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.
यस्मै हस्ताभ्यां पादाभ्यां वाचा श्रोत्रेण चक्षुषा । यस्मै देवाः सदा बलिं प्रयच्छन्ति विमितेऽमितं स्कम्भं तं ब्रूहि कतमः स्विदेव सः
To whom, with hands, feet, speech, ears, and eyes, the gods always offer tribute—declare that measured, immeasurable Skambha, which god is he?
अप तस्य हतं तमो व्यावृत्तः स पाप्मना । सर्वाणि तस्मिन् ज्योतींषि यानि त्रीणि प्रजापतौ
From him, darkness is driven away, destroyed by evil; in him are all the lights, the three, in the Lord of creatures.
यो वेतसं हिरण्ययं तिष्ठन्तं सलिले वेद । स वै गुह्यः प्रजापतिः
He who knows the golden reed standing in the waters, he indeed is the secret Lord of creatures.
तन्त्रमेके युवती विरूपे अभ्याक्रामं वयतः षण्मयूखम् । प्रान्या तन्तूंस्तिरते धत्ते अन्या नाप वृञ्जाते न गमातो अन्तम्
Some weave the loom, two youthful ones, approaching, spinning six rays; one stretches the threads forward, sets them, another does not remove them, nor reaches their end.
तयोरहं परिनृत्यन्त्योरिव न वि जानामि यतरा परस्तात्। पुमान् एनद्वयत्युद्गृणन्ति पुमान् एनद्वि जभाराधि नाके
Of those two dancing around, I do not know which is beyond; the man praises this, the man indeed bears it above in heaven.
इमे मयूखा उप तस्तभुर्दिवं सामानि चक्रुस्तसराणि वातवे
These rays have supported the sky, they made the melodies, all for the wind.
10.8 यो भूतं च भव्यं च सर्वं यश्चाधितिष्ठति । स्वर्यस्य च केवलं तस्मै ज्येष्ठाय ब्रह्मणे नमः
He who sustains all that was and will be, and who alone is lord of heaven—to that eldest Brahman, homage.
स्कम्भेनेमे विष्टभिते द्यौश्च भूमिश्च तिष्ठतः । स्कम्भ इदं सर्वमात्मन्वद्यत्प्राणन् निमिषच्च यत्
By Skambha are these supported: heaven and earth stand firm; Skambha is all this, whatever breathes, blinks, and moves.
तिस्रो ह प्रजा अत्यायमायन् न्यन्या अर्कमभितोऽविशन्त । बृहन् ह तस्थौ रजसो विमानो हरितो हरिणीरा विवेश
Three offspring moved forth, others entered the sun from all sides; the vast one stood, the measure of the realm, he entered the golden mares.
द्वादश प्रधयश्चक्रमेकं त्रीणि नभ्यानि क उ तच्चिकेत । तत्राहतास्त्रीणि शतानि शङ्कवः षष्टिश्च खीला अविचाचला ये
Twelve spokes, one wheel, three hubs—who can understand this? There, three hundred and sixty pegs are struck, sixty are fixed and unmoving.