अपो ज्येष्ठतमाः केचिन् मेनिरे ऽग्निं तथापरे एवं ब्रुवन्तो मुनयः संवादं चाग्निवारिणोः
Some considered the waters to be the greatest, others thought fire was; thus the sages spoke, discussing the merits of fire and water.
विनाग्निं जीवनं क्व स्याज् जीवभूतो यतो ऽनलः आत्मभूतो हव्यभूतश् चाग्निना जायते ऽखिलम्
Where would life be without fire? For fire is the very essence of life; all things are born from fire, which is both self and the recipient of offerings.
अग्निना ध्रियते लोको ह्य् अग्निर् ज्योतिर्मयं जगत् तस्माद् अग्नेः परं नास्ति पावनं दैवतं महत्
The world is sustained by fire; indeed, fire is the light of the universe. Therefore, there is no purifier, no great deity, superior to fire.
अन्तर्ज्योतिः स एवोक्तः परं ज्योतिः स एव हि विनाग्निना किंचिद् अस्ति यस्य धाम जगत्त्रयम्
That very one is called the inner light; he alone is the supreme light. Without fire, nothing exists whose radiance encompasses the three worlds.
तस्माद् अग्नेः परं नास्ति भूतानां ज्यैष्ठ्यभाजनम् योषित्क्षेत्रे ऽर्पितं बीजं पुरुषेण यथा तथा
Therefore, there is nothing greater than fire, the vessel of preeminence among beings. Just as a seed is placed by a man in the field of a woman, so it is.
तस्य देहादिका शक्तिः कृशानोर् एव नान्यथा देवानां हि मुखं वह्निस् तस्मान् नातः परं विदुः
His power, beginning with the body, belongs only to fire and not otherwise. Fire is indeed the mouth of the gods; thus, nothing is known beyond this.
अपरे तु ह्य् अपां ज्यैष्ठ्यं मेनिरे वेदवादिनः अद्भिः संपत्स्यते ह्य् अन्नं शुचिर् अद्भिः प्रजायते
But others, versed in the Vedas, have considered water to be preeminent. Food is produced by water, and purity is born from water.
अद्भिर् एव धृतं सर्वम् आपो वै मातरः स्मृताः त्रैलोक्यजीवनं वारि वदन्तीति पुराविदः
Everything is indeed sustained by water; waters are remembered as mothers. Those who know ancient lore say that water is the life of the three worlds.
उत्पन्नम् अमृतं ह्य् अद्भ्यस् ताभ्यश् चौषधिसंभवः अग्निर् ज्येष्ठ इति प्राहुर् आपो ज्येष्ठतमाः परे
Immortality has arisen from water, and from them comes the origin of plants. Some declare fire to be the eldest, while others say water is the most ancient.
एवं मीमांसमानास् ते ऋषयो वेदवादिनः विरुद्धवादिनो मां च समभ्येत्येदम् अब्रुवन्
Thus, those seers, versed in the Vedas and holding opposing views, approached me and spoke these words.
अग्नेर् अपां वद ज्यैष्ठ्यं त्रैलोक्यस्य भवान् प्रभुः
Tell us, O lord of the three worlds, whether fire or water is superior.
अहम् अप्य् अब्रवं प्राप्तान् ऋषीन् सर्वान् यतव्रतान् उभौ पूज्यतमौ लोक उभाभ्यां जायते जगत्
I too spoke to all the assembled seers, steadfast in their vows: Both are most worthy of reverence in the world; from both, the universe arises.
उभाभ्यां जायते हव्यं कव्यं चामृतम् एव च उभाभ्यां जीवनं लोके शरीरस्य च धारणम्
From both are born offerings to the gods and to the ancestors, as well as immortality itself. From both comes life in the world and the support of the body.
नानयोश् च विशेषो ऽस्ति ततो ज्यैष्ठ्यं समं मतम् ततो मद्वचनाज् ज्यैष्ठ्यम् उभयोर् नैव कस्यचित्
There is no distinction between the two; therefore, their preeminence is considered equal. Thus, by my words, preeminence belongs to neither of the two.
ज्यैष्ठ्यम् अन्यतरस्येति मेनिरे ऋषिसत्तमाः न तृप्ता मम वाक्येन जग्मुर् वायुं तपस्विनः
But the eminent seers thought preeminence belonged to one or the other. Unsatisfied with my answer, those ascetics went to Vāyu.
कस्य ज्यैष्ठ्यं भवान् प्राणो वायो सत्यं त्वयि स्थितम्
Whose preeminence is it, O Vāyu? Life-breath, the truth abides in you.
वायुर् आहानलो ज्येष्ठः सर्वम् अग्नौ प्रतिष्ठितम् नेत्य् उक्त्वान्योन्यम् ऋषयो जग्मुस् ते ऽपि वसुंधराम्
Vāyu said: Fire is the eldest; everything is established in fire. Having said 'not so,' the seers went to the earth.
सत्यं भूमे वद ज्यैष्ठ्यम् आधारासि चराचरे
O Earth, speak the truth: whose preeminence is it? You are the support of all that moves and does not move.
भूमिर् अप्य् आह विनयाद् आगतांस् तान् ऋषीन् इदम्
The earth too, with humility, spoke these words to the assembled seers.
ममाप्य् आधारभूताः स्युर् आपो देव्यः सनातनाः अद्भ्यस् तु जायते सर्वं ज्यैष्ठ्यम् अप्सु प्रतिष्ठितम्
Even I have the eternal goddesses, the waters, as my support. Everything is born from water; preeminence is established in water.
नेत्य् उक्त्वान्योन्यम् ऋषयो जग्मुः क्षीरोदशायिनम् तुष्टुवुर् विविधैः स्तोत्रैः शङ्खचक्रगदाधरम्
Having said 'No,' the sages departed and praised the One who lies upon the Ocean of Milk, the bearer of the conch, discus, and mace, with various hymns.
यो वेद सर्वं भुवनं भविष्यद् यज् जायमानं च गुहानिविष्टम् लोकत्रयं चित्रविचित्ररूपम् अन्ते समस्तं च यम् आविवेश
He who knows all the worlds, what is to come, what is being born, who dwells hidden within, who entered at the end all the three worlds of wondrous and diverse forms—
यद् अक्षरं शाश्वतम् अप्रमेयं यं वेदवेद्यम् ऋषयो वदन्ति यम् आश्रिताः स्वेप्सितम् आप्नुवन्ति तद् वस्तु सत्यं शरणं व्रजामः
That imperishable, eternal, immeasurable One, whom the seers declare is to be known by the Vedas, by resorting to whom they attain their desired goal—that true reality, that refuge, we seek.
भूतं महाभूतजगत्प्रधानं न विन्दते योगिनो विष्णुरूपम् तद् वक्तुम् एते ऋषयो ऽत्र याताः सत्यं वदस्वेह जगन्निवास
The being who is the source of all, the great elements, and the world-principle—his form as Viṣṇu is not found by yogis; to speak of that, these sages have come here—speak the truth, O abode of the universe.
त्वम् अन्तरात्माखिलदेहभाजां त्वम् एव सर्वं त्वयि सर्वम् ईश तथापि जानन्ति न केअपि कुत्रापि अहो भवन्तं प्रकृतिप्रभावात्
You are the inner self of all embodied beings; you alone are everything, and all is in you, O Lord. Yet, no one anywhere truly knows you, O wondrous one, because of the power of your own nature.
ततः प्राह जगद्धात्री दैवी वाग् अशरीरिणी
Then the divine, bodiless speech, the mother of the world, spoke.
उभाव् आराध्य तपसा भक्त्या च नियमेन च यस्य स्यात् प्रथमं सिद्धिस् तद् भूतं ज्येष्ठम् उच्यते
Whichever of the two is first attained through austerity, devotion, and discipline—that one is said to be the elder and foremost.
तथेत्य् तथा ययुः सर्वे ऋषयो लोकपूजिताः श्रान्ताः खिन्नान्तरात्मानः परं वैराग्यम् आश्रिताः
Saying 'So be it,' all the revered sages departed, weary and inwardly exhausted, having embraced supreme detachment.
सर्वलोकैकजननीं भुवनत्रयपावनीम् गौतमीम् अगमन् सर्वे तपस् तप्तुं यतव्रताः
They all went to Gautamī, the sole mother of all worlds, purifier of the three realms, intent on performing austerities with self-restraint.
अब्दैवतं तथाग्निं च पूजनायोद्यतास् तदा अग्नेश् च पूजका ये च अपां वै पूजने स्थिताः तत्र वाग् अब्रवीद् दैवी वेदमाता सरस्वती
Then, prepared to worship the deity of water and also fire, those who were worshippers of Agni and those who were engaged in the worship of water—there, the divine speech, Sarasvatī, mother of the Vedas, spoke.