कियता स्कम्भः प्र विवेश भूतं कियद्भविष्यदन्वाशयेऽस्य । एकं यदङ्गमकृणोत्सहस्रधा कियता स्कम्भः प्र विवेश तत्र
How much of Skambha entered into what has been and what will be, following after him? When he made one limb into a thousand, how much of Skambha entered there?
यत्र लोकाम्श्च कोशांश्चापो ब्रह्म जना विदुः । असच्च यत्र सच्चान्त स्कम्भं तं ब्रूहि कतमः स्विदेव सः
Where people know the worlds, the sheaths, the waters, and Brahman; where the existent and the non-existent meet—tell me of Skambha—who indeed is that god?
{२२} यत्र तपः पराक्रम्य व्रतं धारयत्युत्तरम् । ऋतं च यत्र श्रद्धा चापो ब्रह्म समाहिताः स्कम्भं तं ब्रूहि कतमः स्विदेव सः
Where ascetic heat, having reached its peak, upholds observance; where truth and faith, waters and Brahman, are gathered—tell me of Skambha—who indeed is that god?
यस्मिन् भूमिरन्तरिक्षं द्यौर्यस्मिन्न् अध्याहिता । यत्राग्निश्चन्द्रमाः सूर्यो वातस्तिष्ठन्त्यार्पिताः स्कम्भं तं ब्रूहि कतमः स्विदेव सः
In whom earth, atmosphere, and sky are established; where fire, moon, sun, and wind are set—tell me of Skambha—who indeed is that god?
यस्य त्रयस्त्रिंशद्देवा अङ्गे सर्वे समाहिताः । स्कम्भं तं ब्रूहि कतमः स्विदेव सः
In whose limb all the thirty-three gods are gathered—tell me of Skambha—who indeed is that god?
यत्र ऋषयः प्रथमजा ऋचः साम यजुर्मही । एकर्षिर्यस्मिन्न् आर्पितः स्कम्भं तं ब्रूहि कतमः स्विदेव सः
Where the first-born seers, the Ṛc, Sāman, and Yajus, and the great earth are set; where the single seer is established—tell me of Skambha—who indeed is that god?
यत्रामृतं च मृत्युश्च पुरुषेऽधि समाहिते । समुद्रो यस्य नाड्यः पुरुषेऽधि समाहिताः स्कम्भं तं ब्रूहि कतमः स्विदेव सः
Where both immortality and death are established within the person, whose channels are like an ocean gathered in the person—tell me, which god is that Skambha?
यस्य चतस्रः प्रदिशो नाड्यस्तिष्ठन्ति प्रथमाः । यज्ञो यत्र पराक्रान्तः स्कम्भं तं ब्रूहि कतमः स्विदेव सः
In whom the four cardinal directions stand as the foremost channels, where the sacrifice has advanced—tell me, which god is that Skambha?
ये पुरुषे ब्रह्म विदुस्ते विदुः परमेष्ठिनम् । यो वेद परमेष्ठिनं यश्च वेद प्रजापतिम् । ज्येष्ठं ये ब्राह्मणं विदुस्ते स्कम्भमनुसंविदुः
Those who know the Brahman in the person, they know the Supreme Lord; whoever knows the Supreme Lord and whoever knows Prajapati—those Brahmins who know the eldest, they truly know Skambha.
यस्य शिरो वैश्वानरश्चक्षुरङ्गिरसोऽभवन् । अङ्गानि यस्य यातवः स्कम्भं तं ब्रूहि कतमः स्विदेव सः
Whose head became Vaiśvānara, whose eyes became the Angirases, whose limbs became the Yātavas—tell me, which god is that Skambha?
यस्य ब्रह्म मुखमाहुर्जिह्वां मधुकशामुत । विराजमूधो यस्याहुः स्कम्भं तं ब्रूहि कतमः स्विदेव सः
Whose mouth, they say, is Brahman, whose tongue is honey-sweet, whose intellect, they say, is Virāj—tell me, which god is that Skambha?
यस्मादृचो अपातक्षन् यजुर्यस्मादपाकषन् । सामानि यस्य लोमान्यथर्वाङ्गिरसो मुखं स्कम्भं तं ब्रूहि कतमः स्विदेव सः
From whom the Ṛc verses were uttered, from whom the Yajus were uttered, whose hairs are the Sāman chants, whose mouth is Atharvan and Angiras—tell me, which god is that Skambha?
{२३} असच्शाखां प्रतिष्ठन्तीं परममिव जना विदुः । उतो सन्मन्यन्तेऽवरे ये ते शाखामुपासते
People know the unsubstantial branch as the highest; yet others, who are lower, consider that branch as real and worship it.
यत्रादित्याश्च रुद्राश्च वसवश्च समाहिताः । भूतं च यत्र भव्यं च सर्वे लोकाः प्रतिष्ठिताः स्कम्भं तं ब्रूहि कतमः स्विदेव सः
Where the Ādityas, Rudras, and Vasus are established, where both the past and the future, all worlds are set—tell me, which god is that Skambha?
यस्य त्रयस्त्रिंशद्देवा निधिं रक्षन्ति सर्वदा । निधिं तमद्य को वेद यं देवा अभिरक्षथ
Whose treasure the thirty-three gods always guard—who today knows that treasure which you gods protect?
यत्र देवा ब्रह्मविदो ब्रह्म ज्येष्ठमुपासते । यो वै तान् विद्यात्प्रत्यक्षं स ब्रह्मा वेदिता स्यात्
Where the gods who know Brahman worship the eldest Brahman—whoever knows them directly, he would be the knower of Brahman.
बृहन्तो नाम ते देवा येऽसतः परि जज्ञिरे । एकं तदङ्गं स्कम्भस्यासदाहुः परो जनाः
Those gods called Bṛhants who were born from the non-existent—people say that one limb of Skambha is the non-existent.
यत्र स्कम्भः प्रजनयन् पुराणं व्यवर्तयत्। एकं तदङ्गं स्कम्भस्य पुराणमनुसंविदुः
Where Skambha, generating offspring, turned away the ancient—people know that one limb of Skambha as the ancient.
यस्य त्रयस्त्रिंशद्देवा अङ्गे गात्रा विभेजिरे । तान् वै त्रयस्त्रिंशद्देवान् एके ब्रहमविदो विदुः
In whose limb the thirty-three gods divided the body—some who know Brahman know those thirty-three gods.
हिरण्यगर्भं परममनत्युद्यं जना विदुः । स्कम्भस्तदग्रे प्रासिञ्चद्धिरण्यं लोके अन्तरा
People know the golden germ as the highest, unexcelled; Skambha at first poured out that gold within the world.
स्कम्भे लोकाः स्कम्भे तपः स्कम्भेऽध्यृतमाहितम् । स्कम्भ त्वा वेद प्रत्यक्षमिन्द्रे सर्वं समाहितम्
In Skambha are the worlds, in Skambha is austerity, in Skambha is the established order; Skambha, I know you directly—within you, Indra, all is established.
इन्द्रे लोका इन्द्रे तप इन्द्रेऽध्यृतमाहितम् । इन्द्रं त्वा वेद प्रत्यक्षं स्कम्भे सर्वं प्रतिष्ठितम्
In Indra are the worlds, in Indra is austerity, in Indra is the established order; Indra, I know you directly—in Skambha all is set firm.
{२४} नाम नाम्ना जोहवीति पुरा सूर्यात्पुरोषसः । यदजः प्रथमं संबभूव स ह तत्स्वराज्यमियाय यस्मान् नान्यत्परमस्ति भूतम्
He called out the name by its name before, from the sun, from the dawn; when the Unborn first came into being, he attained that sovereignty of sound, beyond which there is nothing higher, nothing that has been.
यस्य भूमिः प्रमान्तरिक्षमुतोदरम् । दिवं यश्चक्रे मूर्धानं तस्मै ज्येष्ठाय ब्रह्मणे नमः
To whom the earth, the broad midspace, and the womb belong, who made the sky his head—to that eldest Brahman I offer homage.
यस्य सूर्यश्चक्षुश्चन्द्रमाश्च पुनर्णवः । अग्निं यश्चक्र आस्यं तस्मै ज्येष्ठाय ब्रह्मणे नमः
He whose eye is the sun and whose moon is ever renewed, who made fire his mouth—to that eldest Brahman, homage.
यस्य वातः प्राणापानौ चक्षुरङ्गिरसोऽभवन् । दिशो यश्चक्रे प्रज्ञानीस्तस्मै ज्येष्ठाय ब्रह्मणे नमः
He whose breath is the wind, whose inhalation and exhalation are Angiras, who made the directions his wisdom—to that eldest Brahman, homage.
स्कम्भो दाधार द्यावापृथिवी उभे इमे स्कम्भो दाधारोर्वन्तरिक्षम् । स्कम्भो दाधार प्रदिशः षडुर्वीः स्कम्भ इदं विश्वं भुवनमा विवेश
Skambha upheld both heaven and earth; Skambha upheld the wide atmosphere; Skambha upheld the six broad regions; Skambha entered this entire world of beings.
यः श्रमात्तपसो जातो लोकान्त्सर्वान्त्समानशे । सोमं यश्चक्रे केवलं तस्मै ज्येष्ठाय ब्रह्मणे नमः
He who was born from toil and heat, who is equal throughout all worlds, who made Soma alone—to that eldest Brahman, homage.
कथं वातो नेलयति कथं न रमते मनः । किमापः सत्यं प्रेप्सन्तीर्नेलयन्ति कदा चन
How does the wind not settle? How does the mind not delight? Why do the waters, seeking truth, never settle at any time?
महद्यक्षं भुवनस्य मध्ये तपसि क्रान्तं सलिलस्य पृष्ठे । तस्मिन् छ्रयन्ते य उ के च देवा वृक्षस्य स्कन्धः परित इव शाखाः
The great lord in the midst of the world, established in austerity, on the surface of the waters—upon him rest all the gods, like branches around the trunk of a tree.