Garuda Purana

अतश्च परमाणूनां पार्थिवाऽनन्त्यवादिनाम् । भेदः परस्परं ज्ञेयस्तथेशस्य महात्मनः ॥ ३,३.

Thus, among those who assert the infinity of earth-atoms, distinction among the atoms is to be understood, as also for the great Lord.

जडेशयोर्जडानां च जीवानां च परस्परम् । तथैव जडजीवानां नित्यं भेदो जडेशयोः ॥ ३,३.

Between inert matter and the Lord, between inert beings and living beings, and likewise between inert and living beings, there is always distinction between matter and the Lord.

पञ्च भेदा इमे नित्यं सर्वावस्थासु सर्वशः । एतादृश्यां तु मायायां वीर्यमाधत्त वीर्यवान् ॥ ३,३.

These five distinctions always exist in all conditions and in every way; in such a māyā, the powerful one established his might.

पुरुषाख्यो हरिस्तस्मात्त्रिगुणानसृजत्प्रभुः ॥ ३,३.

Therefore, Hari, known as the Person, the Lord, created the three qualities.

श्रीगरुडमहापुराणम् ४ श्रीकृष्ण उवाच । यथा ससर्ज भगवांस्त्रीन् गुणान्प्रकृतेस्तदा । लक्ष्मीस्त्रिरूपा संभूता श्रीर्भूर्दुर्गोति संज्ञिता ॥ ३,४.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: When the Lord created the three qualities from Prakṛti, Lakṣmī appeared in three forms, called Śrī, Bhū, and Durgā.

सत्त्वाभिमानिनी श्रीस्तु भूर्देवी रजमानिनी । तमोभिमानिनी दुर्गा ह्येवमाहुर्मनीषिणः ॥ ३,४.

Śrī is associated with sattva, Bhū-devī with rajas, and Durgā is said by the wise to be associated with tamas.

अन्तरं न विजानीयाद्रूपाणां च परस्परम् । गुणानां चैव संबन्धाद्दुर्गादीनां खगेश्वर ॥ ३,४.

One should not perceive any difference among their forms, O Lord of Birds, because of the connection of these qualities with Durgā and the others.

अन्तरं ये विजानन्ति ते यान्त्यन्धन्तमः परम् । पुरुषस्तु त्रिरूपोभूद्विष्णुर्ब्रह्मा भवेतिसः ॥ ३,४.

Those who perceive difference among them go to utter darkness; but the Person became threefold: Viṣṇu, Brahmā, and so he is called.

सत्त्वेन लोकान्वर्धयितुं विष्णुः साक्षाद्धरिः स्वयम् । सृष्टिं कर्तुं च रजसा ब्रह्मणि प्राविशद्धरिः ॥ ३,४.

To increase the worlds by sattva, Viṣṇu, Hari himself, directly entered; and to perform creation by rajas, Hari entered into Brahmā.

आद्यो ब्रह्मा स विज्ञेयो न तु साक्षाद्धरिः स्वयम् । तमसापि समान्हन्तुं रुद्रे च प्राविशद्धरिः ॥ ३,४.

That first Brahmā is to be known, but not as Hari himself directly; and to destroy by tamas, Hari also entered into Rudra.

रुद्रे स्थितो रुद्रसंज्ञो न रुद्रस्तु हरिः स्वयम् । विष्णुरेव हरिः साक्षात्तावुभौन हरी स्मृतौ ॥ ३,४.

Hari abides in Rudra, called Rudra, but Rudra is not Hari himself; only Viṣṇu is directly Hari, and both are called Hari in the tradition.

आविष्टरूपौ विज्ञेयौ ब्रह्मरुद्राभिधायकौ । एवं ज्ञात्वा मोक्षमेति नान्यथा तु कथञ्चन ॥ ३,४.

Brahmā and Rudra, known by those names, should be understood as forms entered into; knowing thus, one attains liberation, and not otherwise by any means.

विष्णुब्रह्मादिरूपाणामैक्यं जानन्ति ये द्विजाः । ते यान्ति नरकं घोरं पुनरावृत्तिवर्जितम् ॥ ३,४.

Those twice-born who believe in the unity of the forms of Viṣṇu, Brahmā, and others, go to a terrible hell, from which there is no return.

गुणत्रयं प्रविष्टस्तु पुरुषो हरिरव्ययः । कार्योन्मुखं यथा भूयात्क्षोभयामास वै तथा ॥ ३,४.

Hari, the imperishable Person, entered into the three qualities; as one intent on action, he thus stirred them up.

जातक्षोभाद्भगवतो महानासीद्गुणत्रयात् । गुणत्रये विद्यमानाद्भागादेव न संशयः ॥ ३,४.

From the agitation of the Lord, caused by the three qualities, the Great Principle arose; it is indeed from the division of the three qualities, without doubt.

महतो ब्रह्मवायू च जज्ञाते खाभिमानिनौ । तस्य संवत्सरात्पश्चाद्यमलौ संबभूवतुः ॥ ३,४.

From the great Brahma and Vayu were born, both possessing pride in the element of space; after a year, twins were produced from him.

रजः प्रधानं यत्तत्वं महत्तत्तवमितीरितम् । सर्गं त्विमं विजानीयाद्गुणवैषम्यनामकम् ॥ ३,४.

The principle of rajas is called the great principle; know this creation as named after the inequality of the qualities.

गरुड उवाच । महत्तत्तवस्वरूपस्य ज्ञानार्थं देवकीसुत । त्वयोक्ता गुणवैषम्यनामिका सृष्टिरुत्तमा ॥ ३,४.

Garuda said: For the sake of understanding the nature of the great principle, O son of Devaki, you have spoken of the supreme creation called the inequality of the qualities.

गुणवैषम्यशब्दार्थं मम ब्रूहि महाप्रभो । श्रीकृष्ण उवाच । गुणवैषम्यशब्दार्थज्ञापनाय खगेश्वर ॥ ३,४.

Tell me, O great lord, the meaning of the term 'inequality of the qualities.' Sri Krishna said: To explain the meaning of the term 'inequality of the qualities,' O king of birds—

अपिक्षितं च तत्रादौ गुणसाम्यं न संशयः । सम्यग्ज्ञापयितुं तत्र खादौ तावत्स्वगेश्वर ॥ ३,४.

In the beginning, there was equality of the qualities, without doubt; to explain this properly, at the outset, O lord of birds—

राशिभूतं गुणानां तु दर्शयिष्ये स्थितिं च वै । राशीभूतस्य तसमः सकाशाद्विनतासुत ॥ ३,४.

I will show you the state of the qualities when they have become aggregated, and also their condition, O son of Vinata, when they are in aggregate form.

राशीभूतं रजो ज्ञेयन्द्विगुणं तत्तु नान्यथा । राशीभूतस्य रजसः सकाशाद्विनतासुत ॥ ३,४.

Know that the aggregated rajas is double; it is not otherwise. From the aggregated rajas, O son of Vinata—

राशीभूतं तथा सत्त्वं द्विगुणं समुदाहृतम् । मूलप्रकृतिजा ह्येते न मूला प्रकृतिः स्मृता ॥ ३,४.

Similarly, the aggregated sattva is said to be double; these are born from the root-prakriti, but the root itself is not called prakriti.

यतः प्रकृतिरूपाणां परिच्छेदो न विद्यते । अतः प्रकृतिजा ज्ञेया न मूलास्ते खगेश्वर ॥ ३,४.

Because there is no delimitation of the forms of prakriti, therefore, those born from prakriti are to be known as not the root, O king of birds.

एवं तव गुणानाञ्च परिमाणं खगेश्वर । उक्तं स्वरूपं तेषां तु तव सम्यक्खगेश्वर ॥ ३,४.

Thus, O king of birds, the measure of the qualities has been told to you; their nature has been properly explained to you, O king of birds.

तत्र राशित्रये सत्त्वं केवलं समुदाहृतम् । रजस्तमोभ्यां गरुड ह्यविमिश्रं ह्यतस्तु तत् ॥ ३,४.

There, in the three aggregates, sattva alone is declared; but, O Garuda, it is unmixed with rajas and tamas, and thus it is so.

केवलं सत्त्वमित्युक्तं न तु श्रेष्ठत्वतः प्रभो । सृष्टिकाले केवलं स्यात्प्रलये मिश्रितं भवेत् ॥ ३,४.

It is called pure sattva, not because of superiority, O lord; at the time of creation it is pure, but at dissolution it becomes mixed.

सर्वदाप्यविमिश्रं च सत्त्वराशिं खगेश्वर । सर्वदापि विमिश्रं च सत्त्वराशिं द्विजोत्तम ॥ ३,४.

Always, O king of birds, the aggregate of sattva is unmixed; yet always, O best of twice-born, the aggregate of sattva is mixed.

ये विजानन्ति ते सर्वे विशन्ति ह्यधरं तमः । रजस्तमोगुणौ वीन्द्र इतराभ्यां विमिश्रितौ ॥ ३,४.

All those who know enter the lower darkness; the qualities of rajas and tamas, O Indra among birds, are mixed with the other two.