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,
पादतो ऽश्वान्समातङ्गान् रासभान् गवयान्मृगान्
From his feet he created horses, elephants, donkeys, wild oxen, and deer.
ओषध्यः फल मूलिन्यो रोमभ्यस्तस्य जज्ञिरे
Medicinal herbs, fruit-bearing and root-bearing plants were born from his hair.
अस्य त्वादौ तु कल्पस्य त्रेतायुगमुखेपुरा
But at the beginning of this kalpa, at the start of the Tretā Yuga, formerly—
एते ग्राम्याः समृताः सप्त आरण्याः सप्त चापरे
These seven are considered domestic animals, and another seven are wild.
औदकाः पशवः षष्ठाः सप्तमास्तु सरीसृपाः
The sixth are aquatic animals, and the seventh are reptiles.
मर्कटः सप्तमो ह्येषां चारण्याः पशवस्तु ते
Among the wild animals, the monkey is the seventh, and these are the wild beasts.
अग्निष्टोमं च यज्ञानां निर्ममे प्रथमान्मुखात्
From his mouth, he first created the Agniṣṭoma among sacrifices.
बृहत्साम तथोक्तं च दक्षिणात्सो ऽसृजन्मुखात्
From his southern mouth, he created the Bṛhatsāman and what is spoken.
वैरूप्यमतिरात्रं च पश्चिमात्सो ऽसृजन्मखात्
From his western mouth, he created the Vairūpya and Atirātra.
अनुष्टुभं सवैराजं चतुर्थादसृजन्मुखात्
From the fourth mouth, he created the Anuṣṭubh and Savairāja.