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.
पाद्मं तत्पंचपंचाशत्सहस्राणीह पठ्यते। पंचभिः पर्वभिः प्रोक्तं संक्षेपाद्व्यासकारितात्
This Padma is recited here as fifty-five thousand verses, spoken in five sections, composed in summary by Vyāsa.
पौष्करं प्रथमं पर्व यत्रोत्पन्नः स्वयं विराट्। द्वितीयं तीर्थपर्व स्यात्सर्वग्रहगणाश्रयम्
The first section is Pauṣkara, in which the great Virāṭ was self-born; the second is the Section on Sacred Fords, which contains all the groups of planets.
तृतीयपर्वग्रहणा राजानो भूरिदक्षिणाः। वंशानुचरितं चैव चतुर्थे परिकीर्तितम्
In the third section are the accounts of kings who gave abundant gifts; the genealogies are also described in the fourth.
पंचमे मोक्षतत्वं च सर्वतत्वं निगद्यते। पौष्करे नवधा सृष्टिः सर्वेषां ब्रह्मकारिता
In the fifth, the essence of liberation and all truths are explained; in Pauṣkara, the creation of all beings by Brahmā is described in nine ways.
देवतानां मुनीनां च पितृसर्गस्तथापरः। द्वितीये पर्वताश्चैव द्वीपाः सप्त ससागराः
The creation of gods, sages, and ancestors is another topic; in the second section, the mountains and the seven islands with their oceans are described.
तृतीये रुद्रसर्गस्तु दक्षशापस्तथैव च। चतुर्थे संभवो राज्ञां सर्ववंशानुकीर्त्तनम्
In the third, the creation of Rudra and the curse of Dakṣa are told; in the fourth, the origin of kings and the narration of all dynasties.
अन्त्येपवर्गसंस्थानं मोक्षशास्त्रानुकीर्त्तनम्। सर्वमेतत्पुराणेऽस्मित्कथयिष्यामि वो द्विजाः
In the last, the arrangement of the final paths and the teaching of the scriptures on liberation are recounted; all this I shall tell you, O twice-born, in this Purāṇa.
इदं पवित्रं यशसो निधानमिदं पितॄणामतिवल्लभं स्यात् इदं च देवस्य सुखाय नित्यमिदं महापातकभिच्च पुंसाम्
This is pure, a treasure of fame, greatly beloved by the ancestors; this is always for the happiness of the Lord, and for men, it removes even great sins.
सूत उवाच। नमस्ये सर्वलोकानां विश्वस्य जगतः पतिम्। य इमं कुरुते भावं सृष्टिरूपं प्रधानवित्
Sūta said: I bow to the lord of all worlds, the master of the universe, who, knowing the primordial matter, creates this existence in the form of creation.
लोककृल्लोकतत्वज्ञो योगमास्थाय योगवित्। असृजत्सर्वभूतानि स्थावराणि चराणि च
The creator of worlds, knower of their essence, established in yoga and expert in it, produced all beings, both immobile and mobile.