याज्ञवल्क्योऽपि मैत्रेय! प्रामायामपरायणः । तुष्टाव प्रयतः सूर्यं यजूष्यबिलषंस्ततः
And Yājñavalkya too, O Maitreya, devoted to supreme purity, worshipped the Sun with concentrated mind, desiring to obtain the Yajur Veda formulas.
नमः सवित्रे द्राराय विमुक्तेः सिततेजसे । ऋगूयजुः सामभूताय त्रयीधामवते नमः
Salutations to Savitṛ, the supporter, the liberator, of pure radiance; to the one who is the essence of Ṛg, Yajur, and Sāma, the embodiment of the threefold Veda—salutations.
नमोऽग्रीषोमभूताय जगतः कारणात्मने । भास्कराय परं तेजः सौषुम्नमुरु बिभ्रते
Salutations to the one who is Agni and Soma, the very cause of the universe; to Bhāskara, who bears the supreme brilliance and the great rays of Sūṣumna.
कलाकाष्ठानिमेषादिकालज्ञानात्मने नमः । ध्येयाय विष्णुरूपाय परमाक्षररूपिणे
Salutations to the one whose essence is the knowledge of time—of kalās, kāṣṭhās, and nimeṣas; to the one to be meditated upon, who is of Viṣṇu's form, the embodiment of the supreme imperishable.
बिभर्त्ति यः सुरगणानाप्याय्येन्दु खरश्मिभिः । सुधामृतेन च पितॄ स्तस्मै तृप्तात्मने नमः
He who nourishes the hosts of gods with his fierce rays, and the ancestors with nectar—salutations to him, whose self is satisfaction.
हिमाम्बुघर्मवृष्टीनां कर्ता हर्ता च यः प्रभुः । तस्मै त्रिकालरूपाय नमः सूर्य्याय वेधसे
He who is the lord who creates and destroys snow, water, heat, and rain—salutations to Sūrya, the creator, who is the form of the three times.
यो हन्ति तिमिराण्येको जगतोऽस्य जगर्त्पातः । सत्त्वधामधरो देवो नमस्तस्मै विवस्वते
He alone dispels the darkness, he is the awakener of this world; the god who upholds the abode of existence—salutations to that Vivasvat.
सत्कर्मयोग्यो न जनो नैवापः सौचकारणम् । यस्मिन्ननुदिते तस्मै नमो देवाय वेधसे
No one is fit for righteous acts, nor is water a cause of purity, when he has not risen; to that god, the creator, salutations.
स्पृष्टो यदंशुबिर्लोकः क्रियायोग्योऽभिजायते । पवित्रताकारणाय तस्मै शुद्धात्मने नमः
When the world is touched by his rays, it becomes fit for action; to him, the pure self, who is the cause of purity, salutations.
नमः सवित्रे सूर्याय भास्कराय विवस्वते । आदित्यायादिबूताय देवादीनां नमो नमः
Salutations to Savitṛ, to Sūrya, to Bhāskara, to Vivasvat; to Āditya, the primal being, to the foremost of the gods—salutations, salutations.
हिरण्मयं रथं यस्य केतवोऽमृतधायिनः । वहन्ति बुवनालोकिचक्षुषं तं नमाम्यहम्
I bow to him whose golden chariot is borne by rays that carry nectar, who is the eye that illuminates the worlds.
इत्येवमादिभिस्तेन स्तूयमानः स्तवै रविः । वाजिरूपधरः प्राह व्रियतामिति वाच्छितम्
Thus, as he was praised with such hymns and others, the Sun, taking the form of a horse, spoke: 'Choose whatever you desire.'
याज्ञवल्कयस्तदा प्राह प्रणिपत्य दिवाकरम् । यजूषि तानि मे देहि यानि सन्ति न मे गुरौ
Then Yājñavalkya, bowing to the Sun, said: 'Grant me those Yajur Veda formulas which are not with my teacher.'
एवमुक्तो ददौ तस्मै यजूषि भगवान् रविः । अयातयामसंज्ञानि यानि वेत्ति न तदगुरुः
Thus addressed, the blessed Sun gave him those Yajur Veda formulas, called the Ayātayāma, which his teacher did not know.
यजूषि यैरधीतानि तानि विप्रैर्द्रिजोत्तम । वाजिनस्ते समाख्याताः सूर्याश्वः सोऽभवद यतः
O best of the twice-born, the Yajur Veda mantras that were studied by the Brahmins were taught by Vājina, from whom the Sun-horsed tradition arose.
शाखाभेदास्तु तेषां वै दश पञ्च च वाजिनाम् । काण्वाद्यास्तु महाभाग! याज्ञवल्क्या-प्रवर्तिताः
O most fortunate one, there are fifteen branches of the Vājinas; the Kāṇva and others, initiated by Yājñavalkya, are well known.
सामवेदतरोः शाशा व्यासशिष्यः स जैमिनिः । क्रमेण येन मैत्रेय! बिभेद श्वृणु तन्मम
O Maitreya, Jaimini, the disciple of Vyāsa, divided the tree of the Sāma Veda in succession; listen to this from me.
सुमन्तुस्तस्य पुत्रोऽभूत् सुकर्मास्याप्यभूत् सुतः । अधीतवन्तावेकैकां संहितां तौ महामुनी
Sumantu was his son, and Sukarmā was also his son; both these great sages each studied one Saṃhitā.
साहस्त्रं संहिताभेदं सुकर्मा तत्सुतस्ततः । चकार तञ्च तिच्छिष्यौ जगृहाते महामती
Sukarmā, the son of Sumantu, created a thousand divisions of the Saṃhitā, and two wise disciples received them.
हिरण्यनाभः कौशल्यः पौष्पिञ्जिश्व द्रिजोत्तम । उदीच्यसामगाः शिष्यास्तेब्यः पञ्चदशा स्मृताः
O best of the twice-born, Hiraṇyanābha of the Kauśalya lineage and Pauṣpiñji were disciples; the northern singers of Sāma are remembered as fifteen from them.
हिरणयनाभात् तावत्यः संहिता यैर्द्रिजोत्तमैः । गृहीतास्तेऽपि चोच्यन्ते पण्डितैः प्राच्यसामगाः
O best of the twice-born, the Saṃhitās received by those noble Brahmins from Hiraṇyanābha are also called the eastern singers of Sāma by the learned.
लोकाक्षिः कुथमिश्चैव कुसीदिर्लाङ्गलिस्तथा । पौष्पिञ्जिशिष्यास्तद्भदैः संहिता बहूलीकृताः
Lokākṣi, Kuthumi, Kusīdi, and Laṅgali—these disciples of Pauṣpiñji, together with others, multiplied the Saṃhitās greatly.
हिरण्यनाभशिष्यश्च चतुर्विशंतिसंहिताः । प्रोवाच कृतिनामासौ शिष्येभ्यः स महामतिः
Hiraṇyanābha’s disciple, that wise one, taught twenty-four Saṃhitās to his students, who were men of accomplishment.
तैश्वापि सामवेदोऽसौ शाखाभिकर्बहुलीकृतः । अथर्वणामथो वक्ष्ये संहितानां समुज्वयम्
By them also, the Sāma Veda became abundant in branches; now I shall speak of the collection of the Atharva Veda.
शिष्यमध्यापयामास कबन्धं सोऽपि तं द्रिधा । कृता तु देवदर्शाय तथा पथ्याय दत्तवान्
He taught his disciple Kabandha, who firmly transmitted it; and it was given to Devadarśa and likewise to Pathya.
अथर्ववेदं स मुनिः सुमन्तुरमितद्युतिः । देवदर्शस्य शिष्यास्तु मौदगो ब्रह्मबलिस्तथा । शौक्यायनिः पिप्पलादस्तथान्यो मुनिसत्तमः
That sage Sumantu, radiant in wisdom, taught the Atharva Veda; Devadarśa’s disciples were Maudaga, Brahmabali, Śaukyāyani, Pippalāda, and another eminent sage.
पथ्यस्यापि त्रयः शिष्याः कूता यैर्द्रिज! संहिताः । तजाजालिः कुमुदादिश्व तृतीयः शौनको द्रिज
O Brahmin, Pathya also had three disciples by whom the Saṃhitās were divided: Jājāli, Kumuda, and the third was Śaunaka.
शौनकस्तु द्रिधा कृत्वा ददावेकन्तु बभ्रवे । द्रितीयां संहिता प्रादात् सौन्धवायनसंज्ञिने
Śaunaka, having firmly established it, gave one Saṃhitā to Babhrava, and the second Saṃhitā to one named Saundhavāyana.
सैन्धवा मूञ्जिकेशाश्व द्रिधा भिन्नास्त्रिधा पुनः । नक्षत्रकल्पो वेदानां संहितानां तथैव च
The Saindhava and Mūñjikeśa further divided the established Saṃhitā into three; likewise, the Nakṣatrakalpa and other Saṃhitās of the Vedas.
चतुर्थः स्यादाङ्गिरसः शान्तिकल्पश्व पञ्चमः श्रेष्ठास्त्वथर्वणामेते संहितानां विकल्पकाः
The fourth is Āṅgirasa, and the fifth is Śāntikalpa; these are the foremost among the Atharvaṇa, the arrangers of the Saṃhitās.