Vayu Purana

आपो नाराख्यास्तनव इत्यपान्नाम शुश्रुमः। आपूर्य नाभिं तत्रास्ते तेन नारायणः स्मृतः

We have heard that waters are called 'naras' and their spreading is 'tanava'; filling the navel, he dwells there, thus he is remembered as Narayana.

सहस्रशीर्षा सुमनाः सहस्रपात् सहस्रचक्षुर्वदनः सहस्रभुक्। सहस्रबाहुः प्रथमः प्रजा पतिस्त्रयीपथे यः पुरुषो निरुच्यते

The Purusha with a thousand heads, blessed mind, thousand feet, thousand eyes, mouths, and thousandfold consumption; thousand-armed, the first lord of creatures, who is declared in the threefold path.

आदित्यवर्णो भुवनस्य गोप्ता एको ह्यपूर्वः प्रथमं तुराषाट्। हिरण्यगर्भः पुरुषो महात्मा स पठ्यते वै तमसःपरस्तात्

Of the color of the sun, the sole protector of the world, unique and foremost, swift, the Purusha called Hiranyagarbha, the great soul, is spoken of as beyond darkness.

कल्पादौ रजसोद्रिक्तो ब्रह्मा भूत्वाऽसृजत् प्रजाः। कल्पान्ते तमसोद्रिक्तो कालो भूत्वाऽग्रसत् पुनः

At the beginning of the cycle, Brahma, dominated by rajas, created beings; at the end of the cycle, dominated by tamas, Time, having become supreme, devoured them again.

स वै नारायणा ख्यस्तु सत्त्वोद्रिक्तोऽर्णवे स्वपन्। त्रिधा विभज्य चात्मानं त्रैलोक्ये समवर्त्तत

He, known as Narayana, dominated by sattva, slept in the ocean; dividing himself threefold, he manifested in the three worlds.

सृजते ग्रसते चैव वीक्षन्ते च त्रिभिस्तु तान्। एकार्णवे तदा लोके नष्टे स्थावरजङ्गमे

He creates, devours, and observes them with those three; in that single ocean, when the world is lost, both stationary and moving.

चतुर्युगसहस्रान्ते सर्वतः सलिलावृते। ब्रह्मा नारायणाख्यस्तु अप्रकाशार्णवे स्वपन्

At the end of four thousand ages, when all is covered by water, Brahma called Narayana sleeps in the dark ocean, unmanifest.

चतुर्विधाः प्रजा ग्रस्त्वा ब्राह्म्यां रात्र्यां महार्णवे। पश्यन्ति तं महर्ल्लोकात् सुप्तं कालं महर्षयः

Having consumed the fourfold beings during Brahmā’s night in the great ocean, the great sages in the Maharloka behold time as asleep.

भृग्वादयो यथा सप्त कल्पे ह्यस्मिन् महर्षयः। ततो विवर्त्तमानैस्तैर्महान् परिगतः परः

Just as the seven sages beginning with Bhṛgu exist in this cycle, so too, when the cycle turns, the great is encompassed by those exalted ones.

गत्यर्थाद् ऋषयो धातोर्न्नामनिर्वृत्तिरादितः। तस्मादृषिपरत्वेन महांस्तस्मान्महर्षयः

The sages, from the root meaning of movement, have their name originating from the beginning; therefore, due to their supreme sagehood, they are called ‘maharṣis’.

महर्ल्लोकस्थितैर्दृष्टः कालः सुप्तस्तदा च तैः। सत्याद्याः सप्त येह्यासन् कल्पेऽतीते महर्षयः

Time, asleep, is seen by those dwelling in Maharloka; and in the past cycle, the seven sages beginning with Satya existed.

एवं ब्राह्मीषु रात्रीषु ह्यती तासु सहस्रशः। दृष्टवन्तस्तथा ह्यन्ये सुप्तं कालं महर्षयः

Thus, during countless Brahmā’s nights that have passed, other great sages likewise have witnessed time as asleep.

कल्पयामास वै ब्रह्मा तस्मात् कालो निरुच्यते

Brahmā indeed created the cycle; hence, time is so named.

स स्रष्टा सर्वभूतानां कल्पादिषु पुनः पुनः। व्यक्ताव्यक्तो महादेवस्तस्य सर्वमिदं जगत्

He is the creator of all beings, again and again at the beginning of cycles; the great god, manifest and unmanifest, and this entire world is his.

इत्येष प्रतिसन्धिर्वः कीर्त्तितः कल्पयोर्द्वयोः। साम्प्रतातीतयोर्मध्ये प्रागवस्था बभूव या

Thus, this continuity between the two cycles—past and present—has been described to you, along with the prior state that existed between them.

कीर्त्तिता तु समासेन कल्पे कल्पे यथा तथा। साम्प्रतं ते प्रवक्ष्यामि कल्पमेतं निबोधत

It has been recounted in brief how it is in each cycle; now I shall tell you of this present cycle, listen attentively.

तुल्यं युगसहस्रस्य नैशं कालमुपास्य सः। शर्वर्यन्ते प्रकुरुते ब्रह्मत्वं सर्गकारणात्

Having worshipped the night equal to a thousand ages, at the end of the darkness, he attains Brahmahood for the purpose of creation.

ब्रह्मा तु सलिले तस्मिन् वायुर्भूत्वा तदाचरत्। अन्धकारे तदा तस्मिन् नष्टे स्थावरजङ्गमे

Brahmā, in those waters, became the wind and moved therein; in that darkness, all that is stationary and moving was destroyed.

जलेन समनुव्याप्ते सर्वतः पृथिवीतले। अविभागेन भूतेषु समन्तात्सुस्थितेषु च

When water had thoroughly pervaded the earth everywhere, and all beings stood firmly, undivided, on all sides,

निशायामिव खद्योतः प्रावृट्‌काले ततस्ततः। तदाकाशे चरन् सोऽथ वीक्ष्यमाणः स्वयम्भुवः

Like a firefly in the night during the rainy season, then, moving in the sky, the self-born was observed.

प्रतिष्ठाया ह्यपायन्तु मार्गमाणस्तदा प्रभुः। ततस्तु सलिले तस्मिन् ज्ञात्वा ह्यन्तर्गतां महीम्

Seeking a foundation and a descent, the Lord then, in those waters, realized the earth was hidden within.

अनुमानात्तु सम्बुद्धो भूमेरुद्धरणं प्रति। चकारान्यां तनुञ्चैव पूर्वकल्पादिषु स्मृताम्

By inference, he understood the extraction of the earth; he assumed another form, as remembered from previous cycles.

स तु रूपं वराहस्य कृत्वाऽपः प्राविशत् प्रभुः। अद्भिः सञ्छादितामुर्वीं समीक्ष्याथ प्रजापतिः

He took the form of a boar and entered the waters, the Lord; seeing the earth covered by water, the progenitor,

उद्धृत्योर्वीमथाद्भ्यस्तु अपस्तास्तु स विन्यसत्। सामुद्रीस्तु समुद्रेषु नादेयीर्निम्नगास्वपि। पार्थिवीस्तु स विन्यस्य पृथिव्यां सोऽचिनोद्गिरीन्

Having lifted the earth from the waters, he set the waters in their places: the oceanic waters in the oceans, the river waters in the rivers, and the earthly ones upon the earth, and he arranged the mountains.

प्राक्सर्गे दह्यमाने तु तदा संवर्त्तकाग्निना। तेनाग्निना प्रलीनास्ते पर्वता भुवि सर्वशः

At the previous creation, when all was being burned by the fire of dissolution, by that fire, the mountains on earth were all destroyed.

शैत्यादेकार्णवे तस्मिन् वायुनापस्तु संहृताः। निषक्ता यत्र यत्रासंस्तत्रतत्राऽचलोऽभवत्

Because of the cold, in that single ocean, the waters were drawn together by the wind; wherever they settled, there the earth became solid.

स्कन्नाचलत्वादचलाः पर्वभिः पर्वताः स्मृताः। गिरयोऽद्भिर्निगीर्णत्वाच्चयनाच्च शिलोच्चयाः

Because they became solid after flowing, they are called 'mountains'; since they are heaped up with peaks and swallowed by waters, they are known as 'heaps of rocks.'

ततस्तु तां समुद्धृत्य क्षितिमन्तर्ज्जलात् प्रभुः। स्वस्थाने स्थापयित्वा च विभागमकरोत् पुनः

Then, having lifted the earth from within the waters, the Lord, after placing it in its proper place, again made its divisions.

सप्त सप्त तु वर्षाणि तस्या द्वीपेषु सप्तसु। विषमाणि समीकृत्य शिलाभिरचिनोद्गिरीन्

Then, having made the uneven regions on the seven islands level, he constructed mountains with rocks.