समुद्धर भवायेश कुरु सर्वजगद्धितं। एवं संस्तूयमानश्च परमात्मा महीधरः
Lift it up, O Lord, for the welfare of all; do good to the entire world. Thus praised, the supreme soul, the bearer of the earth,
उज्जहार क्षितिं क्षिप्रं न्यस्तवान्स महार्णवे। तस्योपरि जलौघेस्य महती नौरिवस्थिता
Quickly lifted the earth and placed it upon the great ocean; upon it, a vast mass of water stood like a great ship.
ततः क्षितिं समां कृत्वा पृथिव्यामचिनोद्गिरीन्। यथाविभागं भगवाननादिः पुरुषोत्तमः
Then, making the earth level, the primeval, supreme person arranged the mountains upon the earth according to their divisions.
भूविभागं ततः कृत्वा सप्तद्वीपान्यथातथं। भूताद्यांश्चतुरोलोकान्पूर्ववत्समकल्पयत्
After dividing the earth, he established the seven continents as before, and created the four worlds beginning with the elements, just as previously.
ब्रह्मणे विष्णुना पूर्वमेतदेव प्रदर्शितं। तुष्टेन देवदेवेन त्वं देवः पुरुषोत्तमः
This was previously shown to Brahma by Viṣṇu, the satisfied lord of gods; you are the supreme deity.
त्वया मया जगच्चेदं धार्यं पाल्यं च यत्नतः। येषां त्वसुरमुख्यानां वरो दत्तो मयाधुना
By you and by me, this world must be supported and protected with care; now I have granted a boon to the chief among the asuras.
देवानां हितकामेन हंतव्यास्ते त्वया विभो। अहं सृष्टिं करिष्यामि सा च पाल्या त्वया विभो
For the welfare of the gods, you must slay them, O Lord; I will create the world, and you must protect it, O Lord.
एवमुक्तो गतो विष्णुर्देवादीनसृजद्विभुः। अबुद्धिपूर्वकस्तस्य प्रादुर्भूतस्तमोमयः
Thus addressed, Viṣṇu departed, and the Lord created the gods; but from him, without awareness, a being of darkness appeared.
तमो मोहो महामोहस्तामिस्रो ह्यन्धसंज्ञकः। पंचधावस्थितः सर्गो ध्यायतस्तु महात्मनः
Darkness, confusion, great delusion, tamisra, and that called andhasamjñaka—thus, the creation established in fivefold form arose from the meditation of the great soul.
बहिरंतश्चाप्रकाशः संवृतात्मा नगात्मकः। मुख्यानागायतश्चोक्ता मुख्यसर्गस्ततस्त्वयं
Without light both outwardly and inwardly, with a veiled self, of the nature of trees—this is declared as the primary creation of the principal beings, and thus this is the main creation.
तं दृष्ट्वा साधकं सर्गममन्यदपरं प्रभुः। तस्याभिध्यायतस्सर्गस्तिर्यक्स्रोतोभ्यवर्तत
Seeing that creation as ineffective, the Lord contemplated another, different creation; from his meditation arose the creation called tiryaksrotas.
यस्मात्तिर्यक्प्रवृत्तिः स्यात्तिर्यक्स्रोतस्ततः स्मृतः। पश्वादयस्ते विख्यातास्तमः प्राया ह्यवेदिनः
Because their activity is sideways, they are known as tiryaksrotas; these, such as cattle and others, are renowned, mostly enveloped in darkness and ignorant.
उत्पथग्राहिणश्चैव ते ज्ञाने ज्ञानमानिनः। अहंकृतास्त्वहंमाना अष्टाविंशद्विधात्मकाः। अंतःप्रकाशास्ते सर्व आवृतास्ते परस्परम्
They are led astray from the right path, and though ignorant, they consider themselves knowledgeable; filled with ego and pride, they are of twenty-eight kinds, all with inner light, yet mutually obscured.
तमप्यसाधकं मत्वा ध्यायतोन्यस्ततोभवत्। ऊर्द्ध्वस्रोतस्तृतीयस्तु सात्विकोर्ध्वमवर्तत
Considering that creation too as ineffective, he meditated again, and from that arose the third creation, the sāttvika, which proceeded upward.
ते सुखप्रीतिबहुला बहिरंतरनावृताः। प्रकाशा बहिरंतश्च ऊर्द्ध्वस्रोतास्ततः स्मृताः
They are abundant in happiness and delight, unobscured both outwardly and inwardly, radiant within and without; therefore, they are called ūrdhvasrotas.
तुष्टात्मनस्तृतीयस्तु देवसर्गस्तु संस्मृतः। तस्मिन्सर्गे भवत्प्रीतिर्निष्पन्ने ब्रह्मणस्तदा
The third creation, of contented nature, is remembered as the creation of the gods; when that creation was accomplished, joy arose in Brahmā.
ततोन्यं स तदा दध्यौ साधकं सर्गमुत्तमम्। असाधकांस्तुतान्ज्ञात्वा मुख्यसर्गादिसंभवान्
Then he contemplated yet another, the highest effective creation, having recognized the ineffective ones arising from the primary creation and others.
तथाभिध्यायतस्तस्य सत्याभिध्यायिनस्ततः। प्रादुर्भूतस्तदाव्यक्तादर्वाक्स्रोतस्तु साधकः
Thus, as he meditated with true intent, from the unmanifest appeared the effective creation called avāksrotas.
यस्मादर्वाक्प्रवर्तंते ततोऽवाक्स्रोतसस्तु ते। ते च प्रकाशबहुलास्तमोद्रिक्ता रजोधिकाः
Because their activity proceeds downward, they are called avāksrotas; they are abundant in radiance, yet dominated by darkness and with rajas prevailing.
तस्मात्ते दुःखबहुला भूयोभूयश्च कारिणः। प्रकाशा बहिरंतश्च मनुष्याः साधकाश्च ते
Therefore, they are filled with much suffering and are repeatedly active; radiant within and without, these are the humans, and they are effective.
पंचमोनुग्रहः सर्गः स चतुर्द्धा व्यवस्थितः। विपर्ययेण सिद्ध्या च शक्त्या तुष्ट्या तथैव च ७३ (तुलनीय - ब्रह्माण्ड पुराणम् [https://sa.wikisource.org/s/89a १.१.५.६१], लिङ्ग पुराणम् [https://sa.wikisource.org/s/4ii १.७०.१५८])। विवृत्तं वर्त्तमानं च ते न जानंति वै पुनः। भूतादिकानां भूतानां षष्ठः सर्गः स उच्यते
The fifth creation is of grace, established in fourfold form: by reversal, by accomplishment, by power, and by contentment. The sixth creation, called bhūtādi, is of beings who do not know what has passed or is present.
ते परिग्राहिणः सर्वे सविभागतरास्तु ते। चोदना जाप्यशीलाश्च ज्ञेया भूतादिकास्तु ते
All these are grasping, and they are more distinctly divided; they are to be known as those who act by impulse and by habitual chanting, and these are called bhūtādikas.
इत्येते कथिताः सर्गाः षडत्र नृपसत्तम। प्रथमो महतस्सर्गो द्वितीयो ब्रह्मणस्तु यः
Thus, O best of kings, these six creations have been described here: the first is the creation of mahat, the second is that of Brahmā.
तन्मात्राणां द्वितीयस्तु भूतसर्गोहि स स्मृतः। वैकारिकस्तृतीयस्तु सर्गश्चैंद्रियकः स्मृतः
The second is remembered as the creation of the tanmātras, called the creation of elements; the third, called vaikārika, is known as the creation of the senses.
इत्येष प्राकृतः सर्गः संभूतो बुद्धिपूर्वकः। मुख्यसर्गश्चतुर्थस्तु मुख्या वै स्थावराः स्मृताः
Thus, this is the prākṛta creation, arisen through intellect; the fourth, the primary creation, is remembered as the main stationary beings.
तिर्यक्स्रोतश्च यः प्रोक्तस्तिर्यग्योन्यस्स उच्यते। ततोर्ध्वस्रोतसां षष्ठो देवसर्गस्तु स स्मृतः
That which is called tiryaksrotas is also known as the creation of animals; after that, the sixth is the creation of the gods, called ūrdhvasrotas.
ततोर्वाक्स्रोतसां सर्गः सप्तमः स तु मानुषः। अष्टमोनुग्रहः सर्गः सात्विकस्तामसस्तु सः
Then the seventh creation is that of beings with speech-channels, which is the human creation; the eighth is the creation of grace, which is sāttvika, and the tāmasa creation is that one.
पंचैते वैकृताः सर्गाः प्राकृतास्तु त्रयः स्मृताः। प्राकृतो वैकृतश्चैव कौमारो नवमः स्मृतः
These five are known as the modified creations, and the first three are called primary; the ninth, called the kaumāra creation, is both primary and modified.
एते तव समाख्याता नवसर्गाः प्रजापतेः। प्राकृता वैकृताश्चैव जगतो मूलहेतवः
Thus have the nine creations of the Lord of creatures been described to you—both the primary and the modified—which are the root causes of the world.
सृजतो जगदीशस्य किमन्यच्छ्रोतुमर्हसि। भीष्म उवाच। संक्षेपात्कथिताः सर्गा देवादीनां गुरोस्तथा
What else do you wish to hear about the creation by the Lord of the world? Bhīṣma said: The creations of the gods and others, as well as of the teacher, have been told briefly.