ततः प्रबुद्धो भगवान् यथा पूर्वं तथा पुनः । सृष्टिं करोत्यव्ययात्मा कल्पेकल्पे रजोगुणः ॥ ३,२.
Then, when the Blessed Lord awakens, just as before, so again, the imperishable one, endowed with the quality of passion, creates the world in each Kalpa.
मनवो भूभुजःसेंद्रा देवाःसप्तर्षयस्तथा । सात्त्विकोंशः स्थितिकरो जगतो द्विजसत्तम ॥ ३,२.
The Manus, the rulers of the earth, the Indras, the gods, the seven sages—these, O best of twice-born, are the sattvic portions that maintain the world.
चदुर्युगोप्यसौ विष्णुः स्थितिव्यापारलक्षमः । युगव्यवस्थां कुरुते तथा मैत्रेय तच्छृणु ॥ ३,२.
That very Viṣṇu, whose activity is the preservation of the world, establishes the order of the four ages; listen to that, O Maitreya.
कृते युगे परं ज्ञानं कपिलादिस्वरूपधृक् । ददाति सर्वभूतात्मा सर्वभूतहिते रतः ॥ ३,२.
In the Kṛta age, assuming the form of Kapila and others, the soul of all beings, devoted to the welfare of all, bestows supreme knowledge.
चक्रवर्तिस्वरूपेण त्रेतायामपि स प्रभूः । दुष्टानां निग्रह कुर्वन्परिपाति जगत्त्रयम् ॥ ३,२.
Even in the Treta age, he, the Lord, protects the three worlds in the form of a universal emperor, subduing the wicked.
वेदमेकं चतुर्भेदं कृत्वा शाखाशतैर्विभुः । करोति बहुलं भूयो वेदव्यासस्वरूपधृक् ॥ ३,२.
The mighty one, assuming the form of Vyasa, divides the single Veda into four, and further multiplies it into hundreds of branches.
वेदांस्तु द्वापरे व्यस्य कलेरन्ते पुनर्हरिः । कल्किस्वरूपी दुर्वृत्तन्मार्गे स्थापयति प्रभुः ॥ ३,२.
In Dvapara, having distributed the Vedas, at the end of Kali, Hari, in the form of Kalki, establishes the path for those of bad conduct.
एवमेतज्जगत्सर्वं शश्वत्पाति करोति च । हन्ति चान्तेष्वनन्तात्मा नास्त्यस्मव्द्यतिरेकि यत् ॥ ३,२.
Thus, the infinite Self eternally protects, creates, and destroys all this world; nothing surpasses him.
भूतं भव्यं भविष्यं च सर्वभूतान्महात्मनः । तदत्रान्यत्र वा विप्र सद्भावः कथितस्तव ॥ ३,२.
O sage, the existence of all beings—past, present, and future—of the great soul has been described to you here and elsewhere.
मन्वन्तराण्यशेषाणि कथितानि मया तवा । मन्वन्तराधिपांश्चैव किमन्यत्कथयामि ते ॥ ३,२.
I have told you of all the Manvantaras and their rulers; what else shall I relate to you?
मैत्रेय उवाच। ज्ञातमेतन्मया त्वत्तो यथा सर्वमिदं जगत् । विष्णुर्विष्णौ विष्णुतश्च न परं विद्यते ततः
Maitreya said: I have learned from you how all this world is Vishnu, in Vishnu, and from Vishnu; nothing exists beyond him.
एतत्तु श्रोतुमिच्छामि व्यस्ता वेदा महात्मना । वेदव्यासस्वरूपेण यथा तेन युगेयुगे
I wish to hear how the great soul, in the form of Vyasa, divides the Vedas in every age.
यस्मिन्यस्मिन्युगे व्यासो यो य आसीन्महामुने । तंतमाचक्ष्व भगवञ्छाखाभेदांश्च मे वद
In each age, who was Vyasa, O great sage? Tell me about each, and also about the divisions of the branches.
श्रीपराशर उवाच । वेदद्रु मस्य मैत्रेय शाखाभेदास्सहस्रशः । न शक्तो विस्तराद्वक्तुं संक्षेपेण शृणुष्व तम्
Śrī Parāśara said: O Maitreya, the divisions of the Veda and its branches are countless; I am unable to describe them in detail, so listen to them in brief.
द्वापरेद्वापरे विष्णुर्व्यासरूपी महामुने । वेदमेकं सुबहुधा कुरुते जगतो हितः
In every Dvapara, O great sage, Vishnu, in the form of Vyasa, divides the single Veda into many for the welfare of the world.
वीर्यं तेजो बलं चाल्पं मनुष्याणामवेक्ष्य च । हिताय सर्वभूतानां वेदभेदान्करोति सः
Observing the diminished strength, energy, and power of humans, he divides the Vedas for the benefit of all beings.
ययासौ कुरुते तन्वा वेदमेकं पृथक्प्रभुः । वेदव्यासाभिधाना तु सा च मूर्तिर्मधुद्विषः
By whatever body he divides the single Veda separately, that form of the enemy of Madhu is called Vedavyasa.
यस्मिन्मन्वंतरे व्यासा येये स्युस्तान्निबोध मे । यथा च भेदश्शाखानां व्यासेन क्रियते मुने
In whichever Manvantara the Vyasas are, learn from me who they are, and how the divisions of the branches are made by Vyasa, O sage.
अष्टविंशतिकृत्वो वै वेदो व्यस्तो सहर्षिभिः । वैवस्वतेंतरे तस्मिन्द्वापरेषु पुनःपुनः
The Veda has been divided twenty-eight times by sages in the Dvapara ages of the Vaivasvata Manvantara, again and again.
वेदव्यासा व्यतीता ये ह्यष्टाविंशति सत्तम । चतुर्धा यैः कृतो वेदो द्वापरेषु पुनःपुनः
O noble one, the twenty-eight past Vedavyasas, by whom the Veda was divided into four in each Dvapara, are as follows.
द्वापरे प्रथमे व्यस्तस्स्वयं वेदः स्वयंभुवा । द्वितीये द्वापरे चैव वेदव्यासः प्रजापतिः
In the first Dvapara, the Veda was divided by Svayambhu; in the second Dvapara, Vedavyasa was Prajapati.
तृतीये चोशना व्यासश्चतुर्थे च बृहस्पतिः । सविता पंचमे व्यासः षष्ठे मृत्युस्समृतः प्रभुः
In the third, Vyasa was Ushanas; in the fourth, Brihaspati; Savita was Vyasa in the fifth, and in the sixth, Mrityu, the Lord, was Vyasa.
सप्तमे च तथैवेंद्रो वसिष्ठश्चाष्टमे स्मृतः । सारस्वतश्च नवमे त्रिधामा दशमे स्मृतः
In the seventh cycle, Indra is remembered; in the eighth, Vasiṣṭha; in the ninth, Sārasvata; in the tenth, Tridhāmā is recalled.
एकादशो तु त्रिशिखो भरद्वाजस्ततः परः । त्रयोदशो चांतरिक्षो वर्णी चापि चतुर्दशो
The eleventh is Triśikha; after him, Bharadvāja; the thirteenth is Āntarikṣa; and the fourteenth is Varṇī.
त्रय्यारुणः पंचदशो षोडशो तु धनंजयः । क्रतुंजयः सप्तदशो तदूर्ध्वं च जयस्स्मृतः
The fifteenth is Trayyaruṇa; the sixteenth is Dhanaṃjaya; the seventeenth is Kratuṃjaya; and beyond him, Jaya is remembered.
ततो व्यासो भरद्वाजो भरद्वाजाच्च गौतमः । गौतमादुत्तरो व्यासो हर्य्यात्मा योभिधीयते
Then Vyāsa, son of Bharadvāja; from Bharadvāja, Gautama; from Gautama, the next Vyāsa, known as Haryātmā.
अथ हर्य्यात्मनॐते च स्मृतो वाजश्रवा मुनिः । सोमशुष्कायणस्तस्मात्तृणबिंदुरिति स्मृतः
After Haryātmā, the sage Vājaśravā is remembered; from him, Somaśuṣkāyaṇa; from him, Tṛṇabiṃdu is recalled.
ऋक्षोभूद्भार्गवस्तस्माद्वाल्मीकिर्योभिधीयते । तस्मादस्मत्पिता शक्तिर्व्यासस्तस्मादहं मुने
From Ṛkṣa, Bhūdbhārgava; from him, Vālmīki is known; from him, my father Śakti; from Vyāsa, I myself, O sage.
जातुकर्णोभवन्मत्तः कृष्णद्वैपायनस्ततः । अष्टाविंशतिरित्येते वेदव्यासाः पुरातनाः
From me, Jātukarṇa arose; after him, Kṛṣṇadvaipāyana; thus, these twenty-eight ancient compilers of the Veda are known.
एको वेदश्चतुर्द्धा तु तैः कृतो द्वापरादिषु
The single Veda was divided into four by them during the Dvāpara and other ages.