विस्तराच्छ्रोतुमिच्छामि त्वत्तो मुनिवरोत्तम। पुलस्त्य उवाच। कर्मभिर्भाविताः सर्वेकुशलाकुशलैस्तु ते
I wish to hear from you, O best of sages, the detailed account. Pulastya said: All those beings are shaped by their actions, both auspicious and inauspicious.
ख्यात्या तया ह्यनिर्मुक्ताः संहारे ह्युपसंहृताः। स्थावरान्तास्सुराद्यास्तु प्रजा राजंश्चतुर्विधाः
Because of that reputation, they are not released, but are withdrawn at dissolution; the beings, from gods to immovables, O king, are of four kinds.
ब्रह्मणः कुर्वतः सृष्टिं जज्ञिरे मानसाः स्मृताः। ततो देवासुरपितॄन्मानुषांस्तु चतुष्टयं
As Brahmā was creating, the mind-born beings were produced; then, the four groups—gods, asuras, ancestors, and humans—came forth.
सिसृक्षुरंभांस्येतानि स्वमात्मानमयूयुजत्। मुक्तात्मनस्ततो जाता दुरात्मानः प्रजापतेः
Desiring to create these beings, he engaged his own self; from the liberated self were born the wicked beings of the Lord of creatures.
सिसृक्षोर्जघनात्पूर्वं जज्ञिरे त्वसुरास्ततः। तत्याज तां ततो दुष्टान्तमोमात्रात्मिकां तनुं
From the lower part of the creator, as he wished to create, the asuras were first born; then he abandoned that evil, darkness-formed body.
सा तु त्यक्ता तनुस्तेन राजेंद्राभूद्विभावरी। सिसृक्षुरन्यदेहस्थः प्रीतिमापुस्ततः सुराः
That body, being abandoned by him, became night, O king; then, as the creator entered another body, the gods attained delight.
सत्वोद्रिक्ताः समुद्भूता मुखतो ब्रह्मणो नृप। त्यक्ता सापि तनुस्तेन सत्वप्रायमभूद्दिनं
Those filled with sattva arose from the mouth of Brahmā, O king; that body too, being abandoned by him, became day, consisting mostly of sattva.
ततो हि बलिनो रात्रावसुरा देवतादि वा। सत्वमात्रात्मिकां चैव ततोन्यां जगृहे तनुम्
Therefore, the strong asuras are active at night, and the gods during the day; then he took on another body, consisting solely of sattva.
पितृवन्मन्यमानस्य पितरस्तस्य जज्ञिरे। उत्ससर्ज पितॄन्कृत्वा ततस्तामपि स प्रभुः
As he considered them as ancestors, the ancestors were born from him; having created the ancestors, the Lord then abandoned that body as well.
सा चोत्सृष्टा भवत्संध्या दिननक्तांतरा स्थितिः। रजोमात्रात्मिकामन्यां जगृहे स तनुं ततः
That body, when abandoned, became twilight, the interval between day and night; then he took on another body, consisting solely of rajas.
रजोमात्रोत्कटा जाता मनुष्याः कुरुसत्तम। तामप्याशु स तत्याज तनुमाद्यां प्रजापतिः
From that body, dominated by rajas, humans were born, O best of Kurus; that first body too was quickly abandoned by the Lord of creatures.
ज्योत्स्ना समभवच्चापि प्राक्संध्या याभिधीयते। ज्योत्स्नागमे तु बलिनो मनुष्याः पितरस्तथा
That body became light, which is called the morning twilight; at the coming of light, the strong humans and ancestors arise.
राजेंद्र संध्यासमये तस्मात्ते प्रभवंति वै। ज्योत्स्ना रात्र्यहनी सन्ध्या चत्वार्येतानि वै विभोः
O king, at the time of twilight, they indeed come forth; light, night, day, and twilight—these four are of the Lord.
ब्रह्मणस्तु शरीराणि त्रिगुणोपाश्रयाणि च। रजोमात्रात्मिकामेव ततोन्यां जगृहे तनुं
The bodies of Brahmā are associated with the three guṇas; then he took on another body, consisting solely of rajas.
ततः क्षुद्ब्रह्मणोजाता जज्ञे कोपस्तया कृतः। क्षुत्क्षामो ह्यंधकारे तु सोसृजद्भगवांस्ततः
Then, from the hunger of Brahma, anger was born, caused by her; famished by hunger and in darkness, the Blessed One thus created him.
विरूपा अत्तुकामास्ते समधावंत तं प्रभुम्। रक्षतामेष यैरुक्तं राक्षसास्ते ततोभवन्
Those deformed beings, desiring to eat, rushed toward that Lord; those who said, 'Let us protect him,' became known as Rakshasas.
ऊचुः खादाम इत्यन्ये ये ते यक्षास्तु तेभवन्। अतिभीतस्य तान्दृष्ट्वा केशाः शीर्यन्ति वेधसः १०० 1.3.
Others said, 'Let us eat,' and they became Yakshas; seeing them, the terrified Creator's hair began to fall out.
हीनाश्च शिरसो भूयः समारोहंति ते शिरः। सर्पणात्तेभवन्सर्पा हीनत्वादहयः स्मृताः
Those who lost their heads grew new ones again; from their crawling, serpents were born, and because of their deficiency, they are called snakes.
ततः क्रुद्धेन वै स्रष्ट्रा क्रोधात्मानो विनिर्मिताः। वर्णेन कपिशेनोग्रा भूतास्ते पिशिताशिनः
Then, from the enraged Creator, beings embodying wrath were produced; fierce, with tawny color, they became flesh-eaters.
धयतो गां समुद्भूता गंधर्वास्तस्य तत्क्षणात्। पिबंतो जज्ञिरे वाचं गंधर्वास्तेन तेऽभवन्
As he drank from the cow, Gandharvas arose from him at that moment; as he drank speech, Gandharvas were thus born from him.
एतानि सृष्ट्वा भगवान्ब्रह्मा तच्छक्तिचोदितः। ततः स्वच्छंदतोऽन्यानि वयांसि वयसोऽसृजत्
Having created these, the Blessed Brahma, impelled by that power, then, of his own free will, created other birds.
अवयो वक्षसश्चक्रे मुखतोजांश्च सृष्टवान्। सृष्टवानुदराद्गाश्च महिषांश्च प्रजापतिः
He made birds from his chest, and from his mouth he created goats; from his belly he produced cows and buffaloes, the Lord of creatures.
पद्भ्यां चाश्वान्स मातंगान्रासभान्गवयान्मृगान्। उष्ट्रानश्वतरांश्चैव न्यंकूनन्याश्च जातयः
From his feet he created horses, elephants, donkeys, wild oxen, deer, camels, mules, and other kinds as well.
ओषध्यः फलमूलिन्यो रोमभ्यस्तस्य जज्ञिरे। त्रेतायुगमुखे ब्रह्मा कल्पस्यादौ नृपोत्तम
Medicinal plants, bearing fruits and roots, were born from his hair; at the beginning of the Treta Yuga, at the dawn of the kalpa, O best of kings.
सृष्ट्वा पश्वोषधीस्सम्यक्युयोज स तदाध्वरे। गामजं महिषम्मेषमश्वाश्वतरगर्दभान्
Having properly created animals and plants, he assigned them to the sacrifice: the cow, goat, buffalo, sheep, horse, mule, and donkey.
एतान्ग्राम्यपशूनाहुरारण्यांश्च निबोधमे। श्वापदो द्विखुरो हस्ती वानरः पञ्चमः खगः
These are called domestic animals; now hear of the wild ones: the carnivore, the cloven-hoofed, the elephant, the monkey as the fifth, and the bird.
उष्ट्रकाः पशवष्षष्ठास्सप्तमास्तु सरीसृपाः। गायत्रं च ऋचश्चैव त्रिवृत्सोमं रथन्तरम्
Camels are the sixth kind of animal, and reptiles are the seventh; the Gayatra and the Rc verses, the Trivrt, Soma, and Rathantara.
अग्निष्टोमं च यज्ञानां निर्ममे प्रथमान्मुखात्। यजूंषि त्रैष्टुभं छन्दः स्तोमं पञ्चदशं तथा
He created Agnistoma, the foremost of sacrifices, from his mouth; the Yajus verses, the Trishtubh meter, and the fifteenfold Stoma as well.
बृहत्साम तथोक्थं च दक्षिणादसृजन्मुखात्। सामानि जगतीच्छन्दः स्तोमं सप्तदशं तथा
From his southern mouth he produced the Brihatsaman and the Uktha; the Sama hymns, the Jagati meter, and the seventeenfold Stoma as well.
वैरूपमतिरात्रं च पश्चिमादसृजन्मुखात्। एकविंशमथर्वाणमप्तोर्यामाणमेव च
From his western mouth he produced the Vairupa and Atiratra; the twenty-onefold Atharvan and the Aptoryama as well.