मनुना च प्रजाः सर्वाः सदेवासुरमानुपाः। स्रष्टव्याः सर्वलोकाश्चयच्चेङ्गं यच्चा नेङ्गति
And by Manu, all creatures—gods, asuras, men, and others—must be created, as well as all the worlds, whatever moves and whatever does not move.
तपसा चापि तीव्रेण प्रतिभाऽस्य भविष्यति। मत्प्रसादात्प्रजासर्गे न च मोहं गमिष्यति। इत्युक्त्वा वचनं मत्स्यः क्षणेनादर्शनं गतः
And by intense austerity, he will gain insight; by my grace, in the creation of beings, he will not fall into delusion.' Having spoken thus, the fish vanished in an instant.
स्रष्टुकामः प्रजाश्चापि मनुर्वैवस्वतः स्वयम्। प्रमूढोऽभूत्प्रजासर्गे तपस्तेपे महत्ततः
Desiring to create beings, Manu, son of Vivasvat, himself became bewildered at the task of creation and then undertook great austerity.
तपसा महता युक्तः सोऽथ स्रष्टुं प्रचक्रमे। सर्वाः प्रजा मनुः साक्षाद्यथावद्भरतर्षभ
Endowed with great austerity, Manu then began to create all beings directly and properly, O best of the Bharatas.
इत्येतन्मात्स्यकं नाम पुराणं परिकीर्तितम्। आख्यानमिदमाख्यातं सर्वपापहरं मया
Thus this account called the Matsya Purana has been recounted; this story, which I have told, removes all sins.
य इदं शृणुयान्नित्यं मनोश्चरितमादितः। स सुखी सर्वपूर्णार्थः सर्वलोकमियान्नरः
Whoever listens daily to this tale of Manu from the beginning, that man attains happiness, fulfillment in all things, and reaches all worlds.
ततः स पुनरेवाथ मार्कण्डेयं तपस्विनम्। पप्रच्छ विनयोपेतो धर्मराजो युधिष्ठिरः
Then once again, King Yudhishthira, possessed of humility, questioned the ascetic Markandeya.
नैके युगसहस्रान्तास्त्वया दृष्टा महामुने। न चापीह समः कश्चिदायुष्मान्दृश्यते तव
You have witnessed countless ends of ages, O great sage, and no one here is seen to be your equal in lifespan.
वर्जयित्वा महात्मानं ब्रह्माणं परमेष्ठिनम्। न तेऽस्ति सदृशः कश्चिदायुषा ब्रह्मसत्तम
Except for the great-souled Brahma, the supreme lord, there is no one equal to you in lifespan, O best of Brahmins.
अथाऽन्तरिक्षे लोकेऽस्मिन्देवदानववर्जिते। त्वमेव प्रलये विप्र ब्रह्माणमुपतिष्ठसे
And when, in this world, the space between gods and asuras is empty, you alone, O Brahmin, attend upon Brahma at the time of dissolution.
प्रलये चापि निर्वृत्ते प्रबुद्धे च पितामहे। त्वमेकः सृज्यमानानि भूतानीह प्रपश्यसि
And when the dissolution has ended and the grandsire awakens, you alone behold the beings being created here.
चतुर्विधानि विप्रर्षे यथावत्परमेष्ठिना। वायुभूता दिशः कृत्वा विक्षिप्यापस्ततस्ततः
The fourfold beings, O best of sages, as established by the supreme lord, after making the directions into wind and scattering the waters here and there.
त्वया लोकगुरुः साक्षात्सर्वलोकपितामहः। आराधितो द्विजश्रेष्ठ तत्परेण समाधिना
You, O best of twice-born, have directly worshipped the teacher of the worlds, the grandsire of all beings, with supreme concentration.
स्वप्रमाणमथो विप्र त्वया कृतमनेकशः। घोरेणाविश्य तपसा वेधसो निर्जितास्त्वया
And you, O Brahmin, have repeatedly established your own measure; by entering into fierce austerity, you have conquered the Creator.
नारायणाङ्कप्रख्यस्त्वं सांपरायेऽतिपठ्यसे
You are renowned in the final battle as one resembling Narayana himself.
भगवाननेकशः कृत्वा त्वया विष्णोश्च विश्वकृत्। कर्णिकोद्धरणं दिव्यं ब्रह्मणः कामरूपिणः। रत्नालंकारयोगाभ्यां दृग्भ्यां दृष्टस्त्वया पुरा
The blessed one, having performed many times the divine extraction of the lotus of Brahma, the wish-formed, adorned with jewels, was seen by you in ancient times with your own eyes.
तस्मात्तवान्तको मृत्युर्जरा वा देहनाशिनी। न त्वां विशति विप्रर्षे प्रसादात्परमेष्ठिनः
Therefore, O best of sages, death, the ender, or old age that destroys the body, does not touch you, by the grace of the Supreme Lord.
यदा नैव रविर्नाग्निर्न वायुर्न च चन्द्रमाः। नैवान्तरिक्षं नैवोर्वी शेषं भवति किंचन
When neither the sun, nor fire, nor wind, nor the moon exists, when there is no sky, nor earth, nor anything else remaining—
तस्मिन्नेकार्णवे लोके नष्टे स्थावरजङ्गमे। नष्टे देवासुरगणे समुत्सन्नमहोरगे
When, in that single oceanic world, all that is moving and unmoving is lost, when the hosts of gods and asuras are gone, and the great serpents are destroyed—
शयानममितात्मानं पद्मे पद्मनिकेतनम्। त्वमेकः सर्वभूतेशं ब्रह्माणमुपतिष्ठसि
Then you alone approach Brahma, the lord of all beings, whose measure is infinite, who rests on a lotus, dwelling in the lotus, as he lies there.
एतत्प्रत्यक्षतः सर्वं पूर्वं वृत्तं द्विजोत्तम। तस्मादिच्छाम्यहं श्रोतुं सर्वांहेत्वात्मिकां कथां
All this has happened before, O best of twice-born, and was directly witnessed; therefore, I wish to hear from you the entire story, with all its causes.
अनुभूतं हि बहुशस्त्वयैकेन द्विजोत्तम। न तेऽस्त्यविदितं किंचित्सर्वलोकेषु नित्यदा
Indeed, O best of Brahmins, you alone have experienced much; there is nothing unknown to you in all the worlds, at any time.
हन्त ते कथयिष्यामि नमस्कृत्वा स्वयंभुवे। पुरुषाय पुराणाय शाश्वतायाव्ययाय च। अव्यक्ताय सुसूक्ष्माय निर्गुणाय गुणात्मने
Well then, I shall tell you, having bowed to the Self-born, the Ancient Person, the Eternal, the Imperishable, the Unmanifest, the most subtle, the qualityless, who is the essence of qualities.
य एष पृथुदीर्घाक्षः पीतवासा जनार्दनः। एष कर्ता विकर्ता च भूतात्मा भूतकृत्प्रभुः
This Janardana, with broad and long eyes, clad in yellow garments—he is the creator and the uncreator, the soul of beings, the maker of beings, the lord.
अचिन्त्यं महदाश्चर्यं पवित्रमिति चोच्यते। अनादिनिधनं भूतं विश्वमव्ययमक्षयम्
He is said to be inconceivable, a great wonder, pure; he is the being without beginning or end, the imperishable, inexhaustible universe.
एष कर्ता न क्रियते कारणं चापि पौरुषे। को ह्येनं परुषं वेत्ति देवा अपि न तं पौरषे
He is the creator, but is not created; he is the cause, yet not by human means. Who indeed knows him as he truly is? Not even the gods know him in his true nature.
सर्वमाश्चर्यमेवैतन्निर्वृत्तं राजसत्तम। आदितो मनुजव्याघ्र कृत्स्नस्य जगतः क्षये
All this is indeed a wonder, O best of kings, that has come to pass—from the very beginning, O tiger among men, at the dissolution of the entire world.
चत्वार्याहुः सहस्राणि वर्षाणां तत्कृतं युगम्। तस्य तावच्छती सन्ध्या सन्ध्यांशश्च तथाविधः
They say that a Krita Yuga is made of four thousand years; its dawn and dusk are each of the same measure.
वीणि वर्षसहस्राणि त्रेतायुगमिहोच्यते। तस्य तावच्छती सन्ध्या सन्ध्यांशश्च ततः परं
Here, the Treta Yuga is said to be three thousand years; its dawn and dusk are each of the same measure as before.
तथा वर्षसहस्रे द्वे द्वापरं परिमाणतः। तस्यापि द्विशती सन्ध्या सन्ध्यांशश्च तथाविधः
Likewise, the Dvapara Yuga is, in measure, two thousand years; its dawn and dusk are each two hundred years, of the same kind.