Markandeya Purana

ब्रह्मा स्वयम्भूर्भगवान् हस्तसिद्धिञ्च कर्मजाम् । ततः प्रभृत्यथौषध्यः कृष्टपच्यास्तु जज्ञिरे॥४९.

Brahma, the self-born Lord, then established the accomplishment of work by hand; from that time, cultivated plants began to be produced.

संसिद्धायान्तु वार्तायां ततस्तासां स्वयं प्रभुः । मर्यादां स्थापयामास यथान्यायं यथागुणम्॥४९.

When agriculture was perfected, then the Lord himself established proper boundaries for them, according to justice and their qualities.

वर्णानामाश्रमाणाञ्च धर्मान् धर्मभृतांवर । लोकानां सर्ववर्णानां सम्यग्धर्मार्थपालिनाम्॥४९.

He established the duties of the classes and stages of life, O best of the righteous, for all the worlds and all classes, who rightly uphold dharma and wealth.

प्राजापत्यं ब्राह्मणानां स्मृतं स्थानं क्रियावताम् । स्थानमैन्द्रं क्षत्रियाणां संग्रामेष्वपलायिनाम्॥४९.

The place of the Brahmanas engaged in rites is remembered as Prajapatya; the place of Kshatriyas who do not flee in battle is Indra's.

वैश्यानां मारुतं स्थानं स्वधर्ममनुवर्तताम् । गान्धर्वं शूद्रजातीनां परिचर्यानुवर्तताम्॥४९.

For the Vaishyas who follow their own duty, the place is Maruta; for the Shudra castes who engage in service, the place is Gandharva.

अष्टाशीतिसहस्राणामृषीणामूर्ध्वरेतसाम् । स्मृतं तेषान्तु यत् स्थानं तदेव गुरुवासिनाम्॥४९.

The place remembered for the eighty-eight thousand ascetic sages is the same as that of those who dwell with their teachers.

सप्तर्षोणान्तु यत् स्थानं स्मृतं तद्वै वनौकसाम् । प्राजापत्यं गृहस्थानां न्यासिनां ब्रह्मणः क्षयम् । योगिनाममृतं स्थानमिति वै स्थानकल्पना॥४९.

The place remembered for the seven seers is that of the forest-dwellers; Prajapatya is for householders, the abode of Brahman for renunciants, and the immortal place for yogis—thus is the arrangement of places.

46(43) षट्चत्वारिंशोऽध्यायः क्रौष्टुकिरुवाच भगवंस्त्वण्डसम्भूतिर्यथावत् कथिता मम । ब्रह्माण्डे ब्रह्मणो जन्म तथा चोक्तं महात्मनः॥४६.

Kraustuki said: O Lord, you have told me in detail about the origin of the egg, and also about the birth of Brahma, the great soul, within the cosmic egg.

एतदिच्छाम्यहं श्रोतुं त्वत्तो भृगुकुलोद्भव । यदान सृष्टिर्भूतानामस्ति किन्नु न चास्ति वा । काले वै प्रलयस्यान्ते सर्वस्मिन्नुपसंहृते॥४६.

This I wish to hear from you, O descendant of Bhrigu: at the end of the dissolution, when everything is withdrawn, does the creation of beings exist or not?

मार्कण्डेय उवाच यदा तु प्रकृतौ याति लयं विश्वमिदं जगत् । तदोच्यते प्राकृतोऽयं विद्वद्भिः प्रतिसञ्चरः॥४६.

Markandeya said: When this entire universe dissolves into Prakriti, that is called by the learned the Prakritika dissolution.

स्वात्मन्यवस्थितेव्यक्ते विकारे प्रतिसंहृते । प्रकृतिः पुरुषश्चैव साधर्म्येणावतिष्ठतः॥४६.

When the manifest and its modifications are withdrawn and rest in their own nature, then Prakriti and Purusha remain together in their own essence.

तदा तमश्च सत्त्वञ्च समत्वेन व्यवस्थितौ । अनुद्रिक्तावनूनौ च तत्प्रोतौ च परस्परम्॥४६.

At that time, tamas and sattva are established in equilibrium, neither excessive nor deficient, and they are interwoven with each other.

तिलेषु वा यथा तैलं घृतं पयसि वा स्थितम् । तथा तमसि सत्त्वे च रजोऽप्यनुसृतं स्थितम्॥४६.

Just as oil is present in sesame seeds, or ghee in milk, so too rajas is present, accompanying tamas and sattva.

उत्पत्तिर्ब्रह्मणो यावदायुषो द्विपरार्धिकम् । तावद्दिनं परेशस्य तत्समा संयमे निशा॥४६.

For as long as Brahma's lifespan lasts—two parardhas—that is a day of the Supreme Lord; an equal period is his night during dissolution.

अहर्मुखे प्रबुद्धस्तु जगदादिरनादिमान् । सर्वहेतुरचिन्त्यात्मा परः कोऽप्यपरक्रियः॥४६.

At the dawn, the beginningless source of the universe awakens, the cause of all, whose nature is inconceivable, who is supreme and acts without another.

प्रकृतिं पुरुषञ्चैव प्राविश्याशु जगत्पतिः । क्षोभयामास योगेन परेण परमेश्वरः॥४६.

The Lord of the universe, having entered both Prakriti and Purusha, swiftly stirred them by means of supreme yoga, being the highest Lord.

यथा मदो नवस्त्रीणां यथा वा माधवानिलः । अनुप्रविष्टः क्षोभाय तथासौ योगमूर्तिमान्॥४६.

Just as intoxication enters young women, or as the spring wind enters, causing agitation, so did He, embodied as Yoga, enter and stir them.

प्रधाने क्षोभ्यमाने तु स देवो ब्रह्मसंज्ञितः । समुत्पन्नोऽण्डकोषस्थो यथा ते कथितं मया॥४६.

When the primordial matter was thus agitated, that god, called Brahma, arose within the cosmic egg, just as I have described to you.

स एव क्षोभकः पूर्वं स क्षोभ्यः प्रकृतेः पतिः । स सङ्कोचविकाशाभ्यां प्रधानत्वेऽपि च स्थितः॥४६.

He who was the agitator before, He who is the Lord of Prakriti to be agitated, remains established in the state of Pradhana, both in contraction and expansion.

अत्पन्नः स जगद्योनिरगुणोऽपि रजोगुणम् । भुञ्जन् प्रवर्तते सर्गे ब्रह्मत्वं समुपाश्रितः॥४६.

Though without qualities, He, the source of the world, having assumed the quality of rajas, engages in creation, taking on the role of Brahma.

ब्रह्मत्वे स प्रजाः सृष्ट्वा ततः सत्त्वातिरेकवान् । विष्णुत्वमेत्य धर्मेण कुरुते परिपालनम्॥४६.

In the state of Brahma, after creating beings, then endowed with predominance of sattva, He assumes the role of Vishnu and, through righteousness, performs protection.

ततस्तमोगुणोद्रिक्तो रुद्रत्वे चाखिलं जगत् । उपसंहृत्य वै शेते त्रैलोक्यं त्रिगुणोऽगुणः॥४६.

Then, being dominated by tamas, He, as Rudra, withdraws the entire world, and indeed rests, being threefold in qualities yet beyond qualities, over the three worlds.

यथा प्राग्व्यापकः क्षेत्री पालको लावकस्तथा । यथा स संज्ञामायाति ब्रह्मविष्ण्वीशकारिणीम्॥४६.

Just as a field-pervader, protector, or reaper takes on their respective names, so does He assume the names and functions of Brahma, Vishnu, and Ishvara.

ब्रह्मत्वे सृजते लोकान् रुद्रत्वे संहरत्यपि । विष्णुत्वे चाप्युदासीनस्तिस्त्रोऽवस्थाः स्वयम्भुवः॥४६.

In the state of Brahma, He creates worlds; in the state of Rudra, He also dissolves; and in the state of Vishnu, He remains indifferent—these are the three states of the Self-born.

रजो ब्रह्मा तमो रुद्रो विष्णुः सत्त्वं जगत्पतिः । एत एव त्रयो देवा एत एव त्रयो गुणाः॥४६.

Rajas is Brahma, tamas is Rudra, sattva is Vishnu, the Lord of the world; these three are the gods, and these three are the qualities.

अन्योन्यमिथुना ह्येते अन्योन्याश्रयिणस्तथा । क्षणं वियोगो नह्येषां न त्यजन्ति परस्परम्॥४६.

These are mutually paired and mutually dependent; there is not even a moment's separation among them, nor do they ever abandon one another.

एवं ब्रह्मा जगत्पूर्वो देवदेवश्चतुर्मुखः । रजोगुणं समाश्रित्य स्त्रष्ट्टत्वे स व्यवस्थितः॥४६.

Thus, Brahma, the first of the world, the god of gods, four-faced, established in the creative act by resorting to rajas, is thus situated.

हिरण्यगर्भो देवादिरनादिरुपचारतः । भूपद्मकर्णिकासंस्थो ब्रह्माग्रे समजायत॥४६.

Hiranyagarbha, the first of the gods, though beginningless in a figurative sense, was born at the beginning, established on the lotus stalk rising from the earth.

तस्य वर्षशतं त्वेकं परमायुर्महात्मनः । ब्रह्म्येणैव हि मानेन तस्य संख्यां निबोध मे॥४६.

His lifespan, O great-souled one, is a hundred years; hear from me the reckoning of that, according to the measure of Brahma.