Vayu Purana

सूत सूत महाभाग त्वया भगवता सता। व्यासप्रसादाधिगतशास्त्रसम्बोधनेन च ।। ४२.

O Sūta, O most fortunate one, by you, who are blessed, and through the knowledge of the scriptures attained by Vyāsa’s grace, these teachings have been revealed.

अष्टादशपुराणानि सेतिहासानि चानघ। उपक्रमोपसंहार विधिनोक्तानि कृत्स्नशः ।। ४२.

The eighteen Purāṇas and the Itihāsas, O sinless one, have all been described in their beginnings and conclusions, exactly as prescribed.

चतुर्दशसहस्रं च मात्स्यं प्रोक्तमतिस्फुटम्। तत्संख्यकं भविष्यञ्च प्रोक्तं पञ्चशताधिकम् ।। ४२.

The Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa is said to have fourteen thousand verses, and the Bhaviṣya Purāṇa is also spoken of as having the same number, plus five hundred.

मार्कण्डेयं महारम्यं प्रोक्तं नवसहस्रकम्। कथितं ब्रह्मवैवर्त्तमष्टादशसहस्रकम् ।। ४२.

The delightful Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa is said to have nine thousand verses, and the Brahmavaivarta Purāṇa is recounted as having eighteen thousand.

शतोत्तरञ्च ब्रह्माण्डं सूर्यसंख्यासहस्रकम् । अथ भागवतं दिव्यमष्टादशसहस्रकम् ।। ४२.

The Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa is said to have one hundred chapters and a thousand verses equal to the number of the sun; then the divine Bhāgavata Purāṇa has eighteen thousand verses.

सहस्राणि दशैवोक्तं पुराणं ब्रह्मनामकम्। अयुतश्लोकघटितं पुराणं वामनाभिधम् ।। ४२.

The Brahma Purāṇa is said to have ten thousand verses, and the Vāmana Purāṇa is composed of ten thousand verses as well.

तथैवायुत संख्यातं षट्शताधिकमादिकम्। त्रयोविंशतिसाहस्रमनिलं तद्गतं शुभम् ।। ४२.

Likewise, the Ādi Purāṇa is counted as ten thousand and six hundred verses; the Anila Purāṇa is auspicious and contains twenty-three thousand verses.

त्रयोविंशतिसाहस्रं नारदीयमुदाहृतम् । एकोनविंशसाहस्रं वैनतेयमुदाहृतम् ।। ४२.

The Nārada Purāṇa is declared to have twenty-three thousand verses, and the Vainateya Purāṇa is said to have nineteen thousand verses.

सहस्रपञ्चपञ्चाशत्प्रोक्तं पाद्मं सुविस्तरम्। सप्तदशसहस्रन्तु कूर्मं प्रोक्तं मनोहरम् ।। ४२.

The extensive Padma Purāṇa is said to have fifty-five thousand verses, and the charming Kūrma Purāṇa is spoken of as having seventeen thousand.

चतुर्विंशति साहस्रं सौकरं परमाद्भुतम्। एकाशीतिसहस्राणि स्कान्दमुक्तं सुविस्तृतम् ।। ४२.

The wondrous Sūkara Purāṇa has twenty-four thousand verses, and the extensive Skanda Purāṇa is said to have eighty-one thousand verses.

एवमष्टादशोक्तानि पुराणानि बृहन्ति च। पुराणेष्वेषु बहवो धर्मास्ते विनिरूपिताः ।। ४२.

Thus, the eighteen great Purāṇas have been described; in these Purāṇas, many dharmas have been set forth.

रागिणाञ्च विरागाणां यतीनां ब्रह्मचारिणाम् गृहस्थानां वनस्थानां स्त्रीशूद्राणां विशेषतः ।। ४२.

For those who are attached and those who are detached, for ascetics and celibates, for householders and forest-dwellers, and especially for women and Shudras,

ब्राह्मणक्षत्रियविशां ये च सङ्करजातयः। गङ्गाद्या या महानद्यो यज्ञव्रततपांसि च ।। ४२.

For Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and those born of mixed castes, the great rivers beginning with the Ganga, and the sacrifices, vows, and austerities,

अनेकविधदानानि यमाश्च नियमैः सह। योगधर्मा बहुविधाः सांख्या भागवतास्तथा ।। ४२.

The many kinds of gifts, the restraints along with observances, the various disciplines of yoga, and likewise the Sankhya and Bhagavata paths,

भक्तिमार्गा ज्ञानमार्गा वैराग्यानिलनीरजाः। उपासनविधिश्चोक्तः कर्मसंशुद्धिचेतसाम् ।। ४२.

The paths of devotion, the paths of knowledge, those purified by the wind of dispassion, and the prescribed methods of worship for those whose minds are cleansed by action,

ब्राह्मं शैवं वैष्णवं च सौरं शाक्तं तथार्हतम्। षड्दर्शनानि चोक्तानि स्वभावनियतानि च ।। ४२.

The Brahma, Shaiva, Vaishnava, Saura, Shakta, and Arhata traditions, and the six philosophical systems, are all described as arising from inherent nature,

एतदन्यच्च विविधं पुराणेषु निरुपितम्। अतः परं किमप्यस्ति न वा बोद्धव्यमुत्तमम् ।। ४२.

All this and more, of various kinds, is explained in the Puranas; beyond this, there is nothing else to be known that is higher or not,

न ज्ञायेत यदि व्यासो गोपयेदथ वा भवान् । अत्र नः संशयं छिन्धि पूर्णः पौराणिको यतः ।। ४२.

If Vyasa did not know, or if he concealed it, or if you yourself do, please dispel our doubt here, for you are a complete knower of the Puranas,

सूत उवाच।। श्रृणु शौनक वक्ष्यामि प्रश्रमेनं सुदुर्लभम्। अतिगोप्यतरं दिव्यमनाख्येयं प्रचक्षते ।। ४२.

Suta said: Hear, O Shaunaka, I will tell you this most rare and supremely secret divine teaching, which is said to be beyond description,

पराशरसुतो व्यासः कृत्वा पौराणिकीं कथाम्। सर्ववेदार्थघटितां चिन्तयामास चेतसि ।। ४२.

Vyasa, the son of Parashara, having composed the Purana narrative, reflected in his mind upon its meaning, which is woven from the essence of all the Vedas,

वर्णाश्रमवतां धर्मो मया सम्यगुदाहृतः। मुक्तिमार्गा बहुविधा उक्ता वेदाविरोधतः ।। ४२.

The duties of those who follow the four social orders and stages of life have been properly described by me; the various paths to liberation have been stated, all in accordance with the Vedas,

जीवेश्वरब्रह्मभेदो निरस्तः सूत्रनिर्णये। निरूपितं परं ब्रह्म श्रुतियुक्तविचारतः ।। ४२.

The distinction between the individual soul, the Lord, and Brahman is refuted in the decision of the aphorisms; the supreme Brahman is established through inquiry based on scripture and reasoning,

अक्षरं परमं ब्रह्म परमात्मा परं पदम्। यदर्थं ब्रह्मचर्यादिवानप्रस्थयतिव्रतम् ।। ४२.

The imperishable supreme Brahman, the supreme Self, the highest state, for the sake of which celibacy, forest-dwelling, and ascetic vows are undertaken,

आचरन्ति महाप्राज्ञा धारणाञ्च पृथग्विधाम्। आसनं प्राणरोधश्च प्रत्याहारश्च धारणा ।। ४२.

The great sages practice various forms of concentration, posture, breath control, withdrawal of the senses, and concentration,

ध्यानं समाधिरेतानि यमैश्च नियमैः सह। अष्टाङ्गानि यदर्थञ्च चरन्ति मुनिपुङ्गवाः ।। ४२.

Meditation and absorption—these, together with restraints and observances, are the eight limbs for which the foremost sages strive,

यदर्थं कर्म कुर्वन्ति वेदाज्ञामात्रतत्पराः। परार्पणधिया सम्यग् निष्कामाः कलिलोज्झिताः ।। ४२.

For that purpose, they perform actions, devoted solely to the command of the Vedas, with the thought of offering to the Supreme, free from desire and untouched by impurity,

यज्ज्ञप्तये निराकर्त्तुं पापाचरणमात्मनः। गङ्गादितीर्थचर्याणि निषेवन्ते शुचिव्रताः ।। ४२.

For the knowledge of that, and to remove sinful conduct from themselves, those of pure vows undertake pilgrimages to holy places like the Ganga,

तद्ब्रह्म परमं शुद्धमनाद्यन्तमनामयम्। नित्यं सर्वगतं स्थाणु कूटस्थं कूटविर्जितम् ।। ४२.

That Brahman is the supreme, pure, without beginning or end, free from affliction, eternal, all-pervading, unchanging, and untouched by illusion,

सर्वेन्द्रियचराभासं प्राकृतेन्द्रियवर्जितम्। दिक्कालाद्यनवच्छिन्नं नित्यं चिन्मात्रमव्ययम् ।। ४२.

It appears as the activity of all the senses, yet is devoid of material senses; unbounded by space, time, and the like, it is eternal, pure consciousness, and imperishable,