Vayu Purana

प्रत्यङ्गानां तु धर्मस्य इत्येतल्लक्षणं स्मृतम् । ऋषिभिर्धर्मतत्त्वज्ञैः पूर्वे स्वायम्भुवेऽन्तरे ।। ५९.

This is remembered as the characteristic of the limbs of dharma, as taught by the ancient sages who knew the essence of dharma in the previous Svāyambhuva Manvantara.

अत्र वो वर्त्तयिष्यामि विधिर्मन्वन्तरस्य यः । इतरेतरवर्णस्य चातुर्वर्णस्य चैव हि। प्रतिमन्वन्तरञ्चैव श्रुतिरन्या विधीयते ।। ५९.

Here I will explain to you the rule of the Manvantara, for each varṇa and for the fourfold varṇa system; and in each Manvantara, a different revelation is prescribed.

ऋचो यजूषिं सामानि यथावत् प्रतिदैवतम्। आभूतसंप्लवस्यापि वर्ज्यैकं शतरुद्रियम् ।। ५९.

The Ṛk, Yajus, and Sāman hymns are to be recited as appropriate for each deity; but even at the time of the great dissolution, only the Śatarudriya is to be omitted.

विधिर्होत्रं तथा स्तोत्रं पूर्ववत्सम्प्रवर्तते। द्रव्यस्तोत्रं गुणस्तोत्रं कर्म स्तोत्रं तथैव च। चतुर्थमाभिजनिकं स्तोत्रमेतच्चतुर्विधम् ।। ५९.

The invocation, the hymn, proceed as before; the hymn of substances, the hymn of qualities, the hymn of actions, and the fourth, the hymn of lineage—these are the four kinds of hymns.

मन्वन्तरेषु सर्वेषु यथा देवा भवन्ति ये। प्रवर्त्तयति तेषां वै ब्रह्मस्तोत्रं चतुर्विधम्। एवं मन्त्रगुणानाञ्च समुत्पत्तिश्चतुर्विधा ।। ५९.

In all the Manus’ ages, as there are gods, for them Brahma initiates the fourfold hymn; thus, the emergence of mantras and their qualities is also fourfold.

अथर्वयजुषां साम्नां वेदेष्विह पृथक् पृथक् । ऋषीणान्तप्यतामुग्रन्तपः परमदुश्चरम् ।। ५९.

In the Vedas—Atharva, Yajus, and Sāman—separately, the sages practiced severe austerity, the highest and most difficult to perform.

मन्त्राः प्रादुर्बभूवुर्हि पूर्वमन्वन्तरेष्विह। परितोषाद्भयाद्दुःखात्सुखाच्छोकाच्च पञ्चधा ।। ५९.

Mantras appeared here in earlier Manvantaras, arising in five ways: from satisfaction, from fear, from sorrow, from happiness, and from grief.

ऋषीणां तपःकार्त्स्न्येन दर्शनेन यदृच्छया। ऋषीणां यदृषित्वं हि तद्वक्ष्यामीह लक्षणैः ।। ५९.

By the completeness of the sages’ austerity, and by their vision, spontaneously, the state of being a seer among the sages—I shall now explain its characteristics here.

अतीतानागतानान्तु पञ्चधा ऋषिरुच्यते। अतस्त्वृषीणां वक्ष्यामि ह्यार्षस्य च समुद्भवम् ।। ५९.

A seer is said to be fivefold: of the past and the future; therefore, I shall explain the sages and the origin of their seerhood.

गुणसाम्ये वर्त्तमाने सर्वसम्प्रलये तदा। अतिचारे तु देवानामतिदेशे तयोर्यथा ।। ५९.

When the qualities are in equilibrium, at the time of total dissolution, and when there is transgression among the gods, or their mutual substitution, as appropriate.

अबुद्धिपूर्वकं तद्वै चेतनार्थं प्रवर्त्तते । तेन ह्यबुद्धिपूर्वं तच्चेतनेन ह्यधिष्ठितम् ।। ५९.

That which arises without prior awareness is set in motion for the sake of consciousness; thus, what is unintentional is governed by consciousness.

वर्त्तते च यथा तौ तु यथा मत्स्योदके उभे। चेतनाधिष्ठितं तत्त्वं प्रवर्त्तति गुणात्मना ।। ५९.

And as those two proceed, just as two fish in water, the principle governed by consciousness operates according to the nature of the qualities.

करणत्वात्तथा कार्यं तदा तस्य प्रवर्त्तते। विषये विषयित्वाच्च ह्यर्थेऽर्थित्वात्तथैव च ।। ५९.

Because of instrumentality, action then proceeds; and due to the relationship between object and subject, and because of the desire for the object, so it is.

कालेन प्रापणीयेन भेदास्तु कारणात्मकाः। संसिध्यन्ति तदा व्यक्ताः क्रमेण महदादयः ।। ५९.

Through time, which brings attainment, distinctions arise from causes; then, the manifest entities, beginning with the Great Principle, are perfected in sequence.

महतश्वाप्यहङ्कारस्तस्माद्भूतेन्द्रियाणि च। भूतभेदास्तु भेदेभ्यो जज्ञिरे ते परस्परम्। संसिद्धिकारणं कार्यं सद्य एव विवर्त्तते ।। ५९.

From the Great Principle arises ego, and from that, the elements and senses; the divisions of elements are born from these divisions, mutually; the effect, as the cause of perfection, transforms immediately.

यथोल्मुकस्रुटन्नूर्द्ध्वमेककालं प्रवर्त्तते। तथा विवृतः क्षेत्रज्ञः कालेनैकेन कर्मणा ।। ५९.

Just as a spark, when struck, rises upward all at once, so too the knower of the field, when manifest, acts at one time through karma.

यथान्धकारे खद्योतः सहसा सम्प्रदृश्यते। तथा विवृत्तो ह्यव्यक्तात् खद्योत इव चेल्वणः ।। ५९.

Just as a firefly is suddenly seen in darkness, so too the manifest arises from the unmanifest, like a firefly with its glow.

स महान् सशरीरस्तु यत्रैवाग्रे व्यवस्थितः। तत्रैव संस्थितो विद्वान् द्वारशालामुखे स्थितः ।। ५९.

That Great One, embodied, is established where he was at first; there, the wise one stands, as at the entrance to a hall.

महांस्तु तमसः पारे वैलक्षण्याद्विभाव्यते । तत्रैव संस्थितो विद्वांस्तमसोऽन्त इति श्रुतिः ।। ५९.

The Great One, beyond darkness, is distinguished by his difference; there, the wise one stands—thus, it is said, at the end of darkness.

बुद्धिर्विवर्त्तमानस्य प्रादुर्भूता चतुर्विधा । ज्ञानं वैराग्यमैश्वर्यं धर्मश्चेति चतुष्टयम् ।। ५९.

The intellect, as it evolves, appears in four forms: knowledge, dispassion, lordliness, and righteousness—these four.

सांसिद्दिकान्यथैतानि सुप्रतीकानि तस्य वै । महतः सशरीरस्य वैवर्त्त्यात् सिद्धिरुच्यते ।। ५९.

These, indeed, are the natural, clear marks of the Great One with body; the transformation of the Great Principle is called perfection.

अत्र शेते च यत्पुर्यां क्षेत्रज्ञानमथापि वा। पुरीशयत्वात्पुरुषः क्षेत्रज्ञानात् सउच्यते ।। ५९.

Here, that which lies within the city is called the knower of the field, or knowledge of the field; because it dwells in the city, it is called puruṣa, and because of its knowledge of the field, it is so named.

क्षेत्रज्ञः क्षेत्रविज्ञानात् भगवान् मतिरुच्यते। यस्माद्बुद्ध्या तु शेते ह तस्माद्बोधात्मकः स वै । संसिद्धये परिगतं व्यक्ताव्यक्तमचेतनम् ।। ५९.

The knower of the field is called 'bhagavān' due to knowledge of the field and mind; because he rests through intellect, he is indeed of the nature of consciousness; for perfection, both the manifest and unmanifest, which are insentient, are encompassed.

एवं निवृत्तिः क्षेत्रज्ञा क्षेत्रज्ञेनाभिसंहिता। क्षेत्रज्ञेन परिज्ञातो भोग्योऽयं विषयस्त्विति ।। ५९.

Thus, cessation is the knower of the field, united with the knower of the field; when the knower of the field is fully known, this realm becomes an object of enjoyment.

ऋषीत्येष गतौ धातुःश्रुतौ सत्ये तपस्यथ। एतत्सन्नियते तस्मिन् ब्रह्मणा स ऋषिः स्मृतः ।। ५९.

O sage, this root 'ṛṣ' means to go, to hear, to be true, and to practice austerity; when one is established in these, he is remembered as a seer by Brahmā.

निवृत्तिसमकालं तु बुद्ध्याव्यक्तमृषिः स्वयम्। परं हि ऋषते यस्मात्परमर्षिस्ततः स्मृतः ।। ५९.

At the very moment of cessation, the unmanifest is itself the seer through intellect; because he perceives the supreme, he is therefore remembered as the supreme seer.

गत्यर्थादृषतेर्द्धातोर्नामनिर्वृत्तिरादितः । यस्मादेष स्वयम्भूतस्तस्माच्चात्मर्षिता स्मृता। ईश्वराः स्वयमुद्भूता मानसा ब्रह्मणः सुताः ।। ५९.

From the meaning of movement, from the root 'ṛṣ', the name arises originally; because he is self-born, he is remembered as self-seer; the lords, self-manifested, are the mind-born sons of Brahmā.

यस्मान्न हन्यते मानैर्महान् परिगतः पुरः। यस्मादृषन्ति ये धीरा महान्तं सर्वतो गुणैः। तस्मान्महर्षयः प्रोक्ता बुद्धेः परमदर्शिनः ।। ५९.

Because the great one, established before, is not destroyed by measures, and because those wise ones perceive the great with all qualities, therefore they are called great seers, perceivers beyond intellect.

ईश्वराणां शुभास्तेषां मानसान्तरसाश्च ते। अहङ्कारं तमश्चैव त्यक्त्वा च ऋषिताङ्गाताः ।। ५९.

Among the lords, those who are auspicious and those who are of inner mind, having abandoned ego and darkness, arose from the essence of seerhood.