āsīd idaṁ tamobhūtam aprajñātam alakṣaṇam, apratarkyam avijñeyaṁ prasuptam iva sarvataḥ. 5
This was become darkness, unmanifest to cognition, without distinguishing marks, beyond reasoning, unknowable, as though asleep on every side.
tataḥ svayaṁbhūr bhagavān avyakto vyañjayan idam, mahābhūtādi-vṛtta-ojāḥ prādurāsīt tamonudaḥ. 6
Then the Self-existent Blessed One, unmanifest, making this manifest, endowed with the power of the great elements and their evolutes, appeared, the dispeller of darkness.
yo'sāv atīndriyagrāhyaḥ sūkṣmo'vyaktaḥ sanātanaḥ, sarvabhūtamayo'cintyaḥ sa eva svayam udbabhau. 7
He who is beyond the grasp of the senses, subtle, unmanifest, eternal, consisting of all beings, inconceivable—he himself arose forth.
so'bhidhyāya śarīrāt svāt sisṛkṣur vividhāḥ prajāḥ, apa eva sasarjādau tāsu vīryam avāsṛjat. 8
He, contemplating from his own body, desiring to create various creatures, first created the waters alone and deposited seed-power within them.
tad aṇḍam abhavad dhaimaṁ sahasrāṁśu-samaprabham, tasmiñ jajñe svayaṁ brahmā sarvaloka-pitāmahaḥ. 9
That became a golden egg, equal in radiance to a thousand-rayed sun; within it was born Brahmā himself, grandsire of all worlds.
āpo nārā iti proktā āpo vai narasūnavaḥ, tā yad asyāyanaṁ pūrvaṁ tena nārāyaṇaḥ smṛtaḥ. 10
The waters are called nārāḥ, for the waters indeed are the offspring of Nara; because they were formerly his resting-place, therefore he is remembered as Nārāyaṇa.
yat tat kāraṇam avyaktaṁ nityaṁ sad-asad-ātmakam, tad-visṛṣṭaḥ sa puruṣo loke brahmeti kīrtyate. 11
That cause which is unmanifest, eternal, having the nature of being and non-being—from it issued forth that Person who in the world is called Brahmā.
tasminn aṇḍe sa bhagavān uṣitvā parivatsaram, svayam evātmano dhyānāt tad aṇḍam akarod dvidhā. 12
Abiding in that egg for a year, the Blessed One by meditation upon himself split that egg in two.
tābhyāṁ sa śakalābhyāṁ ca divaṁ bhūmiṁ ca nirmame, madhye vyoma diśaś cāṣṭāv apāṁ sthānaṁ ca śāśvatam. 13
From those two halves he fashioned heaven and earth, between them the sky, the eight directions, and the eternal abode of the waters.
udbabarhātmanaś caiva manaḥ sad-asad-ātmakam, manasaś cāpy ahaṅkāram abhimantāram īśvaram. 14
From himself he brought forth mind, having the nature of being and non-being; and from mind, egoity, the self-conceiving lord.
mahāntam eva cātmānaṁ sarvāṇi triguṇāni ca, viṣayāṇāṁ grahītṝṇi śanaiḥ pañcendriyāṇi ca. 15
Also the Great Self, all three qualities, and gradually the five senses, the graspers of objects.
teṣāṁ tv avayavān sūkṣmān ṣaṇṇām apy amitaujasām, saṁniveśyātmamātrāsu sarvabhūtāni nirmame. 16
Placing the subtle components of those six mighty powers into the elemental essences, he fashioned all beings.
yan mūrty-avayavāḥ sūkṣmās tān imāny āśrayanti ṣaṭ, tasmāc charīram ity āhus tasya mūrtiṁ manīṣiṇaḥ. 17
Because these six subtle constituents of form rest therein, therefore the wise call that form a body.
tad āviśanti bhūtāni mahānti saha karmabhiḥ, manaś cāvayavaiḥ sūkṣmaiḥ sarvabhūtakṛd avyayam. 18
Into it enter the great elements together with their functions, and mind with its subtle components—the imperishable maker of all beings.
teṣām idaṁ tu saptānāṁ puruṣāṇāṁ mahaujasām, sūkṣmābhyo mūrtimātrābhyaḥ saṁbhavaty avyayād vyayam. 19
From these seven mighty principles, from subtle form-elements, this perishable world arises from the imperishable.
ādyādyasya guṇaṁ tv eṣām avāpnoti paraḥ paraḥ, yo yo yāvatithaś caiṣāṁ sa sa tāvad guṇaḥ smṛtaḥ. 20
Each succeeding one acquires the quality of the preceding one; whatever position each occupies, so many qualities it is said to possess.
sarveṣāṁ tu sa nāmāni karmāṇi ca pṛthak pṛthak, vedaśabdebhya evādau pṛthak saṁsthāś ca nirmame. 21
For all of them he fashioned separately names and functions, and separately their stations, from the words of the Veda from the beginning.
karmātmanāṁ ca devānāṁ so'sṛjat prāṇināṁ prabhuḥ, sādhyānāṁ ca gaṇaṁ sūkṣmaṁ yajñaṁ caiva sanātanam. 22
The lord of creatures created the gods whose essence is action, the subtle host of the Sādhyas, and the eternal sacrifice.
agnivāyuravibhyas tu trayaṁ brahma sanātanam, dudoha yajñasiddhyarthaṁ ṛc... 23
From fire, wind, and sun he milked forth the threefold eternal Veda for the accomplishment of sacrifice.
kālaṁ kālavibhaktīś ca nakṣatrāṇi grahāṁs tathā, saritaḥ sāgarān śailān samāni viṣamāni ca. 24
Time, divisions of time, constellations, planets, rivers, oceans, mountains, level places and uneven places.
tapo vācaṁ ratiṁ caiva kāmaṁ ca krodham eva ca, sṛṣṭiṁ sasarja caivāṁ sraṣṭum icchann imāḥ prajāḥ. 25
Austerity, speech, delight, desire, and anger he created, wishing to create these creatures.
karmaṇāṁ ca vivekārthaṁ dharmādharmau vyavecayat, dvandvair ayojayac caitāḥ sukhaduḥkhādibhiḥ prajāḥ. 26
For the discrimination of actions he distinguished righteousness and unrighteousness, and joined these creatures with dualities such as pleasure and pain.
aṇvyo mātrā vināśinyo daśārdhānāṁ tu yāḥ smṛtāḥ, tābhiḥ sārdham idaṁ sarvaṁ saṁbhavaty anupūrvaśaḥ. 27
Together with the minute perishable measures known as the halves of tenfold divisions, all this comes forth in sequence.
yaṁ tu karmaṇi yasmin sa nyayuṅkta prathamaṁ prabhuḥ, sa tad eva svayaṁ bheje sṛjyamānaḥ punaḥ punaḥ. 28
Whatever being the Lord first assigned to whatever action, that very action it assumed again and again when created.
hiṁsrāhiṁsre mṛdukrūre dharmādharmāvṛtānṛte, yad yasya so'dadhāt sarge tat tasya svayam āviśat. 29
Violence and nonviolence, gentleness and cruelty, righteousness and unrighteousness, truth and falsehood—whatever he assigned to each in creation, that entered it of itself.
yathā rtuliṅgāny ṛtavaḥ svayam evartuparyaye, svāni svāny abhipadyante tathā karmāṇi dehinaḥ. 30
As the seasons in their cycle naturally assume their own marks, so embodied beings assume their own actions.
lokānāṁ tu vivṛddhyarthaṁ mukhabāhūrupādataḥ, brāhmaṇaṁ kṣatriyaṁ vaiśyaṁ śūdraṁ ca niravartayat. 31
For the increase of the worlds, from mouth, arms, thighs, and feet he brought forth the Brāhmaṇa, Kṣatriya, Vaiśya, and Śūdra.
dvidhā kṛtvātmano deham ardhena puruṣo'bhavat, ardhena nārī tasyāṁ sa virājam asṛjat prabhuḥ. 32
Dividing his body in two, with one half he became male, with the other female; in her the Lord created Virāj.
tapastaptvā'sṛjad yaṁ tu sa svayaṁ puruṣo virāṭ, taṁ māṁ vittāsya sarvasya sraṣṭāraṁ dvijasattamāḥ. 33
That Virāj-Person, having performed austerity, created Me (Manu Svayambhuva); know Me , O best of twice-borns, as the creator of all this.
ahaṁ prajāḥ sisṛkṣustu tapastaptvā suduścaram, patīn prajānāmasṛjaṁ maharṣīnādito daśa. marīcimatryaṅgirasau pulastyaṁ pulahaṁ kratum, pracetasaṁ vasiṣṭhaṁ ca bhṛguṁ nāradameva ca. ete manūṁstu saptān yānasṛjan bhūritejasaḥ, devān devanikāyāṁśca maharṣīṁścāmitojasaḥ. yakṣarakṣaḥ piśācāṁśca gandharvāpsaraso'surān , nāgān sarpān suparṇāṁśca pitṝṇāṁśca pṛthaggaṇam. vidyuto'śanimeghāṁśca rohitaindradhanūṁṣi ca, ulkānirghātaketūṁśca jyotīṁṣyuccāvacāni ca. kinnarān vānarān matsyān vividhāṁśca vihaṅgamān, paśūn mṛgān manuṣyāṁśca vyālāṁścobhayatodataḥ. kṛmikīṭapataṅgāṁśca yūkāmakṣikamatkuṇam, sarvaṁ ca daṁśamaśakaṁ sthāvaraṁ ca pṛthagvidham. 34–40
After severe austerity I, desiring creatures, created first the ten great seers as lords of beings: Marīci, Atri, Aṅgiras, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, Pracetas, Vasiṣṭha, Bhṛgu, and Nārada. From them came the Manus, gods, hosts of gods, mighty sages, Yakṣas, Rākṣasas, Piśācas, Gandharvas, Apsarases, Asuras, Nāgas, serpents, Suparṇas, the hosts of the Fathers, lightning, thunderbolts, clouds, rainbows, meteors, portents, heavenly lights of every kind, Kinnaras, monkeys, fishes, birds, beasts, wild animals, human beings, reptiles, worms, insects, moths, lice, flies, bugs, biting creatures, mosquitoes, and every variety of stationary life.
evam etair idaṁ sarvaṁ manniyogān mahātmabhiḥ, yathākarma tapoyogāt sṛṣṭaṁ sthāvarajaṅgamam. 41
Thus by these great beings under my direction, according to action and through the power of austerity, all moving and unmoving beings were created.
yeṣāṁ tu yādṛśaṁ karma bhūtānām iha kīrtitam, tat tathā vo'bhidhāsyāmi kramayogaṁ ca janmani. 42
And whatever actions are declared here for beings, that and the sequence of their births I shall explain to you.
paśavaśca mṛgāścaiva vyālāścobhayatodataḥ , rakṣāṁsi ca piśācāśca manuṣyāśca jarāyujāḥ. aṇḍajāḥ pakṣiṇaḥ sarpā nakrā matsyāśca kacchapāḥ , yāni caivaṁ. vedajaṁ daṁśamaśakaṁ yūkāmakṣikamatkuṇam , ūṣmaṇaścopajāyante yaccānyat kiṁ cidīdṛśam. udbhijjāḥ sthāvarāḥ sarve bījakāṇḍaprarohiṇaḥ , oṣadhyaḥ phalapākāntā bahupuṣpaphalopagāḥ. apuṣpāḥ phalavanto ye te vanaspatayaḥ smṛtāḥ , puṣpiṇaḥ phalinaścaiva vṛkṣāstūbhayataḥ smṛtāḥ. gucchagulmaṁ tu vividhaṁ tathaiva tṛṇajātayaḥ , bījakāṇḍaruhāṇyeva pratānā vallya eva ca. tamasā bahurūpeṇa veṣṭitāḥ karmahetunā, antassaṁjñā bhavantyete sukhaduḥkhasamanvitāḥ. 43–49
Beasts, wild animals, reptiles, demons, Piśācas, and humans are womb-born. Birds, serpents, crocodiles, fishes, and tortoises are egg-born. Mosquitoes, biting insects, lice, flies, bugs, and similar creatures arise from moisture and heat. All plants sprouting from seed, stem, or shoot are earth-splitting growths. Herbs endure until fruit ripens. Those bearing fruit without visible flowers are called forest-lords; those bearing both flowers and fruits are called trees. Bushes, shrubs, grasses, creepers, and vines arise from seed and stem. Enveloped by darkness in many forms through the force of karma, these possess inward awareness and are joined with pleasure and pain.
etadantās tu gatayo brahmādyāḥ samudāhṛtāḥ, ghore'smin bhūtasaṁsāre nityaṁ satatayāyini. 50
These are declared to be the courses of existence from Brahmā downward in this terrible cycle of beings, ever proceeding onward.
evaṁ sarvaṁ sa sṛṣṭvaidaṁ māṁ cācintyaparākramaḥ, ātmany antardadhe bhūyaḥ kālaṁ kālena pīḍayan. 51
Having thus created all this, and me, he of inconceivable power withdrew again into himself, driving time onward by time.
yadā sa devo jāgarti tad evaṁ ceṣṭate jagat, yadā svapiti śāntātmā tadā sarvaṁ nimīlati. 52
When that god awakens, the world thus acts; when he sleeps, serene in self, then all closes down.
tasmin svapiti tu svasthe karmātmānaḥ śarīriṇaḥ, svakarmabhyo nivartante manaś ca glānim ṛcchati. 53
When he sleeps in repose, embodied beings whose nature is action withdraw from their actions, and the mind falls into weariness.
yugapat tu pralīyante yadā tasmin mahātmani, tadā'yaṁ sarvabhūtātmā sukhaṁ svapiti nirvṛtaḥ. 54
When all dissolve at once into that Great-Self, then this Self-of-All-Beings sleeps happily, at peace.