ईशाय वसवे तुभ्यं नमस्स्पर्शमयात्मने पशूनां पतये चैव पावकायातितेजसे भीमाय व्योमरूपाय शब्दमात्राय ते नमः
Homage to you, O Lord, O Vasava, whose nature is touch; to you, the Lord of creatures, to the blazing one of surpassing brilliance, to the terrible one, to the one whose form is space, to the one who is mere sound—salutations to you.
उग्रायोग्रस्वरूपाय यजमानात्मने नमः महादेवाय सोमाय नमोस्त्वमृतमूर्तये
Salutations to the fierce one, of fierce form, whose essence is the sacrificer; to the great god, to Soma, to you whose form is immortal.
एवं स्तुत्वा महादेवं ब्रह्मा लोकपितामहः प्रार्थयामास विश्वेशं गिरा प्रणतिपूर्वया
Having thus praised the great god, Brahmā, the grandsire of the worlds, addressed the Lord of all with words preceded by reverent salutation.
भगवन् भूतभव्येश मम पुत्र महेश्वर सृष्टिहेतोस्त्वमुत्पन्नो ममांगे ऽनंगनाशनः
O Blessed One, O Lord of past and future, O my son, O Great Lord, you have arisen from my body for the purpose of creation, as the destroyer of Kāmadeva.
तस्मान्महति कार्येस्मिन् व्यापृतस्य जगत्प्रभो सहायं कुरु सर्वत्र स्रष्टुमर्हसि स प्रजाः
Therefore, O Lord of the universe, as I am engaged in this great task, grant me your assistance everywhere; you ought to create these beings.
तेनैषां पावितो देवो रुद्रस्त्रिपुरमर्दनः बाढमित्येव तां वाणीं प्रतिजग्राह शंकरः
By this, the god Rudra, destroyer of the three cities, was purified; and Śaṅkara accepted those words, saying, 'So be it.'
ततस्स भगवान् ब्रह्मा हृष्टं तमभिनंद्य च स्रष्टुं तेनाभ्यनुज्ञातस्तथान्याश्चासृजत्प्रजाः
Then the blessed Brahmā, delighted, honored him, and, having been thus permitted by him, created other beings as well.
मरीचिभृग्वंगिरसः पुलस्त्यं पुलहं क्रतुम् दक्षमत्रिं वसिष्ठं च सो ऽसृजन्मनसैव च पुरस्तादसृजद्ब्रह्मा धर्मं संकल्पमेव च
He created Marīci, Bhṛgu, Aṅgiras, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, Dakṣa, Atri, and Vasiṣṭha by mind alone; and before them, Brahmā created Dharma and resolve.
इत्येते ब्रह्मणः पुत्रा द्वादशादौ प्रकीर्तिताः सह रुद्रेण संभूताः पुराणा गृहमेधिनः
Thus, these twelve sons of Brahmā are first proclaimed, together with Rudra, as the ancient householders.
तेषां द्वादश वंशाः स्युर्दिव्या देवगणान्विताः प्रजावन्तः क्रियावन्तो महर्षिभिरलंकृताः
From them arise twelve lineages, divine and accompanied by hosts of gods, abounding in progeny and rites, adorned by great sages.
अथ देवासुरपित्ःन् मनुष्यांश्च चतुष्टयम् सह रुद्रेण सिसृक्षुरंभस्येतानि वै विधिः
Then, desiring to create the fourfold groups—gods, asuras, ancestors, and humans—along with Rudra, the ordinance was set forth in the waters.
स सृष्ट्यर्थं समाधाय ब्रह्मात्मानमयूयुजत् मुखादजनयद्देवान् पित्ःंश्चैवोपपक्षतः
For the sake of creation, Brahmā concentrated himself and engaged his own self; from his mouth he generated the gods, and the ancestors as well, in due order.
जघनादसुरान् सर्वान् प्रजनादपि मानुषान् अवस्करे क्षुधाविष्टा राक्षसास्तस्य जज्ञिरे
From his loins he generated all the asuras, and from his lower parts, humans; from the refuse, possessed by hunger, the rākṣasas were born.
पुत्रास्तमोरजःप्राया बलिनस्ते निशाचराः सर्पा यक्षास्तथा भूता गंधर्वाः संप्रजज्ञिरे
His sons, mostly of darkness and passion, powerful, roaming at night, serpents, yakṣas, spirits, and gandharvas were also born.
वयांसि पक्षतः सृष्टाः पक्षिणो वक्षसो ऽसृजत् मुखतोजांस्तथा पार्श्वादुरगांश्च विनिर्ममे
He created birds from his feathers, and from his chest he produced winged creatures; likewise, from his sides he brought forth serpents.
पद्भ्यां चाश्वान्समातंगान् शरभान् गवयान् मृगान्
From his feet he created horses, elephants, śarabhas, wild oxen, and deer.
औषध्यः फलमूलानि रोमभ्यस्तस्य जज्ञिरे गायत्रीं च ऋचं चैव त्रिवृत्साम रथंतरम्
From his hairs were born herbs, fruits, and roots; also Gāyatrī, Ṛc, the threefold Sāman, and Rathantara.
अग्निष्टोमं च यज्ञानां निर्ममे प्रथमान्मुखात् यजूंषि त्रैष्टुभं छंदःस्तोमं पञ्चदशं तथा
From his mouth he first produced Agniṣṭoma among sacrifices, as well as the Yajus, the Triṣṭubh meter, and the Stoma of fifteen parts.
बृहत्साम तथोक्थं च दक्षिणादसृजन्मुखात् सामानि जगतीछंदः स्तोमं सप्तदशं तथा
From his mouth, he produced the Bṛhatsāma, the Uktha, the Sāma hymns, the Jagatī meter, and the seventeenth Stoma.
वैरूप्यमतिरात्रं च पश्चिमादसृजन् मुखात् एकविंशमथर्वाणमाप्तोर्यामाणमेव च
From his western face, he brought forth the Vairūpya, the Atirātra, the twenty-first Atharva, and the Āptoryāma sacrifice.
अनुष्टुभं स वैराजमुत्तरादसृजन्मुखात् उच्चावचानि भूतानि गात्रेभ्यस्तस्य जज्ञिरे
From his northern face, he produced the Anuṣṭubh and the Vairāja; from his limbs arose beings of varied forms.
यक्षाः पिशाचा गंधर्वास्तथैवाप्सरसां गणाः नरकिन्नररक्षांसि वयःपशुमृगोरगाः
Yakṣas, Piśācas, Gandharvas, the hosts of Apsarases, humans, Kinnaras, Rākṣasas, birds, animals, and serpents were born.
अव्ययं चैव यदिदं स्थाणुस्थावरजंगमम् तेषां वै यानि कर्माणि प्राक्सृष्टानि प्रपेदिरे
The imperishable, the immovable and moving, all that is called Sthāṇu, and their actions previously created, entered into them.
तान्येव ते प्रपद्यंते सृज्यमानाः पुनः पुनः हिंस्राहिंस्रे मृदुक्रूरे धर्माधर्मावृतानृते
Those very actions are repeatedly assumed by beings as they are created again and again, whether violent or gentle, righteous or unrighteous, true or false.
तद्भाविताः प्रपद्यंते तस्मात्तत्तस्य रोचते महाभूतेषु नानात्वमिंद्रियार्थेषु मुक्तिषु
Influenced by those, beings take on their nature; thus, diversity is seen among the great elements, the senses, and in liberation.
विनियोगं च भूतानां धातैव व्यदधत्स्वयम् नाम रूपं च भूतानां प्राकृतानां प्रपञ्चनम्
The creator himself assigned the functions of beings, and their names and forms, as well as the manifestation of natural entities.
वेदशब्देभ्य एवादौ निर्ममे ऽसौ पितामहः आर्षाणि चैव नामानि याश्च वेदेषु वृत्तयः
In the beginning, the Grandfather fashioned from the words of the Vedas the names of sages and the usages found in the Vedas.
शर्वर्यंते प्रसूतानां तान्येवैभ्यो ददावजः यथर्तावृतुलिंगानि नानारूपाणि पर्यये
At the end of each cycle, he gave to those born the same forms and marks as before, with various appearances in succession.
दृश्यंते तानि तान्येव तथा भावा युगादिषु इत्येष करणोद्भूतो लोकसर्गस्स्वयंभुवः
Those same forms and states are seen at the beginning of each era; thus, the creation of the world arises spontaneously from the instruments.
महदाद्योविशेषांतो विकारः प्रकृतेः स्वयम् चंद्रसूर्यप्रभाजुष्टो ग्रहनक्षत्रमंडितः
The transformation of Prakṛti, from the great principle to the particular, is adorned with the radiance of the moon and sun, and encircled by planets and stars.