaaga. Because of the mistake they did, instead of Page 4 of 249 www.sadagopan.org Sri Vishnu Puraana, Amsha 4 getting a son, he got a daughter, by name Ilaa. After that, the sons were born. Sri Vishnu Puraana, Amsha 4, Chapter 1, Shloka 10: Saiva cha mitraavarunayoh prasaadaat sudyumno naama manoh putro maitreya aaseet | Then he worshipped Mitra and Varuna, and with their prasaada, Ilaa who was born as a daughter, she got turned into a male by name Sudyumna. Sri Vishnu Puraana, Amsha 4, Chapter 1, Shloka 11: Punah cha eeshvara kopaat stree satee saa tu soma soonoh budhasya aashrama sameepe babhraama || Again that Sudyumna was roaming around in Kailaasa where Eeshvara was in ekaanta; there is a saying that whoever comes when they are in ekaanta will turn into a woman. So, he again turned into a woman. Near the Budha's aashrama, he was roaming around, after becoming a woman. Sri Vishnu Puraana, Amsha 4, Chapter 1, Shloka 12: Saanuraagah cha tasyaam budhah puroorava sama aatmajam utpaadayaamaasa || Budha got interested in her, and he got a son Pururavas. The story continues that he becomes Sudyumna again by the grace of the Lord. We will see these next. We are studying Amsha 4, Chapter 1, where Maitreyar asks Paraasharar that he would like to know more about the Kshatriya vamshaas, the vamsha anucharita, and Paraasharar is starting to tell these details. He tells that Manu did a Putrakameshti yaaga, where the hotru made a mistake, and because of this, instead of a son, a daughter was born by name Ilaa. He did the Putrakaameshti yaaga to please gods Mitra and Varuna, and with their grace, Ilaa became a son, by name Sudyumna. This Sudyumna, while roaming around Eeshvara's place, because of Eeshvara's shaapa, he again turned into a woman. He was roaming around Budha's aashrama, where Page 5 of 249 www.sadagopan.org Sri Vishnu Puraana, Amsha 4 Budha is the son of Soma. Budha got interested in her, and had a son by name Pururavas. Sri Vishnu Puraana, Amsha 4, Chapter 1, Shloka 13: Jaate cha tasmin amita tejobhih parmarshibhih ishtimaya rungmayo yajurmayah saamamayo atharvanamayah sarvamayo manomayo jnyaanamayo vijnyaanamayo annamayo amrutamayo na kinchit mayo bhagavaan yajnya purusha svaroopee sudyumnasya pumstvam abhilashadbhih yathaavat ishtah tat prasaadaat ilaa punarapi sudyumno abhavat | Due to Eeshvara's shaapa, Sudyumna had again turned into Ilaa. After that, Yajnyapurusha, Mahaavishnu was again worshipped, with the ishti, with the desire to make Ilaa again into a man. The attributes of the Yajnyapurusha are told here, as Rungmaya, Yajurmaya, Saamamaya. He is the one praised by all the Vedaas. All the Vedic shabdaas are telling Paramaatman only. This is told also as Atharvanamaya, Sarvamaya, Manomaya (parishuddha mano graahyah), Jnyaanamaya, Vijnyaanamaya, Annamaya, Amrutamaya. Na kinchit maya means that He did not have any jnyaana sankocha like deva and others, who were all karma vashyaas, kshetrajnyaas only. Because He is the Supreme yajnya purusha Bhagavaan. The rishis desired and performed the ishti. They wanted Ilaa to become a man, desiring the manhood of Sudyumna. With His grace, Ilaa again became Sudyumna. Sri Engal Aalwaan's Commentary: Jaate cha iti | Na kinchit mayah - karma kruta devaaadi roopa tat kruta jnyaana sankochaadi rahitah | Sri Vishnu Puraana, Amsha 4, Chapter 1, Shloka 14: Tasya api utkala gaya vinataah trayah putraah babhoovuh | Then, Sudyumna had three sons, Utkala, Gaya, Vinata. Sri Vishnu Puraana, Amsha 4, Chapter 1, Shloka 15: Sudyumnah tu stree poorvatvaat raajyabhaagam na lebhe | Page 6 of 249 www.sadagopan.org Sri Vishnu Puraana, Amsha 4 Sudyumna, because he was born as Ilaa, he did not get any part in the kingdom of his father.