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.
विकुर्वाणानिचांभांसिगंधमात्रंससर्जिरे । तस्माज्जाता मही चेयं सर्वभूतगुणाधिका
And those essences, undergoing transformation, produced only scent; from that, this earth was born, endowed with all the qualities of beings.
ससंघातो यतस्तस्मात्तस्य गंधो गुणो मतः । तस्मिंस्तस्मिंस्तु तन्मात्रात्तेन तन्मात्रता स्मृता
Because it is a composite, its quality is considered to be scent; in each, from each subtle element, its particularity is remembered as such.
तन्मात्राण्यविशेषाणि विशेषाः क्रमशो पराः । भूततन्मात्रसर्गोयमहंकारात्तु तामसात्
The subtle elements are undifferentiated; the differentiated ones arise successively; this creation of the subtle elements of matter proceeds from tamasic ego.
कीर्तितस्तु समासेन मुनिवर्यास्तपोधनाः । तैजसानींद्रियाण्याहुर्देवा वैकारिका दश
Thus, in summary, O best of sages, ascetics declare that the ten organs are luminous and arise from the vaikarika aspect.
एकादशं मनश्चात्र कीर्तितं तत्त्वचिंतकैः । ज्ञानेंद्रियाणि पंचात्र पंचकर्मेंद्रियाणि च
Here, the mind is said to be the eleventh by those who contemplate reality; among these are the five organs of knowledge and the five organs of action.
तानि वक्ष्यामि तेषां च कर्माणि कुलपावनाः । श्रवणं त्वक्चक्षुर्जिह्वा नासिका चैव पंचमी
I shall describe them and their functions, O purifier of lineages: hearing, touch, sight, taste, and the fifth is smell.
शब्दादिज्ञानसिद्ध्यर्थं बुद्धियुक्तानि पंच वै । पायूपस्थं हस्तपादौ कीर्तिता वाक्चपंचमी
These five, endowed with intelligence, exist for the attainment of knowledge of sound and the rest; the anus, genitals, hands, feet, and speech are declared as the fifth.
विसर्गानंदनादानगत्युक्तिकर्मतत्स्मृतम् । आकाशवायुतेजांसि सलिलं पृथिवी तथा
Their actions are remembered as excretion, pleasure, taking, movement, and speaking; ether, air, fire, water, and likewise earth.
शब्दादिभिर्गुणैर्विप्राः संयुक्ता उत्तरोत्तरैः । नानावीर्याः पृथग्भूतास्ततस्ते संहतिं विना
O sages, these are endowed with the qualities beginning with sound, each successive one possessing more; they are of various powers, distinct, and without combination.
नाशक्नुवन्प्रजाः स्रष्टुमसमागत्य कृत्स्नशः । समेत्यान्योन्यसंयोगं परस्परमथाश्रयात्
Unable to create beings without coming together completely, they then, by mutual union and reciprocal support—