Lord Śiva continued,

“Yaṁ mām apṛcchas tvam upetya yogāt samā-sahasrānta upārataṁ vai Sa eṣa sākṣāt puruṣaḥ purāṇo na yatra kālo viśate na vedaḥ

Previously when I had come out of meditation which I had been performing for a thousand years, you approached me and enquired, “Who is it that you meditate upon?” I will now explain it to you.

O Parvati, that Supreme Lord whom I eternally meditate upon is none other than Lord Srihari. Time fails to measure Lord Srihari. Vedas fail to describe Him completely”.

Maharishi Śuka continued, “My dear Emperor Parikshit! I have described to you the prowess of Lord Srihari. During the churning of the ocean, in the form of a gigantic tortoise He carried a heavy mountain on His back. All the tasks of the person, who repeatedly remembers this incident, who explains it to others and who listens to it, will be rendered fruitful. Describing the glories of the ever-pure Supreme Lord in accordance to the methods prescribed by the scriptures dispels all the troubles arising from these worldly bondages.

Asad-aviṣayam aṅghriṁ bhāva-gamyaṁ prapannān Amṛtam amara-varyān āśayat sindhu-mathyam Kapaṭa-yuvati-veṣo mohayan yaḥ surārīṁs Tam aham upasṛtānāṁ kāma-pūraṁ nato ’smi

The Supreme Lord pretentiously assumed the form of a woman in order to protect the Devatas who had sought refuge in Him. He caused the demons to be trapped in passion and then distributed the nectar, which arose during the churning of the ocean, to the supreme Devatas. The wicked can never understand the glory of this Lord. Only true devotees are able to understand Him. He fulfills the desires of those devotees who have surrendered completely to Him. Even the Devatas sought refuge in Him. I offer my obeisance to such Lord Srihari”.

Maharishi Śuka thus narrated the story of Lord Srihari’s incarnation as Mohini. With this the twelfth chapter of the eighth canto comes to an end.

Eighth Canto Chapter Thirteen

In this chapter the future periods of time known as Manvantara are covered.

Maharishi Śuka continued, “Śraddhadeva, the son of Sun-god, is currently the Lord of the seventh Manvantara. I will explain his lineage. Please listen.

Elders state that Ikṣvāku, Nabhaga, Dhṛṣṭa, Śaryāti, Nariṣyanta, Nābhāga, Diṣṭa, Tarūṣa, Pṛṣadhra and Vasuman are the sons of Śraddhadeva, who is also known as Vaivaswata Manu.

Ādityās, Vasus and Rudras, Viśwa-devatas, Marut-ganās, Ashwini-devatas and Ŗbhus are the Devatas in this Manvantara. Their leader i.e. Indra is Purandara. Kaśyapa, Atri, Vasiṣtha, Vishwamitra, Gautama, Jamadagni and Bharadwaja are the seven great sages in this period.

Lord Mahavishnu incarnated in this Manvantara as Vāmana, the son of the holy couple Aditi and Kaśyapa. He was the brother of the Ādityās.

O Emperor! I have explained to you briefly the seven Manvantara periods that are complete. I will now explain the future Manvantara periods, which will be created through Vishnu’s energy.

Sun-god has two wives- Samjñya and Chāya, both of whom are daughters of Viśwakarma. I have narrated about them to you earlier. Some believe that Sun-god has another wife called Baḍaba.

Samjñya had two sons Yama and Śraddhadeva and a daughter called Yamuna.

Among Chāya’s sons Sāvarṇi is the eldest. Tapati is her daughter. Shanaiścara (Saturn) is her third child. Tapati married Samvaraṇa. Baḍaba gave birth to Ashwini-devatas.

The eighth Manvantara will be headed by Sāvarṇi Manu. Nirmoka, Virajaska, Arvaveera and others will be his sons. In that Manvantara the troops known as Sutapasas, Virajas and Amṛtaprabhas will be the Devatas. Bali, the son of Virocana, will be their leader or Indra.

Bali, who granted the entire earth of Lord Srihari when He begged three feet of land from him, will give up this position of Indra and obtain final liberation. At one point Srihari bound Bali. However pleased with him, Lord Srihari has sent him to Sutala planetary system, which is more luxurious than the heavenly planets called Swarga. Even now Bali resides as the Indra (lord) of Sutala.

In that Manvantara period, Gālava, Diptimān, Paraśurama, Drona’s son Ashwatthama, Kṛpācharya, Rṣyaśringa, and my father Bādarāyaṇa Vyāsa will be the seven great sages. At present, all these important personalities, using their mystical powers, are residing invisibly in their hermitages.

In that Manvantara, Lord Srihari will incarnate as the son of Saraswati and Dēvaguhya and will become famous as Sārvabhouma. He will usurp the title of Indra (lord of heaven) from Purandara and give it to Bali.

Dakṣa-sāvarṇi, the son of Varuna, will be the Manu of the ninth Manvantara. Bhūtaketu, Dīptikētu, Pancahotra and others will be his sons. In that Manvantara period, Pāras, Marīci-garbhas, Sudharmas and others will be the Devatas. Adbhuta will become Indra. Dyutimanta, Medhātithi and others will be the seven great sages. Srihari will incarnate as the son of Ayushmān and Ambudhāra and will become famous as Rṣabhadeva. He will control the three worlds. In his position as Indra, Adbhuta will enjoy the comforts of all the three worlds.

Brahma-sāvarṇi, the son of Upaśloka, will be the tenth Manu. Bhūriṣeṣana and others will be his sons. Haviṣmān, Sukruti, Satya, Jaya, Murti and others will be the seven great sages. Suvāsanas, Viruddhas, sukhas and others will be the Devatas. Śambhu will be Indra, their king.

The Supreme Lord will incarnate as the son of the holy couple Viśvasraṣṭa and Viśuci and will become famous as Viśwaksena. He will befriend the Indra known as Śambhu. Dharma-sāvarṇi, who has totally conquered his senses, will be the eleventh Manu. Satya-dharma, kṣema-dharma and others will be among his 10 sons. In that Manvantara period , Vihāngamas, Nirvāṇacara, Kāmagama and other troops will be the Devatas. Vaidhṛti will be their Indra. Aruṇa, Haviṣmanta and others will be the seven great sages. In that Manvantara, the Supreme Lord will incarnate as the son of the holy couple Aryaka and Vaidhṛta. He will be known as Dharmasetu. He will protect all the three worlds”.