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.
सर्गश्च प्रतिसर्गश्च वंशो मन्वन्तराणि च । सर्वेष्वेतेषु कथ्यन्ते वंशामनुचरितञ्च यत्
Creation, dissolution, genealogies, and the cycles of Manus—all these are described in each, along with the deeds of the dynasties.
यदेतत् तव मैत्रेय! पुराणां कथ्यते मया। एतदू वैष्णवसंज्ञ वै पाह्मस्य समनन्तरम्
Whatever, O Maitreya, I have narrated to you about the Puranas, this is called the Vaishnava, following the Padma.
सर्गे च प्रतिसर्गे च वंशमन्वन्तरादिषु । कथ्यते भगवान् विष्णुरशेषेष्वेव सत्तम
In creation, dissolution, genealogies, and cycles of Manus, the blessed Vishnu is described in all, O noble one.
अह्गानि चतुरो वेदा मीमांसा न्यायविस्तरः । पुराणां धर्मशास्त्रञ्च विद्या ह्म ताश्चतुर्दश
The four Vedas, their limbs, Mimamsa, the expanse of Nyaya, the Puranas, and the Dharma Shastras—these fourteen are the sciences.
आयुर्वेदो धनुर्वेदो गान्धर्वश्चैव ते त्रयः । अर्थशास्त्र चतुर्थन्तु विद्या ह्मष्टादशैव ताः
Ayurveda, Dhanurveda, and Gandharva—these three; Artha Shastra is the fourth, making eighteen sciences in total.
ज्ञेया ब्रह्मर्षयः पूर्व तेभ्यो देवर्षयः पुनः । राजर्षयः पुनस्तेभ्य ऋषिप्रकृतयस्त्रयः
The Brahmarshis are to be known as the first; from them came the Devarshis, then the Rajarshis, and from them three types of Rishi lineages.
इति शाखाः प्रसंख्याताः शाखाभदास्तथैव च । कर्तारश्चैव शाखानां बेदहेतुस्तथोदितः
Thus the branches have been enumerated, along with their sub-branches; the creators of the branches and the causes of their divisions have also been stated.
सर्वमन्वन्तरेष्वेव शाखाभेदाः समाः समृताः । प्राजापत्या श्रुतिनित्या तद्रिकल्पास्त्विमे द्रिज
In every Manvantara, the divisions of branches are considered equal; the Prājāpatya tradition and the eternal Vedas—these are the threefold arrangements, O twice-born.
एतत् तवोदितं सर्वं यत् पृष्टोऽहमिह त्वया । मैत्रेय! वेदसम्बद्ध किमन्यत् तथामि ते
All this has been told to you as you asked me here, O Maitreya; what else related to the Vedas would you like to hear?
यथावत् कथित सर्वं यत् पृष्टोऽसि मया द्रिज । श्रोतुम्च्छाम्यहं त्वेकं तदू भवान् प्रब्रवीतु मे
Everything you asked has been explained as it is, O twice-born; I wish to hear one thing from you—please tell it to me.
सप्त द्रीपानि पाताल-वीथ्यश्व सुमहामुने । सप्त लोका येऽन्तरस्था ब्रह्माण्डस्यास्य सर्वतः
O great sage, the seven continents, the paths of the underworld, and the seven worlds that exist within, are all encompassed everywhere within this cosmic egg.
स्थूलैः सूक्ष्मैस्तथा सूक्ष्मात् सूक्ष्मैः सूक्ष्मतरैस्तथा । स्थूलैः स्थूलतरैश्चैव सर्वप्राणिभिरावृतम्
It is filled with all living beings, gross and subtle, and even subtler than the subtle, as well as gross and even grosser forms.
अङ्गु लस्याष्टभागोऽपि न सोऽस्ति मुनिसत्तम । न सान्ति प्राणिनो यत्र कर्मबान्धनिबन्धनाः
O best of sages, there is not even an eighth part of a finger's breadth where living beings bound by the ties of karma do not exist.
सर्वे चैत वशं यान्ति यमस्य भगवन् । किल । आयुषोऽन्ते तथा यान्ति यातनास्तत्प्रचोदिताः
All these, at the end of their lifespan, certainly come under the sway of Yama, O venerable one, and are driven to their respective torments.
यातनाभ्यः परिभ्रष्टा देवाद्यास्वथ योनिषु । जन्तवः परिवर्तन्ते शास्त्राणामेष निर्णायः
Having fallen from the torments, creatures, beginning with the gods, revolve among various wombs; this is the conclusion of the scriptures.
सोऽहमिच्छामि तच्छ्रोतु यमस्य वशवर्त्तिनः । न भवन्ति नरा यन तत् कर्मं कथयामलम्
I wish to hear about those who are subject to Yama; tell me, O sinless one, about the actions by which men do not fall under his power.
पराशर उवाच । अयमेव मुने ! प्रश्रो नकुलेन महात्मना । पृष्टः पितामहः प्राह भीष्मो यत् तच्छृणुष्व मे
Parāśara said: O sage, this very question was once asked by the great-souled Nakula, and Bhīṣma, the grandsire, answered it; listen to what he said.
भीष्म उवाच । पुरा समागतो वत्स ! सखा कालिङ्गको द्रिजः । समामु पृष्टो वै मया जातिस्मरो मुनिः
Bhīṣma said: Once, O child, my friend, the Brāhmaṇa Kāliṅgaka, who remembered his past births, came to me and was questioned by me.
तेनाख्यातमिदञ्च दमित्थञ्चैतदू भविष्यति । तथा च तदभूद् वत्स! यथोक्तं तेन धीमता
He described what had happened, what was happening, and what would happen; and, O child, it occurred just as that wise one had said.
स पृष्टश्व मया भूयः श्रदृधानवता द्रिजः । यदू यदाह न तदू दृमन्यथा हि मया क्वचित्
That Brāhmaṇa, full of faith, was questioned again by me; whatever he said was never found false by me at any time.