Vayu Purana

हविर्द्धानात्षडाग्नेयी धिषणाऽजनयत्सुतान्। प्राचीनबर्हिषं शुक्रं गयं कृष्णं व्रजाजिनौ ।। २.

From Havirdhāna and his wife Dhiṣaṇā, six sons were born: Prācīnabarhis, Śukra, Gaya, Kṛṣṇa, Vraja, and Ajina.

प्राचीनबर्हिर्भगवान् महानासीत् प्रजापतिः। बलुश्रुततपोवीर्यैः पृथिव्यामेकराढसौ। प्राचीनाग्राः कुशास्तस्य तस्मात्प्राचीन बर्ह्यसौ ।। २.

Prācīnabarhis, the blessed and great lord of creatures, was a sovereign on earth, renowned for his strength, asceticism, and knowledge; his sacred grass faced east, hence he was called Prācīnabarhis.

समुद्रतनयायान्तु कृतदारः स वै प्रभुः। महतस्तमसः पारे सवर्णायां प्रजापतेः। सवर्णाऽऽधत्त सामुद्री दश प्राचीन बर्हिषः ।। २.

That lord took as wife the daughter of the ocean, Savarṇā, born beyond the great darkness; from Savarṇā, Prācīnabarhis had ten sons called the Pracetas.

सर्वे प्रचेतसो नाम धनुर्वेदस्य पारगाः। अपृथग्धर्मचरणास्तेऽतप्यन्त महत्तपः। दशवर्षसहस्राणि समुद्रसलिलेशयाः ।। २.

All were known as the Pracetas, masters of the science of archery, united in righteous conduct; they performed great austerities for ten thousand years, lying in the waters of the ocean.

तपश्चरत्सु पृथिवीं प्रचेतःसु महीरुहाः। अरक्ष्यमाणामाववृर्बभूवाथ प्रजाक्षयः ।। २.

While the Pracetas practiced austerities, the trees grew unchecked on earth, and as a result, there was a decline of living beings.

प्रत्याहते तदा तस्मिंश्चाक्षुषस्यान्तरे मनोः । नाशकन् मारुतो वातुं वृतं खमभवद्द्रुमैः। दशवर्षसहस्राणि न शेकुश्चेष्टितुं प्रजाः ।। २.

When, in that interval between Cākṣuṣa Manu and the next, the wind was repelled and could not blow, for the sky was blocked by trees, for ten thousand years the living beings were unable to move.

तदुपश्रुत्य तपसा सर्वे युक्ताः प्रचेतसः। मुखेभ्यो वायुमग्निञ्च ससृजुर्ज्जातमन्यवः ।। २.

Hearing of this, all the Pracetas, steadfast in austerity and filled with wrath, released wind and fire from their mouths.

उन्मूलानथ तान् वृक्षान् कृत्वा वायुरशोषयत्। तानग्निरदहद्वोर एवमासीद् द्रुमक्षयः ।। २.

Then the wind uprooted those trees and dried them up; fire consumed them as well—thus there was the destruction of the trees.

द्रुमक्षयमथो बुद्ध्वा किञ्चिच्छेषेषु शाखिषु। उपगम्याब्रवीदेतान् राजा सोमः प्रचेतसः ।। २.

When the destruction of the trees was known, and only a few branches remained, King Soma approached the Pracetas and spoke to them.

दृष्ट्वा प्रयोजनं सर्वं लोकसन्तानकारणात्। कोपन्त्यजत राजानः सर्वं प्राचीनबर्हिषः ।। २.

Seeing the full consequence for the sake of the world's continuance, King Prācīnabarhis, along with all the rulers, abandoned their anger.

वृक्षाः क्षित्यां जनिष्यन्ति शाम्येतामग्निमारुतौ। रत्नभूता तु कन्येयं वृक्षाणां वरवर्णिनी ।। २.

Trees will be born again on earth; let the fire and wind subside. This maiden, radiant among the trees, is their precious jewel.

भविष्यं जानता ह्येषा मया गोभिर्विवर्द्धिता। मारिषा नाम नाम्नैषा वृक्षैरेव विनिर्मिता। भार्या भवतु वो ह्येषा सोमगर्भविवर्द्धिता ।। २.

Knowing what is to come, I have nourished her with cows; her name is Māriṣā, and she is formed from the trees themselves. Let her, fostered by Soma, become your wife.

युष्माकं तेजसोऽर्द्धेन मम चार्द्धेन तेजसः। अस्यामुत्पत्स्यते विद्वान् दक्षो नाम प्रजापतिः ।। २.

By half of your energy and half of mine, a wise son will be born from her—Dakṣa, the lord of creatures.

स इमां दग्धभूयिष्ठां युष्मत्तेजोमयेन वै। अग्निनाग्निसमो भूयः प्रजाः संवर्द्धयिष्यति ।। २.

He, endowed with your fiery energy, will, like fire itself, restore and increase the living beings on this earth, now mostly burned.

ततः सोमस्य वचनाज्जगृहुस्ते प्रचेतसः। संहृत्य कोपं वृक्षेभ्यः पत्नीं धर्मेण मारिषाम् ।। २.

Then, at Soma’s word, the Pracetas, restraining their anger toward the trees, accepted Māriṣā as their lawful wife.

मारिषायां ततस्ते वै मनसा गर्भमादधुः। दशभ्यस्तु प्रचेतोभ्यो मारिषायां प्रजापतिः ।। २.

In Māriṣā, they conceived a child by their will; from the ten Pracetas and Māriṣā was born the lord of creatures.

दक्षो जज्ञे महातेजाः सोमस्यांशेन वीर्यवान् । असृजन्मानसानादौ प्रजा दक्षोऽथ मैथुनात् ।। २.

Dakṣa, of great splendor and vigor, was born with a portion of Soma. At first, Dakṣa created beings from his mind, and later through union.

अचरांश्च चरांश्चैव द्विपदोऽथ चतुष्पदान्। विसृज्य मनसा दक्षः पश्चादसृजत स्त्रियः ।। २.

Dakṣa created both immobile and mobile beings, bipeds and quadrupeds, by his mind; afterwards, he created women.

ददौ स दश धर्माय कश्यपाय त्रयोदश। कालस्य नयने युक्ताः सप्तविंशतिमिन्दवे ।। २.

He gave ten daughters to Dharma, thirteen to Kaśyapa, twenty-seven to the Moon for the regulation of time.

एभ्यो दत्त्वा ततोऽन्या वै चतस्रोऽरिष्टनेमिने । द्वे चैव बाहुपुत्राय द्वे चैवाङ्गिरसे तथा। कन्यामेकां कृशाश्वाय तेभ्योऽपत्यं निबोधत ।। २.

After giving these, he gave four to Ariṣṭanemi, two to Bāhuputra, two to Aṅgiras, and one daughter to Kṛśāśva; hear of their offspring.

अन्तरं चाक्षुषस्यात्र मनोः षष्ठन्तु हीयते। मनोर्वैवस्वतस्यापि सप्तमस्य प्रजापतेः ।। २.

Here, the interval between Cākṣuṣa Manu and the sixth Manu is omitted, as is that of Vaivasvata, the seventh lord of creatures.

तासु देवाः खगा गावो नागा दितिजदानवाः। गन्धर्वोप्सरसश्चैव जज्ञिरेऽन्याश्च जातयः ।। २.

From them were born the gods, birds, cattle, serpents, Dānavas and Diti’s sons, Gandharvas, Apsarases, and other races.

ततः प्रभृति लोकेऽस्मिन् प्रजा मैथुनसम्भवाः। सङ्कल्पाद्दर्शनात्स्पर्शात्पूर्वेषां सृष्टिरुच्यते ।। २.

From that time onward in this world, beings are born from sexual union; the earlier creation is said to have arisen from will, sight, and touch.

देवानां दानवानाञ्च देवर्षीणाञ्च ते शुभः। सम्भवः कथितः पूर्वं दक्षस्य च महात्मनः ।। २.

The origin of the gods, the asuras, the divine sages, and the great-souled Daksha has already been described before.

प्राणात्प्रजापतेर्जन्म दक्षस्य कथितं त्वया। कथं प्रचेतसत्वञ्च पुनर्लेभे महातपाः ।। २.

You have told of the birth of Daksha from the life-breath of Prajapati; how did that great ascetic regain his Pracetas form?

एतन्नः संशयं सूत व्याख्यातुं त्वमिहार्हसि। स दौहित्रश्च सोमस्य कथं श्वशुरताङ्गतः ।। २.

O Suta, this is our doubt—please explain it here: how did he, the grandson of Soma, become his father-in-law?

उत्पत्तिश्च निरोधश्च नित्यं भूतेषु सत्तमाः। ऋषयोऽत्र न मुह्यन्ति विद्यावन्तश्च ये नराः ।। २.

The best among beings, the sages, and those men who possess knowledge, are never deluded regarding the constant creation and dissolution among beings.

युगे युगे भवन्त्येते सर्वे दक्षादयो द्विजाः । पुनश्चैव निरुध्यन्ते विद्वांस्तत्र न मुह्यति ।। २.

In every age, all these—Daksha and the others—arise again and again, and are again dissolved; the wise are not confused by this.

ज्यैष्‌ठ्यं कानिष्ठ्यमप्येषां पूर्वं नासीद् द्विजोत्तमाः। तप एव गरीयोऽभूत् प्रभावश्चैव कारणम् ।। २.

O best of twice-born, previously among them there was neither seniority nor juniority; austerity alone was considered superior, and power was the cause.