कालस्तृतीयस्तस्यांशः सर्वभूतानि चापरः । इत्थं चतुर्धा संसृष्टौ वर्ततेसौ रजोगुणः ॥ १,२२.
Time is his third portion, and all beings are another; thus, in creation, he exists in fourfold form, manifesting the quality of passion.
एकांशेनास्थितो विष्णुः करोति प्रतिपालनम् । मन्वादिरूपश्चान्येन कालरूपोऽपरोण च ॥ १,२२.
By one portion, Vishnu remains and performs preservation; by another, he takes the form of the Manus and others; by another, he is time.
सर्वभूतेषु चान्येन संश्थितः कुरुते स्थितिम् । सत्त्वं गुणं समाश्रित्य जगतः पुरुषोत्तमः ॥ १,२२.
By another portion, he abides in all beings and maintains their existence, O best of men, relying on the quality of goodness, as the Supreme Person of the world.
आश्रित्य तमसो वृत्तिमन्तकाले तथा पुनः । रुद्रस्वरूपो भगवानेकांशेन भवत्यजः ॥ १,२२.
Relying on the function of darkness at the time of dissolution, again, the unborn Lord becomes Rudra in one portion.
अग्न्यन्तकादिरूपेण भागेनान्येन वर्तते । कालस्वरूपो भागो यःसर्वभूतानि चापरः ॥ १,२२.
By another portion, he exists as Agni, Yama, and others; one portion is the form of time, and another is all beings.
विनाशं कुर्वतस्तस्य चतुर्धैवं महात्मनः । विभागकल्पना ब्रह्मन् कथ्यते सार्वकालिकी ॥ १,२२.
Thus, when he brings about destruction, O Brahman, the division of the great soul is said to be fourfold and applies at all times.
ब्रह्म दक्षादयः कालस्तथै वाखिलजन्तवः । विभूतयो हरेरेता जगतः सृष्टिहेतवः ॥ १,२२.
Brahma, Daksha and the others, time, and all living beings—these are the powers of Hari, the causes of the creation of the world.
विष्णुर्मन्वादयः कालः सर्वभूतानि च द्विज । स्थितेर्निमित्तभूतस्य विष्णोरेता विभूतयः ॥ १,२२.
Vishnu, the Manus and others, time, and all beings, O twice-born, are the powers of Vishnu, who is the cause of the world's preservation.
रुद्रः कालान्तकाद्याश्च समस्ताश्चैव जन्तवः । चतुर्धा प्रलायायैता जनार्दनविभूतयः ॥ १,२२.
Rudra, those such as Time and Death, and all beings—these are the fourfold powers of Janardana for dissolution.
जगदादौ तथा मध्ये सृष्टिराप्रलया द्विज । धात्रा मरीचिमिश्रैश्च क्रियते जन्तुभिस्तथा ॥ १,२२.
At the beginning and in the middle of the world, up to dissolution, O twice-born, creation is performed by the Creator, along with Marici and others, and by the beings as well.
ब्रह्म सृजत्यादिकाले मरीचिप्रमुखास्ततः । उत्पादयन्त्यपत्यानि जन्तवश्च प्रतिक्षणम् ॥ १,२२.
At the beginning, Brahma creates; then Marici and the others produce offspring, and beings are born at every moment.
कालेन न विना ब्रह्म सृष्टिनिष्पादको द्विज । न प्रजापतयः सर्वे न चैवाखिलजन्तवः ॥ १,२२.
Without time, O twice-born, Brahma cannot accomplish creation, nor can all the lords of beings, nor indeed all living creatures.
एवमेव विभागोयं स्तितावप्युपदिश्यति । चतुर्दा तस्य देवस्य मैत्रेय प्रलये तथा ॥ १,२२.
In the same way, this division is taught in preservation and, O Maitreya, likewise fourfold for that god in dissolution.
यत्किञ्चित्सृज्यते येन सत्त्वजातेन वै द्विज । तस्य सृज्यस्य सम्भूतो तत्सर्वं वै हरेस्तनुः ॥ १,२२.
Whatever is created by any being born of the quality of goodness, O twice-born, all that which is produced is truly the body of Hari.
हन्ति यावच्च यत्किञ्चित्सत्त्वं स्थावरजङ्गमम् । जनार्दनस्य तद्रौद्रं मैत्रेयान्तकरं वपुः ॥ १,२२.
Whatever living thing, whether stationary or moving, is destroyed, O Maitreya, that destructive form is the fierce aspect of Janardana.
एवमेष जगत्स्त्रष्टा जगत्पाता तथा जगत् । जगद्भक्षयिता देवः समस्तस्य जनार्दनः ॥ १,२२.
Thus, this god, Janardana, is the creator, the sustainer, and the devourer of the world—all of it.
सृष्टिस्थित्यन्तकालेषु त्रिधैवं संप्रवर्तते । गुणप्रवृत्या परमं पदं तस्यागुणं महत् ॥ १,२२.
At the times of creation, preservation, and dissolution, it unfolds in three ways, according to the activity of the qualities; but its supreme state is beyond qualities, the great.
तच्च ज्ञानमयं व्यापि स्वसंवेद्यमनौपमम् । चतुष्प्रकारं तदपि स्वरूपं परमात्मनः ॥ १,२२.
And that is composed of knowledge, all-pervading, self-aware, incomparable; even that has four forms, which are the true nature of the Supreme Self.
श्रीमैत्रेय उवाच चतुःप्रकारतां तस्य ब्रह्मभूतस्य हे मुने । ममाचक्ष्व यथान्यायं यदुक्तं परमं पदम् ॥ १,२२.
Śrī Maitreya said: O sage, explain to me properly the fourfold nature of that which has become Brahman, and what is called the supreme state.
श्रीपराशर उवाच मैत्रेय कारणं प्रोक्तं साधनं सर्ववस्तुषु । साध्यं च वस्त्वभिमतं यत्साधयितुमात्मनः ॥ १,२२.
Śrī Parāśara said: Maitreya, the cause has been described, as well as the means among all things, and the object to be attained, which one seeks to accomplish for oneself.
योगिनो मुक्तिकामस्य प्राणायामादिसाधनम् । साध्यं च परमं ब्रह्म पुनर्नावर्तते यतः ॥ १,२२.
For the yogin desiring liberation, the means are breath-control and the like; and the object to be attained is the supreme Brahman, from which there is no return.
साधनालम्बनं ज्ञानं मुक्तये योगिनां हि यत् । स भेदः प्रथमस्तस्य ब्रह्मभूतस्य वै मुने ॥ १,२२.
The knowledge that is the support for the means to liberation for yogins—this is the first distinction of that which has become Brahman, O sage.
युञ्जतः क्लेशमुक्त्यर्थं साध्यं यद्ब्रह्म योगिनः । तदालम्बनविज्ञानं द्वितीयोऽंशो महामुने ॥ १,२२.
The knowledge that is the support for the object—the Brahman which the yogin aims at for release from suffering—this is the second aspect, O great sage.
उभयोस्त्वविभागेन साध्यसाधनयोर्हि यत् । विज्ञानमद्वैतमयं तद्भागोन्यो मयोदितः ॥ १,२२.
But the non-dual knowledge, in which there is no distinction between the means and the object, that is the third part which I have described.
ज्ञानत्रयस्य वै तस्य विशेषो यो महामुने । तन्निराकरणद्वारा दर्शितात्मस्वरूपवत् ॥ १,२२.
The special feature of these three kinds of knowledge, O great sage, is shown by the negation of them, just as the true nature of the self is revealed.
निर्व्यापारमनाख्येयं व्याप्तिमात्रमनूपमम् । आत्मसम्बोधविषयं सत्तामात्रमलक्षणम् ॥ १,२२.
It is actionless, indescribable, consisting only of pervasiveness, incomparable, the object of self-realization, characterized solely by existence.
प्रशान्तमभयं शुद्धं दुर्विभाव्यमसंश्रयम् । विष्णोर्ज्ञानमयस्योक्तं तज्ज्ञानं ब्रह्मसंज्ञितम् ॥ १,२२.
It is tranquil, fearless, pure, difficult to comprehend, without dependence; this knowledge of Viṣṇu, composed of knowledge, is called Brahman.
तत्र ज्ञाननिरोधेन योगिनो यान्ति ये लयम् । संसारकर्षणोप्तौ ते यान्ति निर्बीजतां द्विजा ॥ १,२२.
There, by the cessation of knowledge, yogins enter dissolution; having abandoned the pull of worldly existence, they attain seedless absorption, O twice-born.
एवंप्रकारममलं नित्यं व्यापकमक्षयम् । समस्तहेयरहितं विष्ण्वाख्यं परमं पदम् ॥ १,२२.
In this way, the supreme state called Viṣṇu is pure, eternal, all-pervading, imperishable, and free from all that is to be rejected.
तद्ब्रह्म परमं योगी यतो नावर्तते पुनः । श्रयत्यपुण्योपरमे क्षीणक्लेशेऽतिनिर्मले ॥ १,२२.
That supreme Brahman, which the yogin attains and from which he does not return, is reached when all demerit has ceased, when afflictions are exhausted, and purity is complete.