यजतां नैमिषेयाणां सत्त्रे द्वादशवार्षिके आजग्मुस् तत्र मुनयस् तथान्ये ऽपि द्विजातयः
At the twelve-year sacrifice of the residents of Naimisha, many sages and other twice-borns gathered there.
तान् आगतान् द्विजांस् ते तु पूजां चक्रुर् यथोचिताम् तेषु तत्रोपविष्टेषु ऋत्विग्भिः सहितेषु च
Those who arrived were duly honored by the twice-borns; when they were seated together with the officiating priests,
तत्राजगाम सूतस् तु मतिमांल् लोमहर्षणः तं दृष्ट्वा ते मुनिवराः पूजां चक्रुर् मुदान्विताः
There arrived the wise Sūta, Lomaharṣaṇa; seeing him, the eminent sages joyfully honored him.
सो ऽपि तान् प्रतिपूज्यैव संविवेश वरासने कथां चक्रुस् तदान्योन्यं सूतेन सहिता द्विजाः
He, having respectfully greeted them, sat on the honored seat; then the twice-borns, together with the Sūta, began a conversation among themselves.
कथान्ते व्यासशिष्यं ते पप्रच्छुः संशयं मुदा ऋत्विग्भिः सहिताः सर्वे सदस्यैः सह दीक्षिताः
At the end of the conversation, all the initiates, together with the officiating priests and the assembly, joyfully questioned Vyāsa's disciple about their doubts.
पुराणागमशास्त्राणि सेतिहासानि सत्तम जानासि देवदैत्यानां चरितं जन्म कर्म च
O best of men, you know the Purāṇas, the Āgamas, the scriptures, and the histories; you know the deeds, births, and actions of gods and demons.
न ते ऽस्त्य् अविदितं किंचिद् वेदे शास्त्रे च भारते पुराणे मोक्षशास्त्रे च सर्वज्ञो ऽसि महामते
There is nothing unknown to you in the Vedas, the scriptures, the Mahābhārata, the Purāṇas, and the scriptures of liberation; you are all-knowing, O wise one.
यथापूर्वम् इदं सर्वम् उत्पन्नं सचराचरम् ससुरासुरगन्धर्वं सयक्षोरगराक्षसम्
How, as before, did all this arise—moving and unmoving, with gods, demons, gandharvas, yakṣas, serpents, and rākṣasas?
श्रोतुम् इच्छामहे सूत ब्रूहि सर्वं यथा जगत् बभूव भूयश् च यथा महाभाग भविष्यति
We wish to hear, O Sūta, speak everything: how the world came to be, and, O illustrious one, how it will be again.
यतश् चैव जगत् सूत यतश् चैव चराचरम् लीनम् आसीत् तथा यत्र लयम् एष्यति यत्र च
From where, O Sūta, did the world arise, and from where did the moving and unmoving become absorbed? Likewise, where will dissolution occur, and where?
अविकाराय शुद्धाय नित्याय परमात्मने सदैकरूपरूपाय विष्णवे सर्वजिष्णवे
To the changeless, pure, eternal Supreme Self, whose form is ever one, to Viṣṇu, conqueror of all, I offer praise.
नमो हिरण्यगर्भाय हरये शङ्कराय च वासुदेवाय ताराय सर्गस्थित्यन्तकर्मणे
Salutations to Hiraṇyagarbha, to Hari, to Śaṅkara, to Vāsudeva, to the savior, who performs creation, preservation, and destruction.
एकानेकस्वरूपाय स्थूलसूक्ष्मात्मने नमः अव्यक्तव्यक्तभूताय विष्णवे मुक्तिहेतवे
To the one who is both one and many in form, whose essence is gross and subtle, salutations; to Viṣṇu, who is manifest and unmanifest, the cause of liberation.
सर्गस्थितिविनाशाय जगतो यो ऽजरामरः मूलभूतो नमस् तस्मै विष्णवे परमात्मने
To the ageless and immortal root of creation, preservation, and destruction of the world, salutations to Viṣṇu, the Supreme Self.
आधारभूतं विश्वस्याप्य् अणीयांसम् अणीयसाम् प्रणम्य सर्वभूतस्थम् अच्युतं पुरुषोत्तमम्
Having bowed to the foundation of the universe, subtler than the subtlest, abiding in all beings, to Acyuta, the Supreme Person.
ज्ञानस्वरूपम् अत्यन्तं निर्मलं परमार्थतः तम् एवार्थस्वरूपेण भ्रान्तिदर्शनतः स्थितम्
The essence of knowledge, utterly pure in ultimate reality, is established as the true nature, though seen as distorted due to delusion.
विष्णुं ग्रसिष्णुं विश्वस्य स्थितौ सर्गे तथा प्रभुम् सर्वज्ञं जगताम् ईशम् अजम् अक्षयम् अव्ययम्
Viṣṇu, who devours the universe at dissolution, who is the lord in preservation and creation, all-knowing, ruler of worlds, unborn, imperishable, immutable.
आद्यं सुसूक्ष्मं विश्वेशं ब्रह्मादीन् प्रणिपत्य च इतिहासपुराणज्ञं वेदवेदाङ्गपारगम्
The primordial, most subtle, lord of the universe, having bowed to Brahmā and others, who knows histories and Purāṇas, who has mastered the Vedas and their branches.
सर्वशास्त्रार्थतत्त्वज्ञं पराशरसुतं प्रभुम् गुरुं प्रणम्य वक्ष्यामि पुराणं वेदसंमितम्
Having bowed to the master, the son of Parāśara, who knows the essence and truth of all scriptures, I will speak the Purāṇa in accordance with the Vedas.
कथयामि यथा पूर्वं दक्षाद्यैर् मुनिसत्तमैः पृष्टः प्रोवाच भगवान् अब्जयोनिः पितामहः
I will narrate as formerly spoken by the revered lotus-born Pitāmaha, when asked by Dakṣa and other eminent sages.
शृणुध्वं संप्रवक्ष्यामि कथां पापप्रणाशिनीम् कथ्यमानां मया चित्रां बह्वर्थां श्रुतिविस्तराम्
Listen, I will fully relate a tale that destroys sin, wondrous, rich in meaning, and extensive in its sources.
यस् त्व् इमां धारयेन् नित्यं शृणुयाद् वाप्य् अभीक्ष्णशः स्ववंशधारणं कृत्वा स्वर्गलोके महीयते
Whoever always upholds or frequently listens to this, having maintained their lineage, is honored in the heavenly realm.
अव्यक्तं कारणं यत् तन् नित्यं सदसदात्मकम् प्रधानं पुरुषस् तस्मान् निर्ममे विश्वम् ईश्वरः
That unmanifest cause, eternal, consisting of both existence and non-existence, from it the Lord fashioned the universe as Pradhāna and Puruṣa.
तं बुध्यध्वं मुनिश्रेष्ठा ब्रह्माणम् अमितौजसम् स्रष्टारं सर्वभूतानां नारायणपरायणम्
Understand, O best of sages, that Brahmā, of immeasurable energy, the creator of all beings, is devoted to Nārāyaṇa.
अहंकारस् तु महतस् तस्माद् भूतानि जज्ञिरे भूतभेदाश् च भूतेभ्य इति सर्गः सनातनः
From Mahat arises ego, and from that the elements are born; the divisions of beings arise from the elements—thus is the eternal creation.
विस्तरावयवं चैव यथाप्रज्ञं यथाश्रुति कीर्त्यमानं शृणुध्वं वः सर्वेषां कीर्तिवर्धनम्
Hear, as it is recited according to understanding and tradition, the detailed account, which increases the glory of you all.
कीर्तितं स्थिरकीर्तीनां सर्वेषां पुण्यवर्धनम् ततः स्वयंभूर् भगवान् सिसृक्षुर् विविधाः प्रजाः
This has been recounted, increasing the merit and fame of all the steadfast; then the self-born Lord, desiring to create various beings,
अप एव ससर्जादौ तासु वीर्यम् अथासृजत् आपो नारा इति प्रोक्ता आपो वै नरसूनवः
At first, he created the waters; in them, he then placed his seed. The waters are called 'nārā,' and it is said, 'the waters are indeed the offspring of Nara.'
अयनं तस्य ताः पूर्वं तेन नारायणः स्मृतः हिरण्यवर्णम् अभवत् तद् अण्डम् उदकेशयम्
Those waters were his first resting place; thus, he is remembered as Nārāyaṇa. The golden-hued egg came into being, floating upon the waters.
तत्र जज्ञे स्वयं ब्रह्मा स्वयंभूर् इति नः श्रुतम् हिरण्यवर्णो भगवान् उषित्वा परिवत्सरम्
Within it, Brahmā was born by himself; we have heard he is called the self-born. The golden-hued Lord dwelt there for a full year.