Mahabharata

निष्प्रभेऽस्मिन्निरालोके सर्वतस्तमसा वृते। बृहदण्डमभूदेकं प्रजानां बीजमव्ययम्

In that dim, lightless expanse, enveloped on all sides by darkness, there arose a single vast cosmic egg, the imperishable seed of beings.

युगस्यादिनिमित्तं तन्महद्दिव्यं प्रचक्षत। व्यस्मिंस्तच्छ्रूयते सत्यंज्योतिर्ब्रह्म सनातनम्

They declare that great and divine principle to be the cause of the beginning of the age; in it is heard the eternal truth, the light, the everlasting Brahman.

अद्भुतं चाप्यचिन्त्यं च सर्वत्र समतां मतम्। अव्यक्तं कारणं सूक्ष्मं यत्तत्सदसदात्मकम्

It is considered wondrous and inconceivable, the essence of equality everywhere; the unmanifest, subtle cause, which is both being and non-being.

यस्मिन्पितामहो जज्ञे प्रभुरेकः प्रजापतिः। ब्रह्मा सुरगुरुः स्थाणुर्मनुः कः परमेष्ठ्यथ

From that, the Grandfather was born—the one lord, the progenitor: Brahma, the teacher of the gods, Sthanu, Manu, Ka, and Parameshthin.

प्राचेतसस्तथा दक्षो दक्षपुत्राश्च सप्तवै। ततः प्रजानां पतयः प्राभवन्नेकविंशतिः

Likewise, Prachetas, Daksha, and Daksha's seven sons; then, the lords of creatures, twenty-one in number, arose.

पुरुषश्चाप्रमेयात्मा यं सर्वऋषयो विदु। विश्वेदेवास्तथाऽऽदित्या वसवोऽथाश्विनावपि

And the Person, whose nature is immeasurable, whom all the seers know, as well as all the gods, the Adityas, the Vasus, and the Ashvins.

यक्षाः साध्याः पिशाचाश्च गुह्यकाः पितरस्तथा। ततः प्रसूता विद्वांसः शिष्टा ब्रह्मर्षिसत्तमाः

Yakshas, Sadhyas, Pisachas, Guhyakas, and the Pitrs; then were born the wise and noble Brahmarshi sages.

महर्षयश्च बहवः सर्वैः समुदिता गुणैः। आतो द्यौः पृथिवी वायुरन्तरिक्षं दिशस्तया

And many great sages, endowed with all virtues; from them came the sky, earth, wind, the intermediate space, and the directions.

संवत्सरर्तवो मासाः पक्षाहोरात्रयः क्रमात्। यच्चान्यदपि तत्सर्वं संभूतं लोकसाक्षिकम्

The year, the seasons, the months, the fortnights, and the days and nights in order; and all else that exists, everything that came into being as witness to the worlds.

यदिदं दृश्यते किंचिद्बूतं स्थावरजङ्गमम्। पुनःसंक्षिप्यते सर्वं जगत्प्राप्ते युगक्षये

Whatever is seen here, whether moving or unmoving beings, all this world is again withdrawn when the end of the age arrives.

यथर्तुष्वृतुलिङ्गानि नानारूपाणि पर्यये। दृश्यन्ते तानि तान्येव तथा भावा युगादिषु

Just as, in the seasons, the signs of the solstices appear in various forms in turn, so too do the states of being at the beginnings of the ages.

एवमेतदनाद्यन्तं भूतसंघातकारकम्। अनादिनिधनं लोके चक्रं संपरिवर्तते

Thus, this wheel, without beginning or end, which brings about the aggregation of beings, turns perpetually in the world, without origin or destruction.

त्रयस्त्रिंशत्सहस्राणि त्रयस्त्रिंशच्छतानि च। त्रयस्त्रिंशच्च देवनां सृष्टिः संक्षेपलक्षणा

Thirty-three thousand, thirty-three hundred, and thirty-three gods—such is the concise reckoning of their creation.

दिवः पुत्रो बृहद्भानुश्चक्षुरात्मा विभावसुः। सविता स ऋचीकोऽर्को भानुराशावहो रविः

The son of heaven, Bṛhadbhānu, is the eye, the self, the radiant one; he is Savitṛ, Ṛcīka, Arka, Bhānu, the bringer of light, and Ravi.

पुत्रा विवस्वतः सर्वे मनुस्तेषां तथाऽवरः। देवभ्राट् तनयस्तस्य सुभ्राडिति ततः स्मृतः

All the sons of Vivasvat are known, and Manu is the youngest among them; Devabhṛt is his son, who is therefore called Subhrāṭ.

सुभ्राजस्तु त्रयः पुत्राः प्रजावन्तो बहुश्रुताः। दशज्योतिः शतज्योतिः सहस्रज्योतिरेव च

Subhrāj had three sons, prolific and learned: Daśajyoti, Śatajyoti, and also Sahasrajyoti.

दशपुत्रसहस्राणि दशज्योतेर्महात्मनः। ततो दशगुणाश्चान्ये शतज्योतेरिहात्मजाः

Daśajyoti, the great-souled, had ten thousand sons; the sons of Śatajyoti were ten times more than that.

भूयस्ततो दशगुणाः सहस्रज्योतिषः सुताः। तेभ्योऽयं कुरुवंशश्च यदूनां भरतस्य च

The sons of Sahasrajyoti were yet ten times more numerous; from them arose the lineages of the Kurus, the Yadus, and Bharata.

ययातीक्ष्वाकृवंशश्च राजर्षीणां च सर्वशः। संभूता बहवो वंशा भूतसर्गाः सुविस्तराः

From Yayāti and Ikṣvāku, and from all the royal sages, many lineages arose, vast and manifold in their creation.

भूतस्थानानि सर्वाणि रहस्यं त्रिविधं च यत्। वेदा योगः सविज्ञानो धर्मोऽर्थः काम एव च

All the abodes of beings, the threefold secret, the Vedas, yoga with knowledge, and also dharma, artha, and kāma—

धर्मार्थकामयुक्तानि शास्त्राणि विविधानि च। लोकयात्राविधान च सर्व तद्दृष्टवानृषिः

The various treatises endowed with dharma, artha, and kāma, and the regulations for worldly conduct—all this the sage has seen.

नीतिर्भरतवंशस्य विस्तारश्चैव सर्वशः।' इतिहासाः सहव्याख्या विविधाश्रुतयोऽपि च

The polity of the Bharata line, its complete expansion, the histories with their explanations, and the various traditions as well—

इह सर्वमनुक्रान्तमुक्तं ग्रन्थस्य लक्षणम्। `संक्षेपेणेतिहासस्य ततो वक्ष्यति विस्तरम्

Here, all this has been recounted, the characteristics of the text declared; now, in brief, the history will be spoken, and then in detail.

विस्तीर्यैतन्महज्ज्ञानमृषिः संक्षिप्य चाब्रवीत्। इष्टं हि विदुषां लोके समासव्यासधारणम्

The sage, having expanded this great knowledge, also condensed it; for the wise in the world prefer both summary and detail.

मन्वादि भारतं केचिदास्तीकादि तथाऽपरे। तथोपरिचराद्यन्ये विप्राः सम्यगधीयिरे

Some recite the Bhārata beginning with Manu, others with Āstīka, and yet others, the learned brāhmaṇas, begin with Uparicara.

विविधं संहिताज्ञानं दीपयन्ति मनीषिणः। व्याख्यातुं कुशलाः केचिद्ग्रन्थान्धारयितुं परे

The wise illuminate the various collections of knowledge; some are skilled in explanation, others in preserving the texts.

तपसा ब्रह्मचर्येण व्यस्य वेदं सनातनम्। इतिहासमिमं चक्रे पुण्यं सत्यवतीत्सुतः

By austerity and celibacy, Vyāsa composed this sacred and ancient history, after dividing the eternal Veda.

पराशरात्मजो विद्वान्ब्रह्मर्षिः संशितव्रतः। मातुर्नियोगाद्धर्मात्मा गाङ्गेयस्य च धीमतः

The learned son of Parāśara, a brahmarṣi firm in his vows, by his mother's request and the wise Gāṅgeya's too—

क्षेत्रे विचित्रवीर्यस्य कृष्णद्वैपायनः पुरा। त्रीनग्नीनिव कौरव्याञ्जनयामास वीर्यवान्

In the field of Vicitravīrya, Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana, powerful as he was, begot three Kauravas, like three sacred fires.