उपर्य्यहं यथा राजा त्वमधः कूञ्जरो यथा । अवबोधाय ते ब्रह्मन् ! दृष्टान्तो दसितो मया
'Just as I am now above and you are below like the elephant, so, O brāhmaṇa, I have shown you this example for your understanding.'
त्वं राजेव द्रिजश्वेष्ठ! स्थितोऽहं गजवद् यदि । तदेतत् त्वं समाचक्ष्व कतमस्त्वमहं तता
'If you are like the king, best of twice-born, and I am standing like the elephant, then tell me which is you and which am I.'
इत्युक्तः सत्वरं तस्य प्रगृह्म चरणावुभौ । निदाघः प्राह भगवानाचार्य्यस्त्वमृबुध्रुर्वम्
Thus addressed, Nidāgha quickly took hold of both his feet and said: 'You are the revered teacher Ṛbhu, and I am Nidāgha.'
नान्यस्यादू तसंस्कारस्कृतं मानसं तथा । यथाचार्य्यस्य तन त्वां मन्ये प्राप्तमह गुरुम् ।। 16 तवोपदेशदानाय पूर्व्वशुश्रूषणादृतः । गुरुस्तेऽहमृभुर्नाम्रा निदाघ! समुपागतः
'No one else’s mind is shaped by discipline as much as the disciple’s by the teacher; therefore, I consider you to have attained the highest teacher.'
तदेतदुपदिष्टं सङ्क्ष पेण महामते । परमार्थसारभूतं यददूतैमशेषतः
'Thus, in brief, I have instructed you, O wise one, in the essence of the highest truth, as it has been taught to me in full.'
एवमुक्त्वा ययौ विद्रान् निदाघं स ऋबुर्गुरुः । नदाघोऽप्युपदेशीन तेनादूतैपरोऽभवत्
Having spoken thus, Ṛbhu, the teacher, departed from Nidāgha; and Nidāgha, having received his instruction, became devoted to the supreme truth.
सर्व्भूतान्यभेदेन ददृशे स तदान्मनः । यथा ब्रह्मपरो मुक्तिपवाप परमां द्रिज
At that time, his mind perceived all beings as non-different; just as one devoted to Brahman attains the supreme liberation, O twice-born one.
तथा त्वमपि धर्म्मज्ञ ! तुल्यात्मरिपुबान्धवः । भव सर्व्वगतं जानन्नात्मानमवनीपते
So too, O knower of dharma, you should be equal towards friend and foe, recognizing the Self as present in all, O king.
सितनीलादिभेदेन यथैकः दृश्यते नभः । भ्रान्तिदृष्टिभिरात्मापि तथैकं सन् पृथक् पृथक्
Just as the one sky appears as white, blue, and so on, due to differences, so too the one Self, though truly one, appears as many through deluded vision.
एकः समस्तं यदिहास्ति किञ्चित् तदच्युतो नास्ति परं ततोऽन्यत् । सोऽहं स च त्वं स च सर्व्वमेत- दात्मखरूपं त्यज भेदमोहम्
That which exists here as one alone—whatever it may be—is the imperishable; there is nothing else beyond it. I am that, you are that, and all this is that; abandon the delusion of difference, which arises from ignorance of the Self.
पराशर उवाच । इतीरितस्तेन स राजवर्य्य स्तत्याज भेदं परमार्थदृष्टिः । स चापि जातिस्मरणाप्तबोध- स्तत्रैव जन्मन्यपवर्गमाप
Parāśara said: Thus addressed by him, the excellent king abandoned the notion of difference and attained the vision of ultimate reality; and, endowed with recollection of past births and true knowledge, he attained liberation in that very life.
इति भरतःनरेन्द्रसारवृत्तं कथयति यश्व श्वृणोति भक्तियुक्तः । स विमलमतिरेति नात्ममोहं भवति च संसरणेषु मुक्तियोग्यः
Whoever, with devotion, tells or hears this account of the noble king Bharata, gains a pure mind, is freed from self-delusion, and becomes fit for liberation from the cycle of birth and death.
मैत्रेय उवाच कथिता गुरुणा सम्यग्भूसमुद्रादिसंस्थितिः । सूर्यादिनां च संस्थानं ज्योतिषां चातिविस्तरात् ॥ ३,१.
Maitreya said: The teacher has fully described the existence of the earth, oceans, and so on, as well as the forms of the sun and other luminaries, and the details of the stars.
देवादीनां तथा सृष्टिर्ऋषीणां चापि वर्णिता । चातुर्वर्ण्यस्य चोत्पत्तिस्तिर्यग्योनिगतस्य च ॥ ३,१.
The creation of the gods and others, and also of the sages, has been narrated; the origin of the four varṇas and of beings born in other wombs as well.
ध्रुवप्रह्लादचरितं विस्तराच्च त्वयोदितम् । मन्वन्तराण्यशेषाणि श्रोतुमिच्छाम्यनुक्रमात् ॥ ३,१.
You have described in detail the stories of Dhruva and Prahlāda; I wish to hear, in order, about all the remaining Manvantaras.
मन्वन्तराधिपांश्चैव शक३ एवपुरोगमान् । भवता कथितानेताञ्छ्रोतुमिच्छाम्यहं गुरो ॥ ३,१.
And also the rulers of the Manvantaras, along with their leaders and followers, as you have recounted—these too, O teacher, I wish to hear from you.
श्रीपराशर उवाच अतीतानागतानीह यानि मन्वन्तराणि वै । तान्यहं भवतः सम्यक्लथयामि यथा क्रमम् ॥ ३,१.
Śrī Parāśara said: The Manvantaras that have passed and those yet to come—I shall properly recount them to you, in order.
स्वायंभुवो मनुः पूर्वं परः स्वारोचिषस्तथा । उत्तमस्तामसश्चैव रैवतश्चाक्षुषस्तथा ॥ ३,१.
Svāyambhuva Manu was first, then Svārociṣa, followed by Uttama, Tāmasa, Raivata, and then Cākṣuṣa.
षडेते मनवोतीताः सांप्रतं तु रवेः सुतः । वैवस्वतेयं यस्त्वेतत्मप्तमं वर्ततेन्तरम् ॥ ३,१.
These six Manus have passed; now, the son of the sun, Vaivasvata, is the Manu of the present Manvantara.
स्वायंभुवं तु कथितं कल्पादावन्तरं मया । देवाः सप्तर्षयश्चैव यथावत्कथिता मया ॥ ३,१.
The Svāyambhuva Manvantara at the beginning of the kalpa has been described by me, along with the gods and the seven sages, as appropriate.
अत ऊर्ध्वं प्रवक्ष्यामि मनोः स्वारोचिषस्य तु । मन्वन्तराधिपान्सम्यग्देवर्षिंस्तत्सुतांस्तथा ॥ ३,१.
Now I shall properly describe the rulers of the Svārociṣa Manvantara, the gods, the sages, and their sons.
पारावताः सतुषिता देवाः स्वारोचिषेऽन्तरे । विपश्चित्तत्र देवेन्द्रो मैत्रेयासीन्महाबलः ॥ ३,१.
In the Svārociṣa Manvantara, the Pārāvata and Tushita gods existed; Vipascit, of great strength, was the Indra there, O Maitreya.
ऊर्जस्तंभस्तथा प्राणो वातोथ* पृषभस्तथा । (*पाठ. दत्तोग्नी ऋषभस्तथा) निरयश्च परीवांश्च तत्र सप्तर्षयोऽभवन् ॥ ३,१.
Ūrja, Stambha, Prāṇa, Vāta, Ṛṣabha, Niraya, and Parīvān—these were the seven sages in that Manvantara.
चैत्रकिंपुरुषाद्याश्च सुताः स्वारोचिषस्य तु । द्वितीयमेतद्व्याख्यातमन्तरं शृणु चोत्तमम् ॥ ३,१.
Caitra, Kimpuruṣa, and others were the sons of Svārociṣa; thus the second Manvantara has been explained—now listen to the next one.
तृतीयेप्यन्तरे ब्रह्मन्नुत्तमो नाम यो मनुः । सुशान्तिर्नाम देवेन्द्रो मैत्रेयासीत्सुताञ्छृणु ॥ ३,१.
O Brahman, in the third interval, the Manu named Uttama appeared; the lord of the gods was called Suśānti. Hear now of their sons, O Maitreya.
सुधामानस्तथा सत्या जपाश्चाथ प्रतर्दनाः । वशवर्तिश्च पञ्चैते गणा द्वादशकाः स्मृताः ॥ ३,१.
Sudhāman, Satyā, Japā, Pratardana, and Vaśavartin—these five are known as the twelvefold groups.
वसिष्ठतनया ह्येते सप्त सप्तर्षयोभवन् । अजः परशुदीप्ताद्यास्तथोत्तममनोः सुताः ॥ ३,१.
These were the seven great sages, sons of Vasiṣṭha; Aja, Paraśudīpta, and others were the sons of Uttama Manu.
तामसस्यान्तरे देवाः सुपारा हरयस्तथा । सत्याश्च सुधियश्चैव सप्तविंशतिका गणाः ॥ ३,१.
In the Tāmasa interval, the gods were called Supāras and also Harayas; Satyas and Sudhiyas—these were the twenty-seven groups.
शिविरिन्द्रस्तथा चासीच्छतयज्ञोपलक्षमः । सप्तर्षयश्च ये तेषां तेषां नामानि मे शृणु ॥ ३,१.
Śivi was the Indra then, renowned for a hundred sacrifices; now hear from me the names of the seven sages of that time.
ज्योतिर्धामा पुथुः कात्यश्चैत्रोग्निर्धनकस्तथा । पीवरश्चर्षयो ह्येते सप्त तत्रापि चान्तरे ॥ ३,१.
Jyotirdhāma, Puthu, Kātya, Citrāgni, Dhanaka, Pīvara—these were the seven sages in that interval as well.