The Mahabharata/Book 1: Adi Parva/Section XXIII
Section XXIII.
( Astika Parva continued. )
Sauti said, "Having crossed the ocean, Kadru of swift speed, accompanied by Vinata, soon alighted at the vicinage of the horse. They then both beheld that foremost of steeds, of great fleetness, with body white as the rays of the moon but (tail) having black hairs. And observing many black hairs in the tail, Kadru put Vinata who was deeply dejected into slavery. And thus Vinata having lost the wager entered into a state of slavery and became exceeding sorry.
"And in the meantime, bursting the egg without (the help of his) mother, Gadura also, of great splendour, when his time came, was born enkindling all the points of the universe,—that mighty being endued with strength, that bird capable of assuming at will any form, of going at will everywhere, and of calling to his aid at will any measure of energy. Effulgent like a heap of fire, he blazed terribly. Of lustre equal to that of the fire at the end of the Yuga, his eyes were bright like the lightning flash. And soon after birth that bird grew in size and increasing his body ascended the skies. Fierce and fiercely roaring, he was terrible like a second ocean-fire. And all the deities seeing him, sought the protection of Bibhavasu (Agni.) And they bowed down to that deity of manifold forms seated on his seat and spake unto him these words:—'O Agni, extend not thy body. Thou wilt not consume us? Lo! this huge heap of thy flames is spreading wide' And Agni replied, 'O ye persecutors of the Asuras, it is not as ye imagine. This is Gadura of great strength and equal to me in splendour, endued with great energy, and born to promote the joy of Vinata. Even the sight of this heap of effulgence hath caused this delusion in ye. He is the mighty son of Kasyapa, the destroyer of the Nagas, engaged in the good of the gods, and the foe of the Daityas and the Rakshasas. Be not afraid of it in the least. Come with me and see.' And thus addressed, the gods along with the Rishis wending towards Gadura adored him from a distance with the following words.
"The gods said, 'Thou art a Rishi (i .e., cognisant of all mantras), sharer of the largest portion in sacrifices, ever displayed in splendour, the controller of the bird of life, the presiding spirit of the animate and the inanimate universe! Thou art the destroyer of all, the creator of all; thou art Brahma of the Hiranyagarva form; thou art the lord of creation in the form of Daksha and the other Prajapatis; thou art Indra (the king of the gods), thou art the steed-necked incarnation of Vishnu; thou art the arrow (Vishnu himself, as he became such in the hands of Mahadeva on the burning of Tripura); thou art the lord of the universe; thou art the mouth of Vishnu; thou art the four-faced Padmaja; thou art a Brahmana (i.e., wise), thou art Agni, Pavana, &c., (i.e., the presiding deities of every object in the universe). Thou art knowledge; thou art the illusion to which we are all subject; thou art the all-pervading spirit, thou art the lord of the gods; thou art the great truth; thou art fearless; thou art ever unchanged; thou art the Brahma without attributes; thou art the energies of the Sun, &c.; thou art the ocean of holiness; thou art the pure; thou art bereft of the attributes of darkness, &c.; thou art the possessor of the six high attributes; thou art he who cannot be withstood in contest! From thee have emanated all things; thou art of excellent deeds; thou art all that hath not been and all that hath been! Thou art pure knowledge; thou displayest to us, as the Sun by his rays, this animate and inanimate universe; darkening the splendour of the Sun at every moment, thou art the destroyer of all; thou art all that is perishable and all that is imperishable! O thou of the splendour of Agni, thou burnest all even as the Sun in his anger burneth all creatures! O thou terrible one, thou risest even as the fire at the final dissolution of the creation! Thou destroyest even him that destroyeth all at the revolution of the Yugas! Having reached thee, O mighty Gadura, who movest in the skies, we seek thy protection, O lord of birds, whose energy is great, whose splendour is that of fire, whose brightness is as that of lightning, whom no darkness can approach, who reachest the very clouds, who art both the cause and the effect, the dispenser of boons, and invincible in prowess! O Lord, this whole universe is rendered hot by thy splendour bright as the lustre of heated gold! Protect these high-souled gods, who, overcome by thee and terrified withal, are flying along the heavens in different directions on their celestial cars! O thou best of birds, thou lord of all, thou art the son of the merciful and high-souled Rishi Kasyapa; therefore, be not wroth but have mercy on the universe! Thou art supreme, O assuage thy anger, and preserve us! At thy voice, loud as the roar of thunder, the ten points, the skies, the heavens, this earth, and our hearts, O bird, are continuously trembling! O diminish this thy body resembling Agni! At the sight of thy splendour resembling that of Yama (the great destroyer) in wrath, our hearts losing all equanimity are quaking! O thou lord of birds, be propitious to us who solicit thee! O thou illustrious one, bestow on us good fortune and joy!'
"And that bird of fair feathers, thus adored by the deities and the tribes of the Rishis, diminished his own energy and splendour."
And thus ends the twenty-third Section in the Astika of the Adi Parva.