शिवेन दृष्टा प्रकृतिः शैवी समभवद्द्विजाः सर्गादौ सा गुणैर्युक्ता पुराव्यक्ता स्वभावतः
When seen by Shiva, Prakriti became Shaivi, O twice-born; at the beginning of creation, she, though previously unmanifest by nature, became endowed with the gunas.
अव्यक्तादिविशेषान्तं विश्वं तस्याः समुच्छ्रितम् विश्वधात्री त्वजाख्या च शैवी सा प्रकृतिः स्मृता
From her arose the universe, from the unmanifest to the particular; she is called the bearer of the universe and, known as Aja, that Shaivi Prakriti is remembered thus.
तामजां लोहितां शुक्लां कृष्णामेकां बहुप्रजाम् जनित्रीमनुशेते स्म जुषमाणः स्वरूपिणीम्
That unborn one, red, white, and black, the single mother of many beings—he, delighting in his own form, lay with her, the mother and source.
तामेवाजामजो ऽन्यस्तु भुक्तभोगां जहाति च अजा जनित्री जगतां साजेन समधिष्ठिता
Another unborn one, having enjoyed her pleasures, departs; the unborn mother of worlds is established together with the unborn.
प्रादुर्बभूव स महान् पुरुषाधिष्ठितस्य च अजाज्ञया प्रधानस्य सर्गकाले गुणैस् त्रिभिः
From her, by command of the unborn, at the time of creation, the Mahat arose, endowed with the three gunas and presided over by Purusha.
सिसृक्षया चोद्यमानः प्रविश्याव्यक्तमव्ययम् व्यक्तसृष्टिं विकुरुते चात्मनाधिष्ठितो महान्
Urged by the desire to create, Mahat, entering the unmanifest and imperishable, produces the manifest creation, being established in itself.
महतस्तु तथा वृत्तिः संकल्पाध्यवसायिका महतस् त्रिगुणस् तस्माद् अहंकारो रजो ऽधिकः
From Mahat arises the function of resolve and determination; from Mahat, which is threefold in quality, comes ahamkara, predominated by rajas.
तेनैव चावृतः सम्यग् अहंकारस् तमो ऽधिकः महतो भूततन्मात्रं सर्गकृद्वै बभूव च
Covered by that very ahamkara, which is predominated by tamas, from Mahat arose the subtle elements, which are indeed the creators of beings.
अहंकाराच्छब्दमात्रं तस्मादाकाशमव्ययम् सशब्दमावृणोत्पश्चाद् आकाशं शब्दकारणम्
From ahamkara comes the subtle element of sound; from that, the imperishable ether; ether, possessing sound, then enveloped it, and is the cause of sound.
तन्मात्राद्भूतसर्गश् च द्विजास्त्वेवं प्रकीर्तितः स्पर्शमात्रं तथाकाशात् तस्माद्वायुर् महान्मुने
From the subtle elements, the creation of the elements is thus declared, O twice-born; from ether comes the subtle element of touch, and from that, air, O great sage.
तस्माच्च रूपमात्रं तु ततो ऽग्निश्च रसस्ततः रसादापः शुभास्ताभ्यो गन्धमात्रं धरा ततः
From that comes the subtle element of form, then fire; from taste, water, which is auspicious; from those, the subtle element of smell, and from that, earth.
आवृणोद्धि तथाकाशं स्पर्शमात्रं द्विजोत्तमाः आवृणोद्रूपमात्रं तु वायुर्वाति क्रियात्मकः
O best of twice-born, ether enveloped the subtle element of touch; air, active by nature, enveloped the subtle element of form.
आवृणोद्रसमात्रं वै देवः साक्षाद्विभावसुः आवृण्वाना गन्धमात्रम् आपः सर्वरसात्मिकाः
The god Agni directly enveloped the subtle element of taste; the waters, full of all tastes, enveloped the subtle element of smell.
क्ष्मा सा पञ्चगुणा तस्माद् एकोना रससम्भवाः त्रिगुणो भगवान्वह्निर् द्विगुणः स्पर्शसम्भवः
Therefore, earth is fivefold in qualities, and from her arise things with less taste; the blessed fire is threefold in qualities, and air, arising from touch, is twofold.
अवकाशस्ततो देव एकमात्रस्तु निष्कलः तन्मात्राद्भूतसर्गश् च विज्ञेयश् च परस्परम्
Then, space is the god with a single quality, indivisible; the creation of elements from the subtle elements should be understood as mutually connected.
वैकारिकः सात्त्विको वै युगपत्सम्प्रवर्तते सर्गस् तथाप्यहंकाराद् एवमत्र प्रकीर्तितः
The Vaikarika, which is sattvic, proceeds simultaneously; thus, creation from ahamkara is described here.
पञ्च बुद्धीन्द्रियाण्यस्य पञ्च कर्मेन्द्रियाणि तु शब्दादीनामवाप्त्यर्थं मनश्चैवोभयात्मकम्
From it arise the five organs of knowledge, the five organs of action, and the mind, which partakes of both, for the purpose of apprehending sound and the rest.
महदादिविशेषान्ता ह्य् अण्डमुत्पादयन्ति च जलबुद्बुदवत्तस्माद् अवतीर्णः पितामहः
From Mahat down to the particular elements, they produce the cosmic egg; from that, as from a bubble in water, the Grandfather (Brahma) descended.
स एव भगवान् रुद्रो विष्णुर्विश्वगतः प्रभुः तस्मिन्नण्डे त्विमे लोका अन्तर्विश्वमिदं जगत्
That very Lord, Rudra, is also Viṣṇu, the sovereign who pervades the universe; within that cosmic egg are these worlds and this entire universe.
अण्डं दशगुणेनैव वारिणा प्रावृतं बहिः आपो दशगुणेनैव तद्बाह्यस्तेजसा वृताः
The egg is enveloped on the outside by water, ten times its size; and that water, in turn, is surrounded on the outside by fire, also ten times greater.
तेजो दशगुणेनैव बाह्यतो वायुना वृतम् वायुर्दशगुणेनैव बाह्यतो नभसा वृतः
The fire is further encased on the outside by air, ten times its own measure; and the air is surrounded on the outside by ether, also ten times greater.
आकाशेनावृतो वायुर् अहंकारेण शब्दजः महता शब्दहेतुर्वै प्रधानेनावृतः स्वयम्
The air is enveloped by ether, and sound arises from ego; the great principle, which is the source of sound, is itself covered by primordial matter.
सप्ताण्डावरणान्याहुस् तस्यात्मा कमलासनः कोटिकोटियुतान्यत्र चाण्डानि कथितानि तु
They speak of seven coverings of the cosmic egg; its soul is the lotus-seated one, and countless millions of such eggs are said to exist here.
तत्रतत्र चतुर्वक्त्रा ब्रह्माणो हरयो भवाः सृष्टाः प्रधानेन तदा लब्ध्वा शम्भोस्तु संनिधिम्
In each of these, four-faced Brahmās, Viṣṇus, and Bhavas are created by primordial matter, having then attained the presence of Śambhu.
लयश्चैव तथान्योन्यम् आन्द्यन्तम् इति कीर्तितम् सर्गस्य प्रतिसर्गस्य स्थितेः कर्ता महेश्वरः
Thus, mutual dissolution and creation up to the end of the egg are proclaimed; Maheśvara is the agent of creation, dissolution, and maintenance.
सर्गे च रजसा युक्तः सत्त्वस्थः प्रतिपालने प्रतिसर्गे तमोद्रिक्तः स एव त्रिविधः क्रमात्
In creation, he is endowed with rajas; in preservation, established in sattva; and in dissolution, he is abundant in tamas—thus, he is threefold in order.
आदिकर्ता च भूतानां संहर्ता परिपालकः तस्मान्महेश्वरो देवो ब्रह्मणो ऽधिपतिः शिवः
He is the original creator of beings, their destroyer, and protector; therefore, the god Maheśvara, Śiva, is the lord of Brahmā.
सदाशिवो भवो विष्णुर् ब्रह्मा सर्वात्मको यतः एकदण्डे तथा लोका इमे कर्ता पितामहः
Sadāśiva, Bhava, Viṣṇu, and Brahmā are all his universal forms; in each egg, the worlds are thus created by the Grandfather.
प्राकृतः कथितस्त्वेष पुरुषाधिष्ठितो मया सर्गश् चाबुद्धिपूर्वस्तु द्विजाः प्राथमिकः शुभः
This is called the natural creation, presided over by the Puruṣa, as I have described; and the first, auspicious creation, O twice-born, arises without deliberation.
अथ प्राथमिकस्येह यः कालस्तदहः स्मृतम् सर्गस्य तादृशी रात्रिः प्राकृतस्य समासतः
Now, the time of this primary creation is called a day; the night of creation is likewise, in brief, the night of the natural dissolution.