वैन्यस्य हि पृथोर्यज्ञे वर्त्तमाने महात्मनः। मागधश्चैव सूतश्च तमस्तौतां नरेश्वरम्
For, during the sacrifice of the great soul King Pṛthu, the Māgadha and the Sūta praised that lord of men.
तुष्टेनाथ तयोर्द्दत्तो वरो राज्ञा महात्मना। सूताय सूतविषयो मगधो मागधाय च
Then, pleased, the great king granted them a boon: the Sūtas received the domain of the Sūtas, and the Māgadhas that of the Māgadhas.
तत्र सूत्यां समुत्पन्नः सूतो नामेह जायते। ऐन्द्रे सत्रे प्रवृत्ते तु ग्रहयुक्ते बृहस्पतौ
There, at the time of the sacrifice, a Sūta was born; in this world, he is called Sūta. When the Indra-sacrifice is commenced, with Bṛhaspati joined to the planets,
तमेवेंद्रं बार्हस्पत्ये तत्र सूतो व्यजायत। शिष्यहस्तेन यत्पृक्तमभिभूतं गुरोर्हविः
That very Indra, in the sacrifice of Bṛhaspati, there the Sūta was born; by the hand of a disciple, what was poured out overcame the offering of the teacher.
अधरोत्तरधारेण जज्ञे तद्वर्णसंकरम्। येत्र क्षत्रात्समभवन्ब्राह्मण्याश्चैव योनितः
Through a lower and upper stream, that mixture of castes was born; where, from a Kṣatriya and a Brāhmaṇa woman, offspring arose.
पूर्वेणैव तु साधर्म्याद्वैधर्मास्ते प्रकीर्तिताः। मध्यमो ह्येष सूतस्य धर्मः क्षेत्रोपजीविनः
By similarity with the former, their differences are described; this is the middle duty of the Sūta, one who lives by the field.
पुराणेष्वधिकारो मे विहितो ब्राह्मणैरिह। दृष्ट्वा धर्ममहं पृष्टो भवद्भिर्ब्रह्मवादिभिः
In the Purāṇas, my authority has been established here by the Brāhmaṇas; seeing the law, I have been questioned by you, O speakers of Brahman.
तस्मात्सम्यग्भुवि ब्रूयां पुराणमृषिपूजितम्। पितॄणां मानसी कन्या वासवं समपद्यत
Therefore, I shall rightly declare on earth the Purāṇa, honored by sages; the mind-born daughter of the ancestors became the wife of Vāsava.
अपध्याता च पितृभिर्मत्स्यगर्भे बभूव सा। अरणीव हुताशस्य निमित्तं पुण्यजन्मनः
Rejected by the ancestors, she entered the womb of a fish; like the kindling stick for the fire, she became the cause of a virtuous birth.
तस्यां बभूव पूतात्मा महर्षिस्तु पराशरात्। तस्मै भगवते कृत्वा नमः सत्याय वेधसे
In her was born the pure-souled great sage from Parāśara; to that blessed one, the truthful creator, I offer homage.
पुरुषाय पुराणाय ब्रह्मवाक्यानुवर्तिने। मानवच्छद्मरूपाय विष्णवे शंसितात्मने
To the ancient person, who follows the words of Brahman; to Viṣṇu, who took the form of a man, whose nature is praised.
जातमात्रं च यं वेद उपतस्थे ससंग्रहः। मतिमंथानमाविध्य येनासौ श्रुतिसागरात्
Whom, as soon as he was born, the Veda approached, together with its branches; having churned the ocean of the Veda with his intellect,
प्रकाशो जनितो लोके महाभारत चंद्रमाः। भारतं भानुमान्विष्णुर्यदि न स्युरमी त्रयः
He produced light in the world and the moon of the Mahābhārata; if these three—Bhārata, the sun, and Viṣṇu—did not exist,
ततोऽज्ञानतमोंधस्य कावस्था जगतो भवेत्। कृष्णद्वैपायनं व्यासं विद्धि नारायणं प्रभुम्
Then the world would remain in the darkness of ignorance; know Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana Vyāsa as Nārāyaṇa, the Lord.
को ह्यन्यः पुंडरीकाक्षान्महाभारतकृद्भवेत्। तस्मादहमुपाश्रौषं पुराणं ब्रह्मवादिनः
For who else but the lotus-eyed one could be the author of the Mahābhārata? Therefore, I have heard the Purāṇa from the speakers of Brahman.
सर्वज्ञात्सर्वलोकेषु पूजिताद्दीप्ततेजसः। पुराणं सर्वशास्त्राणां प्रथमं ब्रह्मणा स्मृतम्
From the all-knowing one, honored in all worlds, of blazing splendor; the Purāṇa, first among all scriptures, was remembered by Brahmā.
उत्तमं सर्वलोकानां सर्वज्ञानोपपादकम्। त्रिवर्गसाधनं पुण्यं शतकोटिप्रविस्तरम्
The highest among all worlds, the foundation of all knowledge; the means for the three aims of life, virtuous, and extending to a hundred crores.
निःशेषेषु च लोकेषु वाजिरूपेण केशवः। ब्रह्मणस्तु समादेशाद्वेदानाहृतवानसौ
When all the worlds were exhausted, Keśava, in the form of a horse, at the command of Brahmā, retrieved the Vedas.
अंगानि चतुरो वेदान्पुराणन्यायविस्तरम्। असुरेणाखिलं शास्त्रमपहृत्यात्मसात्कृतम्
The four Vedas, their limbs, the Purāṇa, and the vast science of law; all the scriptures were seized by the Asura and made his own.
मत्स्यरूपेणाजहार कल्पादावुदकार्णवे। अशेषमेतदवददुदकांतर्गतो विभुः
In the form of a fish, he took them at the beginning of the kalpa in the ocean of waters; the Lord, remaining within the waters, spoke all this in full.
श्रुत्वा जगाद च मुनीन्प्रतिवेदांश्चतुर्मुखः। प्रवृत्तिस्सर्वशास्त्राणां पुराणस्याभवत्तदा५० 1.1.
Having heard, the Four-faced One spoke to the sages and to the knowers of the Vedas: at that time, the origin of all the scriptures and of the Purāṇa took place.
कालेनाग्रहणं दृष्ट्वा पुराणस्य तदा विभुः। व्यासरूपस्तदा ब्रह्मा संग्रहार्थं युगे युगे
Seeing, with time, that the Purāṇa was not being properly retained, the Lord, in the form of Vyāsa, for the sake of compilation, appeared in every age.
चतुर्लक्षप्रमाणेन द्वापरे द्वापरे जगौ। तदाष्टादशधा कृत्वा भूलोकेस्मिन्प्रकाशितं
In each Dvāpara age, he declared it in four hundred thousand verses; then, having divided it into eighteen parts, he revealed it in this world.
अद्यापि देवलोकेषु शतकोटिप्रविस्तरम्। तदेवात्र चतुर्लक्षं संक्षेपेण निवेशितम्
Even today, in the worlds of the gods, it extends to a hundred crores of verses; but here, it is arranged in summary as four hundred thousand.
प्रवक्ष्यामि महापुण्यं पुराणं पाद्मसञ्ज्ञितम्। सहस्रं पञ्चपञ्चाशत्पंचखण्डैस्समन्वितम्
I shall now declare the highly meritorious Purāṇa called Padma, consisting of fifty-five thousand verses and endowed with five sections.
तत्रादौ सृष्टिखण्डं स्याद्भूमिखण्डं ततः परम्। स्वर्गखण्डं ततः पश्चात्ततः पातालखण्डकम्
Therein, first is the Section on Creation, then the Section on the Earth; after that, the Section on Heaven, then the Section on the Netherworld.
पञ्चमं च ततः ख्यातमुत्तरं खण्डमुत्तमम्। एतदेव महापद्ममुद्भूतं यन्मयं जगत्
The fifth, known as the Uttara Section, is the supreme section; this very great Padma has arisen, from which the world is composed.
तद्वृत्तान्ताश्रयं यस्मात्पाद्ममित्युच्यते ततः। एतत्पुराणममलं विष्णुमाहात्म्यनिर्मलम्
Because its narratives are based on that, it is therefore called Padma; this Purāṇa is pure, purified by the greatness of Viṣṇu.
देवदेवो हरिर्यद्वै ब्रह्मणे प्रोक्तवान्पुरा। ब्रह्मणाभिहितं पूर्वं यावन्मात्रं मरीचये
What the god of gods, Hari, formerly spoke to Brahmā, and what Brahmā previously told Marīci in its entirety—
एतदेव च वै ब्रह्मा पाद्मं लोके जगाद वै। सर्वभूताश्रयं तच्च पाद्ममित्युच्यते बुधैः
This very Padma Purāṇa was declared by Brahmā in the world; and because it is the support of all beings, the wise call it Padma.