यस्माद् अहं समुद्भूतो न पश्येयं तम् अप्य् अथ तूष्णीं स्थिते मयि तदा अश्रौषं वाचम् उत्तमाम्
Since I was born from him, I could not see him either; then, as I remained silent, I heard a supreme voice.
ब्रह्मन् कुरु जगत्सृष्टिं स्थावरस्य चरस्य च
"Brahman, create the world, both the stationary and the moving."
ततो ऽहम् अब्रवं वाचं परुषां तत्र नारद कथं स्रक्ष्ये क्व वा स्रक्ष्ये केन स्रक्ष्य इदं जगत्
Then I spoke these harsh words there, O Nārada: 'How shall I create? Where shall I create? With what shall I create this world?'
सैव वाग् अब्रवीद् दैवी प्रकृतिर् याभिधीयते विष्णुना प्रेरिता माता जगदीशा जगन्मयी
That very voice, divine nature as she is called, prompted by Viṣṇu, the Mother, the Lady of the Universe, the One who is the world, spoke to me.
यज्ञं कुरु ततः शक्तिस् ते भवित्री न संशयः यज्ञो वै विष्णुर् इत्य् एषा श्रुतिर् ब्रह्मन् सनातनी
"Perform sacrifice; then power will arise in you, without doubt. Sacrifice indeed is Viṣṇu—this is the eternal teaching, O Brahman."
किं यज्वनाम् असाध्यं स्याद् इह लोके परत्र च
What could be unattainable for those who perform sacrifice, in this world or the next?
पुनस् ताम् अब्रवं देवीं क्व वा केनेति तद् वद यज्ञः कार्यो महाभागे ततः सोवाच मां प्रति
Again I spoke to that goddess: 'Where and with what should it be done? Tell me that. O greatly fortunate one, how should the sacrifice be performed?' Then she spoke to me.
ओंकारभूता या देवी मातृकल्पा जगन्मयी कर्मभूमौ यजस्वेह यज्ञेशं यज्ञपूरुषम्
"The goddess who is embodied as Om, mother-like, pervading the universe—on the field of action, worship here the Lord of sacrifice, the Person of sacrifice."
स एव साधनं ते स्यात् तेन तं यज सुव्रत यज्ञः स्वाहा स्वधा मन्त्रा ब्राह्मणा हविरादिकम्
That alone shall be your means; with it, O virtuous one, worship him. Sacrifice, svāhā, svadhā, mantras, brāhmaṇas, offerings, and the like—
हरिर् एवाखिलं तेन सर्वं विष्णोर् अवाप्यते
Hari alone is all; by that, everything of Viṣṇu is attained.
पुनस् ताम् अब्रवं देवीं कर्मभूः क्व विधीयते तदा नारद नैवासीद् भागीरथ्य् अथ नर्मदा
Again I asked the goddess, 'Where is the land of action established?' At that time, O Nārada, neither the Bhāgīrathī nor the Narmadā existed.
यमुना नैव तापी सा सरस्वत्य् अथ गौतमी समुद्रो वा नदः कश्चिन् न सरः सरितो ऽमलाः सा शक्तिः पुनर् अप्य् एवं माम् उवाच पुनः पुनः
Nor did the Yamunā, nor the Tāpi, nor the Sarasvatī, nor the Gautamī; neither the ocean, nor any river, nor any pure lake or stream. That power spoke to me again and again in this way.
सुमेरोर् दक्षिणे पार्श्वे तथा हिमवतो गिरेः दक्षिणे चापि विन्ध्यस्य सह्याच् चैवाथ दक्षिणे सर्वस्य सर्वकाले तु कर्मभूमिः शुभोदया
On the southern side of Mount Sumeru, and likewise on the southern side of the Himavat mountain, and also south of the Vindhya and Sahya ranges, at all times and in all ages, the land of action arises, auspicious in its dawn.
तत् तु वाक्यम् अथो श्रुत्वा त्यक्त्वा मेरुं महागिरिम् तं प्रदेशम् अथागत्य स्थातव्यं क्वेत्य् अचिन्तयम् ततो माम् अब्रवीत् सैव विष्णोर् वाण्य् अशरीरिणी
Hearing those words, I left the great mountain Meru, came to that region, and wondered where I should remain. Then that bodiless voice of Viṣṇu spoke to me.
इतो गच्छ इतस् तिष्ठ तथोपविश चात्र हि संकल्पं कुरु यज्ञस्य स ते यज्ञः समाप्यते
'Go from here, stay here, or sit here; here, indeed, make your resolve for the sacrifice. That sacrifice of yours will be completed.'
कृते चैवाथ संकल्पे यज्ञार्थे सुरसत्तम यद् वदन्त्य् अखिला वेदा विधे तत् तत् समाचर
And when the resolve for the sacrifice was made, O best of gods, whatever all the Vedas declare regarding the rites, perform that accordingly.
इतिहासपुराणानि यद् अन्यच् छब्दगोचरम् स्वतो मुखे मम प्रायाद् अभूच् च स्मृतिगोचरम्
The Itihāsas and Purāṇas, and whatever else is within the range of words, came forth from my own mouth and entered the sphere of memory.
वेदार्थश् च मया सर्वो ज्ञातो ऽसौ तत्क्षणेन च ततः पुरुषसूक्तं तद् अस्मरं लोकविश्रुतम्
The entire meaning of the Vedas was known to me in that very instant; then I recalled the famous Puruṣa Sūkta.
यज्ञोपकरणं सर्वं तद् उक्तं च त्व् अकल्पयम् तदुक्तेन प्रकारेण यज्ञपात्राण्य् अकल्पयम्
All the sacrificial implements described there I prepared; in the manner prescribed there, I arranged the sacrificial vessels.
अहं स्थित्वा यत्र देशे शुचिर् भूत्वा यतात्मवान् दीक्षितो विप्रदेशो ऽसौ मन्नाम्ना तु प्रकीर्तितः
Having stood in that place, purified and self-controlled, initiated, O sage, that region became known by my name.
मद्देवयजनं पुण्यं नाम्ना ब्रह्मगिरिः स्मृतः चतुरशीतिपर्यन्तं योजनानि महामुने
My sacred place of worship is renowned as Brahmagiri by name, O great sage, extending up to eighty-four yojanas.
मद्देवयजनं पुण्यं पूर्वतो ब्रह्मणो गिरेः तत्र मध्ये वेदिका स्याद् गार्हपत्यो ऽस्य दक्षिणे
My sacred place of worship lies to the east of Brahmagiri; in its midst is the altar, and to its south is the gārhapatya fire.
तत्र चाहवनीयस्य एवम् अग्नींस् त्व् अकल्पयम् विना पत्न्या न सिध्येत यज्ञः श्रुतिनिदर्शनात्
There I arranged the āhavanīya fire as well; without a wife, the sacrifice does not succeed, as indicated by the scriptures.
शरीरम् आत्मनो ऽहं वै द्वेधा चाकरवं मुने पूर्वार्धेन ततः पत्नी ममाभूद् यज्ञसिद्धये
I divided my own body in two, O sage; with the former half, my wife was born for the accomplishment of the sacrifice.
उत्तरेण त्व् अहं तद्वद् अर्धो जाया इति श्रुतेः कालं वसन्तम् उत्कृष्टम् आज्यरूपेण नारद
With the other half, I myself, as heard in the tradition, became the husband; the excellent season of spring I prepared as clarified butter, O Nārada.
अकल्पयं तथा चेध्मं ग्रीष्मं चापि शरद् धविः ऋतुं च प्रावृषं पुत्र तदा बर्हिर् अकल्पयम्
Thus I arranged the fuel as summer, and autumn as the offering; the season of the rains, O son, I then prepared as the sacrificial grass.
छन्दांसि सप्त वै तत्र तदा परिधयो ऽभवन् कलाकाष्ठानिमेषा हि समित्पात्रकुशाः स्मृताः
There, the seven meters became the enclosing sticks, and the divisions of time—kalā, kāṣṭhā, and nimeṣa—were considered the fuel, the vessels, and the sacred grass.
यो ऽनादिश् च त्व् अनन्तश् च स्वयं कालो ऽभवत् तदा यूपरूपेण देवर्षे योक्त्रं च पशुबन्धनम्
Then, time itself, which is without beginning and without end, became manifest as the sacrificial post, O sage, and the binding rope for the sacrificial animal.
सत्त्वादित्रिगुणाः पाशा नैव तत्राभवत् पशुः ततो ऽहम् अब्रवं वाचं वैष्णवीम् अशरीरिणीम्
The cords of the three qualities—sattva and the others—became the bonds, but there was no sacrificial animal present there; then I spoke the Vaiṣṇava speech, bodiless.
विनैव पशुना नायं यज्ञः परिसमाप्यते ततो माम् अवदद् देवी सैव नित्याशरीरिणी
Without a sacrificial animal, this sacrifice cannot be completed; then the goddess, eternal and bodiless, spoke to me.