व्यास उवाच ब्रह्म तेजोमयं शुक्रं यस्य सर्वमिदं जगत्। एकस्य ब्रह्मभूतस्य द्वयं स्थावरजङ्गमम्॥
Vyasa said Brahma is the effulgent seed from which existing as it does by itself, has originated the entire universe consisting of two kinds of being, viz., the mobile and the immobile,
अहर्मुखे विवुद्धः सन् सृजतेऽविद्यया जगत्। अग्र एव महद्भूतमाशु व्यक्तात्मकं मनः॥
At the dawn of His day, waking up, He creates with the aid of Avidya this universe. Mahat or the principle of Greatness at first springs up. That Mahat is speedily changed into Mind which is the soul of the Manifest.
अभिभूयेह चार्चिष्मद् व्यसृजत् सप्त मानसान्। दूरगं बहुधागामि प्रार्थनासंशयात्मकम्॥ मनः सृष्टिं विकुरुते चोद्यमानं सिसृक्षया। आकाशं जायते तस्मात् तस्य शब्दं गुणं विदुः॥
Overwhelming the Intelligence, which is effulgent, with Ignorance, Mind creates seven great entities. Urged by the desire of creating, Mind, which is far-reaching, which has many courses, and which had desire and doubt for its leading signs, beings to create various kinds of objects by modifications of itself. Ether first originates from it. Know that its property is Sound.
आकाशात् तु विकुर्वाणात् सर्वगन्धवहः शुचिः। बलवाञ्जायते वायुस्तस्य स्पर्शो गुणो मतः॥
From Ether, by modification, originates the bearer of all scents, viz., the pure, and powerful Wind. It is said to possess the property of Touch.
वायोरपि विकुर्वाणाज्ज्योतिर्भवति भास्वरम्। रोचिष्णु जायते शुक्रं तद्रूपगुणमुच्यते॥
From Wind also, by modification, originates Light endued with effulgence. Beautiful and called also Shukram, it is thus created, possessing the attribute of Form.
ज्योतिषोऽपि विकुर्वाणाद् भवन्त्यापो रसात्मिकाः। अद्भ्यो गन्धवहा भूमिः सर्वेषां सृष्टिरुच्यते॥
From light, by modification, originates Water having taste for its attribute. From Water originates Earth having Scent for its attribute. These are said to represent primary creation.
गुणाः सर्वस्य पूर्वस्य प्राप्नुवन्त्युत्तरोत्तरम्। तेषां यावद् यथा यच्च तत्तत् तावद्गुणं स्मृतम्॥
These, in succession, acquire the attributes of the immediately preceding ones from which they have originated. Each has not only its own special attribute but each succeeding one has the attributes of all the previous ones.
उपलभ्याप्सु चेद्गन्धं केचिद् ब्रूयुरनैपुणात्। पृथिव्यामेव तं विद्यादपां वायोश्च संश्रितम्॥
If anybody, perceiving Scent in Water, were from ignorance to say that it belongs to Water, he would make a mistake, for Scent is the attribute of Earth though it may exist in Water and also Wind.
एते सप्तविधात्मानो नानावीर्याः पृथक् पृथक्। नाशक्नुवन् प्रजाः स्रष्टुमसमागम्य कृत्स्नशः॥
These seven kinds of entities, possessing various kinds of energy, at first existed separately from one another. They could not create objects without all of them acting in a body.
ते समेत्य महात्मानो ह्यन्योन्यमभिसंश्रिताः। शरीराश्रयणं प्राप्तास्ततः पुरुष उच्यते॥
All these great entities coming together, and mixing with one another, form the constituent parts of the body which are called limbs.
शरीरं श्रयणाद् भवति मूर्तिमत् षोडशात्मकम्। तमाविशन्ति भूतानि महान्ति सह कर्मणा॥
On account of the combination of those limbs,-the sum-total, invested with form and having sixteen constituent parts, becomes what is called the body, (When the gross body is thus forined), the subtile principle of greatness, with the unexhausted remnant of acts, then enters that combination called the gross body.
सर्वभूतान्युपादाय तपसश्चरणाय हि। आदिकर्ता स भूतानां तमेवाहुः प्रजापतिम्॥
The original Creator of all beings, then having by His Maya divided Himself, enters that subtile form for overloO king everything. And because he is the original Creator of all beings he is called the lord of all beings.
स वै सृजति भूतानि स्थावराणि चराणि च। ततः स सृजति ब्रह्मा देवर्षिपितृमानवान्॥ लोकान् नदी: समुद्रांश्च दिशः शैलान् वनस्पतीन्। नरकिन्नररक्षांसि वय:पशुमृगोरगान्।
It is he who creates all beings mobile and immobile. After having thus assumed the form the Brahman, he creates the worlds of the gods, the Rishis, the Pitris, and men; the rivers, the Seas and the oceans, the cardinal points, countries and provinces, hills and mountains, and large trees, human beings, Kinnaras, Rakshasas, birds, animals domestic and wild, and snakes.
अव्ययं च व्ययं चैव द्वयं स्थावरजङ्गमम्॥ तेषां ये यानि कर्माणि प्राक्सृष्ट्यां प्रतिपेदिरे। तान्येव प्रतिपाद्यन्ते सृज्यमानाः पुनः पुनः॥ हिंस्राहिंस्र मृदुरे धर्माधर्मावृतानृते। तद्भाविताः प्रपद्यन्ते तस्मात् तत् तस्य रोचते॥
He creates both kinds of mobile and immobile; and those that are destructible and those that are indestructible. Of theses created objects each gets those attributes which it had during the previous Creation; and each obtains repeatedly the attributes at every subsequent Creation. Having a formed character by either injuriousness peacefulness, mildness fierceness, righteousness or unrighteousness, truthfulness, or untruthfulness, each creature, at every new creation, gets that particular attribute which it had got before. For this the particular attribute attaches to it. same or or
महाभूतेषु नानात्वमिन्द्रियार्थेषु पूर्तिषु। विनियोगं च भूतानां धातैव विदधात्युत॥
It is the Ordained himself who attaches variety to the great entities to the objects of the senses and to size or bulk of existent matter, and settles the relations of creatures with those various entities.
केचित् पुरुषकारं तु प्राहुः कर्मसु मानवाः। दैवमित्यपरे विप्राः स्वभावं भूतचिन्तकाः॥
Of men who had devoted themselves to the science of things, there are some who say that, in the production of effects, Exertion is supreme. Some learned persons hold that Destiny is supreme, and some that it is Nature which is the agent.
पौरुषं कर्म दैवं च फलवृत्तिः स्वभावतः। त्रय एतेऽपृथग्भूता न विवेकं तु केचन॥
Others hold that Acts flowing from Exertion and Destiny, produce effects, helped by Nature. Instead of considering any of these as alone powerful for the production of effects, they say that it is the union of all three that produces all effects.
एतमेव च नैवं च न चोभे नानुभे न च। कर्मस्था विषयं ब्रूयुः सत्त्वस्थाः समदर्शिनः॥
About this subject, some say that such is the case; some, that such is not the case; some, that both of these are not the case; and some that it is not that the reverse of both are not. These, of course, are the contentions of those who depend on Acts, with reference to objects. They, however, whose see the truth consider Brahma as the causes.
तपो निःश्रेयसं जन्तोस्तस्य मूलं शमो दमः। तेन सर्वानवाणोति यान् कामान् मनसेच्छति॥
Penance is the greatest good for living creatures. The roots of penance are tranquillity and self-control. By penance one acquires all things that he longs for in his mind.
तपसा तदवाप्नोति यद्भूतं सृजते जगत्। स तद्भूतश्च सर्वेषां भूतानां भवति प्रभुः॥
By penance one attains to that Being who creates the universe. He who thus succeeds in attaining to that Being becomes the powerful lord of all beings.
ऋषयस्तपसा वेदानध्यैषन्त दिवानिशम्। अनादिनिधना विद्या वागुत्सृष्टा स्वयम्भुवा।२४॥
it is by penance that the Rishis can read the Vedas without interruption. In the beginning the self-create caused those excellent Vedic sounds, that are embodiments of knowledge and that have neither beginning nor end. From those sounds have sprung all sorts of actions.
ऋषीणा नामधेयानि याश्च वेदेषु सृश्यः। नानारूपं च भूतानां कर्मणां च प्रवर्तनम्॥
The names of the Rishis, all things that have been created, the varieties of form seen in things, and the course of all actions, have all originated from the Vedas.
वेदशब्देश्य एवादी निर्मिमीते स ईश्वरः। नामधेयानि चर्षीणां याश्च वेदेषु सृश्यः॥
Indeed, in the beginning the Supreme Lord of all beings, ceated all things from the words of the Vedas. Truly, the names of the Rishis, and all else that has been created, are seen in the Vedas. Upon the expiration of his night, the Increate Brahman creates, from models that existed before, all things which are, of course, weil-made by Him.
शर्वर्यन्ते सुजातानामान्येभ्यो विदधात्यजः। नामभेदतप:कर्मयज्ञाख्या लोकसिद्धयः॥ आत्मसिद्धिस्तु वेदेषु प्रोच्यते दशभिः क्रमैः।
in the Vedas has been described the subject of the Soul's Liberation, along with the ten means formed by study of the Vedas, adoption of the domestic mode of life. penances, observance of all duties, common to all the modes of life, sacrifices, performance of all acts leading to pure fame meditation which is of three kinds, and that kind of Liberation called success (Siddhi) attainable in this life.
यदुक्तं वेदवादेषु गहनं वेददर्शिभिः। तदन्तेषु यथायुक्तं क्रमयोगेन लक्ष्यते॥
That incomprehensible Brahma which has been described in the words of the Vedas, and which has been described more clearly in the Upanishads by those who have an insight into the Vedas, can be realised by gradually following the practices referred to above.
कर्मजोऽयं पृथग्भावो द्वन्द्वयुक्तोऽपि देहिनः। तमात्मसिद्धिर्विज्ञानाज्जहाति पुरुषो बलात्॥
This consciousness of duality, fraught again with that of pairs opposites, is born only of acts in which he is engaged to a person who thinks he has a body. That person, however, who has attained to Liberation aided by his knowledge, drives off by force that consciousness of duality.
द्वे ब्रह्मणी वेदितव्ये शब्दब्रह्म परं च यत्। शब्दब्रह्मणि निष्णातः परं ब्रह्माधिगच्छति॥
Two Brahmas should be known viz., the Brahma represented by the Vedas and that which is beyond the Vedas and is supreme. One who is conversant with Brahma represented by sound succeeds in attaining to Brahma that is Supreme.
आलम्भयज्ञाः क्षत्राश्च हविर्यज्ञा विशः स्मृताः। परिचारयज्ञाः शूद्रास्तु तपोयज्ञा द्विजातयः॥
The destruction of animals is the sacrifice sanctioned for the Kshatriyas. The growing of corn is the sacrifice sanctioned for the Vaisshyas. Serving the three other orders is the sacrifice sanctioned for the Shudras. Penance is the sacrifice sanctioned for the Brahmanas.
त्रेतायुगे विधिस्त्वेष यज्ञानां न कृते युगे। द्वापरे विप्लवं यान्ति यज्ञाः कलियुगे तथा॥
In the Krita age the perforinance of sacrifices was not required. Such performance became necessary in the Treta age. In the Dvapara, sacrifices have begun to fall off. In the Kali, the same is the case with them,
अपृथग्धर्मिणो मा ऋक्सामानि यजूंषि च। काम्या इष्टीः पृथग् दृष्ट्वा तपोभिस्तप एव च।॥
In the Krita age, worshipping only one Brahma, men regarded the Richs, the Samans, the Yajushas, and the rites and sacrifices that are performed from motives of advantage, as all different from the object of their worship, and practised only Yoga by means of penances.
त्रेतायां तु समस्ता समस्ता ये प्रादुरासन् महाबलाः। संयन्तारः स्थावराणां जगमानां च सर्वशः॥
In the Treta age, many powerful men flourished who governed all mobile and immobile objects.
त्रेतायां संहता वेदा यज्ञा वर्णाश्रमास्तथा। संरोधादायुषस्त्वेते भ्रश्यन्ते द्वापरे युगे॥
Accordingly, in that age, the Vedas, and sacrifices, and the distinctions between the several orders, and the four modes of life, existed in a body. On account, however, of the decrease in the period of life in Dvapara, all these, it that age, fall off from that compact condition.
दृश्यन्ते न च दृश्यन्ते वेदाः कलियुगेऽखिला:। उत्सीदन्ते सयज्ञाश्च केवलाधर्मपीडिताः॥
In the Kali age, all the Vedas become so scarce that they are not seen by men. Afflicted by iniquity, they become extinct along with the rites and sacrifices laid down in them.
कृते युगे यस्तु धर्मो ब्राह्मणेषु प्रदृश्यते। आत्मवसु तपोवत्सु श्रुतवत्सु प्रतिष्ठितः॥
The righteousness which is seen in the Krita age is now seen in such Brahmanas as are of purified souls and as are devoted to penances and the study of the scriptures.
सधर्मव्रतसंयोगं यथाधर्म युगे युगे। विक्रियन्ते स्वधर्मस्था वेदवादा यथागमम्॥
As regards the other cycles, it is seen that without at once giving up the duties and acts that are consistent with righteousness, men, observing the practices of their respective orders, and conversant with the ordinances of the Vedas, are led, by the authority of the scriptures, and from motives of advantage and interest to perform sacrifices and vows and sojourns to sacred waters and places.
यथा विश्वानि भूतानि वृष्ट्या भूयांसि प्रावृषि। सृज्यन्ते जङ्गमस्थानि तथा धर्मा युगे युगे॥
As in the rainy reason a large variety of new objets of the immobile order are caused to come into being by the showers that fall from the clouds, so many new kinds of duty or religious observances are brought about in each new cycle.
यथर्तुष्वृतुलिङ्गानि नानारूपाणि पर्यये। दृश्यन्ते तानि तान्येव तथा ब्रह्महरादिषु॥
As the same phenomena reappear with the reappearance of the seasons, so, at each new Creation of the same attributes appear in each new Brahman and Hara.
विहितं कालनानात्वमनादिनिधनं तथा। कीर्तितं तत्पुरस्तात् ते तत्सूते चात्ति च प्रजाः॥
I have, before this, spoken to you of Time which is without beginning and without end, which ordains this variety in the universe. It is that Time which creates and destroys all creatures.
दधाति प्रभवे स्थानं भूतानां संयमो यमः। स्वभावेनैव वर्तन्ते द्वन्द्वयुक्तानि भूरिशः॥
All the numberless creatures which exist subject to pairs of opposites and according to their respective natures, have Time for their refuge. It is Time that puts on those forms and it is Time which upholds them.]
सर्गकालक्रिया वेदाः कर्ता कार्य क्रियाफलम्। प्रोक्तं ते पुत्र सर्वं वै यन्मां त्वं परिपृच्छसि॥
I have thus described to you, O son, the topics about which you had asked, viz., Creation, Time, Sacrifices and other rites, the Vedas, the real actor in the universe, action, and the results of action.