कथयामि तु तत्सर्वं यत्र कौतूहलं नृप। सर्वं ते कीर्त्तयिष्यामि येनार्थी नृपनंदन
'I will tell you everything about which you are curious, O king; I will recount all to you, O delight of kings, as you desire.'
भीष्म उवाच। कथितं वामनस्यैव माहात्म्यं विस्तरेण वै। पुनस्तस्यैव माहात्म्यमन्यद्विष्णोरतो वद
Bhishma said: 'The greatness of Vamana has been described in detail; now tell me again another greatness of that very Vishnu.'
पद्मं कथमभूद्देव नाभौ येनाभवज्जगत्। कथं च वैष्णवी सृष्टिः पद्ममध्येऽभवत्पुरा
'How did the lotus arise in the navel of the god, from which the world came into being? And how did the Vaishnava creation once arise within the lotus?'
कथं पाद्मे महाकल्पेऽभवत्पद्ममयं जगत्। जलार्णवगतस्येह नाभौ जातं जलानुगं
'How, in the great kalpa of the lotus, did the world made of lotus come to be? In the navel of him who was in the ocean of waters, how was the lotus, born of water, produced?'
प्रभावं पद्मनाभस्य स्वपतः सागरांभसि। पुष्करे तु कथं जाता देवा ॠषिगणाः पुरा
'What is the power of Padmanabha as he sleeps in the ocean? And how, in the lotus, were the gods and the groups of sages born in ancient times?'
एतदाख्याहि निखिलं योगं योगविदां पते। कथं निर्मितवांस्तत्र चैतं लोकं सनातनम्
'Tell me all this completely, O lord of those who know yoga; how did he create this eternal world there?'
कथमेकार्णवे शून्ये नष्टे स्थावरजंगमे। भूगोलके प्रदग्धे तु प्रणष्टोरगराक्षसे
How, when the single ocean is empty, when all that is fixed or moving is lost, when the globe of the earth is burned, and when serpents and demons are destroyed—
नष्टानलानिलाकाशे नष्टधर्मे महीतले। केवले गह्वरीभूते महाभूतविपर्यये
When fire, wind, and space are gone, when righteousness has vanished from the earth, when only darkness remains, and the great elements are overturned—
किं नु विश्वपतिः साक्षान्महातेजा महाद्युतिः। आस्ते यथाध्याननिष्ठो विधिमास्थाय योगवित्
—then, does the Lord of the universe, of great splendor and radiance, remain absorbed in meditation, established in discipline, knowing yoga?
शृण्वतः परया भक्त्या ब्रह्मन्नेतदशेषतः। वक्तुमर्हसि धर्मज्ञ यशो नारायणात्मकम्
O Brahman, as I listen with supreme devotion, you should tell me all this completely, you who know righteousness, the glory that is the essence of Nārāyaṇa.
श्रद्धिनः सूपविष्टस्य भगवन्वक्तुमर्हसि। पुलस्त्य उवाच। नारायणस्य यशसः श्रवणे या तव स्पृहा
O blessed one, as I sit here with faith, you should speak; Pulastya said: Your longing to hear the glory of Nārāyaṇa—
सद्वंशान्वयपूतस्य न्याय्यं कुरुकुलोद्वह। शृणुष्वादिपुराणेषु देवेभ्यश्च यथा श्रुति
is fitting for you, scion of the Kuru line, purified by noble ancestry. Listen, as it is heard in the earliest Purāṇas and from the gods.
ब्राह्मणानां च वदतां श्रुत्वा वै सुमहात्मनाम्। यथा च तपसा दृष्ट्वा बृहस्पति समद्युतिः
And as it was spoken by the great-souled Brahmins, and as seen through austerity by Bṛhaspati, equal in splendor—
पराशरसुतः श्रीमान्गुरुर्द्वैपायनोऽब्रवीत्। तत्तेऽहं कथयिष्यामि यथाभक्ति यथाश्रुति
The illustrious son of Parāśara, the sage Dvaipāyana, spoke it; I will tell you as I have heard and with devotion.
यद्विज्ञातं मया सम्यगृषिमार्गेण सत्तम। कः समुत्सहते ज्ञातुं परं नारायणात्मकम्
What I have rightly understood by the path of the seers, O noble one, I will recount; for who can fully know the supreme essence of Nārāyaṇa?
विश्वावितारं ब्रह्मायं न वेदयति तत्वतः। तत्कर्मविश्वदेवा न तद्रहस्यं महर्षिषु
Even Brahmā, creator of the worlds, does not truly know that; nor do the Viśvadevas, nor is that secret known among the great sages.
स इज्यस्सर्वयज्ञानां स तत्त्वं तत्त्वदर्शिनाम्। अध्यात्ममध्यात्मविदां नरकं च विकर्मिणाम्
He is the object of all sacrifices, the reality for those who see the truth, the inner self for those who know the self, and hell for those who act unrighteously.
अधिदैवं च तद्दैवमधिदैवतसंज्ञितम्। अधिभूतं च तद्भूतं परं च परमार्थिनाम्
He is the divine among the gods, known as the supreme deity; he is the principle among beings, and the highest for those who seek the ultimate.
स यज्ञो वेदनिर्दिष्टस्तत्तपः कवयो विदुः। यः कर्त्ता कारको बुद्धिर्यतः क्षेत्रज्ञ एव च
He is the sacrifice as declared in the Vedas; the wise know him as austerity. He is the doer, the cause, the intellect, and the knower of the field.
प्रणवः पुरुषः शास्ता एकश्चेति विभाव्यते। प्राणः पंचविधश्चैव ध्रुवमक्षरमेव च
He is the sacred syllable Om, the cosmic person, the teacher, the one; he is the fivefold breath, the immutable, and the imperishable.
कालः पाकश्च यज्ञश्च यष्टा चाधीतमेव च। उच्यते विविधैर्भावैः स एवायं तु तत्परम्
He is time, ripening, sacrifice, the performer, and what is studied; he is called by various forms, and he alone is that supreme.
स एव भगवान्सर्वं करोति न करोति च। सोस्मिन्कारयते सर्वं स्थानिनां च कृतिः कृता
That blessed one does all, and yet does not act; by him all is made to act, and the deeds of the established are accomplished.
यजामहे तमेवाद्यं स एवोत्थाननिर्वृतः। यो वक्ता यच्च वक्तव्यं यश्चाहं तद्ब्रवीमि ते
We worship him, the primeval one, who is the source of arising; he is the speaker, the thing to be spoken, and I am the one who speaks this to you.
श्रूयते यच्च वै श्राव्यं यच्चान्यत्परिजल्पितम्। या कथायाश्च श्रुतयो यो धर्मी धर्मतत्परः
Whatever is heard and what is to be heard, and all other discourse; whatever stories are told, he is the one to whom the teachings and righteousness are dedicated.
विश्वं विश्वपतिर्यश्च स तु नारायणः स्मृतः। यत्सत्यं यदनृतमादिमध्यभूतं यच्चांत्यं निरवधिकं च यद्भविष्यम्
He who is the Lord of the universe, and the universe itself, is remembered as Nārāyaṇa; whatever is true, whatever is untrue, whatever is the beginning, the middle, or the end, whatever is boundless, and whatever is yet to come.
यत्किंचिच्चरमचरं यदस्ति चान्यत्सर्वं तत्पुरुषवरः प्रधानभूतः। चत्वार्य्याहुः सहस्राणि वर्षाणां तत्कृतं युगम्
Whatever moves or does not move, whatever else exists, all of that is the supreme Person, who is the principal cause; they say that four thousand years make up a Kṛta Yuga.
तस्य तावच्छती संध्या द्विगुणा कुरुनंदन। यत्र धर्मश्चतुष्पादस्त्वधर्मः पादविग्रहः
Of that, the twilight period is one hundred years, O descendant of Kuru, and its double is also counted; in this time, righteousness stands on four feet, and unrighteousness is but a single limb.
स्वधर्मनिरताः शांता जायंते यत्र मानवाः। विप्रा स्थिता धर्मपरा राजवृत्तिस्थिता नृपाः
In that age, people are devoted to their own duties and are peaceful; the Brāhmaṇas are established in righteousness, and kings uphold the royal conduct.
कृष्यामभिरता वैश्याः शूद्रा शुःश्रूषवस्तथा। तदा सत्यं च सत्वं च धर्मश्चैव विवर्धते
Vaiśyas are devoted to agriculture, and Śūdras are intent on service; at that time, truth, virtue, and righteousness all flourish.
सद्भिराचरितो धर्मो येन लोकः प्रवर्त्तते। एतत्कृतयुगे वृत्तं सर्वेषामेव पार्थिव
Righteousness, practiced by the virtuous, governs the world; this is the conduct of all in the Kṛta Yuga, O king.