SECTION XLIV
"Vaisampayana said, 'Having got back the kingdom, king Yudhishthira of
great wisdom and purity, after the ceremony of installation had been
over, joining his hands together, addressed the lotus-eyed Krishna of
Dasarha's race, saying, 'Through thy grace, O Krishna, through thy policy
and might and intelligence and prowess, O tiger among the Yadus, I have
got back this ancestral kingdom of mine. O thou of eyes like lotus
leaves, I repeatedly bow to thee, O chastiser of foes! Thou hast been
called the One only Being. Thou hast been said to be the refuge of all
worshippers. The regenerate ones adore thee under innumerable names.[127]
Salutations to thee, O Creator of the Universe! Thou art the soul of the
Universe and the Universe hath sprung from thee. Thou art Vishnu, thou
art Jishnu, thou art Hari, thou art Krishna, thou art Vaikuntha, and thou
art the foremost of all beings. Thou hast, as said in the Puranas, taken
thy birth seven times in the womb of Aditi. It was thou that tookest
birth in the womb of Prishni.[128] The learned say that thou art the
three Yugas.[129] All thy achievements are sacred. Thou art the lord of
our senses. Thou art the great Lord worshipped in sacrifices. Thou art
called the great swan. Thou art three-eyed Sambhu. Thou art One, though
known as Vibhu and Damodara. Thou art the great Boar, thou art Fire, thou
art the Sun, thou hast the bull for the device on thy banner, and thou
hast Garuda also as thy device. Thou art the grinder of hostile hosts,
thou art the Being that pervadest every form in the universe and thou art
of irresistible prowess. Thou art the foremost of all things, thou art
fierce, thou art the generalissimo in battle, thou art the Truth, thou
art the giver of food, and thou art Guha (the celestial generalissimo);
Thyself unfading, thou causest thy foes to fade and waste. Thou art the
Brahmana of pure blood, and thou art those that have sprung from
intermixture. Thou art great. Thou walkest on high, thou art the
mountains, and thou art called Vrishadarbha and Vrishakapi. Thou art the
Ocean, thou art without attributes, thou hast three humps, thou hast
three abodes, and thou takest human forms on earth, descending from
heaven. Thou art Emperor, thou art Virat, and thou art Swarat.[130] Thou
art the Chief of the celestials, and thou art the cause whence the
Universe has sprung. Thou art Almighty, thou art existence in every form,
thou art without form, thou art Krishna, and thou art fire. Thou art the
Creator, thou art the sire of the celestial physicians, thou art (the
sage) Kapila, and thou art the Dwarf.[131] Thou art Sacrifice embodied,
thou art Dhruva,[132] thou art Garuda, and thou art called Yajnasena.
Thou art Sikhandin, thou art Nahusha, and thou art Vabhru. Thou art the
constellation Punarvasu extended in the firmament, Thou art exceedingly
tawny in hue, thou art the sacrifice known by the name of Uktha, thou art
Sushena, thou art the drum (that sends forth its sound on every side).
The track of thy car-wheels is light. Thou art the lotus of Prosperity,
thou art the cloud called Pushkara, and thou art decked with floral
wreaths. Thou art affluent, thou art puissant, thou art the most subtle,
and it is thou whom the Vedas describe. Thou art the great receptacle of
waters, thou art Brahman, thou art the sacred refuge, and thou knowest
the abodes of all. Thou art called Hiranyagarbha, thou art the sacred
mantras swadha and swaha, thou art Kesava. Thou art the cause whence all
this hath sprung, and thou art its dissolution. In the beginning it is
thou that createst the universe. This universe is under thy control, O
Creator of the universe! Salutations to thee, O wielder of Sarnga, discus
and sword!' Thus hymned by king Yudhishthira the just in the midst of the
court, the lotus-eyed Krishna became pleased. That foremost one of the
Yadavas then began to gladden the eldest son of Pandu with many agreeable
speeches."
