Vayu Purana

ब्रह्माणं कारणं केचित् केचित् प्राहुः प्रजापतिम्। केचिच्छिवं परत्वेन प्राहुर्विष्णुं तथाऽपरे। अविज्ञानेन संसक्ताः सक्ता रत्यादिचेतसा ।। ५.

Some declare Brahma as the cause, others speak of Prajapati; some regard Shiva as supreme, others likewise Vishnu; attached through ignorance, their minds are bound by pleasure and the like.

तत्त्वं कालञ्च देशञ्च कार्याण्यावेक्ष्य तत्त्वतः। कारणञ्च स्मृता ह्येता नानार्थेष्विह देवताः ।। ५.

Considering the principle, time, place, and effects truly, the cause is remembered; thus, the deities here are established in various meanings.

एकं निन्दति यस्तेषां सर्वानेन स निन्दति। एकं प्रशसमानस्तु सर्वानेव प्रशंसति। एकं यो वेत्ति पुरुषं तमाहुर्ब्रह्मवादिनम् ।। ५.

Whoever reviles one among them reviles all; whoever praises one, praises all; whoever knows the one Person, is called a speaker of Brahman.

अद्वेषस्तु सदा कार्यो देवतासु विजानता। न शक्यमीश्वरं ज्ञातुमैश्वर्येण व्यवस्थितम् ।। ५.

One who knows the deities should always avoid hatred; it is not possible to know the Lord who is established in sovereignty.

एकात्मा स त्रिधा भूत्वा संमोहयति यः प्रजाः। एतेषाञ्च त्रयाणान्तु विचरन्त्यन्तरं जनाः ।। ५.

He, being one Self, having become threefold, deludes the beings; among these three, people move within the differences.

जिज्ञासन्तः परीक्षन्तः सक्ता रूपाविचेतसः। इदं परमिदं नेति वदन्ति भिन्नदर्शिनः ।। ५.

Desiring to know, examining, attached and confused in forms, those with differing views say, 'this is supreme, this is not.'

यातुधानान् विशन्त्येताः पिशाचांश्चैव तान्नरान् । एकत्वेन पृथक्त्वेन स्वयम्भूर्व्यवतिष्ठते ।। ५.

These enter the Yatudhanas and also the Pisachas, those men; in unity and in diversity, the Self-born abides.

गुणमात्रात्मिकाभिस्तु तनुभिर्मोहयन् प्रजाः। तेष्वेकं यजते यस्तु स तदा यजते त्रयम् ।। ५.

Deluding the beings with bodies composed only of qualities, whoever worships one among them, worships all three at that time.

तस्माद्देवास्त्रयो ह्येते नैरन्तर्ये व्यवस्थिताः। तस्मात् पृथक्त्वमेकत्वसङ्ख्या सङ्ख्यागतागतम्। एकत्वं वा बहुत्वं वा तेषु को ज्ञातुमर्हति ।। ५.

Therefore, these three gods are established in continuity; thus, the enumeration of unity and diversity comes and goes; who among them is fit to know unity or multiplicity?

यस्मात् सृष्ट्वानुगृह्णीते ग्रसते चैव ते प्रजाः । गुणात्मकत्वात्र्त्रैकाल्ये तस्मादेकः स उच्यते ।। ५.

Because he creates, sustains, and also consumes these beings, due to the unity of qualities, he is therefore called one.

रुद्रं ब्रह्‌माणमिन्द्रञ्च लोक पालान् ऋषीन् दनून्। देवं तमेकं बहुधा प्राहुर्नारायणं द्विजाः ।। ५.

Rudra, Brahma, Indra, the guardians of the worlds, the sages, and the Danavas—twice-borns declare that Narayana is that one god spoken of in many forms.

प्राजापत्या तनुर्या च तनुर्या चैव वैष्णवी। मन्वन्तरे च कल्पे च आवर्त्तन्ते पुनः पुनः ।। ५.

The Prajapatya form and the Vaishnava form, in each Manvantara and Kalpa, revolve again and again.

तेजसा यशसा बुद्ध्या श्रुतेन च बलेन च । जायन्ते तत्समाश्चैव तानपीह निबोधत ।। ५.

By brilliance, fame, intellect, learning, and strength, they are born equal to that; hear of them here.

राजस्या ब्राह्मणोंऽशेन मरीचिः कश्यपोऽभवत्। तामस्यास्तस्य चांशेन कालात्मा रुद्र उच्यते । सात्त्विक्याः पुरुषांशेन यज्ञे विष्णुरभूत्तदा ।। ५.

From the Rajas aspect, Marichi and Kashyapa arose from the Brahma portion; from the Tamas aspect, Kala, called Rudra, arose from his portion; from the Sattva aspect, Vishnu arose in sacrifice from the Purusha portion.

त्रिषु कालेषु तस्यैता ब्रह्मणस्तनवोंऽशजाः। कालो भूत्वा पुनश्चासौ रुद्रः संहरते प्रजाः ।। ५.

In the three times, these forms of Brahma are born from his portions; becoming Kala again, Rudra destroys the beings.

सम्प्राप्ते चैव कल्पान्ते सप्तरश्मिर्द्दिवाकरः। भूत्वा संवर्त्तकादित्यो लोकांस्त्रीन् स तदादहत् ।। ५.

When the end of the Kalpa arrives, the sun with seven rays, becoming the destructive Aditya, then burns the three worlds.

विष्णुः प्रजानुगृह्णाति नामरुपविपर्यये । तस्यान्तस्यामवस्थायां तत्तदुत्पत्तिकारणम् ।। ५.

Vishnu sustains the beings amid the reversal of names and forms; in that final state, each is the cause of its own origin.

सत्त्वोद्रिक्ता तु या प्रोक्ता ब्रह्मणः पौरुषी तनुः। तस्यांशेन विजज्ञे स इह स्वायम्भुवेऽन्तरे। आकूत्यां मनसो देव उत्पन्नः प्रथमे विभुः ।. ५.

The form of Brahma called Pauruṣī, which is said to be abundant in sattva, from a portion of her, he was born here in the Svāyambhuva Manvantara; in Ākūti, the first offspring of Manu, the great god was born.

ततः पुनः स वै देवो प्राप्ते स्वारोचिषेऽन्तरे। तुषितायां समुत्पन्नो ह्यतीतस्तुषितैः सह ।। ५.

Then again, when the Svārociṣa Manvantara arrived, that god was born in Tuṣitā, along with the past Tuṣitas.

औत्तमे चान्तरे चैव तुषितस्तु विदुः स वै। वशवर्त्तिभिरुत्पन्नो वशवर्त्ती हरिः पुनः ।। ५.

In the Uttama Manvantara as well, he is known as Tuṣita, born among the Vaśavartins; again, Hari was born as Vaśavartin.

सत्यायामभवत्सत्यः सत्यैः सह सुरोत्तमैः। तामसस्यान्तरे चापि सम्प्राप्ते पुनरेव हि। भार्यायां हरिभिः सार्द्धं हरिरेव बभूव ह ।। ५.

In Satyā, he became Satya, together with the best of the Satyas; and when the Tāmasa Manvantara arrived, again, in his wife, along with the Haris, Hari himself was born.

चारिष्णवेऽन्तरे चापि हरिर्दवः पुनस्तु सः। वैकुण्ठायामसौ जज्ञे ह्याभूतरजसैः सह। वैकुण्ठः स पुनर्द्देवः सम्प्राप्ते चाक्षुषेऽन्तरे ।। ५.

In the Cāriṣṇava Manvantara too, Hari was born as Deva; in Vaikuṇṭhā, he was born together with the Ābhūtarajasas; that god became Vaikuṇṭha again when the Cākṣuṣa Manvantara arrived.

धर्मो नारायणः साध्यः साध्यैः सह सुरैरभूत् । स तु नारायणः साध्यः प्राप्ते वैवस्वतेऽन्तरे ।। ५.

Dharma, Nārāyaṇa, and Sādhya, together with the Sādhyas and the gods, appeared; and that Nārāyaṇa Sādhya came when the Vaivasvata Manvantara arrived.

मारीचात् कश्यपाद्विष्णुरदित्यां सम्बमूव ह। त्रिस्त्रिः क्रमैरिमान् लोकान् जित्वा विष्णुरुरुक्रमम् ।। ५.

From Mārīca and Kaśyapa, Viṣṇu was born in Aditi; Viṣṇu, the great-striding one, conquered these three worlds in three steps.

प्रत्यपादयदिन्द्राय देवेभ्यश्चैव स प्रभुः। इत्येतासतनवस्तस्य व्यतीताः सप्त सप्तसु। मन्वन्तरेष्वतीतेषु याभिः संरक्षिताः प्रजाः ।। ५.

He restored them to Indra and to the other gods; thus, these seven forms of his have passed in the seven past Manvantaras, by which the beings were protected.

तस्माद्विष्टमिदं सर्वं वामनेनेह जायता। तस्मात्स वै स्मृतो विष्णुर्विशेर्धातोः प्रवेशनात् ।। ५.

Therefore, all this world is pervaded here by Vāmana at birth; thus, he is called Viṣṇu, from the root 'viś', meaning 'to enter'.

इत्येते ब्रह्मणश्चैव वामनस्य महात्मनः। एकत्वञ्च पृथक्त्वञ्च विशिष्टत्वञ्च कीर्त्तितम् ।। ५.

Thus, the unity, the distinction, and the excellence of Brahma and of the great-souled Vāmana have been described.

देवतानामिहांशेन जायन्ते यास्तु देवताः। तासान्तास्तेजसा बुद्ध्या श्रुतेन च बलेन च। जायन्ते तत्समाश्चैव ता वै तेषामनुग्रहात् ।। ५.

The deities who are born here as portions of the gods, among them, those who are equal in brilliance, intelligence, learning, and strength, are born by their favor.

यद्यद्विभूतिमत्सत्त्वं श्रीमदूर्जितमेव वा। तत्तदेवावगच्छघ्वं विष्णोस्तेजोंऽशसम्भवम् ।। ५.

Whatever being is endowed with power, beauty, or might, know that to be born from a portion of Viṣṇu's energy.