Vishnu Puran First Ansh: Creation, Samudra Manthan, Dhruva and Prahlada

The first part of the Vishnu Puran begins with the origin of the world and arrives at the stories of two great child devotees, Dhruva and Prahlada. It explains how creation happened and how great the power of devotion is.

Chapters 1 and 2: Maitreya's question and Parashara

The sage Maitreya asked his teacher Parashara: "How did this world arise, in what does it rest, into what will it dissolve, and what is its nature?" Parashara first told how he received this knowledge. His father Shakti had been killed by a rakshasa. In anger Parashara began a sacrifice to destroy the rakshasas, in which even innocent ones burned. His grandfather Vasishtha told him anger does not befit a sage, and he stopped. Pleased, Pulastya, ancestor of the rakshasas, blessed him to become the author of the Puranas. Then Parashara answered: the world arises from Vishnu, rests in him, and he is the cause of its continuance and dissolution; the world is Vishnu.

Chapters 2 to 7: the order of creation

Before creation there was only the supreme Vishnu, with four aspects: Pradhana (nature), Purusha, the manifest world and Time. Prompted by Time, nature stirred and became Mahat, then ego, the five subtle elements, the five great elements, the senses and mind. From these the cosmic egg was formed, in which Vishnu as Brahma creates, as Vishnu preserves and as Rudra dissolves.

The measure of time is also given: a human year is a day and night of the gods; the four ages together form a chaturyuga; a thousand chaturyugas are one day of Brahma, whose life is a hundred years.

To lift the earth from the waters of the dissolution, Vishnu took the form of a boar, Varaha, raised her on his tusks and set her on the waters. Then Brahma made nine kinds of creation: plants, animals, gods, humans and others. From Brahma's anger Rudra appeared, named for his weeping, with eight names and eight abodes. Human creation proceeded from Brahma's mind-born sons and from Svayambhuva Manu and Shatarupa.

Chapters 8 to 10: Lakshmi and the line of Bhrigu

Lakshmi is Vishnu's eternal power: as Vishnu pervades all, so does she. If Vishnu is meaning, Lakshmi is speech; if Vishnu is the lamp, Lakshmi is its light. The lines of Bhrigu and other sages are described.

Chapter 9: Durvasa's curse and the churning of the ocean

The sage Durvasa gave Indra a divine garland. Indra placed it on the head of his elephant Airavata, which threw it down and trampled it. Insulted, Durvasa cursed that Indra's fortune, Lakshmi, would leave him. Lakshmi left the three worlds, and the weakened gods began to lose to the asuras.

On Vishnu's advice gods and asuras churned the ocean together: Mount Mandara was the churning rod, the serpent Vasuki the rope, and Vishnu as a tortoise held the mountain on his back. From the ocean came Kamadhenu, Varuni, the parijata tree, the apsaras, the moon, poison (which Shiva drank), Dhanvantari with the pot of nectar, and finally Lakshmi seated on a lotus, who chose Vishnu. As Mohini, Vishnu beguiled the asuras and gave the nectar to the gods. Indra praised Lakshmi, and she promised never to leave the home of anyone who praises her with that hymn.

Chapters 11 and 12: Dhruva

King Uttanapada had two queens, Suniti and Suruchi. Suniti's son was Dhruva, Suruchi's was Uttama. The king loved Suruchi more. One day five-year-old Dhruva wanted to sit on his father's lap, but Suruchi pushed him away, saying that if he wanted his father's lap he should worship God and be reborn from her womb.

Dhruva went weeping to his mother. Suniti said: "Son, wish no one ill; if you want a high place, worship Lord Vishnu." Dhruva set off for the forest. On the way the seven sages (and, in tradition, Narada) gave him the mantra "Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya" and taught him meditation. At Madhuvan on the Yamuna he performed severe penance: first fruit, then leaves, then only water, then only air, and finally standing on one foot holding his breath. The gods tried to frighten and tempt him with illusions, but he did not move.

Lord Vishnu appeared. Dhruva praised him and said: "I wanted the highest place, but having seen you I want nothing." The Lord gave him Dhruva Pada, the highest unmoving place in the sky, the pole star, round which all the stars turn. Dhruva returned and ruled righteously for a long time, and his mother Suniti shines beside him as a star.

Chapter 13: Vena and Prithu

In Dhruva's line, Vena, son of King Anga, was a tyrant who banned worship and sacrifice. The sages killed him. Churning his body, they brought forth first a Nishada and then, from his right hand, the righteous King Prithu. Because of the tyranny the earth had hidden all food. Prithu chased her with his bow; she fled as a cow and then sought refuge. Prithu milked her, using Svayambhuva Manu as the calf, and food and plants were obtained for all beings. The earth accepted Prithu as her father and so is called Prithvi. Prithu levelled the land, founded towns and villages, and farming began.

Chapters 14 and 15: the Prachetas and Daksha

The ten sons of King Prachinabarhi, the Prachetas, performed austerities in the ocean for ten thousand years. Returning, they found the earth covered with trees and began to burn them in anger. Soma, the moon, calmed them and married them to Marisha, daughter of the trees. Their son was Prajapati Daksha, from whose daughters came gods, asuras, humans and all beings.

Chapters 15 to 21: the devotee Prahlada

Hiranyakashipu, son of the sage Kashyapa and Diti, conquered the three worlds with Brahma's boon and declared himself God. His son Prahlada was devoted to Vishnu from birth. When Prahlada returned from his teacher's house and his father asked what he had learned, he said: "Salutation to Vishnu, without beginning or end, the support of all."

Enraged, Hiranyakashipu tried again and again to kill Prahlada:

• Asuras struck him with weapons, but he was unharmed.
• Venomous snakes bit him, but the poison had no effect.
• The elephants of the directions tried to crush him, but their tusks broke.
• He was thrown into fire, but it turned cool.
• Priests raised a destructive power by mantra, but it turned back on them; Prahlada prayed and saved them too.
• He was given poison in his food, but digested it.
• He was thrown from a high palace, but the earth caught him.
• Illusions were sent to terrify him, but the Sudarshana chakra cut them away.
• He was bound, thrown into the ocean and buried under mountains; there he praised Vishnu, who appeared and freed him.

The Lord offered him a boon. Prahlada asked that his devotion to the Lord remain steadfast and that his father be freed from the sin of hating him. The Lord granted both. Later he took the Narasimha avatar and slew Hiranyakashipu, and Prahlada became king of the daityas. (The Vishnu Puran tells the Narasimha episode briefly; the Bhagwat gives it in detail.)

Chapters 21 and 22: the line of Kashyapa and the rulers

The part closes with the Adityas, daityas, danavas, nagas, Garuda and others born of Kashyapa's wives, and with Brahma's appointment of rulers over each realm: Soma over plants, Varuna over waters, Yama over the ancestors, and so on.

What this part teaches

• Anger can make even a sage unjust; through Vasishtha's counsel Parashara became the author of the Purana.
• Pride takes away good fortune, as Indra lost Lakshmi; humility and effort, the churning, bring it back.
• A five-year-old can reach the highest place with firm resolve; Dhruva turned an insult into sadhana.
• A true devotee wishes good even to those who harm him; Prahlada prayed for his father and the priests.