पौरुषेण जिता दैत्याः स्थापिता भुवनक्रियाः । रचितानि जगन्तीह विष्णुना न च दैवतः ॥ ३१ ॥
pauruṣēṇa jitā daityāḥ sthāpitā bhuvanakriyāḥ | racitāni jagantīha viṣṇunā na ca daivataḥ || 31 ||
Translation
By effort the demons were conquered, the order of the worlds established, and the worlds themselves made here, by Viṣṇu, and not from fate.
Word by word
- pauruṣēṇa
- by effort
- jitā
- (jitāḥ) were conquered
- daityāḥ
- the demons
- sthāpitā
- (sthāpitāḥ) established
- bhuvana
- of the worlds
- kriyāḥ
- the order
- racitāni
- were made
- jaganti
- the worlds
- iha
- here
- viṣṇunā
- by Viṣṇu
- na
- not
- ca
- and
- daivataḥ
- from fate
Meaning
The argument reaches its height: even God works. Viṣṇu, who is supreme in this tradition, subdued the demons, set up the workings of the world (bhuvana-kriyā), and made the worlds, and the verse says he did it by effort. The commentary agrees word for word: by effort he conquered, by effort he ordered, by effort he made. If any being might be expected to act by mere decree, it is he. The verse removes the last excuse, the idea that effort is what small beings must do while great ones are exempt.