एवं तातेन तेनाहमनुनीतो महात्मना । उपसंहृतवान्सत्रं सद्यस्तद्वाक्यगौरवात्
Thus, I was admonished by my noble father; out of respect for his words, I immediately ended the sacrifice.
ततः प्रीतः स भगवान्वसिष्ठो मुनिसत्तमः । सम्प्राप्तश्च तदा तत्र पुलस्त्यो ब्रह्मणः सुतः
Then the blessed Vasiṣṭha, foremost among sages, was pleased; and at that moment, Pulastya, son of Brahmā, arrived there.
पितामहेन दत्तार्घ्यः कृतासनपरिग्रहः । मामुवाच महाभागो मैत्रेय पुलहाग्रजः
Having received the offering of water from the grandsire and taken his seat, the illustrious Pulastya, elder brother of Pulaha, addressed me, Maitreya.
वैरे महति यद्दाक्याद्गुरोरद्याश्रिता क्षमा । त्वया तस्मात्समस्तानि भवात्र्च्छास्त्राणि वेत्स्यति
Because you have embraced patience today, even in the midst of great hostility, as taught by your teacher, you will know all the sacred texts.
सन्ततेर्न ममोच्छेदः क्रुद्धेनापि यतः कृतः । त्वया तस्मान्महाभाग ददाम्यन्यं महावरम्
Since my lineage was not interrupted even by anger, O noble one, I now grant you another great boon.
पुराणसंहिताकर्ता भवान्वत्स भविष्यति । देवतापारमार्थ्यं च यथावद्वेत्स्यते भवान्
You, my child, will become the composer of the Purāṇa-saṃhitā, and you will know the true nature of the gods as it truly is.
प्रवृत्ते च निवृत्ते च कर्मण्यस्तमला मतिः । मत्प्रसादादसन्दिग्धा तव वत्स भविष्यति
In both action and cessation, your mind will remain pure; by my grace, O child, it will be free from doubt.
ततश्च प्राह भगवान्वसिष्ठो मे पितामहः । पुलस्त्येन यदुक्तं ते सर्वमेतद्भविष्यति
Then my grandsire, the blessed Vasiṣṭha, said to me: All that Pulastya has spoken to you will surely come to pass.
इति पूर्वं वसिष्ठेन पुलस्त्येन च धीमता । यदुक्तं तत्स्मृतिं याति त्वत्प्रश्नादखिलं मम
Thus, what was formerly spoken by wise Vasiṣṭha and Pulastya returns to my memory in full because of your question.
सोऽहं वदाम्यशेषं ते मैत्रेय परिपृच्छते । पुराणसंहितां सम्यक् तां निबोध यथातथम्
Therefore, Maitreya, as you inquire, I will tell you everything; listen well to the Purāṇa-saṃhitā, exactly as it is.
विष्णोः सकाशादुद्भूतं जगत्तत्रैव च स्थितम् । स्थितिसंयमकर्ताऽसौ जगतोऽस्य जगच्च सः
From Viṣṇu the universe arises, and in him it abides; he is the sustainer and controller of this world, and he himself is the world.
श्रीपराशर उवाच अविकाराय शुद्धाय नित्याय परमात्मने । सदैकरूपरूपाय विष्णवे सर्वजिष्णवे
Śrī Parāśara said: Salutations to Viṣṇu, pure, changeless, eternal, supreme soul, whose form is ever one, and who conquers all.
नमो हिरण्यगर्भाय हरये शंकराय च । वासुदेवाय ताराय सर्गस्थित्यन्तकारिणे
Salutations to Hiraṇyagarbha, to Hari, to Śaṃkara, to Vāsudeva, to the savior, the creator, sustainer, and destroyer of the world.
एकानेकस्वरूपाय स्थूलसूक्ष्मात्मने नमः । अव्यक्तव्यक्तरूपाय विष्णवे मुक्तिहेतवे
Salutations to Viṣṇu, whose form is both one and many, who is the gross and subtle self, whose nature is both manifest and unmanifest, and who is the cause of liberation.
सर्गस्थितिविनाशानां जगतो यो जगन्मयः । मूलभूतो नमस्तस्मै विष्णवे परमात्मने
Salutations to Viṣṇu, the supreme soul, who is the root of the creation, preservation, and destruction of the universe, and who is the essence of all worlds.
आधारभूतं विश्वस्याप्यणीयांसमयीयसाम् । प्रणम्य सर्वभूतस्थमच्युतं पुरुषोत्तमम्
I bow to Acyuta, the supreme person, who is the foundation of the universe, who is subtler than the subtlest, and who dwells in all beings.
ज्ञानस्वरूपमत्यन्तनिर्मलं परमार्थतः । तमेवार्थस्वरूपेण भ्रान्तिदर्शनतः स्थितम्
The essential nature of knowledge is utterly pure in the highest sense; that alone, due to mistaken perception, appears as the nature of objects.
विष्णुं ग्रसिष्णुं विश्वस्य स्थितौ सर्गे तथा प्रभुम् । प्रणम्य जगतामीशमजमक्षयमव्ययम्
Having bowed to Viṣṇu, the devourer and lord of the universe in its preservation and creation, the ruler of all worlds, unborn, imperishable, and unchanging,
कथयामि यथापूर्व दक्षाद्यैर्मुनिसत्तमैः । पृष्ट प्रोवाच भगवानब्जयोनिः पितामहः
I shall relate, just as before, what the venerable lotus-born Lord, the grandsire, spoke when asked by the foremost sages beginning with Dakṣa.
तैश्चौक्तं पुरुकुत्साय भूभुजे निर्मदातटे । सारस्वताय तेनापि मह्मं सारस्वतेन च
That which was told to Purukutsa, the king of the earth, on the banks of the Nirmadā, by Sārasvata, and by him to me, and by me to Sārasvata.
परः पराणां परमः परमात्मात्मसंस्थितः । रूपवर्णादिनिर्देशविशेषणविवर्जितः
He is the supreme among the supreme, the highest Self established in itself, devoid of distinctions such as form, color, or any other attribute.
अपक्षयविनाशाभ्यां परिणामर्धिजन्मभिः । वर्जितः शक्यते वक्तुंयः सदास्तीति केवलम्
Free from decay, destruction, transformation, growth, and birth, he can only be described as 'He always exists,' and nothing more.
सर्वत्रासौ समस्तं च वसत्यत्रेति वै यतः । ततः स वासुदेवेति विद्वद्भिः परिपठ्यते
Because he pervades everything and dwells in all, therefore the wise call him Vāsudeva.
तद्ब्रह्म परंमं नित्यमजमक्षयमव्ययम् । एकस्वरूपं तु सदा हेयाभावाच्च निर्मलम्
That supreme Brahman is eternal, unborn, imperishable, and unchanging; always of one nature, pure because it is free from anything to be rejected.
तदेव सर्वमेवैतद्व्यक्ताव्यक्तस्वरूपवत् । तथा पुरुषरूपेण कालरूपेण च स्थितम्
That alone is all this, possessing both manifest and unmanifest forms, and is established as the form of the Person and as the form of Time.
परस्य ब्रह्मणो रूपं पुरुषः प्रथमं द्विज । व्यक्ताव्यक्ते तथैवान्ये रूपे कालस्तथा परम्
O twice-born, the Person is the first form of the Supreme Brahman; likewise, the manifest and unmanifest, and Time are other supreme forms.
प्रधानपुरुषव्यक्तकालानां परमं हि यत् । पश्यन्ति सूरयः शुद्धं तद्विष्णोः परमं पदम्
What is supreme beyond the primordial matter, the Person, the manifest, and Time—that pure state, the sages see as the supreme abode of Viṣṇu.
प्रधानपुरुषव्यक्तकालास्तु प्रविभागशः । रूपाणि स्थितिसर्गान्तव्यक्तिसद्भावहेतवः
The forms of primordial matter, the Person, the manifest, and Time are, in their divisions, the causes of the existence, creation, and dissolution of beings.
व्यक्तं विष्णुस्तथाव्यक्तं पुरुषः काल एव च । क्रीडतो बालकस्येव चेष्टां तस्य निशामय
Viṣṇu is the manifest, the unmanifest, the Person, and indeed Time; observe his activity as that of a child at play.
अव्यक्तं कारणं यत्तत्प्रधानमृषिसत्तमैः । प्रोच्यते प्रकृतिः सूक्ष्मा नित्यं सदसदात्मकम्
That unmanifest cause, which the foremost sages call primordial matter, is subtle nature, eternal, and of the essence of both being and non-being.