SB 5.18.6 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

वेदान् युगान्ते तमसा तिरस्कृतान्रसातलाद्यो नृतुरङ्गविग्रह: प्रत्याददे वै कवयेऽभियाचतेतस्मै नमस्तेऽवितथेहिताय इति ॥ ६ ॥

Verse text

vedān yugānte tamasā tiraskṛtān rasātalād yo nṛ-turaṅga-vigrahaḥ pratyādade vai kavaye ’bhiyācate tasmai namas te ’vitathehitāya iti

Synonyms

vedān — the four Vedas ; yuga — ante — at the end of the millennium ; tamasā — by the demon of ignorance personified ; tiraskṛtān — stolen away ; rasātalāt — from the lowest planetary system (Rasātala) ; yaḥ — who (the Supreme Personality of Godhead) ; nṛ — turaṅga — vigrahaḥ — assuming the form of half-horse, half-man ; pratyādade — returned ; vai — indeed ; kavaye — to the supreme poet (Lord Brahmā) ; abhiyā — cate — when he asked for them ; tasmai — unto Him (the form of Hayagrīva) ; namaḥ — my respectful obeisances ; te — to You ; avitatha — īhitāya — whose resolution never fails ; iti — thus .

Translation

At the end of the millennium, ignorance personified assumed the form of a demon, stole all the Vedas and took them down to the planet of Rasātala. The Supreme Lord, however, in His form of Hayagrīva retrieved the Vedas and returned them to Lord Brahmā when he begged for them. I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Lord, whose determination never fails.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

I offer respects to Hayagrīva, whose desires comes true, who taking the form of man and horse, and who returned the Vedas to Brahmā from Rasātala when a demon took them away at the end of the yuga (pralaya). This verse describes a pastime of the avatāra related to the topic. Hayagrīva returned to Brahmā (kavaye) the Vedas which were take away by a demon (tamasā). He has the form of a man and horse. I offer respect to he whose desires comes true (avitatha-īhitāya).

Purport

Although Vedic knowledge is imperishable, within this material world it is sometimes manifest and sometimes not. When the people of this material world become too absorbed in ignorance, the Vedic knowledge disappears. Lord Hayagrīva or Lord Matsya, however, always protects the Vedic knowledge, and in due course of time it is again distributed through the medium of Lord Brahmā. Brahmā is the trustworthy representative of the Supreme Lord. Therefore when he again asked for the treasure of Vedic knowledge, the Lord fulfilled his desire.