नमस्तस्यै महाकाल्यै विष्णुमाये नमोनमः
Salutations to her, Mahākālī; salutations, salutations to Viṣṇu's Māyā.
तान्नो वद महाभाग सर्वज्ञोऽस्ति भवान्सदा
Tell us, O highly fortunate one; you are always omniscient.
वलीगढं महारम्यं यादवै रक्षितं पुरम्
Valīgaḍha, most delightful, a city protected by the Yādavas.
वीरसेनस्य वै पौत्रं भूपसेनं नृपोत्तमम्
The grandson of Vīrasena, Bhūpasena, the foremost of kings.
एतस्मिन्नंतरे भूपा नानादेश्याः समागताः
Meanwhile, kings from various regions assembled.
सहोद्दीनस्तु तच्छ्रुत्वा पुनरागत्य देहलीम्
Having heard this, Sahoddīna returned again to the threshold.
तत्पश्चाद्बहुधा म्लेच्छा इहागत्य समन्ततः
After that, many foreigners came here from all directions.
अद्यप्रभृति देशेऽस्मिञ्छतवर्षान्तरे हि ते
From today onward, within a hundred years in this land, they—
म्लेच्छभूपा मुनिश्रेष्ठास्तस्माद्यूयं मया सह
O best of sages, the foreign kings—therefore, you all, together with me—
इति श्रुत्वा तु वचनं दुःखात्संत्यज्य नैमिषम्
Having heard these words, out of sorrow, they left Naimisha.
तत्र सर्वे समाधिस्था ध्यात्वा सर्वमयं हरिम् 3.4.6.१
There, all entered into meditation, contemplating Hari, who is the all.
व्यास उवाच वर्णितं च मया तुभ्यं किमन्यच्छ्रोतुमिच्छसि
Vyāsa said: I have described this to you; what else do you wish to hear?
अहं मायाभवो जातो भवान्वेदभवो भुवि
I was born from Māyā, and you, on earth, are born from the Veda.
अविद्यया च सकलं मम ज्ञानं समाहृतम्
Because of ignorance, all my knowledge was taken away.
परं ब्रह्मैव कृपया दृष्ट्वा मां मंदभागिनम्
The supreme Brahman, out of compassion, beheld me, who am of little merit.
नमस्तस्मै मुनींद्राय वेदव्यासाय साक्षिणे
Salutations to that lord of sages, Vedavyāsa, the witness.
पुनरन्यच्च मे ब्रूहि सूताद्यैः किं कृतं मुने
Tell me again, O sage, what was done by Sūta and the others?
अहंकारो हि जीवात्मा सर्वः स्यात्कोटिहीनकः
Indeed, the ego is the individual soul, and all are without number.
पुराणोऽणोरणीयांश्च षोडशात्मा सनातनः
The Purāṇa is subtler than the subtle, possessed of sixteen aspects, eternal.
ज्ञेयो जीवः शरीरेऽस्मिन्स ईशगुणबंधितः
The soul in this body is to be known; it is bound by the qualities of the Lord.
बुद्धिर्मनश्च विषया इंद्रियाणि तथैव च 3.4.6.
Intellect, mind, objects, and likewise the senses—
जीवो नारायणस्साक्षाच्छंकरेण विमोहितः
The soul is directly Nārāyaṇa, but is deluded by Śaṅkara.
कालात्मा भगवानीशो महाकल्पस्वरूपकः ईशनेत्राणि तान्येव बन्धकल्पश्चतुर्थकः
The Lord, who is Time itself, is the form of the great aeon; those very powers of the Lord are the controlling forces, and the fourth is the cycle of bondage.
वायुकल्पो वह्निकल्पो ब्रह्मांडो लिंगकल्पकः
There is the cycle of Wind, the cycle of Fire, the cosmic egg, and the cycle of the Linga.
भविष्यकल्पश्च तथा तथा गरुडक ल्पकः
Likewise, there is the cycle of the future, and also the cycle of Garuda.
वामनश्च नृसिंहश्च वराहो मत्स्यकूर्मकौ
There are also the Vamana, Narasimha, Varaha, Matsya, and Kurma cycles.
अष्टादशदिनेष्वेव ब्रह्मणोऽव्यक्तजन्मनः
In just eighteen days, of Brahma who is born from the unmanifest.
कूर्मकल्पश्च तत्राद्यो मत्स्यकल्पो द्वितीयकः
There, the first is the Kurma cycle, and the second is the Matsya cycle.
द्विधा च भगवान्ब्रह्मा सूक्ष्मः स्थूलोऽगुणो गुणी
The Lord Brahma is twofold: subtle and gross, without qualities and with qualities.
निर्गुणोव्ययरूपश्चाव्यक्तजन्मा स्वभूः स्वयम्
He is without qualities, of imperishable form, born from the unmanifest, self-born, and self-existent.