41. ‘You will all be outside the three Vedas and ineligible to perform Vedic rites’.
42. Hearing the curse of Gautama thus pronounced on those sages, the seven sages told him, ‘although your words will have due effect, you should not mean it for all time.
43. In the Kali age, let the brahmanas become such as to be ungrateful to those who do them good.
44. Burnt by the fire of your curse, let them, in the Kali age, become devotees of the Lord.
45. Let them be outside the fold of Vedic rites. Let this river also have the second name as Godavari.
46. In Kaliyuga, those, who come to this river and give gifts of cows and other materials according to their capacity, will delight themselves with the gods.
47-48. If, at the time when Jupiter is in Leo, one takes bath there and propitiates the manes according to the scriptures, they (the manes) will go to heaven even if they have fallen in hell, and those who are already in heaven will attain liberation.
49. You will attain great fame, and gain eternal liberation’.
50. Then the seven sages came to Kailasa where I was with Parvati, and told me:
51. ‘In the Kali age, many will have your form with crown of matted hair, assuming ghostly forms and wearing lingas.
52. For their sake, give a Sastra to redeem them from the influence of Kali’.
53. Requested by them thus, I produced a Samhita which contained rules for Vedic rites as well.
54. This Samhita is named Nissvasa; and Babhravya and Sandila are absorbed in it.
55. Deluded by me, people, out of selfish motives, will promulgate their own Sastras in Kaliyuga.
56. The Nissavasasamhita with a lakh of verses alone is authoritative, and that gives the discipline regarding Pasupata.
57. This follows the path of the Veda, and whatever is outside its scope should be considered as impure.
58. The Vedantins in Kaliyuga resort to Rudra. Fickle-minded people frame their own Sastras, but I do not remain with them.
59-60. In yore, I assumed the fierce Bhairava form for the sake of the gods and for the annihilation of the wicked demons, and laughed terribly.
61. Out of my tears, which fell then on the earth, raised innumerable terrible beings.
62. They were fond of flesh, wine and physical pleasure, and were out to create terror in the world.
63. The brahmanas cursed by Gautama will be born in their clan. Among them, those, who follow the rules I have laid down and are of good conduct, will attain heaven and get liberation.
64. Those, who doubt the doctrine I have laid down, ridicule my followers and go to hell.
65. Formerly burnt by the curse of Gautama and now by my words, they go to hell and we need not doubt this.
Rudra continued:
66. Told thus by me, the sons of Brahma (the seven sages) went away. Gautama too returned to his abode.
67. I have thus told you what dharma is. He, who is averse to this naturally, is prone to do only wicked things.
Varaha said:
1. Agastya asked the omniscient Rudra, ‘Who is the most ancient one and the creator of everything?’
Agastya said:
2. You, Brahma and Visnu constitute the Trio and the three Vedas. Like the flame of the lamp, you illumine everything and permeate all Sastras.
3. Oh God! Tell me at which time you are Rudra, at which time Brahma and at which time Visnu.
Rudra said:
4. Visnu is the Supreme Brahman in Veda and Sastras. He is spoken of as having three forms. But this is not known to the ignorant.
5. From the root vis meaning ‘to enter’, with the nominative singular suffix we get the word ‘Visnu’. He is the eternal and the supreme among all gods.
6. This Visnu who is spoken of as having a ten-fold form as well as of a single form is the Aditya with all yogic powers.
The ten-fold form refers to the generally held view of ten incarnations of Mahavisnu.
7. The great God, for the sake of Devas, assumes human form in every yuga and praises me.
Mythological epics refer to Divine Incarnations. They represent the actual descent of the Brahman in various mundane forms into the world, when evil prevails and good is about to be destroyed. The Immanent dwells in all souls and accompanies them in life and death. It is the Brahman residing in the spirit (atman) of man like lightning in a cloud. The Incarnate as worshiped is the idol of God in various forms acceptable to devotees.
The Saguna Brahman is meant for devotees. In other words, a devotee believes that God has attributes and reveals Himself to the devotee as a Person assuming the form he believes in. It is He who listens to the prayers of the devotee. The prayers are directed to Him alone.
A devotee, therefore, accepts Divine Incarnation in human form for worship. It provides an object of meditation and prayer resulting in mahabhava and prema.
Those who follow the path of devotion seek an Incarnation of God, to enjoy the sweetness of devotion.
8. For the sake of the world as well as gods, I worship these two forms of the Lord (divine as well as human) in the Swetadvipa (White Island) in Krtayuga.
9. At the time of creation, I extol the four-faced Brahma and become Time. And in Krtayuga, Brahma, Devas and asuras extol me always.
10. People who seek pleasures sacrifice to me in my form as linga (phallus); and those who seek liberation sacrifice to me mentally in my form as the thousand-headed. It is to this form that the universal God Narayana Himself offers sacrifices.
11. Those that perform Brahma-yajna daily propitiate Brahma, because the Veda is Brahma.
12. The Supreme Brahman is enshrined in the names Narayana, Siva, Visnu, Sankara and Purusottama.
13. For those who perform Vedic rites, we, Brahma, Visnu and Maheshwara are the spirits of the mantras. There need be no doubt in this matter.
There are said to be three levels before reaching the Brahman. They are the Virat (Cosmic Person), Hiranyagarbha (the soul of the Cosmic Person) and Isvara (the personal God). All the three are higher forms than the finite ‘I’ consciousness, but are continuous with it and the Supreme Brahman. These three are the three levels of the Cosmic Person or the Logos. All may be considered cosmic personalities. The Logos is a kind of unity in Trinity.
14. I am Visnu as well as Brahma with the eternal Veda. The three gods are really one, and wise men should not consider them as different.
15. He who considers otherwise is a sinner and he goes to the terrible hell.
16. I am Brahma and Visnu, and the Veda – Rig, Yajur and Sama. The difference is only in name.
