रोमहर्षणनामानं महाबुद्धिं महामुनिः । सूतं जग्राह शिष्यं स इतिहास-पुराणयोः । सूतं जग्राह शिष्यं स इतिहास-पुराणयोः
The great sage, of great intellect, took Romaharṣaṇa, the Sūta, as a disciple for the Itihāsa and Purāṇas.
एक आसीदू यजुर्वेदस्तं चतुर्धा व्यकल्पयत् । चातुर्होत्रमभूदू यस्मिस्तन यज्ञमथाकरोत्
Once there was only one Yajurveda; he divided it into four parts, from which the fourfold priesthood arose, and then he performed the sacrifice.
आध्वर्यवं यजुभिंस्तु ऋगूभिर्होत्रं तथा मुनिः । औदूगात्रं सामभिश्चक्र ब्रह्मत्वं चाप्यथर्वभिः
With the Yajus mantras he made the office of Adhvaryu, with the Ṛg mantras the Hotṛ, with the Sāma mantras the Udgātṛ, and with the Atharva mantras the Brāhmaṇa.
ततः स ऋचमुद्ध त्य ऋग्वेदं तृतवान् मुनिः । यजूषि च यजुर्वेदं सामवेदञ्च सामभिः
Then the sage separated the Ṛg mantras to form the Ṛgveda, the Yajus mantras to form the Yajurveda, and the Sāma mantras to form the Sāmaveda.
राज्ञस्त्वथर्ववेदेन सर्वकर्माणि च प्रभुः । कारयामास मैत्रेय! ब्रह्मत्वञ्च यथास्थिति
By means of the Atharvaveda, the Lord caused all royal rituals to be performed, O Maitreya, and established the office of Brāhmaṇa as appropriate.
सोऽयमेको महावेदस्तरुस्तेन पृथकूकृतः । चतुधा तु ततो जातं वेदपादपकाननम्
Thus, this one great Veda tree was divided by him; from that, the fourfold division of the Veda arose, like branches from the trunk.
बिभेद प्रथमं विप्र! पैल ऋगूवेदपादपम् । इन्द्रप्रमितये प्रादाद बास्कलाय चसंहिते
First, O brāhmaṇa, Paila divided the Ṛgveda into two collections; he gave one to Indrapramati and the other to Bāskala.
चतुर्धा स बिभेदाथ बास्कलिद्रिज!संहिताम् । बौध्यादिब्यो ददौ तास्तु शिष्येभ्यः स महामुनिः
Then, O descendant of Bāskala, he divided the Bāskala collection into four parts, and the great sage gave them to his disciples, beginning with Baudha.
बौध्याग्रिमाठरौ तदूदू याज्ञवल्क्यपराशरौ । प्रतिशाखास्तु शाखायास्तसायास्त जगृहुमुने
Baudhya, Agnimaṭhara, Uddālaka, Yājñavalkya, and Parāśara—these sages, O sage, each took up their own branch from that school.
इन्द्रप्रमतिरेकान्तु संहितां स्वसुतं ततः । माण्डूकयं महात्मानं मैत्रयाध्यापयत् तदा
Indrapramati then taught the Saṃhitā to his own son, the great-souled Māṇḍūkāya, at that time.
तस्य शिष्यप्रशिष्येभ्यःसंहितां तामधीतवान
From his disciples and their disciples, that Saṃhitā was studied.
चकार संहिताः पञ्च शिष्येभ्यः प्रददौ च ताः । तस्य शिष्यास्तु ये पञ्च तेषां नामानि मे श्वृणा
He composed five Saṃhitās and gave them to his disciples; listen to the names of those five disciples.
मुदूगलो गोमुखश्चैव वात्स्यः शालीय एब च। शिशिरः पञ्चमश्चासीन्मत्रेय! सुमहामुनिः
Mudugala, Gomukha, Vātsya, Śālīya, and the fifth, Śiśira—the great sage, O Maitreya.
संहितात्रितयं चक्र शाकपूर्णिरथतरम । निरुक्तमकरोत् तदूज्वतुर्थं मुनिसत्तम
Śākapūrṇi then composed three Saṃhitās, and the noble sage Ujvatu created the Nirukta.
क्रौञ्चो वैतालिकस्तदूदू बलाकश्व महामतिः । निरुक्तकृज्वतुर्थोऽभूदू वेदवेदाङ्गपारगः
Krauñca, Vaitālika, and the wise Balāka—these were the creators of the Nirukta, learned in the Veda and its limbs.
इत्येताः प्रतिशाखाभ्योऽप्यनुशाखा द्रिजोत्तम ! बास्कलिश्चापरास्तिस्त्रः संहिताः कृतवान द्रिज
Thus, O best of the twice-born, from these branches arose further sub-branches; and Bāskali composed three other Saṃhitās.
शिष्यः कालायनिर्गार्ग्यस्तृतीयश्च कथाजवः । इत्येत बहुधा प्रोक्ताः संहिता यैः प्रवर्तिताः
His disciples were Kālāyani, Gārgya, and the third, Kathājava; thus, the many Saṃhitās have been described, and those by whom they were set forth.
पराशर उवाच । यजुर्वेदतरोः शाखाः सप्तविंशन्महामतिः । वैशम्पायननामासौ व्यासशिष्यश्चकार वै
Parāśara said: The wise Vaiśampāyana, a disciple of Vyāsa, composed twenty-seven branches of the Yajur Veda.
शिष्येभ्यः प्रददौ ताश्च जगृहुस्तेऽप्यनुक्रमात् । याज्ञवल्क्यस्तु तत्राभूद् ब्रह्मरातसुतो द्रिजः
He gave these to his disciples, and they in turn received them in succession; among them was Yājñavalkya, the son of Brahmarāta, O twice-born.
शिष्यः परधर्मज्ञो गुरुवृत्तिपरः सदा । ऋषिर्योऽद्य महामेरौः समाजे नागमिष्यति
He was a disciple, learned in the ways of righteousness, always devoted to serving his teacher, and is the sage who will not come to the assembly on Mahāmeru today.
तस्य वै सप्तरात्रात्तु ब्रह्महत्या भविष्यति । पूर्वमेवं मुनिगणैः समयोऽभूत् कृतो द्रिज
For him, after seven nights, there will be the sin of Brahmin-slaying; this rule was previously established by the assembly of sages, O twice-born.
वैशम्पायन एकस्तु तं व्यतिक्रान्तवांस्तदा । स्वस्त्रीयं बालकं रोऽथ पदास्पृष्टमघातयत्
At that time, only Vaiśampāyana transgressed it; he struck his own young nephew, who was his sister’s son, with his foot.
शिष्यानाह स भोः शिष्य! ब्रह्महत्यापहं ब्रतम् । चरध्व मत्कृते सर्वे न विचार्यमिदं तथा
He said to his disciples, 'O disciples! For my sake, all of you must undertake the vow that removes the sin of Brahmin-slaying; do not question this.'
अथाह याज्ञबल्क्यस्तु किमेभिर्भगवन् ! द्रिजैः । क्लेशितैरल्पतेजोभिश्वरिष्येऽहमिदं व्रतम्
Then Yājñavalkya said, 'Revered one, what need have I of these twice-born, who are troubled and of little energy? I alone shall undertake this vow.'
ततः क्रु द्धो गुरुः प्राह याज्ञवल्क्यं महामतिः । मुच्यतां यत् त्वयाधात मत्तो विप्रावमानक
Then the teacher, greatly angered, said to the wise Yājñavalkya, 'Give up what you have received from me, O one who has shown disrespect to the Brāhmaṇas.'
निस्तेजसो वदस्येनान् यस्त्वं ब्राह्मणपुङ्गवान् । तेन शिष्येण नार्थोऽस्ति ममाज्ञाभङ्गकारिणा
'Since you speak thus of these Brāhmaṇas as lacking energy, there is no purpose for me with a disciple who disobeys my command.'
याज्ञवल्क्यस्ततः प्राह भत्तयैतत्ते मयोदितम् । ममाप्यलं त्वयाधीतं यन्मया तदिदं द्रिज
Then Yājñavalkya said, 'O Bhattayā, what you have asked has been explained by me. You have sufficiently learned from me all that I know, O twice-born.'
इत्युक्तो रुधिराक्तानि सरूपाणि यजू षि सः । छर्दयित्वा ददौ तस्मै ययौ स स्वेच्छया मुनिः
Thus addressed, he vomited the Yajur Veda formulas, stained with blood and in their original form, and gave them to him; then the sage departed as he wished.
यजू ष्यथ विसृष्टानि याज्ञवल्क्येन वै द्रिज । जगृहुस्तित्तिरा भूत्वा तैत्तिरीयास्तु ते ततः
Then, O twice-born, the Yajur Veda formulas released by Yājñavalkya were taken up by those who became partridges, and from them they became known as the Taittirīyas.
ब्रह्महत्याव्रतं चीर्णं गुरुणा चोदितैस्तु यैः । चरकाध्वर्यवस्ते तु चरणान्मुनिसत्तम
Those who, prompted by their teacher, performed the vow for the expiation of Brahminicide became the Caraka Adhvaryus, O best of sages.