Vayu Purana

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.

द्वीपेषु तेषु वर्षाणि चत्वारिंशत्तथैव च। तावन्तः पर्वताश्चैव वर्षान्ते समवस्थिताः। सर्गादौ सन्निविष्टास्ते स्वभावेनैव नान्यथा

On those islands, there are forty regions, and just as many mountains are established at the end of each region; these were arranged at the beginning of creation by their very nature, not otherwise.

सप्त द्वीपाः समुद्राश्च अन्योन्यस्य तु मण्डलम्। सन्निकृष्टाः स्वभावेन समावृत्य परस्परम्

The seven islands and oceans, each encircling the other, are naturally close together, surrounding one another.

भूराख्यांश्चतुरो लोकांश्चन्द्रादित्यौ ग्रहैः सह। पूर्वं तु निर्म्ममे ब्रह्मा स्थानानीमानि सर्वशः

Brahmā first created the earth named Bhū, the four worlds, the moon and sun along with the planets, and all these places entirely.

कल्पस्य चास्य ब्रह्मा वै ह्यसृजत् स्थानिनः पुरा। आपोऽग्रिः पृथिवी वायुरन्तरिक्षं दिवं तथा

At the beginning of this kalpa, Brahmā formerly created the stationary elements: waters, fire, earth, wind, space, and also the heavens.

स्वर्गं दिशः समुद्रांश्च नदीः सर्वांश्च पर्वतान्। ओषधीनां तथात्मानमात्मानं वृक्षवीरुधाम्

He created heaven, the directions, the oceans, all the rivers and mountains, as well as the essence of herbs and of trees and plants.

लवाः काष्ठाः कलाश्चैव मुहूर्तं सन्धिरात्र्यहम्। अर्द्धमासांश्च मासांश्च अयनाब्दयुगानि च

He created moments, time divisions, lunar days, conjunctions, nights and days, fortnights, months, solstices, years, and ages.

स्थानाभिमानिनश्चैव स्थानानि च पृथक् पृथक्। स्थानात्मानः स सृष्ट्वा वै युगावस्थां विनिर्ममे

He also created the presiding deities of the places and the places themselves, each separately; having created the essences of the places, he established the order of the ages.

कृतं त्रेता द्वापरं च कलिं चैव तथा युगम्। कल्पस्यादौ कृतयुगे प्रथमे सोऽसृजत् प्रजाः

The Kṛta, Tretā, Dvāpara, and Kali ages—at the beginning of the kalpa, in the first Kṛta age, he created the beings.

प्रागुक्ता या मया तुभ्यं पूर्वकालं प्रजास्तु ताः। तस्मिन् संवर्त्तमाने तु कल्पे दग्धास्तदाऽग्निना

The beings I previously described to you, those from the earlier time—when that kalpa was dissolved, they were then burned by fire.

अप्राप्ता यास्तपोलोकं जनलोकं समाश्रिताः। प्रवर्तन्ति पुनः सर्गे बीजार्थं ता भवन्ति हि

Those who had not reached Tapoloka but had taken refuge in Janaloka, they again manifest at creation, serving as seeds.

बीजार्थेन स्थितास्तत्र पुनः सर्गस्य कारणात्। ततस्ताः सृज्यमानास्तु सन्तानार्थं भवन्ति हि

Remaining there for the sake of the seed, they become the cause of the new creation; then, when they are created, they exist for the sake of continuation.

धर्म्मार्थकाममोक्षाणामिह ताः साधकाः स्मृताः। देवाश्च पितरश्चैव ऋषयो मनवस्तथा

Here, they are considered the accomplishers of righteousness, wealth, desire, and liberation; they are the gods, ancestors, seers, and Manus.

ततस्ते तपसा युक्तः स्थानान्यापूरयन्ति हि। ब्रह्मणो मानसास्ते वै सिद्धात्मानो भवन्ति हि

Endowed with asceticism, they fill the places; born from the mind of Brahmā, they become perfected beings.

ये सर्गा द्वेषयुक्तेन कर्मणा ते दिवं गताः। आवर्त्तमाना इह ते सम्भवन्ति युगे युगे

Those who, through actions tainted by aversion, have gone to heaven, return here and are born again in each age.

स्वकर्मफलशेषेण ख्याताश्चैव तथात्मिकाः। संभवन्ति जनाल्लोकात् कर्मसंशयबन्धनात्

By the remaining results of their own actions, beings, known and of such nature, arise from the world of people, bound by the uncertainty of karma.

आशयः कारणं तत्र बोद्धव्यं कर्मणां तु सः। तैः कर्मभिस्तु जायन्ते जनाल्लोकाः शुभाशुभैः

Intention is to be understood as the cause there; it is indeed the basis of actions. By those actions, beings and worlds are born, whether auspicious or inauspicious.

गृह्णन्ति ते शरीराणि नानारूपाणि योनिषु। देवाद्यस्थावरान्ते च उत्पद्यन्ते परस्परम्

They take on bodies of various forms in different wombs, from gods down to immovable beings, and are born in mutual succession.

तेषां ये यानि कर्माणि प्राक् सृष्टेः प्रतिपेदिरे। तान्येते प्रतिपद्यन्ते सृज्यमानाः पुनः पुनः

The actions which they had acquired before creation, those very actions these newly created beings repeatedly assume.

हिस्राहिंस्रे मृदुक्रूरे धर्माधर्मे ऋतानृते। तद्भाविताः प्रपद्यन्ते तस्मात्तत्तस्य रोचते

Shaped by violence or nonviolence, gentleness or cruelty, righteousness or unrighteousness, truth or falsehood, they attain corresponding states; therefore, each is drawn to what accords with their nature.

कल्पेष्वासन् व्यतीतेषु रूपनामानि यानि च। तान्येवानागते काले प्रायशः प्रतिपेदिरे

The forms and names that existed in past cycles, those very ones are generally assumed again in future times.