Vayu Purana

एषाञ्च ऋषिमुख्यानां पुराणं प्रति धीमताम्। शुश्रूषास्ति महाबुद्धे तच्छ्रावयितुमर्हसि

Among these foremost sages, there is a desire to hear the Purāṇa, O wise one; you ought to recite it to them.

सर्वे हीमे महात्मानो नाना गोत्राः समागताः। स्वान् स्वान् वंशान् पुराणैस्तु श्रृणुयुर्ब्रह्मवादिनः

All these great souls, assembled from various lineages, wish to hear from the Purāṇas about their own ancestries, O speakers of Brahman.

सपुत्रान् दीर्घसत्रेऽस्मिञ्छ्रवयेथा मुनीनथ। दीक्षिष्यमाणैरस्माभि स्तेन प्रागसि संस्मृतः

O sage, in this long sacrifice, you should cause the sages, along with their sons, to hear; we, about to be initiated, have remembered you for this.

इति सन्नोदितः सूतस्तैरेव मुनिभिः पुरा। पुराणार्थं पुराणज्ञैः सत्यव्रतपरायणैः

Thus addressed by those very sages of old, who were devoted to truth and knowledgeable in the Purāṇa, the sūta was urged to recount the meaning of the Purāṇa.

स्वधर्म एष सूतस्य सद्भिर्दृष्टः पुरातनैः। देवतानामृषीणाञ्च राज्ञाञ्चामिततेजसाम्

This is the proper duty of the sūta, as seen by the virtuous ancients: to recite to the gods, sages, and kings of immeasurable energy.

वंशानां धारणं कार्यं श्रुतानाञ्च महात्मनाम्। इतिहासपुराणेषु दिष्टा ये ब्रह्मवादिभिः

The preservation of the lineages of the great souls, as heard in the itihāsas and Purāṇas, is prescribed by the speakers of Brahman.

न हि वेदेष्वधिकारः कश्वित् सूतस्य दृश्यते। वैन्यस्य हि पृथोर्यज्ञे वर्त्तमाने महात्मनः। सुत्यायामभवत् सूतः प्रथमं वर्णवैकृतः

For indeed, no sūta is seen to have authority over the Vedas; at the sacrifice of the noble Pṛthu, son of Vena, the sūta first arose as a distinct class during the soma pressing.

ऐन्द्रेण हविषा तत्र हविः पृक्तं बृहस्पतेः। जुहावेन्द्राय देवाय ततः सूतो व्यजायत। प्रमादात्तत्र सञ्जज्ञे प्रायश्चित्तञ्च कर्मसु

There, with the oblation dedicated to Indra, the clarified butter meant for Bṛhaspati was offered to Indra; from that, the sūta was born—arising from a mistake, and expiation was performed for that act.

शिष्यहव्येन यत् पृक्तमभिभूतं गुरोर्हविः। अधरोत्तरचारेण जज्ञे तद्वर्णवैकृतः

When the disciple’s oblation was mixed and the teacher’s oblation was overcome, by a reversal of the proper order, that class difference was produced.

यच्च क्षत्रात् समभवद्ब्राह्मणाऽवरयोनितः। ततः पूर्वेण साधर्म्यात्तुल्यधर्मा प्रकीर्त्तितः

And when a brāhmaṇa was born from a kṣatriya mother, by similarity to the former, he is said to have similar duties.

मध्यमो ह्येष सूतस्य धर्मः क्षत्रोपजीवनम्। रथनागाश्वचरितं जघन्यञ्च चिकित्सितम्

This is the intermediate duty of the sūta: to live by serving kṣatriyas, to be skilled in chariots, elephants, and horses, and lastly, in medicine.

तत् स्वधर्ममहं पृष्टो भवद्भिर्ब्रह्मवादिभिः। कस्मात् सम्यङ्न विब्रूयां पुराणमृषिपूजितम्

You seekers of Brahman have asked me about my own duty; why should I not properly speak of the Purāṇa, honored by the ancient sages?

पितॄणां मानसी कन्या वासवी समपद्यत। अपध्याता च पितृभिर्मत्स्ययोनौ बभूव सा

The mind-born daughter of the Fathers became Vāsavī; condemned by her fathers, she was born in the form of a fish.

अरणीव हुताशस्य निमित्तं यस्य जन्मनः। तस्यां जातो महायोगी व्यासो वेदविदां वरः

Like the lower stick for kindling fire, she became the cause of his birth; in her was born the great yogi Vyāsa, foremost among knowers of the Veda.

तस्मै भगवते कृत्वा नमो व्यासाय वेधसे।। पुरुषाय पुराणाय भृगुवाक्यप्रवर्त्तिने। मानुषच्छद्मरूपाय विष्णवे प्रभविष्णवे

To that blessed one, to Vyāsa the creator, I bow; to the primeval person, the ancient one, the promulgator of Bhṛgu’s words; to Viṣṇu, who is mighty, taking the form of a man as a disguise.

जातमात्रञ्च यं वेद उपतस्थे ससङ्ग्रहः। धर्ममेव पुरस्कृत्य जातूकर्णादवाप तम्

The Veda, complete with its branches, attended upon him as soon as he was born; having placed dharma first, he received it from Jātūkarṇa.

मतिं मन्थानमाविध्य येनासौ श्रुतिसागरात्। प्रकाशं जनितो लोके महाभारतचन्द्रमाः

By churning his mind as a churning stick, he brought forth from the ocean of the Veda the radiant moon of the Mahābhārata into the world.

वेदद्रुमश्च यं प्राप्य सशाखः समपद्यत। भूमिकालगुणान् प्राप्य बहुशाखो यथा द्रुमः

The tree of the Veda, having reached him, became full of branches; having attained the qualities of place and time, it became manifold-branched, like a tree.

तस्मादहमुपश्रुत्य पुराणं ब्रह्मवादिनः। सर्वज्ञात्सर्ववेदेषु पूजिताद्दीप्ततेजसः

Therefore, having heard the Purāṇa from the knower of Brahman, honored by all, radiant with splendor, and all-knowing in all the Vedas,

पुराणं सम्प्रवक्ष्यामि यदुक्तं मातरिश्वना। पृष्टेन मुनिभिः पूर्वं नैमिषीयैर्महात्मभिः

I shall now relate the Purāṇa as spoken by Mātariśvan, when previously questioned by the great sages of Naimiṣa.

महेश्वरः परोऽव्यक्तश्चतुर्बाहुश्चतुर्मुखः। अचिन्त्यश्चाप्रमेयश्च स्वयम्भूर्हेतुरीश्वरः

The great Lord, the supreme, the unmanifest, four-armed, four-faced, inconceivable, immeasurable, self-born, the cause, the Lord—

अव्यक्तं कारणं यद्यन्नित्यं सदसदात्मकम्। महदादिविशेषान्तं सृजतीति विनिश्चयः

The unmanifest, which is the cause, eternal, of the nature of being and non-being, from which arises the great principle down to the particular—this is the settled view.

अण्डं हिरण्मयञ्चैव बभूवाप्रतिमं ततः। अण्डस्यावरणञ्चाद्भिरपामपि च तेजसा

Then arose the golden egg, incomparable; and the covering of the egg was by waters, and by fire as well.

वायुना तस्य नभसा नभो भूतादिना वृतम्। भूतादिर्महता चैव अव्यक्तेनावृतो महान्

By wind, by ether, and by the principle of elements, it was enveloped; the principle of elements was covered by the great principle, and the great by the unmanifest.

अतोऽत्र विश्वदेवानामृषीणाञ्चोपवर्णितम्। नदीनां पर्वतानाञ्च प्रादुर्भावोऽत्र शस्यते

Here is described the appearance of the Viśvadevas, the sages, the rivers, and the mountains.

मन्वन्तराणां सर्वेषां कल्पानाञ्चोपवर्णनम्। कीर्त्तनं ब्रह्मक्षत्रस्य ब्रह्म जन्म च कीर्त्त्यते

Here is recounted the description of all the Manvantaras and Kalpas, the praise of Brahmins and Kṣatriyas, and the birth of Brahmā is also celebrated.

अतो ब्रह्मणि स्रष्टृत्वं प्रजासर्गोपवर्णनम्। अवस्थाश्चात्र कीर्त्त्यन्ते ब्रह्मणोऽव्यक्तजन्मनः

Here, the creative power of Brahmā is described, the account of the creation of beings, and the states of Brahmā, whose birth is unmanifest, are narrated.

कल्पानां वत्सराश्चैव जगतः स्थापनन्तथा। शयनञ्च हरेरत्र पृथिव्युद्धरणन्तथा

Here are the years of the Kalpas, the establishment of the world, the sleep of Hari, and the raising up of the earth.

सन्निवेशः पुरादीनां वर्णाश्रमविभागशः। वृक्षाणां गृहसंस्थानां सिद्धानाञ्चविनाशनम्

The arrangement of cities and so forth, the division of castes and stages of life, the forms of trees and houses, and the destruction of the Siddhas.