कृतकाकृतयोर्मध्ये महर्लोक इति स्मृतः । शून्यो भवति कल्पान्ते योत्यन्तं न विनश्यति
Between the artificial and non-artificial worlds, Maharloka is remembered; it becomes empty at the end of a kalpa, but does not perish completely.
एते सप्त मया लोका मैत्रेय कथितास्तव । पातालानि च सप्तैव ब्रह्माण्डस्यैष विस्तरः
O Maitreya, I have described to you these seven worlds, and also the seven nether regions; this is the expanse of the Brahmāṇḍa.
एतदण्डकटाहेन तिर्यक् चोर्ध्वमधस्तथा । कपित्थस्य यथा बीजं सर्वतो वै समावृतम्
This is encased by the shell of the cosmic egg, sideways, above, and below, just as the seed of a wood-apple is surrounded on all sides.
दशोत्तरेण पयसा मैत्रेयांडं च तद्वृतम् । सर्वोम्बुपरिधानोसौ वह्निना वेष्टितो बहिः
O Maitreya, the egg is enveloped by water, ten times its size; it is surrounded by all the elements, and outside, it is encircled by fire.
वह्निश्च वायुना वायुर्मैत्रेय नभसा वृतः । भूतादिना नभः सोपि महता परहिवेष्टितः । देशोत्तराण्यश्षोआ!णि मैत्रेयैतानि सप्त वै
Fire is encased by air, air by space, O Maitreya, and space by the principle of elements; space itself is surrounded by the great principle; these are the seven coverings, each exceeding the previous in size.
महान्तं च समावृत्य प्रधानं समवस्थितम् । अनन्तस्य न तस्यान्तः संख्यानं चापि विद्यते
Encompassing the great principle is Pradhāna, established beyond; it is endless, and its measure cannot be known.
तदन्तमसंख्यातप्रमाणं चापि वै यतः । हेतुभूतमसेषस्य प्रकृतिः सा परा मुने
Its extent is immeasurable, O sage, and because it is the cause of all, that Prakṛti is supreme.
अंडानां तु सहस्राणां सहस्राण्ययुतानि च । ईदृशानां तथा तत्र कोटिकोटिशतानि च
There are thousands upon thousands of such cosmic eggs, and hundreds of crores and hundreds of millions as well.
हारुण्यग्निर्यथा तैलं तिले तद्वत्पुमानपि । प्रधानेऽवस्थितो व्यापी चेतनात्मात्मवेदनः
Just as fire pervades oil in sesame seeds, so too does the Self, endowed with consciousness and self-awareness, pervade Pradhāna.
प्रधानं च पुमांश्चैव सर्वभूतात्मभूतया । विष्णुशक्त्या महाबुद्धे वृतौ संश्रयधर्मिणौ
Both Pradhāna and the Self, as the essence of all beings, are sustained by the power of Viṣṇu and the great intellect, and are endowed with the nature of dependence.
तयोः सैव पृथग्भावकारणं संश्रयस्य च । क्षोभकारणभूता च सर्गकाले महामते
Of these two, the cause of their distinction and dependence is the power which acts as the cause of agitation at the time of creation, O wise one.
यथा सक्तं जले वातो बिभर्त्ति कणिकाशतम् । शक्तिः सापि तथा विष्णोः प्रधानपुरुषात्मकम्
Just as wind, when mixed with water, supports hundreds of droplets, so too does the power of Viṣṇu sustain Pradhāna and the Self.
यथा च पादयोर्मूलस्कन्धशाखादिसंयुतः । आदिबीजात्प्रभवति बीजान्यन्यानि वै ततः
And as from the original seed arise roots, trunks, branches, and so on, so too do other seeds originate from the first.
प्रभवन्ति ततस्तेभ्यः सम्भवन्त्यपरे द्रु माः । तेपि तल्लक्षणद्र व्यकारणानुगता मुने
From those, others arise, and from them yet others, O sage; all these follow the characteristics and causes of the preceding ones.
एवमव्याकृतात्पूर्वं जायन्ते महदादयः । विशेषान्तास्ततस्तेभ्यः संभवंत्यसुरादयः । तेभ्यश्च पुत्रास्तेषां च पुत्राणामपरे सुताः
Thus, from the unmanifest, the great principle and others are born; from them, the specific elements arise, and from those, gods and others; from them, their sons, and from their sons, other descendants.
बीजाद्वृक्षप्ररोहेण यथा नापचयस्तरोः । भूतानां भूतसर्गेण नैवास्त्यपचयस्तथा
Just as there is no diminution in a tree from the sprouting of seeds, so too, there is no diminution in beings from the creation of other beings.
सन्निधानाद्यथाकाशकालाद्याः कारणं तरोः । तथैवापरिणामेव विश्वस्य भगवान्हरिः
Just as proximity and such—like space and time—are causes for a tree, so too, in the transformation of the universe, is the Blessed Hari alone the cause.
व्रीहिबीजे यथा मूलं नालं पत्राङ्कुरौ तथा । काण्डकोषस्तु पुष्पं च क्षीरं तद्वच्च तण्डुलाः
As in a grain of rice, the root, the stalk, the leaves, and the sprout, as well as the stem, the sheath, the flower, the milk, and likewise the grains of rice,
तुषाः कणाश्च सन्तो वै यान्त्याविर्भावमात्मनः । प्ररोहहेतुसामग्र्यमासाद्य मुनिसत्तम
The husks and the grains, indeed, all come forth into manifestation, O best of sages, when the proper combination of causes for growth is obtained.
तथा कर्मस्वनेकेषु देवाद्याः समवस्थिताः । विष्णुशक्तिं समासाद्य प्ररोहमुपयान्ति वै
In the same way, in various actions, the gods and others, having obtained the power of Vishnu, indeed come forth into manifestation.
स च विष्णुः परं ब्रह्म यतः सर्वमिदं जगत् । जगच्च यो यत्र चेदं यस्मिंश्च लयमेष्यति
And that Vishnu is the Supreme Brahman, from whom this entire universe arises, in whom the world exists, and into whom it will dissolve.
तद्ब्रह्म तत्परं धाम सदसत्परमं पदम् । यस्य सर्वमभेदेन यतश्चैतच्चराचरम्
That Brahman, that supreme abode, the highest state beyond existence and non-existence, by whom all this, moving and unmoving, is pervaded and from whom it arises.
स एव मूलप्रकृतिर्व्यक्तरूपी जगच्च सः । तस्मिन्नेव लयं सर्वं याति तत्र च तिष्ठति
He alone is the root-prakriti, the manifest form, and the universe itself; into him all things dissolve, and in him they abide.
कर्त्ता क्रियाणां स च इज्यते क्रतुः स एवतत्कर्मफलं च तस्य । स्रुगादियत्साधनमप्यश्षॐ हरेर्न किञ्चिद्व्यतिरिक्तमस्ति
He is the doer of actions, he is worshipped as the sacrifice, and he is also the fruit of that action; all the means such as the ladle and so on—nothing exists apart from Hari.
श्रीपारशर उवाच तारामयं भगवतः शिशुमाराकृति प्रभोः । दिवि रूपं हरेर्यत्तु तस्य पुच्छे स्थितो ध्रुवः ॥ २,९.
Śrī Parāśara said: The form of the Lord in the heavens, shaped like a dolphin and composed of stars, is that of Hari; Dhruva is situated at its tail.
सैष भ्रमन् भ्रामयति चन्द्रादित्यादिकान् ग्रहान् । भ्रमन्तमनु तं यान्ति नक्षत्राणि च चक्रवत् ॥ २,९.
As this revolves, it causes the moon, the sun, and the other planets to revolve; and the stars follow it in their rotation, like a wheel.
सूर्याचन्द्रमसौ तारा नक्षत्राणि ग्रहैः सह । वातानीकमयैर्बन्धैर्ध्रुवे बद्धानि तानि वै ॥ २,९.
The sun, the moon, the stars, and the planets are all bound to Dhruva by bonds made of wind, and thus remain fixed.
शिशुमाराकृति प्रोक्तं यद्रूपं ज्योतिषां दिवि । नारायणोऽयनं धाम्नां तस्याधारः स्वयं हृदि ॥ २,९.
That form of the luminaries in the sky, called the dolphin-shape, is said to be Nārāyaṇa; he himself is the support of the abodes, in his own heart.
उत्तानपादपुत्रस्तु तमाराध्य जगत्पतिम् । स तारा शिशुमारस्य ध्रुवः पुच्छे व्यवस्थितः ॥ २,९.
The son of Uttānapāda, having worshipped the Lord of the world, became that star; Dhruva is established at the tail of the dolphin.
आधारः शिशुमारस्य सर्वाध्यक्षो जनार्दनः । ध्रुवस्य शिशुमारस्तु ध्रुवे भानुर्व्यवस्थितः ॥ २,९.
Janārdana is the support of the dolphin, and the overseer of all; the dolphin is the support of Dhruva, and the sun is established in Dhruva.