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.
उत्पन्नः प्रोच्यते विद्वान्नित्य एवोपचारतः। निजेन तस्य मानेन आयुर्वर्षशतं स्मृतम्
The wise say that he is born, though he is truly eternal; by his own measure, his lifespan is reckoned as a hundred years.
तत्पराख्यं परार्द्धं च तदर्द्धं परिकीर्त्तितम्। काष्ठा पंचदशाख्या ता निमेषा नृपसत्तम
That is called a parārdha, and half of that is also described; O best of kings, fifteen nimeṣas are known as a kāṣṭhā.
काष्ठा स्त्रिंशत्कला त्रिंशत्कला मौहूर्त्तिको विधिः। तावत्संख्यैरहोरात्रं मुहूर्त्तैर्मानुषं स्मृतम्
Thirty kāṣṭhās make a kalā, and thirty kalās make a muhūrta; by that count, a day and night are reckoned, and with muhūrtas, a human day is measured.
अहोरात्राणि तावंति मासः पक्षद्वयात्मकः। तैष्षड्भिरयनं वर्षमयने दक्षिणोत्तरे
So many days and nights make a month, consisting of two fortnights; with six such months, the year is formed, divided into the southern and northern courses.
अयनं दक्षिणं रात्रिर्देवानामुत्तरं दिनम्। दिव्यैर्वर्षसहस्रैस्तु कृतत्रेतादिसंज्ञितम्
The southern course is the night of the gods, and the northern course is their day; the periods called Kṛta, Tretā, and so on, are reckoned by thousands of divine years.
चतुर्युगं द्वादशभिस्तद्विभागं निबोध मे। चत्वारि त्रीणिद्वे चैकं कृतादिषु यथाक्रमम्
Understand from me the division of the four yugas into twelve parts: four, three, two, and one, in order, for Kṛta and the others.
दिव्याब्दानां सहस्राणि युगेष्वाहुः पुराविदः। तत्प्रमाणैः शतैः संध्या पूर्वा तत्राभिधीयते
The ancient knowers say that each yuga consists of thousands of divine years; with those measures, the preceding twilight is also described in hundreds.
संध्यांशकश्च तत्तुल्यो युगस्यानंतरो हि यः। संध्यासंध्यांशयोरंतः कालो यो नृपसत्तम
And the portion of twilight that follows, equal to the previous one, comes immediately after the yuga; O best of kings, the time between the twilight and its portion is thus.
युगाख्यः स तु विज्ञेयः कृतत्रेतादिसंज्ञितः। कृतं त्रेता द्वापरं च कलिश्चैव चतुर्युगम्
That is to be understood as the period called a yuga, known as Kṛta, Tretā, Dvāpara, and Kali; these four together are called a caturyuga.
प्रोच्यते तत्सहस्रं तु ब्रह्मणो दिवसं नृप। ब्रह्मणो दिवसे राजन्मनवश्च चतुर्दश
It is said, O king, that a thousand of these make a day of Brahmā; in one day of Brahmā, O king, there are fourteen Manus.