आचारः प्रथमो धर्मः श्रुत्युक्तश्च नरोत्तम । तस्मादस्मिन्समायुक्तो नित्यं स्यादात्मवान्द्विजः
Conduct (ācāra) is the primary dharma, and the best man speaks according to heard tradition; therefore a twice-born who is established in such practice should always consider himself as self-governed.
आचाराद्विच्युतो विप्रो न वेदफलमश्नुते । आचारेण च संयुक्तः सम्पूर्णफलभाक्स्मृतः
A brahman who falls away from good conduct does not attain the fruits of the Veda; but one joined to conduct is reckoned to partake of the full results.
एवमाचारतो दृष्ट्वा धर्मस्य मुनयो गतिम् । सर्वस्य तपसो मूलमाचारं जगृहुः परम्
Seeing the movement of sages governed by such conduct, the root of all austerity was held to be conduct itself; they grasped that foremost practice.
अन्ये च मानवा राजन्नाचारं संश्रिता सदा । एवमस्मिन्पुराणे तु आचारस्य तु कीर्तनम्
Others among men, O king, are always dependent on conduct; thus in this Purana there is indeed the praise and account of conduct.
वृत्तान्तानि च राजेन्द्र तथा चोक्तानि पण्डितैः । त्रिलोक्यास्तु समुत्पत्तिः संस्कारविधिरुत्तमः । श्रवणं चेतिहासस्य विधानं कथ्यते नृप
To the king are recounted narratives and matters declared by scholars; the origin of the three worlds and the highest rite of samskāra are given, and the procedure of listening and history is prescribed, O king.
तथास्मिन्कथ्यते राजन्माहात्म्यं वाचकस्य तु । व्रतचर्याश्रमाचाराः स्नातकस्य परो विधिः
So is related, O king, the greatness of the speaker himself: the observance of vows, the duties of ashramas, and the conduct appropriate to a graduate (snātaka) are set forth.
दारादिगमनं चैव विवाहानां च लक्षणम् । पुंसां च लक्षणं राजन्योषितां चात्र कथ्यते
Proceedings regarding householders—matters like the coming and going of wives, the signs of marriages, and the marks of men and of those accepted by kings—are here declared.
महायज्ञविधानं च शास्त्रकल्पं च शाश्वतम् । पृथिव्या लक्षणं तात देवार्चायाः सुलक्षणम्
The ordinance for great sacrifices and the eternal plan of the scriptures are given; O son, the characteristics of the earth and the easy rites for worship of the gods are described.
वृत्तीनां लक्षणं चैव स्नातकस्य व्रतानि च । भक्ष्याभक्ष्यं च शौचं च द्रव्याणां शुद्धिरेव च
The signs of occupations, the vows of a graduate, what is to be eaten and avoided, rules of purity, and the proper state of wealth are all set forth.
स्त्रीधर्मयोगस्तापस्यं मोक्षः संन्यास एव च । राज्ञश्च धर्मो ह्यखिलः कार्याणां च विनिर्णयः
The duty of women is union (yoga) and chastity; liberation lies in austerity and in renunciation; for a king, all dharma is the decisive settling of matters of action.
माहात्म्यं सवितुश्चात्र तीर्थानां च विशाम्पते । नारायणस्य माहात्म्यं तथा रुद्रस्य कथ्यते
Here is described the greatness of Savitṛ and of the sacred bathing-places; likewise the greatness of Nārāyaṇa and of Rudra is recited.
महाभाग्यं च विप्राणां माहात्म्यं पुस्तकस्य च । दुर्गादेव्यास्तथा चोक्तं सत्यस्य च महामते
The text declares the great fortune of learned brāhmaṇas, the sanctity of a book, and also the greatness of the goddess Durgā and of the Truth, O wise one.
संक्षिप्तं संविधानं च धर्मं स्त्रीपुंसयोरपि । विभागं धर्मद्यूतं च कथकानां च शोधनम्
A concise constitution (guideline) is given for dharma applicable to both women and men, divisions of duty, and the purificatory practices of storytellers.
वैश्यशूद्रोपचारं च संकीर्णानां च संभवम् । आपद्धर्मं च वर्णानां प्रायश्चित्तविधिं तथा
Procedures for serving Vaiśyas and Śūdras, the origins of mixed castes, emergency duties, and expiation rites for the varṇas are described.
संध्याविधिं प्रेतशुद्धिं स्नानतर्पणयोर्विधिम् । वैश्वदेवविधिं चापि तथा भोज्यविधिं नृप
Rules for the sandhyā ritual, rites for purification of the dead, bathing and libation ceremonies, the Vaiśvadeva ritual and also the king's food-protocol are set down.
लक्षणं दन्तकाष्ठस्य चरणव्यूहमुत्तमम् । संसारगमनं चैव त्रिविधं कर्मसम्भवम्
The marks of a chewing-stick and of an excellent arrangement of seating are given; the passage of worldly existence is threefold and arises from action.
नैःश्रेयसं कर्मणां च गुणदोषपरीक्षणम् । दाराणां लक्षणं प्रोक्तं तथा पात्रपरीक्षणम्
The means to attain supreme welfare through actions, assessments of virtues and faults, the signs of wives, and the testing of vessels are declared.
प्रसूतिं चापि गर्भस्य तथा कर्मफलं नृप । जातिधर्मान्कुलधर्मान्वेदधर्मांश्च पार्थिव
The birth and delivery of a fetus and the fruit of deeds are explained, together with duties tied to caste, kin, and the worldly duties known to kings.
वैतानव्रतिकानां च तथासौ प्रोक्तवान्विभुः । ब्रह्मा कुरुकुलश्रेष्ठ शंकराय महात्मने
The sovereign likewise proclaimed the rules for the Vaitāna vow-holders, and Brahmā spoke these things to the best of the Kuru clan and to the great Shankara.
शंकरेण तथा विष्णोः कथितं कुरुनन्दन । विष्णुनापि पुनः प्रोक्तं नारदाय महीपते
Shankara told this to Viṣṇu's descendant of the Kurus; and to Nārada, O king, these matters were also recited about Viṣṇu.
नारदात्प्राप्तवाञ्छक्रः शक्रादपि पराशरः । पराशरात्ततो व्यासो व्यासादपि मया विभो
Narada received it, then Indra (Shakra) received it; from Shakra came Parashara; from Parashara then Vyasa; and from Vyasa, O king, this has been received by me.
एवं परम्पराप्राप्तं पुराणमिदमुत्तमम् । शृणु त्वमपि राजेन्द्र मत्सकाशात्परं हितम्
Thus this excellent Purana has been received in succession; listen, O King, you too, for it is supremely beneficial and beneficial to seekers.
सर्वाण्येव पुराणानि संज्ञेयानि नरर्षभ । द्वादशैव सहस्राणि प्रोक्तानीह मनीषिभिः
O best of humans, all the Puranas are to be so called; learned men have said there are precisely twelve hundred of them.
पुनर्वृद्धिं गतानीह आख्यानैर्विविधैर्वृष । यथा स्कान्दं तथा चेदं भविष्यं कुरुनन्दन
Once more, O descendant of the Kurus, many narratives of growth and increase are here related — thus Skanda and likewise Çedha will be told.
स्कान्दं शतसहस्रं तु लोकानां ज्ञातमेव हि । भविष्यमेतदृषिणा लक्षार्द्धं संख्यया कृतम्
Skanda is known to number a hundred thousand worlds; this future account has been composed by the seer in tens of thousands and halves of thousands.
तच्छ्रुत्वा पुरुषो भक्त्या इदं फलमवाप्नुयात् । ऋद्धिर्वृद्धिस्तथा श्रीश्च भवन्ति तस्य निश्चितम्
Hearing this with devotion, a person attains its fruit: certainly prosperity, growth and splendour will come to him.
सुमन्तुरुवाच शृणुष्वेदं महाबाहो पुराणं पञ्चलक्षणम् । यच्छ्रुत्वा मुच्यते राजन्पुरुषो ब्रह्महत्यया
Sumantu said: Hear now this great-armed Purana of five marks; upon hearing it a king or man is freed even from the sin of killing a Brahmin.
पर्वाणि चात्र वै पञ्च कीर्तितानि स्वयम्भुवा । प्रथमं कथ्यते ब्राह्मं द्वितीयं वैष्णवं स्मृतम्
In that tradition five kinds of parvas are spoken of by the Self-born: first is the Brāhma (parva), second is called the Vaiṣṇava.
तृतीयं शैवमाख्यातं चतुर्थं त्वाष्ट्रमुच्यते । पञ्चमं प्रतिसर्गाख्यं सर्वलोकैः सुपूजितम्
The third is named Śaiva, the fourth is called Tvaṣṭra, and the fifth is called Pratisarga, honoured throughout the worlds.
एतानि तात पर्वाणि लक्षणानि निबोध मे । सर्गश्च प्रतिसर्गश्च वंशो मन्वन्तराणि च
O father, explain these parvas and their signs to me: creation and re-creation, lineages, and the manvantaras.