[paragraph continues] The god is one with all male--the goddess one with all female, rivers. The lotus-eyed deity is the standard; the goddess seated on a lotus the banner. Lakshmí is cupidity; Náráyańa, the master of the world, is covetousness. Oh thou who knowest what righteousness is, Govinda is love; and Lakshmí, his gentle spouse, is pleasure. But why thus diffusely enumerate their presence: it is enough to say, in a word, that of gods, animals, and men, Hari is all that is called male; Lakshmí is all that is termed female: there is nothing else than they.

Footnotes

58:1 The creation of Rudra has been already adverted to, and that seems to be the primitive form of the legend. We have here another account, grounded apparently upon Śaiva or Yogi mysticism.

58:2 The appearance of Rudra as a Kumára, 'a boy,' is described as of repeated occurrence in the Linga and Váyu Puráńas, as already noticed (p. 38); and these Kumáras are of different complexions in different Kalpas. In the Vaishńava Puráńas, however, we have only one original form, to which the name of Nílalohita, the blue and red or purple complexioned is assigned. In the Kúrma this youth comes from Brahmá's mouth: in the Váyu, from his forehead.

58:3 This is the Pauráńic etymology: ### or rud, 'to weep,' and dru, 'to run' The grammarians derive the name from rud, 'to weep,' with ra affix.