Shloka 1
Adhyaya 0 — Opening Benediction and Invocation of Narayana, Sarasvati, and Vyasa
यद्योगिभिर्भवभयार्तिविनाशयोग्यम् आसाद्य वन्दितमतीव विवक्तचित्तैः ।
तद्वः पुनातु हरिपादसरोजयुग्मम् अविर्भवत्क्रमविलङ्घितभूर्भुवः स्वः ॥
yadyogibhir bhavabhayārtivināśayogyam āsādya vanditam atīva vivaktacittaiḥ |
tad vaḥ punātu haripādasarojayugmam avirbhavat-kramavilaṅghita-bhūr-bhuvaḥ-svaḥ ||
May that pair of Hari’s (Viṣṇu’s) lotus-feet purify you—those feet which yogins, with minds deeply withdrawn and endowed with discernment, attain and worship as able to destroy the anguish born of fear of saṃsāra; and which, when they manifest, overstep in their stride the realms of Bhūḥ, Bhuvaḥ, and Svaḥ.
FAQs
Liberation is portrayed as the cessation of saṃsāra-born fear and distress through steady attainment (āsādya) and reverent contemplation (vandita) of the supreme refuge. The emphasis on vivakta-citta suggests disciplined discrimination and interior withdrawal as prerequisites for transformative devotion.
This verse functions as maṅgalācaraṇa (an auspicious invocation) rather than one of the five pancalakṣaṇa topics (sarga, pratisarga, vaṃśa, manvantara, vaṃśānucarita). It is a conventional preface establishing spiritual authority and auspiciousness before entering purāṇic narration.
Hari’s ‘stride’ transcending Bhūḥ–Bhuvaḥ–Svaḥ evokes the Vāmana/Trivikrama symbolism: the Supreme is beyond all conditioned planes of experience. For yogic reading, ‘lotus-feet’ indicate the stable locus of meditation; transcending the three worlds signifies surpassing waking, dreaming, and deep sleep (or gross, subtle, causal levels) toward the unconditioned.