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.
भविष्ये द्वापरे चापि द्रौ णिर्व्यासो भविष्यति । व्यतीते मम पुत्रेस्मिन् कृष्णद्वैपायने मुने
In the future Dvāpara, Drauṇi will become Vyāsa; after my son Kṛṣṇadvaipāyana, O sage.
ध्रुवमेकाक्षरं ब्रह्म ओमित्येव व्यवस्थितम् । बृहत्वाद्बृंहणत्वाच्च तद्ब्रह्येत्यभिधीयते
Certainly, the one-syllabled Brahman is established as 'Om'; because of its greatness and its capacity to expand, it is called Brahman.
प्रणवावस्थितं नित्यं भूर्भुवस्स्वरितीर्य्यते । ऋग्यजुस्सामाथर्वाणो यत्तस्मै ब्रह्मणे नमः
The eternal Pranava is established as 'bhūḥ', 'bhuvaḥ', and 'svaḥ'; to that Brahman, which is the essence of Ṛg, Yajus, Sāma, and Atharva, I offer reverence.
जगतः प्रलयोत्पत्त्योर्यत्तत्कारणसंज्ञितम् । महतः परमं गुह्यं तस्मै सुब्रह्मणे नमः
That which is named the cause of the creation and dissolution of the world, which is the supreme and most secret beyond the great, to that sublime Brahman I offer reverence.
अगाधापारमक्षय्यं जगत्संमोहनालयम् । स्वप्रकाशप्रवृत्तिभ्यां पुरुषार्थप्रयोजनम्
The unfathomable, boundless, imperishable abode that bewilders the world, whose own light and activity serve the purpose of human pursuits.
संख्यज्ञानवतां निष्ठा गतिश्शमदमात्मनाम् । यत्तदव्यक्तममृतं प्रवृत्तिर्ब्रह्म शाश्वतम्
It is the foundation for those who know Sāṃkhya, the path for those who are self-controlled; that imperceptible, immortal, eternal Brahman is the source of activity.
प्रधानमात्मयोनिश्च गुहासंस्थं च शब्द्यते । अविभागं तथा शुक्रमक्षयं बहुधात्मकम्
It is called the primordial substance and the source of the self, residing in the cave; undivided, pure, imperishable, and of manifold nature.
परमब्रह्मणे तस्मै नित्यमेव नमोनमः । यद्रू पं वासुदेवस्य परमात्मस्वरूपिणः
To that supreme Brahman, which is the true form of Vāsudeva, the Supreme Self, I offer constant reverence.
एतद्ब्रह्म त्रिधा भेदमभेदमपि स प्रभुः । सर्वभेदेष्वभेदोसौ भिद्यते भिन्नबुद्धिभिः
This Brahman, the Lord, is threefold in distinction and also undivided; in all distinctions, it remains undivided, but is perceived as divided by those with divided understanding.
स ऋङ्मयस्साममयः सर्वात्मा स यजुर्मयः । ऋग्यजुस्सामसारात्मा स एवात्मा शरीरिणाम्
He is composed of Ṛg, Sāma, and Yajus, the essence of all; he is the soul of Ṛg, Yajus, and Sāma, and is the self of all embodied beings.
स भिद्यते वेदमयस्स्ववेदं करोति भेदैर्बहुभिस्सशाखम् । शाखाप्रणेता स समस्तशाखाज्ञानस्वरूपो भगवानसंगः
He, being the embodiment of the Veda, divides himself and makes the Veda manifold through many branches; the promulgator of the branches, the Blessed One, free from attachment, is the very form of knowledge of all the branches.
पराशर उवाच । आद्यो वेदश्चतुष्पादः शतसाहस्त्रसम्मितः । ततो दशगुणः कृत्स्नो यज्ञोऽयं सर्वसामधुक्
Parāśara said: The original Veda is fourfold and consists of one hundred thousand verses; from that, this entire sacrifice, ten times greater, arises, which is the essence of all chants.
ततोऽत्र मत्सुतो व्यासो ह्मष्टाविंशतिमेऽन्तरे । वदमेकं चतुष्पादं चतुर्धा व्यभजत् प्रबुः
Then, in the twenty-eighth cycle, my son Vyāsa, the great sage, divided the single fourfold Veda into four parts.
यथा तु तेन वै व्यस्ता वेदव्यासेन धीमता । वेदास्तथ समस्तैस्तेर्व्यस्ता व्यासैस्तथा मया
Just as the wise Vyāsa divided the Vedas, so too have all the other Vyāsas divided them, and so have I.
तदनेनैव वेदानां शाखाभेदान् द्रिजोत्तम । चतुर्युगेष्वारचितान् समस्तेष्वववधारय
Therefore, O best of the twice-born, understand by this the divisions of the branches of the Vedas, established in all the four ages.
कृष्णदू पायनं व्यासं विद्धि नारायणं प्रबुम् । कोऽन्यो हि भुवि मैत्रेय ! महाभारतकृदू भवेत्
Know that the dark-complexioned Dvaipāyana Vyāsa is Nārāyaṇa, the Lord; for who else on earth, O Maitreya, could be the author of the Mahābhārata?
तेन व्यस्ता यथा वेदा मत्पुत्रेण महात्मना । द्रापरे ह्मत्र मैत्रेय! तस्मिन् श्वृणु यथार्थतः
By him, my great-souled son, the Vedas were divided in the Dvāpara age, O Maitreya; now listen to how this was done in truth.
ब्रह्मणा चोदितो व्यासो वेदान् व्यस्तुं प्रचक्रमे । अथ शिष्यान् स जग्राह चतुरो वेदपारगान्
Commanded by Brahmā, Vyāsa began to divide the Vedas; then he took four disciples who had mastered the Vedas.
ऋगुवेदश्वावकं पैलं जग्राह स महामुनिः । वैशम्पायननामानं यजूर्वेदस्य चाग्रहीत्
The great sage took Paila for the Ṛgveda, and Vaiśampāyana for the Yajurveda.
जैमिनि सामवेदस्य तथैवाथर्ववेदवित् । सुमन्तुस्तस्य शिष्योऽबूदू वेदव्यासस्य धीमतः
Similarly, Jaimini was the knower of the Sāmaveda, and Sumantu became the disciple of the wise Vedavyāsa for the Atharvaveda.