जिह्वा रसश्च स्नेहश्च संश्रिताः सलिले गुणाः रूपं चक्षुर्विपाकश्च ज्योतिरेवाश्रिता गुणाः
Taste, tongue, and moisture, the qualities residing in water; form, sight, and ripening, the qualities residing in light;
स्पर्शः प्राणश्च चेष्टा च पवने संश्रिता गुणाः शब्दः श्रोत्रं च खान्येव गगने संश्रिता गुणाः
Touch, breath, and movement, the qualities residing in wind; sound, hearing, and space, the qualities residing in ether.
लोकमाया भगवता मुहूर्तेन विनाशिता मनो बुद्धिश्च सर्वेषां क्षेत्रज्ञश्चेति यः श्रुतः
In a single moment, the Lord destroyed the world's illusion—mind, intellect, and the knower of the field, as it is heard.
तं वरेण्यं परमेष्ठी हृषीकेशमुपाश्रितः ततो भगवतस्तस्य रश्मिभिः परिवारितः
That most excellent, supreme Lord, Hṛṣīkeśa, was approached for refuge, and then was surrounded by the rays of the Blessed One.
वायुनाक्रम्यमाणासु द्रुमशाखासु चाश्रितः तेषां संघर्षणोद्भूतः पावकः शतधा ज्वलन्
Sheltering in the branches of trees, which were being struck by the wind, fire arose from their friction, blazing in a hundred ways.
अदहच्च तदा सर्वं वृतः संवर्तको ऽनलः सपर्वतद्रुमान्गुल्मांल् लतावल्लीस्तृणानि च
Then, that all-consuming fire of dissolution, enveloping everything, burned up mountains, trees, shrubs, vines, creepers, and grasses.
भस्मीकृत्य ततः सर्वांल् लोकांल्लोकगुरुर्हरिः भूयो निर्वापयामास युगान्तेन च कर्मणा
Having reduced all the worlds to ashes, Hari, the teacher of the worlds, again extinguished them by the act of the epoch's end.
सहस्रवृष्टिः शतधा भूत्वा कृष्णो महाबलः दिव्यतोयेन हविषा तर्पयामास मेदिनीम्
Then Kṛṣṇa, of great might, became a thousandfold rain, and with divine water as an offering, he satisfied the earth.
ततः क्षीरनिकायेन स्वादुना परमाम्भसा शिवेन पुण्येन मही निर्वाणमगमत्परम्
After that, with pure, sweet, auspicious, and holy water like milk, the earth attained supreme quiescence.
तेन रोधेन संछन्ना पयसां वर्षतो धरा एकार्णवजलीभूता सर्वसत्त्वविवर्जिता
Covered by that flood of pouring waters, the earth became a single ocean, devoid of all living beings.
महासत्त्वान्यपि विभुं प्रविष्टान्यमितौजसम् नष्टार्कपवनाकाशे सूक्ष्मे जगति संवृते
Even the great beings entered the Lord of immeasurable power, as the subtle world was enveloped, with sun, wind, and sky lost.
संशोषमात्मना कृत्वा समुद्रानपि देहिनः दग्ध्वा संप्लाव्य च तथा स्वपित्येकः सनातनः
Having dried up even the oceans by his own power, and having burned and flooded all embodied beings, the Eternal One alone sleeps.
पौराणं रूपमास्थाय स्वपित्यमितविक्रमः एकार्णवजलव्यापी योगी योगमुपाश्रितः
Assuming his ancient form, the one of boundless might sleeps, pervading the single ocean of water, the yogi established in yoga.
अनेकानि सहस्राणि युगान्येकार्णवाम्भसि न चैनं कश्चिदव्यक्तं व्यक्तं वेदितुमर्हति
For many thousands of ages, in the waters of the single ocean, no one is able to know him—unmanifest or manifest.
कश्चैव पुरुषो नाम किंयोगः कश्च योगवान् असौ कियन्तं कालं च एकार्णवविधिं प्रभुः
Who is this person, what is his yoga, who is the possessor of yoga, and for how long does the Lord maintain the state of the single ocean?
करिष्यतीति भगवान् इति कश्चिन् न बुध्यते
No one understands what the Blessed Lord will do.
न द्रष्टा नैव गमिता न ज्ञाता नैव पार्श्वगः तस्य न ज्ञायते किंचित् तमृते देवसत्तमम्
There is no seer, no goer, no knower, nor anyone beside him; nothing at all is known except for that best of gods.
नभः क्षितिं पवनम् अपः प्रकाशकं प्रजापतिं भुवनधरं सुरेश्वरम् पितामहं श्रुतिनिलयं महामुनिं प्रशाम्य भूयः शयनं ह्यरोचयत्
Having pacified the sky, earth, wind, waters, the illuminator, the lord of creatures, the supporter of worlds, the lord of gods, the grandsire, the abode of the Vedas, and the great sage, he again chose to lie down.
एवमेकार्णवीभूते शेते लोकेमहाद्युतिः प्रच्छाद्य सलिलेनोर्वीं हंसो नारायणस्तदा
Thus, when all became a single ocean, the radiant Lord Nārāyaṇa, covering the earth with water, lay in the form of a swan.
महतो रजसो मध्ये महार्णवसरःसु वै विरजस्कं महाबाहुम् अक्षयं ब्रह्म यद्विदुः
In the midst of the great darkness, in the expanse of the great ocean, is known that stainless, mighty, imperishable Brahman.
आत्मरूपप्रकाशेन तमसा संवृतः प्रभुः मनः सात्त्विकमाधाय यत्र तत्सत्यमासत
The Lord, veiled by darkness, revealed his own true form; establishing the mind in purity, where that exists, there is truth, not untruth.
याथातथ्यं परं ज्ञानं भूतं तद्ब्रह्मणा पुरा रहस्यारण्यकोद्दिष्टं यच्चौपनिषदं स्मृतम्
That supreme knowledge, as it truly is, which existed before, was declared by Brahman as a secret in the forest texts, and is remembered as Upanishadic teaching.
पुरुषो यज्ञ इत्येतद् यत्परं परिकीर्तितम् यश्चान्यः पुरुषाख्यः स्यात् स एष पुरुषोत्तमः
It is said that the person is the sacrifice; that which is called supreme, and any other called 'person'—he is indeed the highest Person.
ये च यज्ञकरा विप्रा ये चर्त्विज इति स्मृताः अस्मादेव पुरा भूता यज्ञेभ्यः श्रूयतां तथा
And those Brahmins who perform sacrifices, and those remembered as officiating priests, all these arose from him in the beginning; now hear how they came from the sacrifices.
ब्रह्माणं प्रथमं वक्त्राद् उद्गातारं च सामगम् होतारमपि चाध्वर्युं बाहुभ्यामसृजत्प्रभुः
From his mouth, the Lord created Brahman as the first, and the chanter of the Sama, the Hotṛ priest, and also the Adhvaryu from his arms.
ब्रह्मणो ब्राह्मणाच्छंसि प्रस्तोतारं च सर्वशः तौ मित्रावरुणौ पृष्ठात् प्रतिप्रस्तारमेव च
From Brahman's mouth, he created the Brahman priest, the Prastotṛ in every way; from the back, Mitra and Varuṇa, and also the Pratiprastotṛ.
उदरात्प्रतिहर्तारं पोतारं चैव पार्थिव अच्छावाकमथोरुभ्यां नेष्टारं चैव पार्थिव
From the belly, he created the Pratihartṛ and the Potṛ, O King; from the thighs, the Acchāvāka, and from the knees, the Neṣṭṛ, O King.
पाणिभ्यामथ चाग्नीध्रं सुब्रह्मण्यं च जानुतः ग्रावस्तुतं तु पादाभ्याम् उन्नेतारं च याजुषम्
Then from the hands, the Agnīdhra, and from the knees, the Subrahmaṇya; from the feet, the Grāvastut, and the Unnetṛ of the Yajurveda.
एवमेवैष भगवान् षोडशैव जगत्पतिः प्रवक्तॄन्सर्वयज्ञानाम् ऋत्विजो ऽसृजदुत्तमान्
Thus indeed, the Blessed Lord, the ruler of the world, created these sixteen foremost officiants, the proclaimers of all sacrifices.
तदेष वै वेदमयः पुरुषो यज्ञसंज्ञितः वेदाश्चैतन्मयाः सर्वे साङ्गोपनिषदक्रियाः
This very Person, called the sacrifice, is composed of the Veda; all these Vedas, with their limbs, Upanishads, and rituals, are made of him.