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Ṛṣi Dīrghatamas Aucathya
6 Verses
Meter: triṣṭubh
viṣṇornu kaṃ vīryāṇi pra vocaṃ yaḥ pārthivāni vimamerajāṃsi |
yo askabhāyaduttaraṃ sadhasthaṃ vicakramāṇastredhorughāyaḥ ||
pra tad viṣṇu stavate vīryeṇa mṛgho na bhīmaḥ kucaro ghiriṣṭhāḥ |
yasyoruṣu triṣu vikramaṇeṣvadhikṣiyanti bhuvanāni viśvā ||
pra viṣṇave śūṣametu manma ghirikṣita urughāyāya vṛṣṇe |
ya idaṃ dīrghaṃ prayataṃ sadhasthameko vimame tribhirit padebhiḥ ||
yasya trī pūrṇā madhunā padānyakṣīyamāṇā svadhayāmadanti |
ya u tridhātu pṛtivīmuta dyāmeko dādhāra bhuvanāni viśvā ||
tadasya priyamabhi pātho aśyāṃ naro yatra devayavo madanti |
urukramasya sa hi bandhuritthā viṣṇoḥ pade parame madhva utsaḥ ||
tā vaṃ vāstūnyuśmasi ghamadhyai yatra ghāvo bhūriśṛṅghāayāsaḥ |
atrāha tadurughāyasya vṛṣṇaḥ paramaṃ padamava bhāti bhūri ||
(note: please research other sources for additional context & meaning that this latest academic translation does not explore)
Translation:
1. Now shall I proclaim the heroic deeds of Viṣṇu, who measured out the earthly realms,
who propped up the higher seat, having stridden out three times, the wide-ranging one.
2. In this way Viṣṇu will be praised for his heroic deed—(he who is) like a fearsome wild beast, living in the mountains and roaming wherever it wants,
in whose three wide strides dwell all living beings.
3. Let my fortifying thought go forth to Viṣṇu, the mountain-dwelling,
wide-ranging bull,
who alone with just three steps measured out this dwelling place here,
long and extended,
4. Whose three steps, filled with honey, never becoming depleted, find
elation through their own power,
who alone supports heaven and earth in their three parts and all living
beings.
5. Might I reach that dear cattle-pen of his, where men seeking the gods
find elation,
for exactly that is the bond to the wide-striding one: the wellspring of
honey in the highest step of Viṣṇu.
6. We wish to go to the dwelling places belonging to you two [=Viṣṇu and
Indra], where there are ample-horned, unbridled cows.
There that highest step of the wide-ranging bull shines down amply.
Commentary:
One of the only hymns dedicated entirely to Viṣṇu, this composition reads almost like a round, with phraseology that is constantly repeated and recombined. The focus of the hymn is narrow: the three strides made by Viṣṇu, which measured out the cos- mic spaces, earth, midspace, and heaven, and provided room for the creatures to live. These strides are also conceived of as footsteps, which contain the good things sought by the poet, and which he aspires to reach (vss. 5–6). This goal provides a forward thrust to the poem, despite the uniformity of the vocabulary throughout. Viṣṇu’s footsteps are also credited with somewhat surprising actions: in verse 4 they “find elation by their own power” and in verse 6 the highest step “shines down amply.