काले यथोक्ते संजाते वासुदेवमुखोद्गते शृङ्गी प्रादुर्बभूवाथ मत्स्यरूपी जनार्दनः
When the appointed time came, from the mouth of Vāsudeva, the horned one appeared—Janārdana in the form of a fish.
भुजंगो रज्जुरूपेण मनोः पार्श्वमुपागमत् भूतान्सर्वान्समाकृष्य योगेनारोप्य धर्मवित्
A serpent, in the form of a rope, approached Manu’s side; gathering all beings, the knower of righteousness placed them on board through yoga.
भुजंगरज्ज्वा मत्स्यस्य शृङ्गे नावमयोजयत् उपर्युपस्थितस्तस्याः प्रणिपत्य जनार्दनम्
With the serpent-rope, he fastened the boat to the fish’s horn; standing above it, he bowed to Janārdana.
आभूतसम्प्लवे तस्मिन्न् अतीते योगशायिना पृष्टेन मनुना प्रोक्तं पुराणं मत्स्यरूपिणा तदिदानीं प्रवक्ष्यामि शृणुध्वमृषिसत्तमाः
When that great flood had passed, Manu asked the fish-formed Lord, who reclined in yoga, about the ancient lore; I shall now relate that, so listen, O best of sages.
यद्भवद्भिः पुरा पृष्टः सृष्ट्यादिकमहं द्विजाः तद् एवैकार्णवे तस्मिन् मनुः पप्रच्छ केशवम्
O twice-born, what you previously asked me about—the origin of creation and so forth—Manu asked that very same question of Keshava on the primeval ocean.
उत्पत्तिं प्रलयं चैव वंशान्मन्वन्तराणि च वंश्यानुचरितं चैव भुवनस्य च विस्तरम्
He inquired about creation and dissolution, the lineages and the Manus, the deeds of their descendants, and the expanse of the worlds.
दानधर्मविधिं चैव श्राद्धकल्पं च शाश्वतम् वर्णाश्रमविभागं च तथेष्टापूर्तसंज्ञितम्
He also asked about the rules of charity and righteousness, the eternal rites of ancestor worship, the divisions of class and stage of life, and what is known as acts of sacrifice and beneficence.
देवतानां प्रतिष्ठादि यच्चान्यद्विद्यते भुवि तत्सर्वं विस्तरेण त्वं धर्मं व्याख्यातुमर्हसि
He asked about the establishment of the gods and whatever else exists on earth; you should explain all this dharma in detail.
महाप्रलयकालान्त एतदासीत्तमोमयम् प्रसुप्तमिव चातर्क्यम् अप्रज्ञातमलक्षणम्
At the end of the great dissolution, all this was enveloped in darkness—unfathomable, unmanifest, and without discernible characteristics, as if in deep sleep.
अविज्ञेयमविज्ञातं जगत् स्थास्नु चरिष्णु च ततः स्वयम्भूर् अव्यक्तः प्रभवः पुण्यकर्मणाम्
The world, both stationary and moving, was unknowable and unknown; then the self-born, unmanifest source of all virtuous deeds arose.
व्यञ्जयन्नेतदखिलं प्रादुरासीत् तमोनुदः यो ऽतीन्द्रियः परो व्यक्ताद् अणुर् ज्यायान् सनातनः नारायण इति ख्यातः स एकः स्वयम् उद्बभौ
He, who dispels darkness and is beyond the senses, greater and subtler than the manifest, eternal, known as Narayana, alone manifested himself to reveal all this.
यः शरीराद् अभिध्याय सिसृक्षुर्विविधं जगत् अप एव ससर्जादौ तासु वीर्यम् अवासृजत्
Desiring to create the diverse world by thought from his own body, he first produced the waters and then placed his seed within them.
तदेवाण्डं समभवद् धेमरूप्यमयं महत् संवत्सरसहस्रेण सूर्यायुतसमप्रभम्
That became the cosmic egg, vast and shining like gold and silver, radiant as ten thousand suns, over a thousand years.
प्रविश्यान्तर्महातेजाः स्वयम् एवात्मसम्भवः प्रभावाद् अपि तद्व्याप्त्या विष्णुत्वम् अगमत् पुनः
Entering within by his own great brilliance, self-born, by his power and pervasion, he again assumed the form of Vishnu.
तदन्तर्भगवानेष सूर्यः समभवत्पुरा आदित्यश्चादिभूतत्वाद् ब्रह्मा ब्रह्म पठन्न् अभूत्
Within that, the blessed Sun was first born; because he was the original being, he became Brahma, the reciter of the Veda.
दिवं भूमिं समकरोत् तदण्डशकलद्वयम् स चाकरोद्दिशः सर्वा मध्ये व्योम च शाश्वतम्
He made the heavens and the earth from the two halves of the egg, and he created all the directions and, in the middle, the eternal sky.
नद्यो ऽण्डनाम्नः संभूताः पितरो मनवस् तथा सप्त ये ऽमी समुद्राश् च ते ऽपि चान्तर्जलोद्भवाः लवणेक्षुसुराद्याश् च नानारत्नसमन्विताः
The rivers arose from the cosmic egg, as did the ancestors and Manus; these seven oceans also came forth from the inner waters, filled with salt, sugarcane juice, wine, and various precious gems.
स सिसृक्षुर् अभूद् देवः प्रजापतिर् अरिन्दम तत्तेजसश् च तत्रैष मार्तण्डः समजायत
Desiring to create, the god Prajapati, O subduer of foes, from that brilliance, the Sun—Martanda—was born there.
मृते ऽण्डे जायते यस्मान् मार्तण्डस् तेन संस्मृतः रजोगुणमयं यत्तद् रूपं तस्य महात्मनः चतुर्मुखः स भगवान् अभूल् लोकपितामहः
Because he was born from the dead egg, he is remembered as Martanda; that great soul's form, composed of the quality of passion, became the four-faced Lord, the grandsire of the worlds.
येन सृष्टं जगत् सर्वं सदेवासुरमानुषम् तमवेहि रजोरूपं महत् सत्त्वम् उदाहृतम्
Know that the one by whom the entire world—gods, asuras, and humans—was created, is called the great being, the embodiment of passion.
चतुर्मुखत्वम् अगमत् कस्माल् लोकपितामहः कथं तु लोकान् असृजद् ब्रह्मा ब्रह्मविदां वरः
How did the grandsire of the worlds come to have four faces, and how did Brahma, the best of knowers of Brahman, create the worlds?
तपश् चचार प्रथमम् अमराणां पितामहः आविभूतास् तथा वेदाः साङ्गोपाङ्गपदक्रमाः
At first, the grandsire of the immortals performed austerities; then the Vedas, with their limbs, sub-divisions, and sequences, became manifest.
पुराणसर्वशास्त्राणां प्रथमं ब्रह्मणा स्मृतम् नित्यं शब्दमयं पुण्यं शतकोटिप्रविस्तरम्
Of all the ancient scriptures, the first was remembered by Brahma: eternally composed of sound, sacred, and spanning a hundred crore verses.
अनन्तरं च वक्त्रेभ्यो वेदास् तस्य विनिःसृताः मीमांसान्यायविद्याश् च प्रमाणाष्टकसंयुताः
Then, from his mouths, the Vedas emerged, along with Mimamsa, Nyaya, and the sciences, joined with the eightfold means of knowledge.
वेदाभ्यासरतस्यास्य प्रजाकामस्य मानसाः मनसः पूर्वसृष्टा वै जाता यत् तेन मानसाः
As he was devoted to the study of the Vedas and desired offspring, the mind-born sons were created earlier from his mind, those who are called mind-born.
मरीचिर् अभवत् पूर्वं ततो ऽत्रिर् भगवान् ऋषिः अङ्गिरश् चाभवत् पश्चात् पुलस्त्यस् तदनन्तरम्
First, Marichi came forth; then the venerable sage Atri; after him, Angiras appeared, and then Pulastya followed.
ततः पुलहनामा वै ततः क्रतुर् अजायत प्रचेताश् च ततः पुत्रो वसिष्ठश् चाभवत् पुनः
After that, Pulaha was born; then Kratu arose; from him, Prachetas was born, and again, Vasistha became his son.
पुत्रो भृगुर् अभूत् तद्वन् नारदो ऽप्य् अचिराद् अभूत् दशेमान् मानसान् ब्रह्मा मुनीन् पुत्रान् अजिजनत्
Bhrigu became his son, and likewise Narada soon appeared; thus, Brahma generated these ten mind-born sages as his sons.
शारीरान् अथ वक्ष्यामि मातृहीनान् प्रजापतेः अङ्गुष्ठाद् दक्षिणाद् दक्षः प्रजापतिर् अजायत
Now I will speak of the bodily sons, those without mothers, of the Lord of creatures: from his right thumb, Daksha, the progenitor, was born.
धर्मः स्तनान्ताद् अभवद् धृदयात् कुसुमायुधः भ्रूमध्याद् अभवत् क्रोधो लोभश् चाधरसंभवः
Dharma arose from his breast, Kamadeva from his heart, anger from between his brows, and greed from the lower regions.