Varaha Purana

तं दृष्ट्वाऽभ्यागतं दूरादर्घपाद्येन सो मुनिः । अर्चयामास तं भक्त्या मुदा परमया युतः ।। १३.

Seeing him approach from afar, the sage joyfully worshipped him with offerings of water for washing the feet, filled with supreme devotion.

कौश्यां वृष्यां तदासीनं पप्रच्छेदं मुनिस्तदा । शाधिं मां मुनिशार्दूल किं करोमि महाव्रत ।। १३.

Then, as he sat in the cow-shed, the sage asked him: 'Instruct me, O best of sages, what should I do, O great vow-holder?'

एवमुक्तः स विप्रेन्द्रो मार्कण्डेयो महातपाः । उवाच श्लक्ष्णया वाचा मुनिं गौरमुखं तदा ।। १३.

Thus addressed, the illustrious sage Mārkaṇḍeya, endowed with great austerity, spoke gently to the sage Gauramukha at that time.

मार्कण्डेय उवाच । एतदेव महत्कृत्यं यत्सतां संगमो भवेत् । यत्तु सान्देहिकं कार्यं तत्पृच्छस्व महामुने ।। १३.

Mārkaṇḍeya said: 'This alone is the great duty—that there should be association with the virtuous. But if there is any action about which you have doubt, ask about that, O great sage.'

गौरमुख उवाच । एते हि पितरो नाम प्रोच्यन्ते वेदवादिभिः । सर्ववर्णषु सामान्या उताहोस्वित् पृथक् पृथक् ।। १३.

Gauramukha said: 'These are called the Pitṛs, according to the Vedic authorities. Are they common to all castes, or are they distinct and separate?'

मार्कण्डेयः । सर्वेषामेव देवानामाद्यो नारायणो गुरुः । तस्माद् ब्रह्मा समुत्पन्नः सोऽपि सप्तासृजन्मुनीन् ।। १३.

Mārkaṇḍeya: 'Among all the gods, Nārāyaṇa is the original teacher; from him, Brahmā was born, and he too created the seven sages.'

मां यजस्वेति तेनोक्तास्तदा ते परमेष्ठिना । आत्मनात्मानमेवाग्रे अयजन्त इति श्रुतिः ।। १३.

'Worship me'—so he was told by the supreme lord; at first, they worshipped themselves with their own selves—so declares the scripture.

तेषां वै ब्रह्मजातानां महावैकारिकर्मणाम् । अशपद् व्यभिचारो हि महानेष कृतो यतः । प्रभ्रष्टज्ञानिनः सर्वे भविष्यथ न संशयः ।। १३.

Among those born from Brahmā, engaged in great creative acts, a great transgression was committed, so a curse was pronounced: 'You will all become devoid of knowledge—there is no doubt.'

एवं शप्तास्ततस्ते वै ब्रह्मणात्मसमुद्भवाः । सद्यो वंशकरान् पुत्रानुत्पाद्य त्रिदिवं ययुः ।। १३.

Thus cursed, those born from Brahmā's own self, after producing sons who would continue their lineage, immediately went to heaven.

ततस्तेषु प्रयातेषु त्रिदिवं ब्रह्मवादिषु । तत्पुत्राः श्राद्धदानेन तर्पयामासुरञ्जसा ।। १३.

When those Brahmavādins had gone to heaven, their sons quickly satisfied them with offerings made during the śrāddha rites.

ते च वैमानिकाः सर्वे ब्रह्मणः सप्त मानसाः । तत् पिण्डदानं मन्त्रोक्तं प्रपश्यन्तो व्यवस्थिताः ।। १३.

All those celestial beings—the seven mind-born sons of Brahmā—remain, observing the prescribed piṇḍa offerings as declared in the mantras.

गौरमुख उवाच । ये च ते पितरो ब्रह्मन् यं च कालं समासते । किं यतो वै पितृगणास्तस्मिंल्लोके व्यवस्थिताः ।। १३.

Gauramukha said: 'Who are those Pitṛs, O Brāhmaṇa, and for what period do they remain? Why are the groups of ancestors established in that world?'

मार्कण्डेय उवाच । प्रवर्त्तन्ते वराः केचिद् देवानां सोमवर्द्धनाः । ते मरीच्यादयः सप्त स्वर्गे ते पितरः स्मृताः ।। १३.

Mārkaṇḍeya said: 'Some excellent ones, who increase the strength of the gods and Soma, are active; they are the seven, beginning with Marīci, and are remembered as the Pitṛs in heaven.'

चत्वारो मूर्त्तिमन्तो वै त्रयस्त्वन्ये ह्यमूर्त्तयः । तेषां लोकनिसर्गं च कीर्त्तयिष्यामि तच्छृणु ।। १३.

Four of them possess form, while the other three are formless; I shall describe to you the creation of their worlds—listen to this.

प्रभावं च महर्धि च विस्तरेण निबोध मे । धर्ममूर्तिधरास्तेषां त्रयोऽन्ये परमा गणाः । तेषां नामानि लोकांश्च कीर्तयिष्यामि तच्छृणु ।। १३.

Hear from me in detail their power and great majesty; three of them bear the form of Dharma, and the others are supreme groups. I shall declare their names and their worlds—listen to this.

लोकाः संतानका नाम यत्र तिष्ठन्ति भास्वराः । अमूर्त्तयः पितृगणास्ते वै पुत्राः प्रजापतेः ।। १३.

The worlds called Saṃtānakas are where the radiant, formless groups of Pitṛs reside—these are the sons of the Lord of creatures.

विराजस्य प्रजाश्रेष्ठा वैराजा इति ते स्मृताः १३.

The best of the progeny of Virāṭ are known as the Vairājas.

एते वै लोकविभ्रष्टा लोकान् प्राप्य सनातनान् । पुनर्युगशतान्तेषु जायन्ते ब्रह्मवादिनः ।। १३.

These, having fallen from their worlds, attain the eternal worlds again, and at the end of hundreds of ages, they are born once more as knowers of Brahman.

ते प्राप्य तां स्मृतिं भूयः साध्य योगमनुत्तमम् । चिन्त्य योगगतिं शुद्धां पुनरावृत्तिदुर्लभाम् ।। १३.

Regaining that memory, they again attain the highest, flawless path of yoga, contemplating the pure course of yoga, which is difficult to return from.

एते स्म पितरः श्राद्धे योगिनां योगवर्द्धनाः । आप्यायितास्तु ते पूर्वं योगं योगबले रतौ ।। १३.

These ancestors, nourished by the offerings at śrāddha, increase the yoga of the yogins; formerly, when they were satisfied, they delighted in the strength of yoga.

तस्माच्छ्राद्धानि देयानि योगिनां योगिसत्तम । एष वै प्रथमः सर्गः सोमपानामनुत्तमः ।। १३.

Therefore, śrāddha offerings should be given by yogins, O best of yogis; this is indeed the foremost creation of those who drink soma, unsurpassed.

एते त एकतनवो वर्तन्ते द्बिजसत्तमाः । भूर्लोकवासिनां याज्याः स्वर्गलोकनिवासिनः १३.

These very ones, O best of twice-born, exist as a single lineage; those dwelling in the earthly world are to be worshipped, as are those residing in the heavenly world.

कल्पवासिकसंज्ञानां तेषामपि जने गताः । सनकाद्यास्ततस्तेषां वैराजास्तपसि स्थिताः । तेषां सत्यगता मुक्ता इत्येषा पितृसंततिः ।। १३.

Among them are those known as Kalpavāsikas; among their people are Sanaka and others, and the Vairājas established in austerity; among them, those who have attained truth are liberated—thus is the lineage of the ancestors.

अग्निष्वात्तेति मारीच्या वैराजा बर्हिसंज्ञिताः । सुकालेयापि पितरो वसिष्ठस्य प्रजापतेः । तेऽपि याज्यास्त्रिभिर्वर्णैर्न शूद्रेण पृथक्कृतम् ।। १३.

The Agniṣvāttas are the descendants of Marīci, the Vairājas are called Barhiṣads; the ancestors of Vasiṣṭha, the lord of progeny, are called Sukāleyas; these also are to be worshipped with the three Vedic mantras, not separately by a Śūdra.

वर्णत्रयाभ्यनुज्ञातः शूद्रः सर्वान् पितृन् यजेत् । न तु तस्य पृथक् सन्ति पितरः शूद्रजातयः ।। १३.

A Śūdra, permitted by the three varṇas, may worship all the ancestors; but there are no separate ancestors belonging to the Śūdra lineage.

मुक्तश्चेतनको ब्रह्मन् ननु विप्रेषु दृश्यते । विशेषशास्त्रदृष्ट्या तु पुराणानां च दर्शनात् ।। १३.

O Brāhmaṇa, a liberated and conscious being is indeed seen among the Brāhmaṇas; but according to the special scriptures and the view of the Purāṇas, it is otherwise.

एवं ऋषिस्तुतैः शास्त्रं ज्ञात्वा याज्यकसंभवान् । स्वयं सृष्ट्यां स्मृतिर्लब्धा पुत्राणां ब्रह्मणा ततः । परं निर्वाणमापन्नास्तेऽपि ज्ञानेन एव च ।। १३.

Thus, knowing the scripture praised by the sages and the origins of those to be worshipped, memory of their own creation was obtained by their sons from Brahmā; they too attained the highest liberation through knowledge.

वस्वादीनां कश्यपाद्या वर्णानां वसवादयः । अविशेषेण विज्ञेया गन्धर्वाद्या अपि ध्रुवम् ।। १३.

The Vasus and others, beginning with Kaśyapa, are to be understood as belonging to all varṇas; the Gandharvas and others as well, certainly.

एष ते पैतृकः सर्ग उद्देशेन महामुने । कथितो नान्त एवास्य वर्षकोट्या हि दृश्यते ।। १३.

This, O great sage, is the creation of the ancestors described to you in summary; there is truly no end to it, even in a hundred million years.