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.
वंशानुचरितं चैव पुराणं पञ्चलक्षणम् । चतुर्दशभिर्विद्याभिर्भूषितं कुरुनन्दन
This Purāṇa recounts the lineage of kings and bears the five principal marks; it is adorned with fourteen branches of learning and is addressed to the descendant of Kuru.
अङ्गानि चतुरो वेदा मीमांसा न्यायविस्तरः । पुराणं धर्मशास्त्रं च विद्या ह्येताश्चतुर्दश
The four limbs are the Vedas; Mīmāṃsā and Nyāya form their expansive interpretation. This Purāṇa is a Dharma-shāstra, and the fourteen sciences together are called knowledge.
आयुर्वेदो धनुर्वेदो गान्धर्वश्चैव ते त्रयः । अर्थशास्त्रं चतुर्थं तु विद्या ह्यष्टादशैव ताः
Ayurveda, Dhanurveda and Gāndharva are the three arts; Arthaśāstra is the fourth — thus these eighteen branches of learning are enumerated.
प्रथमं कथ्यते सर्गो भूतानामिह सर्वशः । यच्छ्रुत्वा पापनिर्मुक्तो याति शान्तिमनुत्तमाम्
First is described the creation (sarga) of all beings everywhere; hearing this, one becomes freed from sin and attains supreme peace.
जगदासीत्पुरा तात तमोभूतमलक्षणम् । अविज्ञेयमतर्क्यं च प्रसुप्तमिव सर्वशः
Long ago the world was in darkness, featureless and indistinct; all things lay as if unawakened, beyond ordinary judgment and unknowable.
ततः स भगवानीशो ह्यव्यक्तो व्यञ्जयन्निदम् । महाभूतानि वृत्तौजाः प्रोत्थितस्तमनाशनः
Then the Lord, the Supreme Being, the unmanifest, brought forth this manifest: the great elements arose in order, kindling and destroying the primal darkness.
योऽसावतीन्द्रियोऽग्राह्यः सूक्ष्मोऽव्यक्तः सनातनः । सर्वभूतमयोऽचिन्त्यः स एष स्वयमुत्थितः
That which is foremost among the senses, incomprehensible, subtle, unmanifest and eternal — pervading all beings, beyond thought — that very Self rose by itself.
योऽसौ षड्विंशको लोके तथा यः पुरुषोत्तमः । भास्करश्च महाबाहो परं ब्रह्म च कथ्यते
He who is twenty-sixfold in the world, the best of men; O mighty-armed, he is described as the sun and as the supreme Brahman.
सोऽभिध्याय शरीरात्स्वात्सिसृक्षुर्विविधाः प्रजाः । अत एव ससर्जादौ तासु वीर्यमवासृजत्
Called 'body,' from him many kinds of creatures sprang forth; likewise at the primal creation he emitted their vital powers into them.
यस्मादुत्पद्यते सर्वं सदेवासुरमानुषम् । बीजं शुक्रं तथा रेत उग्रं वीर्यं च कथ्यते
From whom all — gods, demons and humans — come into being: the seed (bīja), the sexual fluid (śukra), the fierce semen (reṭa), and vigour (vīrya) are thus named.