All during this prayer, Baba's fingers were moving and at times, He gesticulated with His right hand. Several times Aloba raised his arms, bowed, kneeled and prostrated himself.
Next in succession came the Hindu prayer, which was chanted by Nilu and Vishnu, who stood alongside of Baba, facing His portrait. The prayer was in Sanskrit. During this prayer Baba also swayed, moved the fingers of His right hand and swung His right hand at intervals. At one time, He salaamed, and frequently He raised His hands to His head. At the end of the prayer He touched the ground with His hands. The translation of the prayer follows.
A Hymn in Praise of the Ten Incarnations
Translated from the Sanskrit
- I bow to Thee, O Lord, Who art the Ruler, the Primeval Being, the (absolute) Male (i.e. Spirit), the Cause of the creation, and preservation and destruction of the universe, and Who art the Animating Principle, taking bodily form to satisfy the desire of Thy devotees, and Who (in Thy Form of Vishnu the Preserver) sleepest on (Sesha), the King of Cobras, and Whose vehicle is Garud, the King of Birds.
- I worship Thee, oh Supreme Brahman, in Thy form of the great Fish who proved here and there with ease in the oceans at the time of the end of the Age (cycle), Who directed all to follow the righteous path, Who killed that demon and took away the Vedas from him (i.e. rescued), and Who protected the down-trodden.
- I worship the extremely pure form of the huge Tortoise which thought its limbs were mildly scratched (to remove an itching sensation) when it bore the (spinning) Mandar Mountain (used as a churning rod) on its extensive back when the milky ocean was being churned (for nectar) by gods.
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I bow to the Lord Who is fit to be worshipped in His form of the huge primeval Boar which came out from the nostrils of the Creator (i.e. the God Brahma), and which lighted up the earth (sinking in the oceans) from the infernal regions, and which ended the life-span of the demon Hiranyaksha in a duel.
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