पृथिव्यापस्तथातेजो वायुराकाशमेव च। एकैकशः स्वरूपेण कथयामि यथोत्तरम्
Earth, water, fire, air, and also space—one by one, in their own nature, I will describe them in order.
शब्दमात्रमथाकाशं भूतादिः खं समावृणोत्। अथाकाशं विकुर्वाणं स्पर्शमात्रं ससर्ज ह
Then, the tamasic (bhūtādi) covered space (kha), which is characterized only by sound; and as space transformed, it produced touch alone.
बलवानेष वै वायुस्तस्य स्पर्शो गुणो मतः। आकाशं शब्दमात्रं तु स्पर्शमात्रं समावृणोत्
This powerful one is indeed air, whose quality is considered to be touch; space, having only sound, was enveloped by touch alone.
ततो वायुर्विकुर्वाणो रूपमात्रं ससर्ज ह। ज्योतीरूपन्तु तद्वायुस्तद्रूपगुणमुच्यते
Then, as air transformed, it produced form alone; that form is called light, and air is said to possess the quality of form.
स्पर्शरूपस्तु वै वायू रूपमात्रं समावृणोत्। ज्योतिश्चापि विकुर्वाणं रसमात्रं ससर्ज ह
Air, possessing touch and form, was enveloped by form alone; and as light transformed, it produced taste alone.
संभवंति ततोंभांसि रूपमात्रं समावृणोत्। विकुर्वाणानि चांभांसि गंधमात्रं ससर्जिरे
From that, water came into being, enveloped by form alone; and as water transformed, it produced smell alone.
संघातो जायते तस्मात्तस्य गंधो मतो गुणः। तैजसानीन्द्रियाण्याहुर्देवा वैकारिका दश
From that, a compound arises, whose quality is considered to be smell; the gods declare the senses born of rajas to be ten.
एकादशम्मनश्चात्र देवा वैकारिकाः स्मृताः। त्वक्चक्षुर्नासिका जिह्वा श्रोत्रमत्र च पंचमम्१०० 1.2.
The mind is the eleventh here; the gods born of sattva are remembered thus: skin, eye, nose, tongue, and ear as the fifth.
एतेषां तु मतं कृत्यं शब्दादि ग्रहणं पुनः। वाक्पाणिपादपायूनि चोपस्थं तत्र पञ्चमम्
Their function, it is said, is the perception of sound and so on; speech, hands, feet, anus, and the generative organ are the five organs of action.
विसर्गशिल्पगत्युक्तिर्गुणा एषां विपर्ययात्। आकाश वायु तेजांसि सलिलं पृथिवी तथा
Emission, craftsmanship, movement, and speech are their qualities, in reverse order; space, air, fire, water, and likewise earth.
शब्दादिभिर्गुणैर्वीर युक्तानीत्युत्तरोत्तरैः। शांता घोराश्च मूढाश्च विशेषास्तेन ते स्मृताः
O hero, these are endowed with the qualities of sound and so on, increasingly; thus, they are remembered as calm, fierce, and dull in their distinctions.
नानावीर्याः पृथग्भूतास्ततस्ते संहतिं विना। नाशक्नुवन्प्रजाः स्रष्टुमसमागम्य कृत्स्नशः
Having various powers and existing separately, they, without union, were unable to create beings, not having come together completely.
समेत्यान्योन्यसंयोगात्परस्परसमाश्रयात्। एकसंघातलक्षाश्च संप्राप्यैक्यमशेषतः
But coming together, through mutual combination and support, they attained the mark of a single aggregate and complete unity.
पुरुषाधिष्ठितत्वाच्च व्यक्तानुग्रहणे तथा। महदादयो विशेषांता ह्यंडमुत्पादयंति वै
Because of being presided over by the Purusha and for the benefit of the manifest, the great principle and the rest, ending with the particulars, indeed produced the cosmic egg.
तत्क्रमेण विवृत्तं तु जलबुद्बुदवत्समम्। तत्राव्यक्तस्वरूपोसौ व्यक्तरूपी जनार्दनः
In due order, it expanded, just like a bubble of water; there, the unmanifest essence became manifest as Janārdana.
ब्रह्माब्रह्मस्वरूपेण स्वयमेव व्यवस्थितः। मेरुरुल्बमभूत्तस्य जरायुश्च महीधराः
Brahmā, in the form of Brahman, was himself established; Meru became its umbilical cord, and the great mountains its placenta.
गर्भोदकं समुद्राश्च तस्यासंश्च महात्मनः। तत्र द्वीपास्समुद्राश्च सज्योतिर्लोकसंग्रहः
The cosmic waters and oceans belong to that great soul; within them are islands, oceans, and the luminous worlds gathered together.
तस्मिन्नंडेऽभवन्वीर सदेवासुरमानुषाः। वारि वह्न्यनिलाकाशैर्वृतैर्भूतादिना बहिः
Within that cosmic egg, O hero, arose the gods, asuras, and humans, surrounded outside by water, fire, wind, and space, along with the elements beginning with earth.
वृतं दशगुणैरंडं भूतादिर्महता तथा। अव्यक्तेनावृतो राजंस्तैः सर्वैः सहितो महान्
The egg is enveloped tenfold by the great principle beginning with the elements, and by the unmanifest; O king, the great one is encompassed by all these.
एभिरावरणैः सर्वैः सर्वभूतैश्च संयुतम्। नारिकेलफलं यद्वद्बीजं बाह्यदलैरिव
With all these coverings, united with all beings, it is like a coconut fruit, the seed enclosed by the outer husks.
ब्रह्मा स्वयं च जगतो विसृष्टौ संप्रवर्त्तते। सृष्टिं च पात्यनुयुगं यावत्कल्पविकल्पना
Brahmā himself then proceeds with the creation of the world, and preserves the creation through each age, as long as the duration of the kalpa endures.
स संज्ञां याति भगवानेक एव जनार्दनः। सत्वभुग्गुणवान्देवो ह्यप्रमेय पराक्रमः
That one Lord Janārdana alone assumes the designation, endowed with the quality of sattva, the god of immeasurable power.
तमोद्रेकं च कल्पांते रूपं रौद्रं करोति च। राजेंद्राखिलभूतानि भक्षयत्यतिभीषणः
At the end of the kalpa, he takes on a fierce form of darkness, O king, and terribly devours all beings.
भक्षयित्वा च भूतानि जगत्येकार्णवीकृते। नागपर्यंकशयने शेते सर्वस्वरूपधृक्
Having devoured all beings when the world becomes a single ocean, he lies upon the serpent couch, bearing all forms.
प्रबुद्धश्च पुनः सृष्टिं प्रकरोति च रूपधृक्। सृष्टिस्थित्यंतकरणाद्ब्रह्मविष्णुशिवात्मकः
Awakening again, he creates the world anew, assuming forms; as the cause of creation, preservation, and destruction, he is Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Śiva.
स्रष्टा सृजति चात्मानं विष्णुः पाल्यं च पाति च। उपसंह्रियते चापि संहर्त्ता च स्वयं प्रभुः
The creator creates himself; Viṣṇu protects what is to be preserved, and the Lord himself withdraws and destroys.
पृथिव्यापस्तथा तेजो वायुराकाशमेव च। स एव सर्वभूतेशो विश्वरूपो यतोव्ययः
Earth, water, fire, wind, and space—he alone is the lord of all beings, of universal form, the source and imperishable.
सर्गादिकं ततोस्यैव भूतस्थमुपकारकम्। स एव सृज्यः स च सर्गकर्त्ता स एव पाल्यं प्रतिपाल्यते यतः। ब्रह्माद्यवस्थाभिरशेषमूर्त्तिर्ब्रह्मा वरिष्ठो वरदो वरेण्यः
Therefore, all creation and its support exist within him; he is both the created and the creator, he is the protector and the protected; with the states beginning from Brahmā, he is of infinite forms, the supreme Brahmā, the bestower of boons, the most excellent.
भीष्म उवाच। निर्गुणस्याप्रमेयस्य शुद्धस्याथ महात्मनः। कथं सर्गादिकर्त्तृत्वं ब्रह्मणो ह्युपपद्यते
Bhīṣma said: How can the qualityless, immeasurable, pure, and great soul Brahman be the agent of creation and the rest?
पुलस्त्य उवाच। शक्तयः सर्वभावानामचिंत्या ज्ञानगोचराः। यत्ततो ब्रह्मणस्तास्तुसर्गाद्या भावशक्तयः
Pulastya said: The powers of all beings are inconceivable, accessible only to knowledge; thus, the creative and other powers of Brahman exist.