Page:The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa (1884).djvu/218

184 creator as he is of the universe, why should he not know fully what is in the minds of all his creatures including the gods and the Asuras? And, O king, the lord of the Earth, the creator of all creatures, Isa, Sambhu, Prajapati, then spake unto the Earth. And Brahma said, 'O thou holder of wealth, for the accomplishment of the object for which thou hast approached me, I shall appoint all the dwellers of the heavens.

Vaisampayana continued, "Having said so unto the Earth, O king, the divine Brahma bade her farewell. And the creator then commanded all the gods saying, 'To ease the Earth of her burden, go ye and take your births on her according to your respective parts and seek ye strife (with the Asuras already born there.)' And the creator of all, summoning also all the tribes of the Gandharvas and the Apsaras, spake unto them these words of deep import:—'Go ye and be born amongst men according to your respective parts in forms that ye like.'

"And all the gods with Indra, hearing these words of the lord of the celestials,—words that were true, desirable under the circumstances, and fraught with benefit,—accepted them. And they all having resolved to come on Earth in their respective parts, then went to Baikuntha where was Narayana—the slayer of all foes, he who has the discus and the mace in his hands, who is clad in purple, who is of bright splendour, who hath the lotus on his navel, who is the slayer of the foes (in yoga attitude), who is the lord of the Prajapati himself, the sovereign of all the gods, of mighty strength, who hath the badge of the Sreevatsa (the biggest jewel), who is the mover of every one's faculties, and who is adored by all the gods. Him—the most exalted of persons, Indra addressed, saying, 'Be incarnate.' And Hari replied, saying, 'Let it be.'

And thus endeth the sixty-fourth Section in the Adivansavatarana of the Adi Parva.