यद्गुणं यत्स्वभावं च यद्रू पं च जगद्द्विज। सर्गादौ सृष्टवान्ब्रह्मा तन्ममाचक्ष्व कृत्स्नशः
O twice-born, tell me in full what qualities, natures, and forms Brahmā created in the world at the beginning of creation.
श्रीपराशर उवाच मैत्रेय कथयाम्येतच्छृणुष्व सुसमाहितः । यथा ससर्ज देवोसौ देवादीनखिलान्विभुः
Śrī Parāśara said: Maitreya, I will tell you this; listen with full attention to how that divine Lord created the gods and all the rest.
सृष्टिं चिंतय तस्तस्य कल्पादिषु यथा पुरा । अबुद्धिपूर्वकः सर्गः प्रादुर्भूतस्तमोमयः
As he contemplated creation at the beginning of the kalpas, as before, an unconscious creation arose, consisting of darkness.
तमोमोहो महामोहस्तामिस्रो ह्यन्धसंज्ञितः । अविद्या पंचपर्वैषा प्रादुर्भूता महात्मनः
This darkness is delusion, great delusion, and is also called Tāmisra and Andhasa; this ignorance, in five forms, arose from the great soul.
पञ्चधाऽवस्थितः सर्गो ध्यायतो प्रतिबोधवान् । बहिरन्तोऽप्रकाशश्च संवृतात्मा नगात्मकः
The creation, existing in fivefold form, was present as he contemplated, but without awareness; it was both inner and outer, without light, veiled in its own nature, and tree-like in form.
मुख्या नगा यतः प्रोक्ता मुख्यसर्गस्ततस्त्वयम् ७ तं दृष्ट्वाऽसाधकं सर्गममन्यदपरं पुनः
Because the primary trees are declared to be the main creation, this is called the primary creation; seeing that this creation was ineffective, he again made another.
तस्याभिध्यायतः सर्गस्तिर्यक्स्त्रोतोभ्यवर्त्तत । यस्मात्तिर्यक्प्रवृत्तिस्स तिर्यक्स्रोतास्ततः स्मृतः
As he contemplated, a creation with a horizontal current arose; because their activity was horizontal, it is known as the Tiryaksrotas creation.
पश्वादयस्ते विख्यातास्तमःप्राया ह्यवेदिनः । उत्पथग्राहिणश्चैव तेऽज्ञाने ज्ञानमानिनः
These, beginning with cattle, are well known; they are dominated by darkness and ignorant, following wrong paths, and though ignorant, they imagine themselves to possess knowledge.
अहंकृता अहंमाना अष्टाविंशद्वधात्मकाः । अतः प्रकाशास्ते सर्वे आवृताश्च परस्परम्
They are driven by ego and pride, numbering twenty-eight types; thus, all of them are manifest yet mutually obscured.
तमप्यसाधकं मत्वा ध्यायतोन्यस्ततोऽभवत् । ऊर्ध्वस्रोतास्तृतीयस्तु सात्त्विकोर्ध्वमवर्त्तत
Considering that creation also ineffective, as he meditated further, the third creation, the Sāttvika, arose upward as the Ūrdhvasrotas.
ते सुखप्रीतिबहुला बहिरन्तश्च नावृताः । प्रकाशा बहिरन्तश्च ऊर्ध्वस्रोतोद्भवाः स्मृताः
They are full of happiness and delight, unimpeded both within and without; luminous inside and out, they are said to be born of the upward current.
तुष्टात्मानस्तृतीयस्तु देवसर्गस्तु स स्मृतः । तस्मिन्सर्गेभवत्प्रीतिर्निष्पन्ने ब्रह्मणस्तदा
Content in themselves, this third creation is known as the creation of the gods; when this creation was accomplished, Brahmā experienced joy.
ततोन्यं स तदा दध्यौ साधकं सर्गमुत्तमम् . असाधकांस्तु ताञ्ज्ञात्वा मुख्यसर्गादिसम्भवान्
Then he contemplated another, superior creation, effective in its purpose, recognizing the previous ones, beginning with the primary creation, as ineffective.
तथाभिध्यायतस्तस्य सत्याभिध्यायिनस्ततः । प्रादुर्बभूव चाव्यक्तादर्वाक्स्रोतास्तु साधकः
Thus, as he meditated with true intent, from the unmanifest arose the downward-flowing, effective creation.
यस्मादर्वाग्व्यवर्त्तन्त ततोर्वाक्स्रोतसस्तु ते । ते च प्रकाशबहुलास्तमोद्रि क्ता रजोधिकाः
Because they turned away from the upward flow, those streams of speech became theirs; and those, abundant in illumination, were afflicted by darkness, dominated by passion.
तस्मात्ते दुःखबहुला भूयोभूयश्च कारिणः । प्रकाशा बहिरन्तश्च मनुष्याः साधकास्तु ते
Therefore, they are filled with suffering and repeatedly engaged in action; humans, manifest both outwardly and inwardly, are the ones who strive.
इत्येते कथिताः सर्गाः षडत्र मुनिसत्तम । प्रथमो महतः सर्गो विज्ञेयो ब्रह्मणस्तु सः
Thus, O foremost sage, these six creations have been described here; the first is known as the creation of Mahat, which belongs to Brahma.
तन्मात्राणां द्वितीयश्च भूतसर्गो हि स स्मृतः । वैकारिकस्तृतीयस्तु सर्ग ऐन्द्रि यकः स्मृतः
The second is remembered as the creation of the subtle elements; the third, called the Vaikarika creation, is known as the creation of the senses.
इत्येष प्राकृतः सर्गः सम्भूतो बुद्धिपूर्वकः । मुख्यसर्गश्चतुर्थस्तु मुख्या वै स्थावराः स्मृताः
Thus, this Prakritic creation arises, preceded by intellect; the fourth creation is the primary one, and the immovable beings are considered primary.
तिर्यक्स्रोतास्तु यः प्रोक्तस्तैर्यग्योन्यः स उच्यते । तदूर्ध्वस्रोतसां षष्ठो देवसर्गस्तु संस्मृतः
The creation called 'those with transverse streams' is referred to as the animal creation; above them, the sixth creation, with upward streams, is remembered as the divine creation.
ततोऽर्वाक्स्रोतसां सर्गः सप्तमः स तु मानुषः
Then, the creation with downward streams is the seventh, and it is the human creation.
अष्टमोऽनुग्रहः सर्गः सात्त्विकस्तामसश्च सः । पञ्चैते वैकृताः सर्गाः प्राकृतास्तु त्रयः स्मृताः
The eighth creation is that of grace, which is sattvic and tamasic; these five are the modified creations, and the other three are considered natural.
प्राकृतो वैकृतश्चैव कौमारो नवमः स्मृतः । इत्येते वै समाख्याता नव सर्गाः प्रजापतेः
The ninth, called the Kaumara creation, is both natural and modified; thus, the nine creations of the progenitor have been fully declared.
प्राकृता वैकृताश्चैव जगतो मूलहेतवः । सृजतो जगदीशस्य किमन्यच्छ्रोतुमिच्छसि
Both the natural and modified creations are the fundamental causes of the world; O Lord of the world, who creates, what else do you wish to hear?
श्रीमैत्रेय उवाच संक्षेपात्कथितः सर्गो देवादीनां मुने त्वया । विस्तराच्छ्रोतुमिच्छामि त्वत्तो मुनिवरोत्तम
Śrī Maitreya said: O sage, you have briefly described the creation of the gods and others; I wish to hear from you, O eminent sage, in detail.
श्रीपराशर उवाच कर्मभिर्भाविताः पूर्वैः कुशलाः कुशलैस्तुताः । ख्यात्या तया ह्यनिर्मुक्ताः संहारे ह्युपसंहृताः
Śrī Parāśara said: Those shaped by previous actions, praised by the virtuous, remain bound by that fame and are withdrawn at dissolution.
स्थावरान्ताः सुराद्यास्तु प्रजा ब्रह्मंश्चतुर्विधाः । ब्रह्मणः कुर्वतः सृष्टिं जज्ञिरे मानसास्तु ताः
The fourfold progeny, from immovable beings up to the gods, and Brahma himself, arose mentally as he performed creation.
ततो देवासुरपितॄन्मनुष्यांश्च चतुष्टयम् । सिसृक्षुरम्भांस्येतानि स्वमात्मानमयूयुजत्
Desiring to create the four groups—gods, demons, ancestors, and humans—he united his own self with these elements.
युक्तात्मनस्तमोमात्रा ह्युद्रि क्ताऽभूत्प्रजापतेः । सिसृक्षोर्जघनात्पूर्वमसुरा जज्ञिरे ततः
When the progenitor was united with himself, the measure of darkness increased; first, from his lower part, the demons were born as he desired to create.
उत्ससर्ज ततस्तां तु तमोमात्रात्मिकां तनुम् । सा तु व्यक्ता तनुस्तेन मैत्रेयाभूद्विभावरी
Then he released that form, composed of the measure of darkness; that manifest form, O Maitreya, became night.