SECTION LXVII
"Duryodhana said, 'In all the worlds Vasudeva is spoken of as the Supreme
Being. I desire, O Grandsire, to know his origin and glory."
"Bhishma said, 'Vasudeva is the Supreme Being. He is the God of all Gods.
None superior to him of eyes like lotus-petals is to be seen, O bull of
Bharata's race. Markandeya speaketh of Govinda as the Most Wonderful and
the Most high, as the All-being, as the All-soul, as the Highest soul,
and as the Supreme male Being. Water, Air, and Fire,--these three were
created by Him. That Divine Master and Lord of all the worlds created
this Earth. That Supreme Being of illustrious soul laid himself down on
the waters. And that Divine Being made up of all kinds of energy slept
thereon in Yoga. From his mouth He created Fire, and from his breath, the
Wind. Of unfading glory, He created from his mouth Speech and the Vedas.
It was thus that he created first the Worlds and also the gods along with
the diverse classes of Rishis. And he created decay and death also of all
creatures, as well as birth and growth. He is Righteousness and of
righteous soul. He is the giver of boons and the giver of all (our)
wishes. He is the Actor and Action, and He is himself the Divine
Master.[387] He first made the Past, the Present, and the Future; He is
the Creator of the Universe. He is of illustrious soul; He is the Master
possessed of unfading glory. He created Sankarshana, the First-born of
all creatures. He created the divine Sesha who is known as Ananta and who
upholdeth all creatures and the Earth with her mountains. Of Supreme
Energy, He it is whom the regenerate ones know by Yoga meditation. Sprung
from the secretions of his ear, the great Asura known by the name of
Madhu, fierce and of fierce deeds and entertaining a fierce intent and
about to destroy Brahman, was slain by that Supreme Being. And O sire, in
consequence of Madhu's slaughter, the gods, the Danavas, and human
beings, and Rishis, call Janardana the slayer of Madhu. He is the great
Boar. He is the great Lion, and He is the Three-stepped Lord.[388] He is
the Mother and the Father of all living creatures. There never was, nor
will be, any superior to Him of eyes like lotus-petals. From His mouth He
created the Brahmanas: and from His two arms the Kshatriyas, and from His
thighs, O king, He created the Vaisyas, and from His feet He created the
Sudras. One waiting dutifully on Him, observant of vows with ascetic
austerities on days of the full-moon and the new-moon, is sure to obtain
the Divine Kesava, that refuge of all embodied creatures that essence of
Brahma and of Yoga. Kesava is the higher Energy, the Grandsire of all the
worlds. Him, O king, the sages call Hrishikesa (the lord of the senses).
Him also should all know as the Preceptor, the Father, and the Master.
Inexhaustible regions (of blessedness) are won by him with whom Krishna
is gratified. He also who, in a place of fear, seeketh the protection of
Kesava, and he who frequently readeth this description, becometh happy
and endued with every prosperity. Those men who attain to Krishna are
never beguiled, Janardana always saveth those that are sunk in great
terrors. Knowing this truly, O Bharata, Yudhishthira, with his whole
soul, O king, hath sought the shelter of the highly blessed Kesava, the
Lord of Yoga, and the Lord of the Earth."
--------------------END OF PARVA 6 : UPA-PARVA 67 ---------------------
