पाराशर्यं परमपुरुषं विश्ववेद्यैकयोनिं विद्याधारं विपुलमतिदं वेदवेदांतवेद्यम् । शश्वच्छांतं स्वमतिविषयं शुद्धतेजोविशालं वेदव्यासं विततयशसं सर्वदाहं नमामि
I always bow to Vyāsa, the son of Parāśara, the supreme person, the sole source known by all, the support of knowledge, of vast and profound intellect, who is to be realized through the Vedas and Vedānta, ever peaceful, self-abiding, beyond the senses, of pure and immense brilliance, and of widespread fame.
नमो भगवते तस्मै व्यासायामिततेजसे । यस्य प्रसादाद्वक्ष्यामि नारायणकथामिमाम्
Salutations to that blessed Vyāsa, of immeasurable radiance, by whose grace I shall speak this narrative of Nārāyaṇa.
प्रवक्ष्यामि महापुण्यं पुराणं पद्मसंज्ञितम् । सहस्रं पंचपंचाशत्षड्भिः खंडैः समन्वितम्
I shall now relate the highly meritorious Purāṇa called Padma, which consists of one thousand sections, together with fifty-six divisions.
तत्रादावादिखंडं स्याद्भूमिखंडं ततः परम् । ब्रह्मखंडं च तत्पश्चात्ततः पातालखंडकम्
Therein, at the beginning, is the Ādikhaṇḍa, then the Bhūmikhaṇḍa follows; after that is the Brahmakhaṇḍa, and then the Pātālakhaṇḍa.
क्रियाखंडं ततः ख्यातमुत्तरं खंडमंतिमम् । एतदेव महापद्ममद्भुतं यन्मयं जगत्
Next is the renowned Kriyākhaṇḍa, and finally the Uttarakhaṇḍa; this is the wondrous Mahāpadma, by which the world is pervaded.
तद्वृत्तांताश्रयं तस्मात्पाद्ममित्युच्यते बुधैः । एतत्पुराणममलं विष्णुमाहात्म्यमुत्तमम्
Because it is based on those events, the wise call it Padma; this spotless Purāṇa is the supreme glorification of Viṣṇu.
देवदेवोहरिर्यद्वै ब्रह्मणे प्रोक्तवान्पुरा । ब्रह्मा तन्नारदायाह नारदोऽस्मद्गुरोः पुरः
That which the god of gods, Hari, once spoke to Brahmā, Brahmā told to Nārada, and Nārada spoke before my revered teacher.
व्यासः सर्वपुराणानि सेतिहासानि संहिताः । अध्यापयामास मुहुर्मामतिप्रियमात्मनः
Vyāsa repeatedly taught me all the Purāṇas, the Itihāsas, and the Saṃhitās, which were most dear to his heart.
तत्तेऽहं संप्रवक्ष्यामि पुराणमतिदुर्लभम् । यच्छ्रुत्वा ब्रह्महत्यादि पापेभ्यो मुच्यते नरः
That very rare Purāṇa I shall now fully relate to you; by hearing it, a person is freed from sins such as the slaying of a Brāhmaṇa.
सर्वतीर्थाभिषेकं च लभते शृणुते हि यः । श्रद्धया परया भक्त्या श्रुतमात्रेण मुक्तिदः
Whoever listens with supreme faith and devotion attains the merit of bathing in all sacred waters; merely by hearing, liberation is granted.
अश्रद्धयापि शृणुते लभते पुण्यसंचयम् । तस्मात्सर्वप्रयत्नेन पद्मं श्रोत्रातिथी कुरु
Even one who listens without faith accumulates merit; therefore, with every effort, make the Padma your honored guest through hearing.
तत्रादिखंडं वक्ष्यामि पुण्यं पापविनाशनम् । शृण्वंतु मुनयः सर्वे सशिष्यास्त्वत्र ये स्थिताः
Now I shall relate the Ādikhaṇḍa, which is meritorious and destroys sin; let all the sages assembled here with their disciples listen.
सूत उवाच-। आदिसर्गमहं तावत्कथयामि द्विजोत्तमाः । ज्ञायते येन भगवान्परमात्मा सनातनः
Sūta said: I shall now recount the original creation, O best of twice-born, by which the blessed supreme soul, eternal, is known.
सृष्टेषु प्रलयादूर्ध्वं नासीत्किंचिद्द्विजोत्तमाः । ब्रह्मसंज्ञमभूदेकं ज्योतिर्वै सर्वकारकम्
After the dissolution of creation, O best of Brāhmaṇas, nothing existed; there was only one light, called Brahman, the cause of all.
नित्यं निरंजनं शांतं निर्मलं नित्यनिर्मलम् । आनंदसागरंस्वच्छं यत्कांक्षंति मुमुक्षवः
It is eternal, stainless, peaceful, pure, ever immaculate, an ocean of bliss, transparent, and sought after by those who desire liberation.
सर्वज्ञं ज्ञानरूपत्वादनंतमजमव्ययम् । अविनाशि सदास्वच्छमच्युतं व्यापकं महत्
It is all-knowing, of the nature of knowledge, infinite, unborn, undecaying, imperishable, ever pure, unchanging, all-pervading, and great.
सर्गकाले तु संप्राप्ते ज्ञात्वा तं ज्ञानरूपकम् । आत्मलीनं विकारं च तत्स्रष्टुमुपचक्रमे
When the time for creation arrived, knowing that entity of the nature of knowledge, absorbed in itself and its transformation, it began to create.
तस्मात्प्रधानमुद्भूतं ततश्चापि महानभूत् । सात्विको राजसश्चैव तामसश्च त्रिधा महान्
From that arose Pradhāna (primordial matter), and from that came Mahān (the great principle); Mahān is threefold: sāttvika, rājasika, and tāmasika.
प्रधानेनावृतो ह्येव त्वचा बीजमिवावृतम् । वैकारिकस्तैजसश्च भूतादिश्चैव तामसः
Just as a seed is covered by its husk, so is the principal element enveloped by the skin; the vaikārik, taijasa, and bhūtādi are the threefold forms of tamas.
त्रिविधोयमहंकारो महत्तत्वादजायत । यथा प्रधानेन महान्महता स तथा वृतः
From the great principle arose the threefold ego; as the great arises from the principal, so is it enveloped in the same way.
भूतादिस्तु विकुर्वाणः शब्दतन्मात्रकं ततः । ससर्ज शब्दतन्मात्रादाकाशं शब्दलक्षणम्
The bhūtādi, undergoing transformation, produced the subtle essence of sound; from that subtle essence of sound, it created space, characterized by sound.
शब्दमात्रं तथाकाशं भूतादिः सममावृणोत् । शब्दमात्रं तथाकाशं स्पर्शमात्रं ससर्ज ह
The bhūtādi enveloped both the subtle essence of sound and space together; from the subtle essence of sound and space, it then produced the subtle essence of touch.
बलवानभवद्वायुस्तस्य स्पर्शो गुणो मतः । आकाशं शब्दमात्रं तु स्पर्शमात्रं समावृणोत्
Wind became powerful, and its quality is considered to be touch; space, which is characterized by sound, enveloped the subtle essence of touch.
ततो वायुविकुर्वाणो रूपमात्रं ससर्ज ह । ज्योतिरुत्पद्यते वायोस्तद्रूपगुणमुच्यते
Then, wind, undergoing transformation, produced the subtle essence of form; from wind arises light, which is said to possess the quality of form.
स्पर्शमात्रस्तु वै वायू रूपमात्रं समावृणोत् । ज्योतिश्चापि विकुर्वाणं रसमात्रं ससर्ज ह
The subtle essence of touch, belonging to wind, enveloped the subtle essence of form; light, undergoing transformation, produced the subtle essence of taste.
संभवंति ततोंभांसि रसमात्राणि तानि तु । रसमात्राणिचांभांसि रूपमात्रं समावृणोत्
From that, the waters came into being, along with the subtle essences of taste; the subtle essences of taste and waters enveloped the subtle essence of form.
विकुर्वाणानिचांभांसिगंधमात्रंससर्जिरे । तस्माज्जाता मही चेयं सर्वभूतगुणाधिका
The waters, undergoing transformation, produced the subtle essence of smell; from that, the earth was born, endowed with all the qualities of the elements.
ससंघातो यतस्तस्मात्तस्य गंधो गुणो मतः । तस्मिंस्तस्मिंस्तु तन्मात्रात्तेन तन्मात्रता स्मृता
Because it is a composite, its quality is considered to be smell; from each subtle essence arises its corresponding element, and thus their subtle essence is remembered.
तन्मात्राण्यविशेषाणि विशेषाः क्रमशो पराः । भूततन्मात्रसर्गोयमहंकारात्तु तामसात्
The subtle essences are undifferentiated, while the differentiated elements arise successively; the creation of the elements from the subtle essences originates from tamasic ego.
कीर्तितस्तु समासेन मुनिवर्यास्तपोधनाः । तैजसानींद्रियाण्याहुर्देवा वैकारिका दश
This has been briefly described by the eminent sages, rich in austerity; the ten taijasa senses are said to be divine and vaikārik.