द्वे रूपे ब्रह्मणस्तस्य मूर्तं चामूर्तमेव च । क्षराक्षरास्वरूपे ते सर्वभूतेष्ववस्थिते ॥ १,२२.
That Brahman has two forms: with form and formless; these are the perishable and the imperishable, abiding in all beings.
अक्षरं तत्परं ब्रह्म क्षरं सर्वमिदं जगत् । एकदेशस्थितस्याग्नेर्ज्योत्स्त्रा विस्तारिणि यथा । परस्य ब्रह्मणः शक्तिस्तथोदमखिलं जगत् ॥ १,२२.
The imperishable is that supreme Brahman; the perishable is this entire world. Just as the rays of a fire, though the fire is in one place, spread out, so too is this whole world the power of the Supreme Brahman.
तत्राप्यासन्नदूरत्वाद्बहुत्वस्वल्पतामयः । ज्योत्स्नाभेदोस्ति तच्छक्तेस्तद्वन्मैत्रेय विद्यते ॥ १,२२.
And in that too, because of nearness and distance, there is difference of much and little; such is the distinction in that power, O Maitreya, as in the rays.
ब्रह्मविष्णुशिवा ब्रह्मन्प्रधाना ब्रह्मशक्तयः । ततश्च देवा मैत्रेय न्यूना दक्षादयस्ततः ॥ १,२२.
Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Śiva, O Brahman, are the chief powers of Brahman; from them, the gods arise, and from them, the lesser ones like Dakṣa, O Maitreya.
ततो मनुष्याः पशवौ मृगपक्षिसरीसृपाः । न्यूनान्यूनतराश्चैव वृक्षगुल्मादयस्तथा ॥ १,२२.
Then humans, cattle, wild animals, birds, reptiles, and also plants, shrubs, and the like, all of lesser and still lesser kinds, came into being.
तदेतदक्षरं नित्यं जगन्मुनिवराखितम् । आविर्भावतिरोभावजन्मनाशविकल्पवत् ॥ १,२२.
This imperishable, eternal reality, protected by the great sages, appears and disappears, undergoes birth and destruction, in various ways.
सर्वशक्ति मयो विष्णुः स्वरूपं ब्रह्मणः परम् । मूर्तं यद्योगिभिः पूर्वं योगारम्भेषु चिन्त्यते ॥ १,२२.
Vishnu, full of all powers, is the supreme form of Brahman; his embodied form is contemplated by yogis at the beginning of their practice.
सालम्बनो महायोगः सबीजो यत्रसंस्थितः । मनस्यव्याहते सम्यग्युञ्जतां जायते मुने ॥ १,२२.
That is the great yoga with support, established with seed, in which, O sage, when the mind is undisturbed and properly concentrated, realization arises.
स परः परशक्तीनां ब्रह्मणः समनन्तरम् । मूर्तं ब्रह्म महाभाग सर्वब्रह्ममयो हरिः ॥ १,२२.
He is the supreme, immediately following the supreme powers of Brahman; the embodied Brahman, O highly fortunate one, Hari who is the essence of all Brahman.
यत्र सर्वमिदं प्रोतमोतं चैवाखितं जगत् । ततो जगज्जगत्यस्मिन्स जगच्चखिलं मुने ॥ १,२२.
In him, this entire universe is woven and interwoven, O sage; therefore, he is the world within this world, and he is the entire universe.
क्षराक्षरमयो विष्णुर्बिभर्त्यखिलमीश्वरः । पुरुषाव्याकृतमयं भूषणास्त्रस्वरूपवत् ॥ १,२२.
Vishnu, the Lord, composed of the perishable and the imperishable, sustains everything, manifesting as the unmanifested person, as ornaments and weapons.
श्रीमैत्रेय उवाच भूषणास्त्रस्वरूपस्थं यच्चैतदखिलं जगत् । बिभर्ति भगवान्विष्णुस्तन्ममाख्यातुमर्हसि ॥ १,२२.
Śrī Maitreya said: You ought to explain to me how the Blessed Vishnu, abiding as the essence of ornaments and weapons, sustains this entire universe.
श्रीपराशर उवाच नमस्कृत्वाप्रमेयाय विष्णवे प्रभविष्णवे । कथयामि यथाख्यातं वसिष्ठेन ममा भवत् ॥ १,२२.
Śrī Parāśara said: Having bowed to the immeasurable, all-powerful Vishnu, I will relate as it was told to me by Vasiṣṭha, O fortunate one.
आत्मानमस्य जगतो निर्लेपमगुणामलम् । बिभर्ति कौस्तुभमणिस्वरूपं भगवान्हरिः ॥ १,२२.
The Blessed Hari, in the form of the Kaustubha gem, bears the self of this world, untouched, without qualities, and pure.
श्रीवत्ससंस्थानधरमनन्तेन समाश्रितम् । प्रधानं बुद्धिरप्यास्ते गदारूपेण माधवे ॥ १,२२.
The principal intellect, too, abides in Mādhava as the form of the mace, established together with the mark of Śrīvatsa, supported by the infinite.
भूतादिमिन्द्रियादिं च द्विधाहङ्कारमीश्वरः । बिभर्ति शंखरूपेण शार्ङ्गरूपेण च स्थितम् ॥ १,२२.
The Lord bears the elements, the senses, and the twofold ego, in the form of the conch and in the form of the bow Śārṅga.
चलत्स्वरूपमत्यन्तं जवेनान्तारितानिलम् । चक्रस्वरूपं च मनो धत्ते विष्णुकरे स्थितम् ॥ १,२२.
He holds the mind, ever restless and swift as the wind, in the form of the discus, established in the hand of Vishnu.
पञ्चरूपा तु या माला वैजयन्ती गदाभृतः । सा भूतहेतुसंघाता भूतमाला च वै द्विज ॥ १,२२.
The garland Vaijayantī, which has five forms and is borne by the wielder of the mace, is the collection of the causes of beings, and is indeed called the garland of beings, O twice-born.
यानीन्द्रियाण्यशेषाणि बुद्धिकर्मात्मकानि वै । शररूपाण्यशेषाणि तानि धत्ते जनार्दनः ॥ १,२२.
All the senses, both of knowledge and action, are in the form of arrows; Janārdana bears all of them.
बिभर्ति यच्चासिरत्नमच्युतोत्यन्तनिर्मलम् । विद्यामय तु तज्ज्ञानमविद्याकोशसंस्थितम् ॥ १,२२.
And that spotless sword which Acyuta bears is knowledge itself, established in the sheath of ignorance.
इत्थं पुमान्प्रधानं च बुद्ध्यहङ्कारमेव च । भूतानि च हृषीकेशे मनः सर्वेन्द्रियाणि च । विद्याविद्ये च मैत्रेय सर्वमेतत्समाश्रितम् ॥ १,२२.
Thus, O Maitreya, the Lord Hṛṣīkeśa contains within himself all this: the primordial matter, intellect, ego, the elements, the mind, all the senses, knowledge and ignorance.
अस्त्रभूषणसंस्थानस्वरूपं रूपवर्जितः । बिभार्ति मायारूपोसौ श्रेयसे प्राणिनां हरिः ॥ १,२२.
Hari, though formless, assumes the forms of weapons and ornaments, taking on the form of māyā for the welfare of living beings.
सविकारं प्रधानं च पुमांश्चैवाखिलं जगत् । बिभर्ति पुण्डहीकाक्षस्तदेवं परमेश्वरः ॥ १,२२.
The lotus-eyed Lord sustains both the transformed primordial matter and the entire universe of beings; thus does the Supreme Lord uphold all.
या विद्या या तथाविद्या यत्सद्यच्चासदव्ययम् । तत्सर्वं सर्वभूतेशे मैत्रेय मधुसूदने ॥ १,२२.
Whatever is knowledge, whatever is ignorance, whatever is real, unreal, or imperishable—all this, O Maitreya, is in Madhusudana, the Lord of all beings.
कलाकाष्ठानिमेषादिदिनर्त्वयनहायनैः । कालस्वरूपो भगवानपापो हरिरव्ययः ॥ १,२२.
Through divisions of time—kalās, kāṣṭhās, nimeṣas, days, seasons, years—the Blessed, sinless, and imperishable Hari is the very form of time.
भूर्लोकोथ भुवर्लोकः स्वर्लोको मुनिसत्तम । महर्जनस्तपः सत्यं सप्त लोका इमे विभुः ॥ १,२२.
O best of sages, the earth world, the atmosphere, the heaven, Mahar, Janas, Tapas, and Satya—these seven worlds are pervaded by the Supreme.
लोकात्ममूर्तिः सर्वेषां पूर्वेषामपि पूर्वजः । आधारः सर्वविद्यानां स्वयमेव हरिः स्थितः ॥ १,२२.
Hari himself, the support of all knowledge, abides as the soul and form of all worlds, and is the ancient origin even of the ancients.
देवमानुषपश्वादिश्वरूपैर्बहुभिः स्थितः । ततः सर्वेश्वरोऽनन्तो भूतमूर्तिरमूर्तिमान् ॥ १,२२.
Abiding in many forms—of gods, humans, animals, and others—the infinite Lord of all, the source of beings, possesses both form and formlessness.
ऋचो यजूंषि सामानि तथैवाथर्वाणानि वै । इतिहासोपवेदाश्च वेदान्तेषु तथोक्तयः ॥ १,२२.
The Ṛg, Yajur, and Sāma Vedas, as well as the Atharva Veda, the Itihāsas, the Upavedas, and the teachings found in the Vedāntas—
वेदाङ्गानि समस्तानि मन्वादिगदितानि च । शास्त्राण्यशेषाण्याख्यानान्यनुवाकाश्च ये क्वचित् ॥ १,२२.
All the Vedāṅgas, the sayings of Manu and others, all the śāstras, narratives, and whatever recitations exist anywhere—