तस्मात्ते पितरो देवाः पितृत्वं तेषु तत्स्मृतम्
Therefore, your ancestors are called the gods; their status as ancestors is thus remembered among them.
सापविद्धा तनुस्तेन सद्यः संध्या व्यजायत
From that, her body was struck down, and immediately the twilight was born.
तयोर्मध्ये तु वै पैत्री या तनुः सा गरीयसी
Of the two, the ancestral form that was between them is indeed the greater.
युक्तास्तनुमुपासंते उषाव्युष्ट्योर्यदन्तरम्
They worship that form which exists in the interval between dawn and dusk.
ततो ऽन्यस्यां पुनर्ब्रह्मा स्वतन्वामुपपद्यत
Then, in another form, Brahma again manifested himself from his own body.
मनसा तु सुतास्तस्य प्रजनाज्जज्ञिरे प्रजाः
By his mind, his sons were born; from his creation, beings came forth.
सृष्ट्वा पुनः प्रजाः सो ऽथ स्वां तनुं स व्यपोहत
Having created beings again, he then cast off his own form.
तस्माद्भवन्ति संहृष्टा ज्योत्स्नाया उद्भवे प्रजाः
Therefore, beings are delighted at the appearance of moonlight.
सद्यो रात्र्यहनी चैवसंध्या ज्योत्स्ना च जज्ञिरे
Immediately, night, day, twilight, and moonlight were born.
तमोमात्रात्मिका रात्रिः सा वै तस्मान्नियामिका
Night, whose essence is darkness, indeed governs over them.
यस्मात्तेषां दिवा जन्म बलिनस्तेन ते दिवा
Because their birth is during the day, they are powerful by day.
प्राणेभ्यो रात्रिजन्मानो ह्यजेया निशि तेन ते
Those born at night from the vital breaths are unconquerable at night, therefore they are so.
पितॄणां मानुषाणां च अतीताना गतेषु वै
Of the ancestors and humans, those who have passed away and gone on,
ज्योत्स्ना रात्र्यहनी संध्या चत्वार्येतानि तानि वा
Moonlight, night, day, and twilight—these four are indeed those.
अंभांस्येतानि सृष्ट्वा तु देवदानवमानुषान्
Having created these waters, he then created the gods, the asuras, and humans.
तामुत्सृज्य ततो च्योत्स्नां ततो ऽन्यां प्राप्य स प्रभुः
Having abandoned that moonlight, the Lord then attained another form.
ततो ऽन्याः सोंऽधकारे च क्षुधाविष्टाः प्रजाः सृजन्
Then, in darkness, he created other beings afflicted by hunger.
अम्भांस्येतानि रक्षाम उक्तवन्तस्तु तेषु ये
Those among them who said, 'Let us protect these waters,'
ये ऽब्रुवन् क्षिणुमो ऽम्भांसि तेषां त्दृष्टाः परस्परम्
Those who said, 'We will dry up the waters,' were seen to oppose each other.
रक्षेति पालने चापि धातुरेष विभाव्यते
The root 'rakṣ' is understood in the sense of protection and preservation.
रक्षणाद्रक्ष इत्युक्तं क्षपणाद्यक्ष उच्यत
'Rakṣa' is so called from protecting, and 'yakṣa' from destroying.
ते शीर्णा व्युत्थिता ह्यूर्द्धमारो हन्तः पुनः पुनः
They, having withered, rose up again and again, O hero.
बालात्मना स्मृता व्याला हीनत्वादहयः स्मृताः
Because of their childish nature, they are called 'vyālas'; due to their inferiority, they are called 'ahis' (serpents).
तेषां लयः पृथिव्यां यः सूर्याचन्द्रमसौ घनाः
Their dissolution on earth is like that of clouds from the sun and the moon.
स तान्सर्प्पान् सहोत्पन्नानाविवेश विषात्मकः
He, of poisonous nature, entered all those serpents born together.
वर्णेन कपिशेनोग्रास्ते भूताः पिशिताशनाः
Those fierce beings, tawny in color, subsist on flesh.
गायतो गां ततस्तस्य गन्धर्वा जज्ञिरे सुताः
As he sang, from him were born the Gandharvas, his sons.
पिबतो जज्ञिरे वाचं गन्धर्वास्तेन ते स्मृताः
As he drank, those Gandharvas were born as speech, and thus they are remembered.
छन्दतश्चैव छन्दासि वयांसि वयसासृजत्
From his desire, he created the metres and the birds.
मुखतोजाः सृजन्सो ऽथ वक्षसश्चाप्यवीः सृजन्
Then, creating strength from his mouth and also creating the Avīs from his chest,