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.
अग्नेर् आपस् तथा योनिर् अद्भिः शौचम् अवाप्यते अग्नेश् च पूजका ये च विनाद्भिः पूजनं कथम्
Water is the source of fire, and by water, purity is attained; how can there be worship of Agni without water, for both the worshippers of Agni and those engaged in the worship of water?
अप्सु जातासु सर्वत्र कर्मण्य् अधिकृतो भवेत् तावत् कर्मण्य् अनर्हो ऽयम् अशुचिर् मलिनो नरः
Wherever water is born, there one becomes qualified for action; until then, a man who is impure and unclean is unfit for action.
न मग्नः श्रद्धया यावद् अप्सु शीतासु वेदवित् तस्माद् आपो वरिष्ठाः स्युर् मातृभूता यतः स्मृताः तस्माज् ज्यैष्ठ्यम् अपाम् एव जनन्यो ऽग्नेर् विशेषतः
Until one who knows the Veda bathes with faith in cold waters, he is not purified; therefore, water is considered supreme, remembered as the mother. Hence, the superiority of water over fire, especially as mothers.
एतद् वचः शुश्रुवुस् ते ऋषयो वेदवादिनः निश्चयं च ततश् चक्रुर् भवेज् ज्यैष्ठ्यम् अपाम् इति
Hearing these words, the Veda-knowing sages made their decision: 'Let the superiority belong to water.'
यत्र तीर्थे वृत्तम् इदम् ऋषिसत्त्रे च नारद तपस्तीर्थं तु तत् प्रोक्तं सत्त्रतीर्थं तद् उच्यते
Where this event occurred at the sages' gathering, O Nārada, that place is called a holy site of austerity, and is also known as the site of the sages' assembly.
अग्नितीर्थं च तत् प्रोक्तं तथा सारस्वतं विदुः तेषु स्नानं च दानं च सर्वकामप्रदं शुभम्
That is also called the holy site of Agni, and known as Sārasvata; bathing and giving gifts there bestows all desires and is auspicious.
चतुर्दश शतान्य् अत्र तीर्थानां पुण्यदायिनाम् तेषु स्नानं च दानं च स्वर्गमोक्षप्रदायकम्
There are fourteen hundred holy sites there that bestow merit; bathing and giving gifts at those places grant heaven and liberation.
कृतं संदेहहरणम् ऋषीणां यत्र भाषया सरस्वत्य् अभवत् तत्र गङ्गया संगता नदी माहात्म्यं तस्य को वक्तुं संगमस्य क्षमो नरः
There, where Sarasvatī removed the sages' doubts by her speech, the river Gaṅgā also joined; who is able to describe the greatness of that confluence?
देवतीर्थम् इति ख्यातं गङ्गाया उत्तरे तटे तस्य प्रभावं वक्ष्यामि सर्वपापप्रणाशनम्
On the northern bank of the Ganga is a place renowned as Devatirtha; I shall now describe its power, which destroys all sins.
आर्ष्टिषेण इति ख्यातो राजा सर्वगुणान्वितः तस्य भार्या जया नाम साक्षाल् लक्ष्मीर् इवापरा
There was a king named Arṣṭiṣeṇa, famed for all virtues; his wife was named Jaya, who was like another Lakshmi herself.