Vayu Purana

प्रधानात् क्षोभ्यमाणात्तु रजो वै समवर्त्तत। रजः प्रवर्त्तकं तत्र बीजेष्वपि यथा जलम्

From the agitation of Pradhāna, rajas indeed arose; rajas is the initiator of activity there, just as water is in seeds.

गुणवैषम्यमासाद्य प्रसूयन्ते ह्यधिष्ठिताः। गुणेभ्यः क्षोभ्य माणेभ्यस्त्रयो देवा विजज्ञिरे। आश्रिताः परमा गुह्याः सर्वात्मानः शरीरिणः

When the qualities become unequal, beings are produced, governed by them; from the agitated qualities, three gods were born—subtle, supreme, hidden, the selves of all embodied beings.

रजो ब्रह्मा तमो ह्यग्निः सत्त्वं विष्णुरजायत। रजःप्रकाशको ब्रह्मा स्रष्ट्टृत्वेन व्यवस्थितः

Rajas became Brahmā, tamas indeed became Agni, sattva became Viṣṇu; Brahmā, manifesting rajas, is established as the creator.

तमःप्रकाशकोऽग्निस्तु कालत्वेन व्यवस्थितः। सत्त्वप्रकाशको विष्णुरौदासीन्ये व्यवस्थितः

Agni, manifesting tamas, is established as time; Viṣṇu, manifesting sattva, is established in detachment.

एत एव त्रयो देवा एत एव त्रयोऽग्नयः। परस्पराश्रिता ह्येते परस्परमनुव्रताः

These very three are the gods, these very three are the fires; they are mutually dependent, devoted to one another.

परस्परेण वर्त्तन्ते धारयन्ति परस्परम्। अन्योन्यमिथुनाह्येते ह्यन्योन्यमुपजीविनः। क्षणं वियोगो न ह्येषान्न त्यजन्ति परस्परम्

They act with one another, sustain one another; these are paired with each other, living by mutual support; there is never a moment of separation among them, nor do they ever abandon one another.

ईश्वरो हि परो देवो विष्णुस्तु महतः परः । ब्रह्मा तु रजसोद्रिक्तः सर्गायेह प्रवर्त्तते। परश्च पुरुषो ज्ञेयः प्रकृतिश्च परा स्मृता

The Supreme Lord is indeed the highest god; Viṣṇu is beyond the great; Brahmā, abundant in rajas, proceeds here for creation; the Supreme is to be known as Puruṣa, and Prakṛti is called supreme.

अधिष्ठितोऽसौ हि महेश्वरेण प्रवर्त्तते चोद्यमानः समन्तात्। अनुप्रवर्त्तन्ति महान्त एव चिरस्थिताः स्वे विष्ये प्रियत्वात्

He, governed by Maheśvara, acts, being impelled on all sides; the great ones, long established in their own domains, follow after, out of affection.

प्रधानं गुणवैषम्यात्सर्गकाले प्रवर्त्तते। ईश्वराधिष्ठितात् पूर्वन्तस्मात्सदसदात्मकात्। ब्रह्मा बुद्धिश्च मिथुनं युगपत्सम्बभूवतुः

Pradhāna, due to the inequality of the qualities, acts at the time of creation; from the one governed by the Lord, from that prior existent and non-existent, Brahmā and Buddhi, as a pair, arose simultaneously.

तस्मात्तमोऽव्यक्तमयः क्षेत्रज्ञो ब्रह्मसंज्ञितः। संसिद्धः कार्यकरणैर्ब्रह्माऽग्रे समवर्त्तत

From that, tamas composed of the unmanifest, the knower of the field, called Brahma, fully endowed with instruments of action and knowledge, first arose.

तेजसा प्रथमनो धीमानव्यक्तः संप्रकाशते। स वै शरीरी प्रथमः कारणत्वे व्यवस्थितः

He, the unmanifest, endowed with intelligence, shines forth first by his radiance; he, possessing a body, is established first as the cause.

अप्रतीघेन ज्ञानेन ऐश्वर्येण च सोऽन्वितः। धर्मेण चाप्रतीघेन वैराग्येण समन्वितः

He is endowed with unobstructed knowledge, with sovereignty, with unobstructed righteousness, and with detachment.

तस्येश्वरस्याप्रतिघं ज्ञानं वैराग्यलक्षणम्। धर्मैश्वर्यकृता बुद्धिर्ब्राह्मी जज्ञेऽभिमानिनः

His knowledge, unobstructed, is characterized by detachment; the intellect, produced by righteousness and sovereignty, is called Brāhmī, belonging to the self-conscious one.

अव्यक्ताज्जायते चास्य मनसा च यदिच्छति। वशीकृतत्वाद्वैगुण्यात् सुरेशत्वात्स्वभावतः

From the unmanifest, whatever he desires by mind is produced; due to mastery, difference in qualities, lordship over the gods, and by his own nature.

चतुर्मुखस्तु ब्रह्मत्वे कालत्वे चान्तकोऽभवत्। सहस्रमूर्द्धा पुरुषस्तिस्रोऽवस्थाः स्वयम्भुवः

Brahmā, four-faced, became Brahmā and, as time, became the ender; the thousand-headed Puruṣa, the self-born, has three states.

सत्त्वं रजश्च ब्रह्मत्वे कालत्वे च रजस्तमः. सात्विकं पुरुषत्वे च गुणवृत्तिः स्वयम्भुवः

Sattva and rajas are present in the state of Brahma, while rajas and tamas are present in the state of Time. The quality of sattva is predominant in the state of Purusha; such is the operation of the qualities of the self-born.

लोकान् सृजति ब्रह्मत्वे कालत्वे संक्षिपत्यपि। पुरुषत्वे ह्युदासीन स्तिस्रोऽवस्थाः प्रजापते

In the state of Brahma, he creates the worlds; in the state of Time, he withdraws them. In the state of Purusha, he remains indifferent—these are the three conditions of the Lord of creatures.

ब्रह्मा कमलगर्भाभः कालो जात्याञ्जनप्रभः। पुरुषः पुण्डरीकाक्षो रूपं तत्परमात्मनः

Brahma has the appearance of being born from a lotus; Time has the radiance of black collyrium by nature; Purusha is the lotus-eyed one—this is the form of the Supreme Self.

योगेश्वरः शरीराणि करोति विकरोति च। नानाकृतिक्रियारूपनामवृत्तिः स्वलीलया

The Lord of Yoga creates and transforms bodies; by his own play, he assumes various forms, actions, appearances, names, and functions.

त्रिधा यद्वर्त्तते लोके तस्मात्रिगुण उच्यते। चतुर्द्धा प्रविभक्तत्वाच्चतुर्व्यूहः प्रकीर्तितः

Because it operates in three ways in the world, it is called threefold in quality; and because it is divided in four ways, it is called the fourfold emanation.

यदाप्नोति यदादत्ते यच्चास्ति विषयं प्रति। तच्चास्य सततं भावस्तस्मादात्मा निरुच्यते

Whatever he attains, whatever he takes, and whatever exists as an object—such is always his state; therefore, he is called the Self.

ऋषिः सर्वगतत्वाच्च शरीराद्यत्स्वयं प्रभुः। स्वामित्वमस्य तत्सर्वं विष्णुः सर्वप्रवेशनात्

He is called seer because he is all-pervading; he is the master of the body and so on, by his own power. All this is his lordship; he is called Vishnu because he enters into all.

भगवान् भगसद्भावाद्रागो रागस्य शासनात्। परश्च तु प्रकृतत्वादवनादोमितिः स्मृतः

He is called Bhagavan because of the presence of fortune; he is called Raga because he governs attachment; and he is called Parashu because of his primal nature and as Avanada because he is the protector.

सर्वज्ञः सर्वविज्ञानात् सर्वः सर्वं यतस्ततः। नराणामयनं यस्मात्तेन नारायणः स्मृतः

He is called omniscient because of all knowledge; he is called all because everything arises from him; and because he is the resting place of men, he is remembered as Narayana.

त्रिधा विभज्य स्वात्मानं त्रैलोक्यं सम्प्रवर्त्तते। सृजते ग्रसते चैव वीक्षते च त्रिभिस्तु यत्। अग्रे हिरण्यगर्भः स प्रादुर्भूतश्चतुर्मुखः

Dividing himself threefold, he sets the three worlds in motion; by these three, he creates, devours, and observes. In the beginning, he appeared as Hiranyagarbha, the four-faced one.

आदित्वाच्चादितेवोऽसावजातत्वादजः स्मृतः। पाति यस्मात्प्रजाः सर्वाःप्रजापतिरतः स्मृतः

Because he is the first, he is called Aditeya; because he is unborn, he is called Aja. Because he protects all creatures, he is called Prajapati.

देवेषु च महान् देवो महादेवस्ततः स्मृतः। सर्वेशत्वाच्च लोकानामवश्यत्वात्तथेश्वरः

Among the gods, he is the great god; therefore, he is called Mahadeva. Because he is the lord of all worlds and because all are subject to him, he is also called Ishvara.

बृहत्त्वाच्च स्मृतो ब्रह्मा भूतत्वाद्भूत उच्यते। क्षेत्रज्ञः क्षेत्रविज्ञानाद्विभुः सर्वगतो यतः

Because of his greatness, he is called Brahma; because he is the source of beings, he is called Bhuta. He is the knower of the field because of his knowledge of the field, and he is all-pervading because he is present everywhere.

यस्मात् पुर्यनुशेते च तस्मात् पुरुष उच्यते। नोत्पादितत्वात् पूर्वत्वात् स्वयम्भूरिति स स्मृतः

Because he dwells within the city (body), he is called Purusha; because he is not produced and is prior, he is called the self-born.