Vayu Purana

आदित्यः सविता भानुर्जीवनो ब्रह्मसत्कृतः। प्रभवश्चात्य यश्चैव भूतानां तेन भास्करः ।। ३१.

He is Āditya, Savitṛ, Bhānu, the giver of life, honored by Brahmā; he is the source and end of beings, and thus is the Sun.

ताराभिमानी विज्ञेयस्तृतीयः परिवत्सरः। सोमः सर्वौषधिपतिर्यस्मात्स प्रपितामहः ।। ३१.

The third, Parivatsara, is to be known as the lord of the stars; Soma, the lord of all herbs, from whom the Grandfather comes.

आजीवः सर्वभूतानां योगक्षेमकृदीश्वरः। अवेक्षणाणः सततं बिभर्ति जगदंशुभिः ।। ३१.

He is the sustainer of the life of all beings, the lord who brings about their welfare and protection; ever watchful, he upholds the world with his rays.

तिथीनां पर्वसन्धीनां पूर्णिमादर्शयोरपि। योनिर्निशाकरो यश्च योऽमृतात्मा प्रजापतिः ।। ३१.

He is the source of the lunar phases, the junctions of the lunar days, and of the full and new moons; he is the origin of the moon, the immortal one, and the lord of creatures.

तस्मात् स पितृमान् सोम ऋग्यजुश्छन्दआत्मकः। प्राणापानसमानाद्यैर्व्यानोदानात्मकैरपि ।। ३१.

Therefore, Soma, possessing ancestors, is of the nature of the Rig, Yajur, and Sama meters, and also consists of the vital airs—prāṇa, apāna, samāna, vyāna, and udāna.

कर्मभिः प्राणिनां लोके सर्वचेष्टाप्रवर्त्तकः। प्राणापानसमानानां वायूनाञ्च प्रवर्त्तकः ।। ३१.

By actions in the world of living beings, he is the instigator of all activity, and he sets in motion the vital airs—prāṇa, apāna, samāna, and the winds.

पञ्चानाञ्चेन्द्रियमनोबुद्धिस्मृति जलात्मनाम्। समानकालकरणः क्रियाः सम्पादयन्निव ।। ३१.

He brings about the actions of the five senses, mind, intellect, memory, and the elements of water, as if producing them at the same time.

सर्वात्मा सर्वलोकानामावहः प्रवहादिभिः। विधाता सर्वभूतानां क्षमी नित्यं प्रभञ्जनः ।। ३१.

He is the self of all, the bearer of all worlds through the currents and the like; he is the creator of all beings, ever patient, and the eternal disperser.

योनिरग्नेरपां भूमे रवेश्चन्द्रमसश्चयः। वायुः प्रजापिर्भूतं लोकात्मा प्रपितामहः ।। ३१.

He is the source of fire, water, earth, the sun, and the moon; Vāyu is the progenitor of beings, the soul of the worlds, and the great grandsire.

प्रजापति मुखैर्देवैः सम्यगिष्टफलार्थिभिः। त्रिभिरेव कपालैस्तु अम्बकैरोषधिक्षये। इज्यते भगवान् यस्मात्तस्मात् त्र्यम्बक उच्यते ।। ३१.

Because the blessed one is worshipped by the gods, the faces of Prajāpati, desiring the fruits of proper sacrifice, with three skulls and three eyes at the destruction of plants, he is therefore called Tryambaka.

गायत्री चैव त्रिष्टुप् च जगती चैव या स्मृता। त्र्यम्बका नामतः प्रोक्ता योनयः सवनस्य ताः ।। ३१.

Gāyatrī, Triṣṭubh, and Jagatī—these are remembered as the sources of the Soma pressing, and are called by the name Tryambaka.

ताभिरेकत्वभूताभिस्त्रिविधाभिः स्ववीर्यतः। त्रिसाधनपुरोडाशस्त्रि कपालः स वै स्मृतः ।। ३१.

With these threefold forms, united as one by his own power, the sacrificial cake prepared with three implements is remembered as having three skulls.

इत्येतत्पञ्चवर्षं हि युगं प्रोक्तं मनीषिभिः। यच्चैव पञ्चधात्मा वै प्रोक्तः संवत्सरो द्विजैः। सैकं षट्कं विजज्ञेऽथ मध्वादीनृतवःकिल ।। ३१.

Thus, this five-year cycle is declared by the wise as a yuga; and the year, said by the twice-born to have fivefold nature, is known as a group of six, and then the seasons such as Madhu and others.

ऋतुपुत्रार्त्तवः पञ्च इति सर्गः समासतः। इत्येष पवमानो वै प्राणिनां जीवितानि तु ।। ३१.

The five seasons, offspring of the seasons, are thus the creation in brief; thus, this purifier is indeed the life of living beings.

नदी वेगसमायुक्तं कालो धावति संहरन्। अहोरात्रकरस्तस्मात् स वायुरभवत्पुनः ।। ३१.

Time, endowed with the speed of a river, runs on, gathering up all; therefore, he who causes day and night is again Vāyu.

एते प्रजानां पतयः प्रधानाः सर्वदेहिनाम् । पितरः सर्व लोकानां लोकात्मानः प्रकीर्तिताः ।। ३१.

These are the lords of creatures, the chief ones among all embodied beings; they are called the fathers of all worlds, the souls of the worlds.

ध्यायतो ब्रह्मणो वक्रादुद्यन् समभवद्भवः। ऋषिर्विप्रो महादेवो भूतात्मा प्रपितामहः ।। ३१.

From the curved mouth of Brahmā, as he meditated, arose Bhava—the sage, the seer, the great god, the soul of beings, the great grandsire.

ईश्वरः सर्वभूतानां प्रणवायोपपद्यते। आत्मवेशेन भूतानामङ्गप्रत्यङ्गसम्भवः ।। ३१.

The lord of all beings is manifested as Praṇava; by entering into beings, he becomes the origin of every limb and part.

अग्निः संवत्सरः सूर्यश्चन्द्रमा वायुरेव च। युगाभिमानी कालात्मा नित्यं संक्षेपकृद्विभुः। उन्मादकोऽनुग्रहकृत्स इद्वत्सर उच्यते ।। ३१.

Agni, the year, the sun, the moon, and Vāyu—he is the presiding spirit of the yugas, the soul of time, ever the summarizer and the mighty one; he is the agitator, the giver of grace, and is called the year.

रुद्राविष्टो भगवता जगत्यस्मिन् स्वतेजसा। आश्रयाश्रयसंयोगात्तनुभिर्नामभिस्तथा ।। ३१.

Rudra, possessed by the blessed one, abides in this world by his own splendor, through the union of support and supported, with forms and names accordingly.

ततस्तस्य तु वीर्येण लोकानुग्रहकारकम्। द्वितीयं भद्रसंयोगं सन्ततस्यैककारकम् ।। ३१.

Then, by his power, for the benefit of the worlds, he brings about a second auspicious union, as the single cause of continuity.

देवत्वञ्च पितृत्वञ्च कालत्वञ्चास्य यत्परम्। तस्माद्वै सर्वथा भद्रस्तद्वद्भिरभिपूज्यते ।। ३१.

His divinity, his status as ancestor, and his identity as Time—these are his highest forms; therefore, he is always auspicious and is to be especially revered by those devoted to him.

पतिः पतीनां भगवान् प्रजेशानां प्रजापतिः। भवनः सर्वभूतानां सर्वेषां नीललोहितः। ओषधीः प्रतिसन्धत्ते रुद्रः क्षीणाः पुनः पुनः ।। ३१.

He is the lord of lords, the blessed one, the lord of progenitors, the abode of all beings, the blue-throated one of all; Rudra, who repeatedly restores the exhausted plants.

इत्येषां यदपत्यं वै न तच्छक्यं प्रमाणतः। बहुत्वात् परिसङ्ख्यातुं पुत्रपौत्रमनन्तकम् ।। ३१..

The offspring of these beings truly cannot be measured; because of their multitude, it is impossible to enumerate their sons and grandsons, which are without end.

इमं वंशं प्रजेशानां महतां पुण्यकर्मणाम्। कीर्त्तयन् स्थिरकीर्त्तीनां महतीं सिद्धिमाप्नुयात् ।। ३१.

Whoever recounts this lineage of the lords of creatures, the great ones of virtuous deeds and enduring fame, attains great accomplishment.

अत ऊर्द्ध्वं प्रवक्ष्यामि प्रणवस्य विनिश्वयम्। ओङ्कारमक्षरं ब्रह्म त्रिवर्णञ्चादितः स्मृतम् ।। ३२.

Now, I will explain in detail the essence of the sacred syllable; the syllable Om is Brahman, known from the beginning as threefold.

यो यो यस्य यथा वर्णो विहितो देवतास्तथा। ऋचो यजूंषि सामानि वायुरग्निस्तथा जलम् ।। ३२.

For each letter, as it is assigned, so too are the deities; the Ṛg, Yajur, and Sāma Vedas, as well as Vāyu, Agni, and water.

तस्मात्तु अक्षरादेव पुनरन्ये प्रजज्ञिरे। चतुर्द्दश महात्मानो देवानां ये तु दैवताः ।। ३२.

From that very syllable, others were again born—the fourteen great souls who are the deities of the gods.

तेषु सर्वगतश्चैव सर्वगः सर्वयोगवित् । अनुग्रहाय लोकानामादिमध्यान्त उच्यते ।। ३२.

Among them, he who is present in all, who is all-pervading and knower of all yogas, is said to be the beginning, middle, and end, for the blessing of the worlds.