तेषां संहरणोद्भूतः पावकः शतधा ज्वलन्। प्रदहन्नखिलं विश्वं वृत्तः संवर्त्तकोऽनलः
From their dissolution arose a fire, blazing in a hundred ways, burning all the universe; that fire became the annihilating conflagration.
सपर्वतद्रुमान्गुल्मान्लतावल्लीस्तृणानि च। विमानानि च दिव्यानि पुराणि विविधानि च
Mountains, trees, shrubs, vines, creepers, grasses, and also celestial palaces and ancient, diverse structures—
यानि चाश्रयणीयानि सर्वाण्यप्यदहद्भृशम्। भस्मीकृत्य तु तान्सर्वांल्लोकान्ल्लोकगुरोर्गुरुः
All those which served as shelters, he burned thoroughly; having reduced them all to ashes, the guru of worlds, the supreme teacher, destroyed the realms.
स भूतिं धारयामास युगांते लोकसंभवाम्। सहस्रवृष्टिः शतधा भूत्वा कृष्णो महाघनः
He sustained the existence arising at the end of the age; becoming a thousandfold rain, a vast black cloud.
दिव्यतोयेन हविषा तर्पयामास मेदिनीं। ततः क्षीरनिकाशेन स्वादुना परमांभसा
With divine water, as an offering, he satisfied the earth; then with water resembling milk, sweet and supreme.
शिशिरेण च पुण्येन महीनिर्वाणमागमत्। तेन तोयेन संपृक्ता पयस्साधर्म्यतो धरा
With pure, cooling water, the earth attained peace; moistened by that water, the earth became akin to milk.
एकार्णावजलीभूता सर्वसत्वविवर्जिता। महासत्वान्यपि विभुं प्रविष्टान्यमितौजसं
Becoming a single ocean, devoid of all living beings, even the great souls entered the Lord, whose energy is boundless.
नष्टार्कपवनाकाशे सूक्ष्मे जगति संवृते। संशोषमात्मना कृत्वा समुद्राणां च देहिनः
With sun, wind, and sky vanished, the subtle world concealed, he dried up the oceans by his own power, along with embodied beings.
दग्ध्वा संकोच्य च तथा स्वपित्येकः सनातनः। पौराणं रूपमास्थाय स्वपित्यमितविक्रमः
Having burned and contracted everything thus, the eternal one sleeps alone; assuming his ancient form, he rests, of immeasurable might.
एकार्णवजलेयायी योगी योगमुपासितः। अनेकानि सहस्राणि युगान्येकार्णवांभसि
He, the yogi, practiced yoga, lying in the waters of the single ocean for many thousands of ages.
न चैव कश्चिदव्यक्तं व्यक्तो वेदितुमर्हति। कश्चैष पुरुषो नाम किं योगः कश्च योगवान्
No one at all can know the unmanifest or the manifest; who is this person, what is this yoga, who is the possessor of yoga?
न पृष्ठे नैवमभितो नैव पार्श्वे न चाग्रतः। कश्चिद्विज्ञायते तस्य दृश्यते देवसत्तमः
Neither behind, nor around, nor at the sides, nor in front, can anyone perceive him; the best of gods is seen.
नभः क्षितिं पवनमपः प्रकाशनं प्रजापतिं भुवनधरं सुरेश्वरम्। पितामहं श्रुतिनिलयं मुनिं प्रभुं समापयञ्छयनमरोचयत्प्रभुः
He united sky, earth, wind, waters, light, the lord of creatures, the supporter of worlds, the lord of gods, the ancestor, the abode of the Vedas, the sage, the master; arranging them, the Lord created the resting place.
एवमेकार्णवीभूते शेते लोके महाद्युतिः। प्रच्छाद्य सलिलेनोर्वीं हंसो नारायणाय ते
Thus, when the world became a single ocean, the great radiant one lies, covering the earth with water; the swan, for you, is Nārāyaṇa.
महतो रजसो मध्ये महार्णवसमस्य वै। वारिजाक्षो महाबाहुरक्षयं ब्रह्म यद्विदुः
In the midst of the great darkness, in the vast ocean, the lotus-eyed, mighty-armed one is the imperishable Brahman, as the wise know.
आत्मरूपसरूपेण तमसा संवृतः प्रभुः। मनः सात्विकमादाय यत्र तत्सत्वमाहितं
The Lord, enveloped in darkness by his own essential form, having taken up the sattvic mind, where that essence is established.
यथातथ्यं परं ज्ञानं भूताय ब्रह्मणे ततः। रहस्यं च तथोद्दिष्टं यथोपनिषदां स्मृतम्
Thus, the highest knowledge, true as it is, was given to the Brahman; and the secret was declared as remembered in the Upanishads.
पुरुषो यज्ञ इत्येतत्परमं परिकीर्तितम्। यश्चान्यः पुरुषाख्यः स्यात्स एव पुरुषोत्तमः
It is proclaimed that the person is sacrifice; and whoever else is called 'person', he alone is the supreme person.
ये च यज्ञकरा विप्रा ये ॠत्विज इति स्मृताः। अस्मादेव पुरा भूता वक्त्रेभ्यः श्रूयते तथा
And those Brahmins who perform sacrifices, who are known as officiating priests, are said to have formerly arisen from these very mouths.
ब्रह्माणं प्रथमं वक्त्रादुद्गातारं च सामगं। होतारं च तथाद्ध्वर्युं बाहुभ्यामसृजत्प्रभुः
From the first mouth, the Lord created the Brahman, the Udgātṛ, the Sāmagin, the Hotṛ, and likewise the Adhvaryu from his arms.
ब्रह्माणं ब्राह्माणाच्छंसि स्तोतारौ चैव सर्वशः। मेढ्राच्च मैत्रावरुणं प्रतिष्ठातारमेव च
The Brahman, the Brāhmaṇa, the Chāṃsin, and all the Stotṛs, and from the genitals, the Maitrāvaruṇa and the Pratiṣṭhātṛ as well.
उदरात्प्रतिहर्तारं पोतारं चैव पार्थिव। पाणिभ्यामथ चाग्नीध्रमुन्नेतारं च याजुषम्
From the abdomen, the Pratīhārtṛ and the Potṛ, O King, and then from the hands, the Agnīdhra and the Yājñika Unnetṛ.
अच्छावाकमथोरुभ्यां सुब्रह्मण्यं च सामगम्। एवमेवं स भगवान्षोडशैतान्जगत्पतिः
From the thighs, the Acchāvāka and the Sāmagin Subrahmaṇya; thus, in this way, the Blessed Lord, the Lord of the world, created these sixteen.
स्वयंभूः सर्वयज्ञानामृत्विजोऽसृजदुत्तमान्। तदा चैष महायोगी पुरुषो यज्ञसंज्ञितः
The self-born one created the supreme officiating priests for all sacrifices; then that great yogin, the person known as Yajña, was present.
वेदाश्चैव तथा सर्वे सहांगोपनिषत्क्रियाः। स्वपित्येकार्णवे चैव यदाश्चर्यमभूत्पुरा
And likewise, all the Vedas, together with their limbs, the Upaniṣads, and the ritual acts, existed when he lay asleep in the single ocean, as was wondrous in ancient times.
श्रूयतां तु तदा विप्रो मार्कंडेयः कुतूहलात्। गीर्णो भगवता तेन कुक्षावासीन्महामुनिः
Now listen: at that time, the sage Mārkaṇḍeya, out of curiosity, was swallowed by the Blessed Lord and dwelled in his belly, O great sage.
बहुवर्षसहस्रायुस्तस्यैव वरतेजसः। अटंस्तीर्थप्रसंगेन पृथिवीतीर्थगोचरः
Endowed with great splendor and a lifespan of many thousands of years, he wandered among the sacred fords, traversing the holy places of the earth.
आश्रमाणि च पुण्यानि देवतायतनानि च। देशाद्राष्ट्राणि चित्राणि पुराणि विविधानि च
He saw holy hermitages, abodes of the gods, and various wondrous lands, kingdoms, and ancient places.
जपहोमपराः शांतास्तपोभिरमलाः स्मृताः। मार्कंडेयस्ततस्तस्य शनैर्वक्त्राद्विनिर्गतः
Those devoted to recitation and oblation, peaceful and pure through austerities, were remembered; then Mārkaṇḍeya slowly emerged from his mouth.
निष्क्रामन्तं न चात्मानं जानीते देवमायया। निष्क्रम्य तस्य उदरादेकार्णवमथो जगत्
As he was coming out, by the divine illusion, he did not recognize himself; having emerged from his belly, he saw the single ocean and the world.