तीर्थानां पुण्यदातॄणां नामानि किल कीर्तय । कुत एतत्समुत्पन्नं केन वा परिपाल्यते
'Recite, indeed, the names of those holy places that bestow merit; from where did they arise, and by whom are they maintained?'
कस्मिन्विलयमभ्येति जगदेतच्चराचरम् । क्षेत्राणि कानि पुण्यानि के च पूज्याः शिलोच्चयाः
'Into what do all these moving and unmoving worlds ultimately dissolve? Which fields are meritorious, and which revered stone elevations?'
नद्यश्च काः पराः पुण्या नृणां पापहराः शुभाः । एतत्सर्वं महाभाग कथयस्व यथाक्रमम्
'Which rivers are supreme, holy, auspicious, and remove the sins of people? O greatly fortunate one, tell all this in proper order.'
सूत उवाच-। साधुसाधु महाभागाः साधुपृष्टं तपोधनाः । तं प्रणम्य प्रवक्ष्यामि पुराणं पद्मसंज्ञकम्
Sūta said: 'Excellent, excellent, O greatly fortunate ones! You have asked well, O ascetics. Bowing to you, I shall relate the Purāṇa called Padma.'
पाराशर्यं परमपुरुषं विश्ववेद्यैकयोनिं विद्याधारं विपुलमतिदं वेदवेदांतवेद्यम् । शश्वच्छांतं स्वमतिविषयं शुद्धतेजोविशालं वेदव्यासं विततयशसं सर्वदाहं नमामि
I always bow to Vedavyāsa, son of Parāśara, the supreme person, the sole source known to the universe, the support of knowledge, of vast and profound intellect, known through the Vedas and Vedānta, ever peaceful, beyond sense-objects, of pure and immense brilliance, and of unfailing fame.
नमो भगवते तस्मै व्यासायामिततेजसे । यस्य प्रसादाद्वक्ष्यामि नारायणकथामिमाम्
Salutations to that blessed Vyāsa of boundless splendor, by whose grace I shall declare this tale of Nārāyaṇa.
प्रवक्ष्यामि महापुण्यं पुराणं पद्मसंज्ञितम् । सहस्रं पंचपंचाशत्षड्भिः खंडैः समन्वितम्
I shall narrate the highly meritorious Purāṇa called Padma, which consists of fifty-five sections and a thousand chapters.
तत्रादावादिखंडं स्याद्भूमिखंडं ततः परम् । ब्रह्मखंडं च तत्पश्चात्ततः पातालखंडकम्
Therein, at the beginning, is the Ādikhaṇḍa, then the Bhūmikhaṇḍa, next the Brahmakhaṇḍa, and after that, the Pātālakhāṇḍa.
क्रियाखंडं ततः ख्यातमुत्तरं खंडमंतिमम् । एतदेव महापद्ममद्भुतं यन्मयं जगत्
Then comes the Kriyākhaṇḍa, and after that, the well-known Uttarakhaṇḍa as the final section; this wondrous Mahāpadma is the very substance of the world.
तद्वृत्तांताश्रयं तस्मात्पाद्ममित्युच्यते बुधैः । एतत्पुराणममलं विष्णुमाहात्म्यमुत्तमम्
Because it is based on those events, it is called Padma by the wise; this spotless Purāṇa is the highest glorification of Viṣṇu.
देवदेवोहरिर्यद्वै ब्रह्मणे प्रोक्तवान्पुरा । ब्रह्मा तन्नारदायाह नारदोऽस्मद्गुरोः पुरः
That which the god of gods, Hari, once spoke to Brahma long ago, Brahma told to Narada, and Narada spoke before our teacher.
व्यासः सर्वपुराणानि सेतिहासानि संहिताः । अध्यापयामास मुहुर्मामतिप्रियमात्मनः
Vyasa, who is most dear to me, repeatedly taught me all the Puranas, the Itihasas, and the Samhitas.
तत्तेऽहं संप्रवक्ष्यामि पुराणमतिदुर्लभम् । यच्छ्रुत्वा ब्रह्महत्यादि पापेभ्यो मुच्यते नरः
Now I shall tell you that Purana, exceedingly rare, by hearing which a person is freed from sins such as the killing of a Brahmin.
सर्वतीर्थाभिषेकं च लभते शृणुते हि यः । श्रद्धया परया भक्त्या श्रुतमात्रेण मुक्तिदः
Whoever listens with supreme faith and devotion attains the merit of bathing at all sacred places; merely by hearing, it grants liberation.
अश्रद्धयापि शृणुते लभते पुण्यसंचयम् । तस्मात्सर्वप्रयत्नेन पद्मं श्रोत्रातिथी कुरु
Even one who listens without faith gains an accumulation of merit; therefore, by every effort, make the Padma your guest through hearing.
तत्रादिखंडं वक्ष्यामि पुण्यं पापविनाशनम् । शृण्वंतु मुनयः सर्वे सशिष्यास्त्वत्र ये स्थिताः
There, I shall relate the Adi Khanda, which is meritorious and destroys sin; let all the sages present here with their disciples listen.
सूत उवाच-। आदिसर्गमहं तावत्कथयामि द्विजोत्तमाः । ज्ञायते येन भगवान्परमात्मा सनातनः
Suta said: I shall now narrate the original creation, O best of twice-born, by which the Supreme Lord, the eternal Self, is known.
सृष्टेषु प्रलयादूर्ध्वं नासीत्किंचिद्द्विजोत्तमाः । ब्रह्मसंज्ञमभूदेकं ज्योतिर्वै सर्वकारकम्
After the dissolution, nothing existed, O best of Brahmins, except one radiance known as 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 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 of creation arrived, knowing that entity whose nature is knowledge, which is absorbed in itself and unchanging, it undertook to create.
तस्मात्प्रधानमुद्भूतं ततश्चापि महानभूत् । सात्विको राजसश्चैव तामसश्च त्रिधा महान्
From that arose Pradhana, and from it came Mahat; Mahat is threefold—sattvic, rajasic, and tamasic.
प्रधानेनावृतो ह्येव त्वचा बीजमिवावृतम् । वैकारिकस्तैजसश्च भूतादिश्चैव तामसः
Mahat, enveloped by Pradhana just as a seed is covered by its skin, is threefold: Vaikarika, Taijasa, and Bhutadi, the tamasic.
त्रिविधोयमहंकारो महत्तत्वादजायत । यथा प्रधानेन महान्महता स तथा वृतः
From Mahat arose the threefold ahamkara; just as Mahat is enveloped by Pradhana, so too is ahamkara enveloped by Mahat.
भूतादिस्तु विकुर्वाणः शब्दतन्मात्रकं ततः । ससर्ज शब्दतन्मात्रादाकाशं शब्दलक्षणम्
Bhutadi, undergoing transformation, produced the subtle element of sound; from the subtle element of sound, it created space, characterized by sound.
शब्दमात्रं तथाकाशं भूतादिः सममावृणोत् । शब्दमात्रं तथाकाशं स्पर्शमात्रं ससर्ज ह
Bhutadi enveloped both the subtle element of sound and space; then, from the subtle element of sound and space, it produced the subtle element of touch.
बलवानभवद्वायुस्तस्य स्पर्शो गुणो मतः । आकाशं शब्दमात्रं तु स्पर्शमात्रं समावृणोत्
Then arose the powerful Vayu, whose quality is said to be touch; space, which is only sound, was enveloped by the subtle element of touch.
ततो वायुविकुर्वाणो रूपमात्रं ससर्ज ह । ज्योतिरुत्पद्यते वायोस्तद्रूपगुणमुच्यते
Then, as Vayu underwent transformation, it produced the subtle element of form; from Vayu arose light, which is said to possess the quality of form.
स्पर्शमात्रस्तु वै वायू रूपमात्रं समावृणोत् । ज्योतिश्चापि विकुर्वाणं रसमात्रं ससर्ज ह
By mere touch, indeed, air enveloped only form; and fire, undergoing transformation, produced only taste.
संभवंति ततोंभांसि रसमात्राणि तानि तु । रसमात्राणिचांभांसि रूपमात्रं समावृणोत्
From that, those essences of taste came into being; and those essences of taste, in turn, were enveloped by only form.