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.
आख्यानेश्चाप्युपाख्यानैर्गाथाभिः कल्पसिद्धिभिः । पुराणसंहितां चक्र पुराणार्थविशारदः
By narratives, sub-narratives, songs, and ritual instructions, the one skilled in the meanings of the Purāṇas composed the Purāṇa Saṃhitā.
प्रख्यातो व्यासशिष्योऽभूत् सूतो वै रोमहर्षणः । पुराणसंहितां तस्मै ददौ व्यासो महामुनिः
The renowned disciple of Vyāsa was Sūta Romaharṣaṇa; to him, the great sage Vyāsa gave the Purāṇa Saṃhitā.
सुमतिश्चाग्रिवर्जाश्च मित्रायुः शांशपायनः । अकृतव्रणः सावर्णिः षट् शिष्यास्तस्य चाभवन्
Sumati, Agrivarja, Mitrayu, Shamsapayana, Akritavrana, and Savarni—these six became his disciples.
काश्यपः संहिताकर्ता सावर्णिः शाशपायनः । रोमहर्षणिका चान्या तिसृणां मूलसंहिताः
Kashyapa composed the Samhita; Savarni and Shashapayana as well. Romaharshana made another; these are the root Samhitas of the three.
चतुष्टयेनाप्येतेन संहितानामिदं मुने । आद्यं सर्वपुराणानां पुराणं ब्राह्ममुच्यते
By means of this fourfold division, O sage, the first Purana among all Puranas is called the Brahma Purana.
अष्टादश पुराणानि पुराणज्ञाः प्रचक्षते । ब्राह्मं पाद्मं वैष्णवञ्च शैवं भागवतं तथा
The knowers of the Puranas declare that there are eighteen Puranas: Brahma, Padma, Vaishnava, Shaiva, and Bhagavata as well.
अथान्यन्नारदीयञ्च मार्कण्डेयञ्च सप्तमम् । आग्नेयमष्टमञ्चैव भविष्यं नवमं तथा
Next is Naradiya, then Markandeya as the seventh; Agneya as the eighth, and Bhavishya as the ninth.
दशमं ब्रह्मवैवर्तं लैङ्गमेकादशं स्मृतम् । वाराहं द्वादशञ्चैव स्कान्दञ्चात्र त्रयोदशम्
The tenth is Brahmavaivarta, the eleventh is known as Linga; Varaha is the twelfth, and Skanda is counted as the thirteenth.
चतुर्दशं वामनञ्च कौर्मं पञ्चदशं स्मृतम् । मात्स्यञ्च गारुड़ञ्चैव ब्रह्माण्डञ्च ततः परम
The fourteenth is Vamana, Kurma is remembered as the fifteenth; Matsya, Garuda, and then Brahmanda are the highest.
तथा चोपपुराणानि मुनिभिः कथितानि च । महापुराणान्येतानि ह्मष्टादश महामुने
Likewise, the sages have spoken of the Upapuranas; these eighteen are the Mahapuranas, O great sage.