प्रवर्तयन्ति तेषां वै ब्रह्मस्तोत्रं पुनः पुनः एवं मन्त्रगुणानां तु समुत्पत्तिश्चतुर्विधा
They repeatedly establish the Brahma-hymn among them; thus, the origin of the qualities of mantras is fourfold.
अथर्वऋग्यजुःसाम्नां वेदेष्विह पृथक्पृथक् ऋषीणां तप्यतां तेषां तपः परमदुश्चरम्
In the Atharva, Ṛg, Yajur, and Sāma Vedas here, separately, the austerity of the sages—most difficult to perform—takes place.
मन्त्राः प्रादुर्भवन्त्यादौ पूर्वमन्वन्तरस्य ह असंतोषाद्भयाद्दुःखान् मोहाच्छोकाच्च पञ्चधा
At the beginning of each age of Manu, mantras arise in five ways: from dissatisfaction, fear, sorrow, delusion, and grief.
ऋषीणां तारका येन लक्षणेन यदृच्छया ऋषीणां यादृशत्वं हि तद्वक्ष्यामीह लक्षणम्
I shall now describe the mark by which the stars of the sages, and the nature of the sages themselves, are determined by chance.
अतीतानागतानां च पञ्चधा ह्यार्षकं स्मृतम् तथा ऋषीणां वक्ष्यामि आर्षस्येह समुद्भवम्
The fivefold ṛṣi tradition is remembered for past and future times; thus, I will explain to you the origin of the ṛṣi tradition here.
गुणसाम्येन वर्तन्ते सर्वसंप्रलये तदा अविभागेन देवानाम् अनिर्देश्ये तमोमये
At the time of the dissolution, all exist in equality of qualities; then, in indistinction among the gods, in that which is indefinable and filled with darkness.
अबुद्धिपूर्वकं तद्वै चेतनार्थं प्रवर्तते तेनार्षं बुद्धिपूर्वं तु चेतनेनाप्यधिष्ठितम्
That proceeds without prior intellect, for the sake of consciousness; thus, the ṛṣi tradition is established with intellect and also governed by consciousness.
प्रवर्तते तथा ते तु यथा मत्स्योदकावुभौ चेतनाधिकृतं सर्वं प्रावर्तत गुणात्मकम् कार्यकारणभावेन तथा तस्य प्रवर्तते
They proceed just as both fish and water do; all, governed by consciousness, unfold as qualities, in the relation of cause and effect, and thus it proceeds.
विषयो विषयित्वं च तदा ह्यर्थपदात्मकौ कालेन प्रापणीयेन भेदाश्च कारणात्मकाः
Object and subject, then, are based on meaning and word; through time, which brings attainment, distinctions arise from the nature of cause.
सांसिद्धिकास्तदा वृत्ताः क्रमेण महदादयः महतो ऽसावहंकारस् तस्माद्भूतेन्द्रियाणि च
Then, the natural evolutes, beginning with the great principle, arise in sequence; from the great principle comes ego, and from that, the elements and senses.
भूतभेदाश्च भूतेभ्यो जज्ञिरे तु परस्परम् संसिद्धिकारणं कार्यं सद्य एव विवर्तते
The distinctions of elements arise from the elements themselves, mutually; the natural cause and effect manifest instantly.
यथोल्मुकात्तु विटपा एककालाद्भवन्ति हि तथा प्रवृत्ताः क्षेत्रज्ञाः कालेनैकेन कारणात्
Just as branches arise from a firebrand all at once, so do the field-knowers proceed, through one time, from the cause.
यथान्धकारे खद्योतः सहसा सम्प्रदृश्यते तथा निवृत्तो ह्यव्यक्तः खद्योत इव संज्वलन्
Just as a firefly is suddenly seen in darkness, so the unmanifest, when withdrawn, shines forth like a firefly.
स महात्मा शरीरस्थस् तत्रैवेह प्रवर्तते महतस्तमसः पारे वैलक्षण्याद्विभाव्यते
That great soul, abiding in the body, acts there; beyond the darkness of the great principle, it is distinguished by its difference.
तत्रैव संस्थितो विद्वांस् तपसो ऽन्त इति श्रुतम् बुद्धिर्विवर्धतस्तस्य प्रादुर्भूता चतुर्विधा
There, established, the wise one is said to reach the end of austerity; as his intellect increases, fourfold arises.
ज्ञानं वैराग्यमैश्वर्यं धर्मश्चेति चतुष्टयम् सांसिद्धिकान्यथैतानि अप्रतीतानि तस्य वै
Knowledge, detachment, sovereignty, and righteousness—these four; these are natural, but otherwise unrecognized by him.
महात्मनः शरीरस्य चैतन्यात्सिद्धिरुच्यते पुरि शेते यतः पूर्वं क्षेत्रज्ञानं तथापि च
From the consciousness of the great soul's body, attainment is declared; he lies in the city, for previously the field-knower, and so too.
पुरे शयनात्पुरुषो ज्ञानात्क्षेत्रज्ञ उच्यते यस्माद्धर्मात्प्रसूते हि तस्माद्वै धार्मिकस्तु सः
Because the person lies in the city, he is called the field-knower through knowledge; since righteousness is produced from him, therefore he is righteous.
सांसिद्धिके शरीरे च बुद्ध्याव्यक्तस्तु चेतनः एवं विवृत्तः क्षेत्रज्ञः क्षेत्रं ह्यनभिसंधितः
In the natural body, the unmanifest is conscious through intellect; thus, the field-knower unfolds, the field being without intention.
निवृत्तिसमकाले तु पुराणं तदचेतनम् क्षेत्रज्ञेन परिज्ञातं भोग्यो ऽयं विषयो मम
At the time of withdrawal, the ancient one is unconscious; recognized by the field-knower, this object is for my enjoyment.
ऋषिर्हिंसागतौ धातुर् विद्या सत्यं तपः श्रुतम् एष सन्निलयो यस्माद् ब्राह्मणस्तुततस् त्व् ऋषिः
The ṛṣi is the root of nonviolence, knowledge, truth, austerity, and scripture; since all these are united, the brāhmaṇa is praised, and thus the ṛṣi.
निवृत्तिसमकालाच्च बुद्ध्याव्यक्त ऋषिस्त्वयम् ऋषते परमं यस्मात् परमर्षिस्ततः स्मृतः
At the time of withdrawal, the unmanifest is the ṛṣi through intellect; since he reaches the highest, he is remembered as the supreme ṛṣi.
गत्यर्थाद् ऋषतेर् धातोर् नामनिर्वृत्तिकारणम् यस्मादेष स्वयंभूतस् तस्माच्च ऋषिता मता
Because the cause of the derivation of a noun is from the root expressing motion, and since this one is self-born, therefore he is considered a seer.
सेश्वराः स्वयमुद्भूता ब्रह्मणो मानसाः सुताः निवर्तमानैस्तैर्बुद्ध्या महान्परिगतः परः
With the Lord, the mind-born sons of Brahma arose spontaneously; as they withdrew, the great and supreme was attained by their intellect.
यस्माद् दृशपरत्वेन सह तस्मान्महर्षयः ईश्वराणां सुतास्तेषां मानसाश्चौरसाश्च वै
Because, together with the highest vision, they are called great seers; the sons of the Lords among them are both mind-born and born from the body.
ऋषिस्तस्मात्परत्वेन भूतादिरृषयस्ततः ऋषिपुत्रा ऋषीकास्तु मैथुनाद्गर्भसम्भवाः
Thus, from the supreme, the seers arose, and from them the primordial seers; the sons of the seers, called ṛṣikās, are born from union and conception.
परत्वेन ऋषन्ते वै भूतादीनृषिकास्ततः ऋषिकाणां सुता ये तु विज्ञेया ऋषिपुत्रकाः
By the supreme, the seers arose, and from the primordial, the ṛṣikās; the sons of the ṛṣikās are to be known as the offspring of seers.
श्रुत्वा ऋषं परत्वेन श्रुतास्तस्माच्छ्रुतर्षयः अव्यक्तात्मा महात्मा वा-हंकारात्मा तथैव च
Having heard the seer in the supreme way, those who are thus heard are called śrutarṣis; the unmanifest self, the great self, and likewise the self of ego.
भूतात्मा चेन्द्रियात्मा च तेषां तज्ज्ञानमुच्यते इत्येवमृषिजातिस्तु पञ्चधा नामविश्रुता
The self of the elements and the self of the senses—knowledge of these is declared; thus the lineage of seers is renowned in fivefold names.
भृगुर्मरीचिरत्रिश्च अङ्गिराः पुलहः क्रतुः मनुर्दक्षो वसिष्ठश्च पुलस्त्यश्चापि ते दश
Bhṛgu, Marīci, Atri, Aṅgirā, Pulaha, Kratu, Manu, Dakṣa, Vasiṣṭha, and Pulastya—these ten.