Varaha Purana

भवे भवे यश्च ससर्ज्ज कं ततो जगत् प्रसूतं सचराचरं त्विदम् । ततश्च रुद्रात्मवति प्रलीयते- ऽन्वतो हरिर्विष्णुहरस्तथोच्यते ।। ८.

He who, in every cycle of existence, creates beings, from whom this world of moving and unmoving things is born, and into whom, when it is possessed by the spirit of Rudra, it is dissolved—he is called Hari, Viṣṇu, and Hara.

खात्मेन्दुपृथ्वीपवनाग्निभास्करा जलं च यस्य प्रभवन्ति मूर्त्तयः । स सर्वदा मे भगवान् सनातनो ददातु शं विष्णुरचिन्त्यरूपधृक् ।। ८.

He from whom space, the moon, earth, wind, fire, sun, and water arise as forms—may that eternal, blessed Viṣṇu, bearer of inconceivable form, always grant me well-being.

धरण्युवाच । आदौ कृतयुगे नाथ किं कृतं विश्वमूर्त्तिना । नारायणेन तत्सर्वं श्रोतुमिच्छामि तत्त्वतः ।। 9.

The Earth said: O Lord, what did Nārāyaṇa, the universal form, do at the beginning, in the Kṛta Yuga? I wish to hear all that in truth.

श्रीवराह उवाच । पूर्वं नारायणस्त्वेको नासीत् किञ्चिद्धरेः परम् । सैक एव रतिं लेभे नैव स्वच्छन्दकर्मकृत् ।। 9.

Śrī Varāha said: In the beginning, there was only Nārāyaṇa; nothing existed apart from Hari. He alone found delight, but did not act according to his own will.

तस्य द्वितीयमिच्छन्तश्चिन्ता बुद्ध्यात्मिका बभौ । असावित्येव संज्ञाया क्षणं भास्करसन्निभा ।। 9.

Desiring a second, a thought arose in him, consisting of intellect and self; it was called 'Asu,' and for a moment shone like the sun.

तस्या अपि द्विधा भूता चिन्ताऽभूद ब्रह्मवादिनी । उमेति संज्ञया यत्तत्सदा मर्त्ये व्यवस्थिता ।। 9.

That thought also became twofold, becoming the reasoning of Brahman; what is known by the name 'Umā' is always established among mortals.

ओमित्येकाक्षरीभूता ससर्जेमां महीं तदा । भूः ससर्ज भुवं सोऽपि स्वः ससर्ज ततो महः ।। 9.

Having become the single syllable 'Om,' she then created this earth; Bhūḥ created Bhuvaḥ, and he created Svaḥ, and then Mahaḥ.

ततश्च जन इत्येव तपश्चात्मा प्रलीयते । एतदोतं तथा प्रोतं सूत्रे मणिगणा इव ।। 9.

Then Jana and Tapa, and the self is dissolved; all this is woven and threaded together like a string of gems on a thread.

जगत् प्रणवतो भूतं शून्यमेतत् स्थितं तदा । येयं मूर्तिर्भगवतः शंकरः स स्वयं हरिः ।। 9.

When the universe, uttered by the sacred syllable, existed as emptiness, that form of the Blessed One—Śaṅkara—was himself Hari.

शून्याँल्लोकानिमान् दृष्ट्वा सिसृक्षुर्मूर्त्तिमुत्तमाम् । क्षोभयित्वा मनोधाम तत्राकारः स्वमात्रतः ।। 9.

Seeing these worlds as void, wishing to create the highest form, he stirred the realm of mind, and there formed a shape from his own measure.

स्थितस्तस्मिन् यदा क्षुब्धे ब्रह्माण्डमभवत्तदा । तस्मिंस्तु शकलीभूते भूर्लोकं च व्यवस्थितम् ।। 9.

When he stood in that stirred state, then the cosmic egg came into being; when it was divided, the Bhūloka was established.

अपरं भुवनं प्रायान्मध्ये भास्करसन्निभम् । पुराणपुरुषो व्याप्य पद्मकोशे व्यवस्थितः ।। 9.

Another world appeared in the middle, shining like the sun; the Ancient Person, pervading it, was established within the lotus sheath.

स हि नारायणो देवः प्राजापत्येन तेजसा । अकाराद्यं स्वरं नाभ्यां हलं च विससर्ज ह ।। 9.

That god Nārāyaṇa, with the brilliance of the progenitor, produced the first vowel 'a' from his navel, and also the consonant 'ha.'

अमूर्त्तसृष्टौ शास्त्राणि उदगायत् तदा दिशः । सुष्ट्वा पुनरमेयात्मा चिन्तयामास धारणम् ।। 9.

At the creation of the formless, he sang forth the scriptures to the directions; having created them, the immeasurable self again contemplated support.

तस्य चिन्तयतो नेत्रात् तेजः समभवन्महत् । दक्षिणं वह्निसङ्काशं वामं तुहिनसन्निभम् ।। 9.

As he contemplated, from his eyes arose a great radiance: from the right, like fire; from the left, like the coolness of the moon.

तं दृष्ट्वा चन्द्रसूर्यौ तु कल्पितौ परमेष्ठिना । ततः प्राणः समुत्तस्थौ वायुश्च परमेष्ठिनः ।। 9.

Seeing that, the supreme lord fashioned the moon and the sun; then breath arose, and from the supreme lord, the wind.

स एव वायुर्भगवान् योऽद्यापि हृदिगो विभुः । तस्माद् वह्निः समुत्तस्थौ तस्मादग्नेर्जलं महत् ।। 9.

That very wind, the blessed one, even now moves within the heart, pervading all; from him arose fire, and from fire, the great water.

य एवाग्निः स वै तेजो ब्राह्मं परमकारणम् । बाहुभ्यामप्यसौ तेजः क्षात्रं तेजः ससर्ज ह ।। 9.

That very fire is indeed the divine radiance, the supreme cause of the Brāhmaṇas; and from his arms, he also created the radiance of the Kṣatriyas.

ऊरुभ्यामपि वैश्यांश्च पद्भ्यां शूद्रांस्तथा विभुः । ततस्तु ससृजे यक्षान् राक्षसांश्च तथा विभुः ।। 9.

From his thighs, the mighty one created the Vaiśyas, and from his feet, likewise, the Śūdras; then he created the Yakṣas and Rākṣasas as well.

चतुर्विधैस्तु भूर्लोकं भुवर्लोकं वियच्चरैः । भूतैः स्वर्मार्गगैरन्यैः स्वर्लोकं समपूरयत् ।। 9.

With these four kinds of beings, he filled the earth-world, the atmosphere-world with beings moving in the sky, and the heaven-world with other celestial beings.

महर्लोकं तथा तैस्तैर्भूतैश्च सनकादिभिः । जनोलोकं ततश्चैव वैराजैः समपूरयत् ।। 9.

He likewise filled the Maharloka with those beings and with Sanaka and the others; and then he filled the Janaloka with the Vairājas.

तपोलोकं ततो देवस्तपोनिष्ठैरपूरयत् । अपुनर्मारकैर्देवैः सत्यलोकमपूरयत् ।। 9.

After that, the god filled Tapoloka with those devoted to austerity, and then filled Satyaloka with gods who are free from death.

सृष्टिं सृष्ट्वा तथा देवो भगवान् भूतभावनः । कल्पसंज्ञं स्वकं घस्त्रं जागर्ति परमेश्वरः ।। 9.

Having thus created creation, the blessed Lord, the originator of beings, remains awake in his own cycle of time called a kalpa, as the Supreme Lord.

तस्मिन् जगति भूर्लोको भुवर्लोकश्च जायते । स्वर्लोकश्च त्रयोऽप्येते जायन्ते नात्र संशयः ।। 9.

In that world, the earth-world, the atmosphere-world, and the heaven-world are born; all these three indeed come into being—there is no doubt about this.

सुप्ते तु देवे कल्पान्ते तावती रात्रिरिष्यते । त्रै लोक्यमेतत् सुप्तं स्यात् तथोपप्लवतां गतम् ।। 9.

But when the god sleeps at the end of a kalpa, that is considered to be his night; then these three worlds become dormant, as if submerged in dissolution.

ततो रात्र्यां व्यतीतायामुत्थितः कमलेक्षणः । चिन्तयामास तान् वेदान् मातरं च चतुर्ष्वपि । चिन्तयानः स देवेशस्तान् वेदान् नाध्यगच्छत ।। 9.

Then, when that night had passed, the lotus-eyed one arose and contemplated those Vedas and their mothers in all four; yet, though he pondered, the Lord of gods did not find those Vedas.

लोकमार्गस्थितिं कर्त्तुं निद्राज्ञानेन मोहितः । चिन्तयामास देवेशो नात्र वेदा व्यवस्थिताः ।। 9.

Desiring to establish the path and order of the worlds, but confused by the sleep of ignorance, the Lord of gods reflected: 'Here, the Vedas are not present.'

ततः स्वमूर्तौ तोयाख्ये लीनान् दृष्ट्वा सुरेश्वरः । जिघृक्षुश्चिन्तयामास मत्स्यो भूत्वाविशज्जलम् ।। 9.

Then, seeing them merged in his own form called 'water,' the Lord of gods, wishing to recover them, thought to become a fish and entered the waters.

एवं ध्यात्वा महामत्स्यस्तत्क्षणात् समजायत । विवेश च जलं देवः समन्तात् क्षोभयन्निव ।। 9.

Thus meditating, a great fish instantly appeared; and the god entered the water, as if stirring it all around.