तपश् चरत्सु पृथिवीं प्रचेतःसु महीरुहाः अरक्षमाणाम् आवव्रुर् बभूवाथ प्रजाक्षयः
While the Pracetas were engaged in austerities on earth, the trees, left unprotected, spread everywhere, and thus there arose a decline of living beings.
नाशकन् मारुतो वातुं वृतं खम् अभवद् द्रुमैः दश वर्षसहस्राणि न शेकुश् चेष्टितुं प्रजाः
The wind could not blow, the sky was blocked by the trees; for ten thousand years, creatures were unable to move.
तद् उपश्रुत्य तपसा युक्ताः सर्वे प्रचेतसः मुखेभ्यो वायुम् अग्निं च ससृजुर् जातमन्यवः
Hearing of this, all the Pracetas, empowered by asceticism and filled with wrath, released wind and fire from their mouths.
उन्मूलान् अथ वृक्षांस् तु कृत्वा वायुर् अशोषयत् तान् अग्निर् अदहद् घोर एवम् आसीद् द्रुमक्षयः
Then the wind, having uprooted the trees, dried them up, and the fierce fire burned them; thus, the destruction of the trees occurred.
द्रुमक्षयम् अथो बुद्ध्वा किंचिच् छिष्टेषु शाखिषु उपगम्याब्रवीद् एतांस् तदा सोमः प्रजापतीन्
When the destruction of the trees was known, and only a few branches remained, Soma approached the lords of creatures and spoke to them.
कोपं यच्छत राजानः सर्वे प्राचीनबर्हिषः वृक्षशून्या कृता पृथ्वी शाम्येताम् अग्निमारुतौ
Restrain your anger, O kings, all of you Pracetas; the earth has been made devoid of trees—let the fire and wind subside.
रत्नभूता च कन्येयं वृक्षाणां वरवर्णिनी भविष्यं जानता तात धृता गर्भेण वै मया
This maiden, radiant and of excellent complexion, is like a jewel among the trees; knowing the future, I have held her in my womb.
मारिषा नाम नाम्नैषा वृक्षाणाम् इति निर्मिता भार्या वो ऽस्तु महाभागाः सोमवंशविवर्धिनी
She is named Māriṣā, created for the trees; let her be your wife, O greatly fortunate ones, and the enhancer of the Soma lineage.
युष्माकं तेजसो ऽर्धेन मम चार्धेन तेजसः अस्याम् उत्पत्स्यते विद्वान् दक्षो नाम प्रजापतिः
By half of your energy and half of mine, a wise lord of creatures named Dakṣa will be born from her.
स इमां दग्धभूयिष्ठां युष्मत्तेजोमयेन वै अग्निनाग्निसमो भूयः प्रजाः संवर्धयिष्यति
He, endowed with your fiery energy, will, like fire itself, restore and increase the creatures on this earth, which has been mostly burned.
ततः सोमस्य वचनाज् जगृहुस् ते प्रचेतसः संहृत्य कोपं वृक्षेभ्यः पत्नीं धर्मेण मारिषाम्
Then, at Soma’s words, the Pracetas withdrew their anger from the trees and, in accordance with righteousness, accepted Māriṣā as their wife.
दशभ्यस् तु प्रचेतोभ्यो मारिषायां प्रजापतिः दक्षो जज्ञे महातेजाः सोमस्यांशेन भो द्विजाः
From Māriṣā and the ten Pracetas was born the mighty Dakṣa, a lord of creatures, endowed with great energy and a portion of Soma, O twice-born ones.
अचरांश् च चरांश् चैव द्विपदो ऽथ चतुष्पदः स सृष्ट्वा मनसा दक्षः पश्चाद् असृजत स्त्रियः
Dakṣa then created both the immobile and mobile beings, bipeds and quadrupeds, by his mind; afterwards, he created women.
ददौ दश स धर्माय कश्यपाय त्रयोदश शिष्टाः सोमाय राज्ञे च नक्षत्राख्या ददौ प्रभुः
He gave ten daughters to Dharma, thirteen to Kaśyapa, and the rest to Soma; to the king he gave those known as the Nakṣatras.
तासु देवाः खगा गावो नागा दितिजदानवाः गन्धर्वाप्सरसश् चैव जज्ञिरे ऽन्याश् च जातयः
From them were born the gods, birds, cows, serpents, Dānavas and Daityas, as well as Gandharvas, Apsarases, and other kinds of beings.
ततः प्रभृति विप्रेन्द्राः प्रजा मैथुनसंभवाः संकल्पाद् दर्शनात् स्पर्शात् पूर्वेषां प्रोच्यते प्रजा
From that time onward, O best of the twice-born, creatures have been born from sexual union; previously, it is said, beings arose from will, sight, and touch.
देवानां दानवानां च गन्धर्वोरगरक्षसाम् संभवस् तु श्रुतो ऽस्माभिर् दक्षस्य च महात्मनः
We have heard of the origin of the gods, Dānavas, Gandharvas, serpents, and Rākṣasas, as well as of the great-souled Dakṣa.
अङ्गुष्ठाद् ब्रह्मणो जज्ञे दक्षः किल शुभव्रतः वामाङ्गुष्ठात् तथा चैवं तस्य पत्नी व्यजायत
Dakṣa, of auspicious vows, was born from Brahmā’s thumb, it is said; likewise, his wife was born from Brahmā’s left thumb.
कथं प्राचेतसत्वं स पुनर् लेभे महातपाः एतं नः संशयं सूत व्याख्यातुं त्वम् इहार्हसि दौहित्रश् चैव सोमस्य कथं श्वशुरतां गतः
How did that great ascetic regain the state of Prācetasa? Sūta, please explain this doubt of ours here. And how did the grandson of Soma become his father-in-law?
उत्पत्तिश् च निरोधश् च नित्यं भूतेषु भो द्विजाः ऋषयो ऽत्र न मुह्यन्ति विद्यावन्तश् च ये जनाः
O twice-born ones, the origin and dissolution of beings is eternal. The sages and those who possess knowledge do not become confused by this.
युगे युगे भवन्त्य् एते पुनर् दक्षादयो नृपाः पुनश् चैव निरुध्यन्ते विद्वांस् तत्र न मुह्यति
In every age, these rulers like Dakṣa arise again, and again they are dissolved. The wise are not bewildered by this.
ज्यैष्ठ्यं कानिष्ठम् अप्य् एषां पूर्वं नासीद् द्विजोत्तमाः तप एव गरीयो ऽभूत् प्रभावश् चैव कारणम्
Among them, O best of the twice-born, there was neither seniority nor juniority before; austerity alone was esteemed, and its power was the cause.
इमां विसृष्टिं दक्षस्य यो विद्यात् सचराचराम् प्रजावान् आयुर् उत्तीर्णः स्वर्गलोके महीयते
Whoever knows this creation of Dakṣa, with its moving and unmoving beings, is blessed with offspring, long life, and is honored in the heavenly world.
देवानां दानवानां च गन्धर्वोरगरक्षसाम् उत्पत्तिं विस्तरेणैव लोमहर्षण कीर्तय
O Lomaharṣaṇa, recount in detail the origin of the gods, the demons, the gandharvas, serpents, and rākṣasas.
प्रजाः सृजेति व्यादिष्टः पूर्वं दक्षः स्वयंभुवा यथा ससर्ज भूतानि तथा शृणुत भो द्विजाः
Dakṣa, commanded by Svayambhū, formerly created beings. Listen, O twice-born ones, to how he produced the creatures.
मानसान्य् एव भूतानि पूर्वम् एवासृजत् प्रभुः ऋषीन् देवान् सगन्धर्वान् असुरान् यक्षराक्षसान्
At first, the Lord created beings only by mind: sages, gods, gandharvas, asuras, yakṣas, and rākṣasas.
यदास्य मानसी विप्रा न व्यवर्धत वै प्रजा तदा संचिन्त्य धर्मात्मा प्रजाहेतोः प्रजापतिः
When those mind-born beings did not increase, then, reflecting for the sake of progeny, the righteous Prajāpati considered.
स मैथुनेन धर्मेण सिसृक्षुर् विविधाः प्रजाः असिक्नीम् आवहत् पत्नीं वीरणस्य प्रजापतेः
Desiring to create various beings by lawful union, he took Asikni, the wife of Vīraṇa, Prajāpati.
सुतां सुतपसा युक्तां महतीं लोकधारिणीम् अथ पुत्रसहस्राणि वैरण्यां पञ्च वीर्यवान्
Then, endowed with great austerity and sustaining the worlds, she bore thousands of sons in Vairaṇī, all powerful.
असिक्न्यां जनयाम् आस दक्ष एव प्रजापतिः तांस् तु दृष्ट्वा महाभागान् संविवर्धयिषून् प्रजाः
Dakṣa Prajāpati himself begot them in Asikni. Seeing those greatly fortunate ones, eager to increase progeny,