Chapter 99

Vishnu Smriti 99

Seeing Śrī (श्री), blazing with austerity, her feet held by the god of gods, Vishnu, / Her lovely color like refined gold, the Earth goddess, delighted, asked the goddess: || Vi_99.1 ||

O venerable one, whose lovely hands are like blooming red lotuses, whose feet are held by one with a blooming red lotus for a navel, / Who ever abides in a house of blooming red lotuses, whose color is like the middle of a blooming red lotus, || Vi_99.2 ||

O you with eyes like blue lotuses, of golden color, clad in white garments, with limbs adorned with jewels, / With a face like the moon, with a radiance like the sun, of great power, the foremost of the world, || Vi_99.3 ||

You are Sleep, the foremost of the world, Fortune, Firmness, Prosperity (śrī (श्री)), Cessation, and Victory, / Beauty, Radiance, Fame, and also Splendor, Sarasvatī, Speech, and the Purifier, || Vi_99.4 ||

Nourishment, Forbearance, the Earth, the Foundation, Stability, and good Initiation, and also good Policy, / Renown, the Vast, and also Freedom from Envy, the Sacrificial Oblation, and Intelligence, and likewise Wisdom. || Vi_99.5 ||

Just as this foremost of gods stands, pervading the entire triple world, O dark-eyed one, / So you stand, O giver of boons; yet I ask you, O Splendor, about your dwelling place. || Vi_99.6 ||

Thus addressed, Lakṣmī then spoke to the Earth, standing before the foremost of gods: / "I ever stand, O you of golden color, at the side of the god Madhusūdana. || Vi_99.7 ||

By his command, whom I remember with my mind, the good call him endowed with prosperity (śrī (श्री)); / And by that remembering, and where I ever stand, hear that, O supporter of the world. || Vi_99.8 ||

I dwell in the sun and in the moon, and in the sky adorned with hosts of stars, when it is without clouds, / And in the cloud with its hanging water-bearers, adorned with Indra's bow, and in the flash of lightning. || Vi_99.9 ||

And in pure gold and in spotless silver, in jewels, and in clean clothes, O Earth, / In rows of white-plastered mansions, and in temples adorned with banners. || Vi_99.10 ||

And in freshly applied cow-dung, in a rutting elephant, in a joyful horse, / In a bull filled with pride, and in a Brāhmaṇa devoted to study. || Vi_99.11 ||

In a throne, in an Āmalaka fruit, in a Bilva fruit, in an umbrella, in a conch, and likewise in a lotus, / In a blazing fire, in a spotless sword, and in the reflection in a mirror, I stand. || Vi_99.12 ||

In full water-pitchers, with chowries, with beautiful palm-leaf fans, / In lovely water-vessels, and in freshly dug earth, I stand. || Vi_99.13 ||

In milk, in clarified butter, on a green lawn, in honey, in curd, and in the body of a married woman, / In the body of a maiden, and of the gods, and in the body of ascetics who offer sacrifices. || Vi_99.14 ||

In an arrow that has left the battle, and in one who has died and gone to the abode of heaven, / In the sound of the Veda, and in the sound of a conch, in the svāhā and svadhā calls, and in the sound of music. || Vi_99.15 ||

In a royal consecration, and in a marriage, in a sacrifice, in a bridegroom, and in one with a bathed head, / In white flowers, on mountains, in lovely fruits, and in the best of rivers. || Vi_99.16 ||

In full lakes, and in waters, on the earth with its green lawns, in a lotus-grove, / In a forest, in a calf, in a joyful child, in a virtuous man, and in one devoted to dharma (धर्म). || Vi_99.17 ||

In one who observes proper conduct, who is ever devoted to the scriptures, who is modestly dressed, and also well-dressed, / In one with well-cleaned teeth, free from filth, who eats pure food, and who worships guests. || Vi_99.18 ||

In one who is content with his own wife, who is devoted to dharma (धर्म), who excels in dharma (धर्म), and who is free from excessive eating, / In one who is always adorned with flowers, whose body is fragrant, who is anointed with perfume, and who is decorated. || Vi_99.19 ||

In one who abides in truth, who is devoted to the welfare of beings, who is endowed with forgiveness, and who is free from anger, / In one who is skilled in his own work and skilled in the work of others, who has a benevolent mind, and who is always modest. || Vi_99.20 ||

In women who are always well-adorned, who are devoted to their husbands, who speak kindly, / Who are open-handed, who are blessed with sons, who keep their household goods well-guarded, and who delight in making offerings. || Vi_99.21 ||

In those whose houses are well-swept, who have conquered their senses, who are free from strife, and who are not greedy, / In those who are mindful of dharma (धर्म) and endowed with compassion, I ever stand, and in Madhusūdana. || Vi_99.22 ||

And separated for even the blink of an eye, I never stand apart from Puruṣottama." || Vi_99.23 ||