प्रचेतस ऊचुः नताः स्म सर्ववचसां प्रतिष्ठा यत्र शाश्वती । तमाद्यन्तमशेषस्य जगतः परमं प्रभुम् ॥ १,१४.
The Pracetas said: We bow to him who is the eternal foundation of all words, who is the supreme Lord, the beginning and end of all that exists.
ज्योतिराद्यमनौपम्यमण्वनन्तमपारवत् । योनिभूतमशेषस्य स्थावरस्य चरस्य च ॥ १,१४.
To him who is the original, incomparable, infinite, and boundless light, who is the source of all that is moving and unmoving.
यस्याहः प्रथमं रूपमरूपस्य तथा निशा । संध्या च परमेशस्य तस्मै कालात्मने नमः ॥ १,१४.
To him whose day is the first form of the formless, and whose night is likewise; to that supreme Lord, the embodiment of time, we offer our salutations.
भुज्यतेऽनुदिनं देवैः पितृभिश्च सुधात्मकः । बीजभूतं समस्तस्य तस्मै सोमात्मने नमः ॥ १,१४.
To him who, in the form of Soma, is enjoyed daily by the gods and ancestors, who is the seed of all, to that Soma-essence we bow.
यस्तमास्यत्ति तीव्रात्मा प्रभाभिर्भासयन्नभः । घर्मशीताम्भसा योनिस्तस्मै सूर्यत्मने नमः ॥ १,१४.
To him who devours darkness, whose intense nature illuminates the sky with rays, who is the source of heat, cold, and water—to that Sun-form we bow.
काठिन्यवान् यो बिभर्ति जगदेतदशेषतः । शब्दादिसंश्रयो व्यापी तस्मै भूम्यात्मने नमः ॥ १,१४.
To him who, possessing solidity, upholds this entire world, who pervades all as the support of sound and the senses—to that Earth-form we bow.
यद्योनिभूतं जगतो वीजं यत्सर्वदेहिनाम् । तत्तोयरूपमीशस्य नमामो हरिमेधसः ॥ १,१४.
To that Lord whose watery form is the source of the world, the seed of all embodied beings, to Hari, the origin of the universe, we bow.
यो मुखं सर्वदेवानां हव्यभुक्कव्यभुक्तथा । पितॄणां च नमस्तस्मै विष्णवे पावकात्मने ॥ १,१४.
To Viṣṇu, the fire-essence, who is the mouth of all the gods, who consumes the offerings to gods and ancestors, to him we offer our salutations.
पञ्चधावस्थितो देहे यश्चेष्टां कुरुतेऽनिशम् । आकाशयोनिर्भगवांस्तस्मै वाय्वात्मने नमः ॥ १,१४.
To the blessed one who, established fivefold in the body, constantly performs activity, who is the source of space—to that Air-form we bow.
अवकाशमशेषाणां भूतानां यः प्रयच्छति । अनन्तमूर्तिमाञ्छुद्धस्तस्मै व्योमात्मने नमः ॥ १,१४.
To him who grants space to all beings, who has infinite forms and is pure—to that Ether-form we bow.
समस्तेन्द्रियसर्गस्य यः सदा स्थानमुत्तमम् । तस्मै शब्दादिरूपाय नमः कृष्णाय वेधसे ॥ १,१४.
To him who is always the supreme abode of all the senses and their creation, who is of the form of sound and the rest, to Kṛṣṇa, the creator, we bow.
गृह्णाति विषयान्नित्यमिन्द्रियात्माक्षराक्षरः । यस्तस्मै ज्ञानमूलाय नतास्म हरिमेधसे ॥ १,१४.
To him who, as the imperishable and perishable, always receives the objects through the senses, who is the root of knowledge, to Hari, the origin of the universe, we bow.
गृहीतानिन्द्रियैरर्थानात्मने यः प्रयच्छति । अन्तःकरणरूपाय तस्मै विश्वात्मने नमः ॥ १,१४.
To him who bestows the self upon the objects grasped by the senses, who is of the form of the inner faculty, to the soul of the universe, we bow.
यस्मिन्ननन्ते सकलं विश्वं यस्मात्तथोद्गतम् । लयस्थानं च यस्तस्मै नमः प्रकृतिधर्मिणे ॥ १,१४.
To him in whom the entire universe abides, from whom it arises, and in whom it dissolves, who is the abode of dissolution, to the one whose nature is Prakṛti, we bow.
शुद्धः संल्लक्ष्यते भ्रान्त्या गुणवानिव योऽगुणः । तमात्मरूपिणं देव नतास्म पुरुषोत्तमम् ॥ १,१४.
He who is pure, who is perceived through delusion as possessing qualities though he is without qualities— to that divine Supreme Person, who is the very form of the Self, we bow.
अविकारमजं शुद्धं निर्गुणं यन्निरजनम् । नताःस्मतत्परं ब्रह्म विष्णोर्यत्परमं पदम् ॥ १,१४.
Unchanging, unborn, pure, without qualities, and without blemish— to that highest Brahman, the supreme abode of Vishnu, we bow.
अदीर्घह्रस्वमस्थूलण्वनमश्यामलोहितम् । अस्नेहच्छायमतनुमसक्तमशरीरीणम् ॥ १,१४.
Neither long nor short, neither gross nor subtle, neither dark nor red, without affection, shadow, or form, unattached, and bodiless.
अनाकाशमसंस्पर्शमगन्धमरसं च यत् । अचक्षुश्रोत्रमचलमवाक्पाणिममानिसम् ॥ १,१४.
Without space, without contact, without scent or taste, without eyes or ears, unmoving, without speech, hands, or pride.
अनामगोमत्रसुखमतेजस्कमहेतुकम् । अभयं भ्रान्तिरहितम निद्रमजरामरम् ॥ १,१४.
Without name or measure, without pleasure, without brilliance, without cause, fearless, free from delusion, without sleep, decay, or death.
अरजोशब्दममृतमप्लुतं यदसंवृतम् । पूर्वापरेण वै यस्मिस्तद्विष्णोः परमं पदम् ॥ १,१४.
Without passion or sound, immortal, unshaken, uncovered— that which is before and after, that is the supreme abode of Vishnu.
परमेशत्वगुणवत्सर्वभूतमसंशयम् । नतास्म तत्पदं विष्णोर्जिह्वादृग्गोचरं न यत् ॥ १,१४.
Endowed with the quality of supreme lordship, pervading all beings without doubt— we bow to that abode of Vishnu, which is not accessible to tongue or eye.
श्रीपराशर उवाच एवं प्रचेतसो विष्णुं स्तुवन्तस्तत्समाधयः । दशवर्षसहस्राणि तपश्चेरुर्महार्णवे ॥ १,१४.
Śrī Parāśara said: Thus, praising Vishnu with these meditations, the Pracetas performed austerities for ten thousand years in the great ocean.
ततः प्रसन्नो भगवांस्तेषामन्तर्जले हरिः । ददौ दर्शनमुन्निद्रनीलोत्पलदलच्छविः ॥ १,१४.
Then, the blessed Hari, pleased, appeared to them in the waters, his complexion like the petals of a freshly blossomed blue lotus.
पतत्रिराजमारूढमवलोक्य प्रचेतसः । प्रणिपेतुः शिरोभिस्तं भक्तिभारावनामितैः ॥ १,१४.
Seeing him mounted on the king of birds, the Pracetas bowed down to him with their heads, bent low with the weight of devotion.
ततस्तानाह भगवान्व्रयतामीप्सतो वरः । प्रसादसुमुखोहं वो वरदः समुपस्थितः ॥ १,१४.
Then the Blessed Lord said to them, 'Choose the boon you desire; I am present before you, gracious and ready to grant blessings.'
ततस्तमूचुर्वरदं प्रणिपत्य प्रचेतसः । यथा पित्रा समादिष्टं प्रजानां वृद्धिकारणम् ॥ १,१४.
Then the Pracetas, bowing to the bestower of boons, said, 'As instructed by our father, may we obtain that which causes the growth of beings.'
स चापि देवस्तं दत्त्वा यथभिलषितं वरम् । अन्तर्धानं जगामाशु ते च निश्चक्रमुर्जलात् ॥ १,१४.
And the god, granting them the boon as they desired, vanished at once, and they emerged from the water.
श्रीपराशर उवाच तपश्चरत्सु पृथिवीं प्रचेतःसु महीरुहाः । अरक्ष्यमाणामावव्रुर्बभूवाथ प्रजाक्षयः ॥ १,१५.
Śrī Parāśara said: While the Pracetas performed austerities, the trees on earth, unprotected, spread everywhere, and there was a decline of living beings.
नाशकन्मरुतो वातुं वृतं खमभवद्द्रुमैः । दशवर्षसहस्राणि न शकुश्चेष्टितुं प्रजाः ॥ १,१५.
The winds could not blow, the sky was blocked by trees; for ten thousand years, the creatures could not move.
तान्दृष्ट्वा जलनिष्क्रान्ताः सर्वे क्रुद्धाः प्रचेतसः । मुखेभ्यो वायुमग्निं च तेऽसृजन् जातमन्यवः ॥ १,१५.
Seeing this, the Pracetas, emerging from the water, all became angry, and from their mouths they released wind and fire.