पुराणानां विभागं मे साकल्ये नानुकीर्तय
Do not recount to me the complete division of the Purāṇas.
यस्मिञ् श्रुते श्रुतं सर्वं ज्ञातं कृते कृतम्
By hearing which, all is heard; by knowing which, all is known; by doing which, all is done.
कियन्ति च पुराणानि कियत्संख्यानि मानतः
How many Purāṇas are there, and what is their number and measure?
चातुर्वर्ण्याश्रया नानाव्रतादीनां कथास्तथा
And the stories relating to the four varṇas and the various vows and so forth.
त्वत्तो ऽधिको न चान्यो ऽस्ति पुराणाख्यानवित्प्रभो
O lord, there is no one else besides you who knows the narration of the Purāṇas better.
ततः सनातनो विप्राः श्रुत्वा नारदभाषितम्
Then, O brāhmaṇas, having heard the words of Nārada, Sanātana...
साधु साधु मुनिश्रेष्ठ सर्वलोकोपकारिका
Excellent, excellent, O foremost of sages, benefactor of all the worlds!
तुभ्यं समभिधास्यामि यत्प्रोक्तं ब्रह्मणा पुरा
I shall declare to you what was formerly spoken by Brahmā.
एकदा ब्रह्मणः पुत्रो मरीचिर्नाम विश्रुतः
Once, the renowned son of Brahmā named Marīci,
उपसृत्य स्वपितरं ब्रह्मणं लोकभावनम्
Approached his father Brahmā, the creator of the worlds,
पुराणाख्यानममलं यत्त्वं पृच्छसि मानद
O bestower of honor, you ask about the pure narrative called the Purāṇa.
सर्वज्ञ सर्वकल्याण सर्वाध्यक्ष नमो ऽस्तु ते
All-knowing, source of all auspiciousness, overseer of all—salutations to you!
लक्षणं च प्रमाणं च प्रमाणं चं वक्तारं पृच्छकं तथा
Its characteristics, its authority, the authority itself, the speaker, and likewise the inquirer—
यस्मिञ्ज्ञाते भवेज्ज्ञातं वाङ्मयं सचराचरम्
By knowing which, all speech, both animate and inanimate, is known—
चतुर्वर्गस्य बीजं च शतकोटिप्रविस्तरम्
And the seed of the four aims of life, extending to a hundred crores—
कालेनाग्रहणं दृष्ट्वा पुरामस्य महामतिः
Seeing that, over time, it was not being retained, the great-minded one formerly—
चतुर्लक्षप्रमाणेन द्वापरे द्वापरे सदा
In the Dvāpara age, always in Dvāpara, it was of four hundred thousand in measure.
अद्यापि देवलोके तु शतकोटिप्रविस्तरम्
Even today, in the world of the gods, it extends to a hundred crores.
ब्राह्मं पाद्मं वैष्णवं च वायवीयं तथैव च
The Brāhma, Pādma, Vaiṣṇava, and likewise the Vāyavīya—
आग्नेयं च भविष्यं च ब्रह्मवैवर्त्तलिङ्गके
The Āgneya, Bhaviṣya, Brahmavaivarta, and Liṅga,
मात्स्यं च गारुडं तद्वद्ब्रह्माण्डाख्यमिति त्रिषट्
The Mātsya, Gāruḍa, and likewise the Brahmāṇḍa—these are eighteen.
प्रवक्ष्यामि समासेन निशामय समाहितः
I shall declare them to you in brief; listen attentively.
व्यासेन वेदविदुषा समाख्यातं महात्मना
They were recounted by Vyāsa, the great soul, knower of the Vedas.
नानाख्यानेतिहासाढ्यं दशसाहस्रमुच्यते
It is said to be ten thousand verses, filled with various narratives and histories.
प्रजापतीनां च तथा दक्षादीनां मुनीश्वर
And likewise, O best of sages, the lineages of the Prajapatis, including Daksha and others.
वंशानुकीर्तनं पुण्यं महापातकनाशनम्
The recounting of these dynasties is meritorious and destroys even great sins.
श्रीमतो रामचन्द्रस्य चतुर्व्यूहावतारिणः
Of the illustrious Ramachandra, the incarnation of the fourfold manifestation,
कृष्णस्य जगदीशस्य चरितं कल्मषापहम्
And of Krishna, Lord of the universe, the account that removes all impurity.
वर्णनं यत्र पातालस्वर्गाणां च प्रदृश्यते
Therein is described the appearance of the realms of Patala and Svarga.
पार्वत्याश्च तथा जन्म विवाहश्च निगद्यते
And likewise, the birth and marriage of Parvati are narrated.