द्वापरे प्रथमे व्यासो मनुः स्वायंभुवो मतः
In the first Dvāpara, Vyāsa is regarded as Manu Svāyambhuva.
द्वितीये द्वापरे चैव वेदव्यासः प्रजापतिः
In the second Dvāpara, Vedavyāsa is the lord of creatures.
सविता पञ्चमे व्यासः षष्ठे मृत्युः प्रकीर्तितः
In the fifth, Savitṛ is Vyāsa; in the sixth, Mṛtyu is proclaimed.
सारस्वतश्च नवमे त्रिधामा दशमे स्मृतः
In the ninth, Sārasvata is Vyāsa; in the tenth, he is remembered as Tridhāmā.
त्रयोदशे तथा धर्मस्तरक्षुस्तु चतुर्दशे
In the thirteenth, Dharma; in the fourteenth, Tarakṣu.
कृतञ्जयः सप्तदशे ह्यष्टादशे ऋतञ्जयः
In the seventeenth, Kṛtañjaya; in the eighteenth, Ṛtañjaya.
राजश्रवाश्चैकविंशस्तस्माच्छुष्मायणः परः
In the twenty-first, Rājaśravā; after him, Śuṣmāyaṇa.
पञ्चविशे तथा शक्तिः षड्विंशे तु पराशरः
In the twenty-fifth, Śakti; in the twenty-sixth, Parāśara.
पराशरसुतो व्यासः कृष्णद्वैपायनो ऽभवत्
Vyāsa, the son of Parāśara, became Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana.
पाराशर्यो महायोगी कृष्णद्वैपायनो हरिः
The great yogi, son of Parāśara, Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana, is Hari.
तत्प्रसादादसौ व्यासं वेदानामकरोत् प्रभुः
By his grace, that Lord made Vyāsa the arranger of the Vedas.
पैलं तेषां चतुर्थं च पञ्चमं मां महामुनिः
The great sage appointed Paila as the fourth among them, and me as the fifth.
यजुर्वेदप्रवक्तारं वैशम्पायनमेव च
He made Vaiśampāyana the teacher of the Yajur Veda.
इतिहासपुराणानि प्रवक्तुं मामयोजयत्
He engaged me to recite the Itihāsas and Purāṇas.
चातुर्हेत्रमभूद् यस्मिंस्तेन यज्ञमथाकरोत्
In whom the fourfold sacrificial priesthood arose, by him the sacrifice was performed.
औद्गात्रं सामभिश्चक्रे ब्रह्मत्वं चाप्यथर्वभिः
He established the Udgātṛ priesthood with the Sāma hymns, and the office of Brahman with the Atharva hymns.
यजूंषि च यजुर्वेदं सामवेदं च सामभिः
He assigned the Yajus formulas to the Yajur Veda, and the Sāma hymns to the Sāma Veda.
शाखानां तु शतेनैव यजुर्वेदमथाकरोत्
He divided the Yajur Veda into a hundred branches.
अथर्वाणमथो वेदं बिभेद नवकेन तु
He further split the Atharva Veda into nine parts.
सो ऽयमेकश्चतुष्पादो वेदः पूर्वं पुरातनात्
Thus, this one Veda of four parts existed from ancient times.
वेदवेद्यो हि भगवान् वासुदेवः सनातनः
The venerable, eternal Vāsudeva is both the knower and the known of the Veda.
एतत् परतरं ब्रह्म ज्योतिरानन्दमुत्तमम्
This is the supreme Brahman, the highest light and bliss.
वेदवेद्यमिमं वेत्ति वेदं वेदपरो मुनिः
The sage devoted to the Veda knows this Veda, which is to be known through the Veda.
स एव वेदो वेद्यश्च तमेवाश्रित्य मुच्यते
He alone is both the Veda and the object to be known; by resorting to him, one is liberated.
अवेदं च विजानाति पाराशर्यो महामुनिः
The great sage, son of Parāśara, also knows what is not Veda.
महादेवावताराणि कलौ शृणुत सुव्रताः
O virtuous ones, hear now of the descents of Mahādeva in the Kali age.
नाम्ना हिताय विप्राणामभूद् वैवस्वते ऽन्तरे
By name, he was for the welfare of the Brahmins during the Vaivasvata period.
तस्य शिष्याः शिखायुक्ता वभूवुरमितप्रभाः
His disciples, adorned with topknots, shone with immeasurable radiance.
चत्वारस्ते महात्मानो ब्राह्मणा वेदपारगाः
Those four were great-souled Brahmins, accomplished in the Vedas.
लोकाक्षिरथ योगीन्द्रो जैगीषव्यस्तु सप्तमे
Lokākṣiratha, the lord of yogis, and Jaigīṣavya in the seventh (period).