Vayu Purana

पूर्वोक्ता या मया तुभ्यञ्जनलोकं समाश्रिताः। कल्पेऽतीते तु ते ह्यासन् देवाद्यास्तु प्रजा इह

Those beings I previously mentioned to you, who have taken refuge in the world of Janas, were the gods and others in the past kalpa, here.

ध्यायतस्तस्य ताः सर्वाः सम्भूत्यर्थमुपस्थिताः। मन्वन्तरक्रमेणेह कनिष्ठे प्रथमे मताः

As he meditated, all those beings appeared for the sake of manifestation, considered to be the youngest in the first cycle of the Manvantara here.

ख्यात्यानुबन्धैस्तैस्तैस्तु सर्वार्थैरिह भाविताः। कुशलाकुशलप्रायैः कर्मभिस्तैः सदा प्रजाः। तत्कर्मफलशेषेण उपष्टब्धाः प्रजज्ञिरे

Endowed with various reputations and connections, and shaped by all kinds of actions—good and bad—the beings were always supported by the residue of their past deeds and were born accordingly.

देवासुरपितृत्वैश्च पशुपक्षिसरीसृपैः। वृक्षनारकिकीटत्वै स्तैस्तैर्भावैरुपस्थिताः। आधीनांर्थ प्रजानाञ्च आत्मनो वै विनिर्ममे

Arriving with the states of gods, asuras, ancestors, animals, birds, reptiles, trees, beings of hell, and insects, he fashioned the beings according to those forms, each dependent on their own nature.

ततोऽभिध्यायतस्तस्य जज्ञिरे मानसीप्रजाः। तच्छरीरसमुत्पन्नैः कार्यैस्तैः कारणैः सह। क्षेत्रज्ञाः समवर्त्तन्त गात्रेभ्यस्तस्य धीमतः

Then, as he meditated, mind-born beings were produced from him, along with the effects and causes that arose from his own body; the knowers of the field came forth from the limbs of that wise one.

ततो देवासुरपितॄन् मानवञ्च चतुष्टयम्। सिसृक्षुम्भांस्येतांश्च स्वात्मना समयूयुजत्

Then, desiring to create, he joined together by his own will the four groups: gods, asuras, ancestors, and humans.

युक्तात्मनस्ततस्तस्य ततो मात्रा स्वयम्भुवः। तमभिध्यायतः सर्गं प्रयत्नोऽभुत् प्रजापतेः

With his mind thus engaged, and with the measures of Svayambhu established, as he meditated, the act of creation became an effort for the Lord of beings.

ततोऽस्य जघनात् पूर्वमसुरा जज्ञिरे सुताः। असुः प्राणः स्मृतो विप्रा स्तज्जन्मानस्ततोऽसुराः

Then, from his lower body, the asuras were first born as sons; since 'asu' means life-breath, O sages, they were called asuras from that birth.

यया सृष्टाः सुरास्तन्वा तां तनुं स व्यपोहत। सापविद्धा तनुस्तेन सद्यो रात्रिरजायत

The form by which the gods were created, he cast off that body; that discarded body became night at once.

सा तमोबहुला यस्मात्ततो रात्रिस्त्रियामिका। आवृतास्तमसा रात्रौ प्रजास्तस्मात् स्वयम्भुवः

Because that night was full of darkness, it is called the triple-night; in that night, beings of Svayambhu were enveloped by darkness.

दृष्ट्वा सुरांस्तु देवेशस्तनुमन्यामपद्यत। अव्यक्तां सत्त्वबहुलां ततस्तां सोऽभ्ययूयुजत्। ततस्तां युञ्जतस्तस्य प्रियमासीत् प्रभोः किल

Seeing the gods, the Lord of the gods assumed another form, unmanifest and full of sattva; then he united with that form, and as he did so, the Lord was pleased.

ततो मुखे समुत्पन्ना दीव्यतस्तस्य देवताः। यतोऽस्य दीव्यतो जातास्तेन देवाः प्रकीर्त्तिताः

Then, as he shone, the gods were produced from his mouth; because they were born as he shone, they are therefore called 'devas'.

धातुर्द्दिवीति यः प्रोक्तः क्रीडायां स विभाव्यते। तस्यान्तन्वान्तु दिव्यायां जज्ञिरे तेन देवताः

He who is called 'dhatur diviti' in play is thus understood; from that divine form of his, the gods were born.

देवान् सृष्ट्वाथ देवेशस्तनुमन्यामपद्यत। सत्त्वमात्रात्मिकां देवस्ततोऽन्यां सोऽभ्यपद्यत ॥१.९.

Having created the gods, the Lord of the gods then assumed another form; the god took on a body composed solely of sattva, and thereafter he assumed yet another form.

पितृवन्मन्यमानस्तान् पुत्रान् प्राध्यायत प्रभुः। पितरो ह्युपपक्षाभ्यां रात्र्यह्नोरन्तरासृजत्। तस्मात्ते पितरो देवाः पुत्रत्वन्तेन तेषु तत्

Considering them as sons, the Lord desired them; indeed, he created the Pitṛs in the interval between night and day by two wings; therefore, those Pitṛs are divine, and their sonship is thus established among them.

यया सृष्टास्तु पितरस्तान्तनुं स व्यपोहत। सापविद्धा तनुस्तेन सद्यः सन्ध्या प्रजायत

By the form through which the Pitṛs were created, he discarded that body; that discarded form immediately became Sandhyā.

तस्मादहस्तु देवानां रात्रिर्या साऽसुरी स्मृता। तयोर्मध्ये तु वै पैत्री या तनुः सा गरीयसी

Therefore, day belongs to the gods, and night is considered asuric; between these two, the Pitṛ form is the most significant.

तस्माद्देवासुराः सर्वे ऋषयो मनवस्तथा। ते युक्तास्तामुपासन्ते ब्रह्मणो मध्यमान्तनुम्

Thus, all gods, asuras, sages, and Manus, united, worship that middle form of Brahmā.

ततोऽन्यां स पुनर्ब्रह्मा तनुं वै प्रत्यपद्यत। रजोमात्रात्मिकायान्तु मनसा सोऽसृजत् प्रभुः

Then again, Brahmā assumed another form; composed solely of rajas, the Lord created by his mind.

रजःप्रायात् ततः सोऽथ मानसानसृजत् सुतान्। मनसस्तु ततस्तस्य मानसा जज्ञिरे प्रजाः

From predominance of rajas, he then created sons born of the mind; from his mind, those mental offspring were generated.

दृष्ट्वा पुनः प्रजाश्चापि स्वान्तनुन्ता मपौहत। सापविद्धा तनुस्तेन ज्योत्स्ना सद्यस्त्वजायत

Seeing his progeny, he again discarded his own form; that discarded form immediately became Jyotsnā.

तस्माद्भवन्ति संदृष्टा ज्योत्स्नाया उद्भवे प्रजाः। इत्येतास्तनवस्तेन व्यपविद्धा महात्मना

Therefore, beings are seen to arise from the birth of Jyotsnā; these forms were discarded by the great soul.

सद्यो रात्र्यहनी चैव सन्ध्या ज्योत्स्ना च जज्ञिरे। जयोत्स्ना सन्ध्या तथाहश्च सत्त्वमात्रात्मकं स्वयम्। तमोमात्रात्मिका रात्रिः सा वै तस्मात्र्त्रियामि का

Immediately, night and day, Sandhyā, and Jyotsnā were born; Jyotsnā, Sandhyā, and day are themselves composed solely of sattva; night is composed solely of tamas, and thus it is called the third.

तस्माद्देवा दिव्यतत्त्वात् दृष्‌टा सृष्टा मुखात्तु वै। यस्मात्तेषां दिवा जन्म बलिनस्तेन ते दिवा ॥१.९.

Therefore, the gods, created from the divine principle, were produced from the mouth; since their birth is by day, they are powerful by day.

तन्वा यदसुरान् रात्रौ जघनादसृ जत् प्रभुः

By that form, the Lord created the asuras at night from the lower part of the body.

एतान्येव भविष्याणां देवानामसुरैः सह। पितॄणां मानवानाञ्च अतीतानागतेषु वै। मन्वन्तरेषु सर्वेषां निमित्तानि भवन्ति हि

These very forms become the causes for future gods, asuras, Pitṛs, and Manus, both past and yet to come, in all the Manvantaras.

ज्योत्स्ना रात्र्यहनी सन्ध्या चत्वार्याभासितानि वै। भान्ति यस्मात्ततो भासि भाशब्दोऽयं मनीषिभिः। व्याप्तिदीप्त्यां निगदितः पुनश्चाह प्रजापतिः

Jyotsnā, night, day, and Sandhyā—these four manifestations shine forth; because they shine, the word 'bhā' is used by the wise, signifying pervasion and brilliance; thus Prajāpati spoke again.

सोऽम्भांस्येतानि दृष्ट्वा तु देवदानवमानवान्। पितॄंश्च वासृजत्सोऽन्यानात्मनो विबुधान् पुनः

Having seen these waters, gods, Dānavas, humans, and Pitṛs, he again created other wise beings from himself.

तामुत्कृत्य तनुं कृत्स्नान्ततोऽन्यामसृजत् प्रभुः। मूर्तिं रजस्तमःप्रायां पुनरेवाभ्ययूयुजत्

Having discarded that entire form, the Lord then created other forms; he again joined a form predominated by rajas and tamas.