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.
एकदा तु मया पृष्टं यदेतद् भवतोदितम् । प्राह कालिङ्गको विप्रः स्मृत्वा तस्य मुनेर्वचः
Once, I asked him about what you have now inquired; the Brāhmaṇa Kāliṅgaka, recalling the words of that sage, spoke.
जातिस्मरेण कथितो रहस्यः परमो मम । यम-किङ्गरयोर्योऽभूत् संवादस्तं ब्रवीमि ते
He, who remembered his past births, told me this supreme secret: the conversation that once took place between Yama and his messengers—I will tell you that.
स्वपुरुषमभिवीक्ष्य पाशह्सतं वदति यमः किल तस्य कर्णामूले । परिहर मधुसूदनप्रपन्नान् प्रभुरहमन्यनृणां न वैष्णवानाम्
Looking at his own servant holding a noose, Yama is said to speak at his ear: 'Avoid those who have taken refuge in Madhusūdana; I am the lord over others, but not over the devotees of Viṣṇu.'
अहममरघणर्चितेन धात्रा यम इति लोकहिताहिते नियुक्तः । हरिगुरुवशगोऽस्मि न स्वतन्त्रः प्रभवति संयमने ममापि विष्णुः
'I, Yama, am appointed by the Creator, who is worshipped by the immortals, for the welfare and harm of the world; but I am under the authority of Hari and his teachers, not independent—Viṣṇu himself controls even my power of restraint.'
कटकमुकुटकर्णिकादिबेदैः कनकमभेदमपीष्यते यथैकम । सुरपशुमनुजादिकल्पनाभि हरिरखिलाभिरुदीर्य्यते तथैकः
Just as gold, though fashioned into bracelets, crowns, earrings, and the like, is considered one, so too is Hari, though described by various conceptions as god, animal, human, and so on, always one.
क्षितिजलपरमाणावोऽनिलान्ते पुनरपि यान्ति यथैकतां धरिव्याः । सुरपशुमनुजादयस्तथान्ते गुणकलुषेण सनातनेन तेन
Just as earth, water, and atoms return to unity at the end, so too do gods, animals, humans, and others, at the end, merge through the eternal quality of guṇa and impurity.
हरिममरगणर्चिताञघ्रिपह्मं प्रणमति यः परमार्थतो हि मर्त्त्यः । तमपगतसमस्तपापबन्धं व्रज परिह्टत्य यथाग्रिगाज्यसिक्तम्
Whoever, in truth, bows to the lotus feet of Hari, worshipped by hosts of immortals, is freed from all bonds of sin and goes, as clarified butter poured on fire, to liberation.
इति यमवचनं निशम्य पाशी कथय मम विभो ! समस्तधातु यमपुरुषस्तमुवाच धर्मराजम् । र्भवति हरेः खलु यादृशोऽस्य भक्तः
Hearing these words of Yama, the noose-bearer said: 'Tell me, O Lord of all beings!' And Yama's servant spoke to the king of righteousness: 'The fate of one devoted to Hari is as his devotion.'
न चलति निजवर्णाधर्मतो यः सममतिरात्मसुह्टदविपक्षपक्षे न हरति न च हन्ति किञ्चिदुच्चैः सितमनसं तमवैहि विष्णभक्तम्
He who does not stray from the duties of his own class, whose mind is impartial toward friend and foe, who neither steals nor kills anything, whose mind is pure—know him to be a devotee of Vishnu.
कलिकलूषमलेन यस्य नात्मा विमलमतेर्मलिनीकृतोऽस्तमोहे । मनसि कृतजनार्दनं मनुष्यं सततमवेहि हररतीव भक्तम्
He whose self is not tainted by the impurity of the Kali age, whose pure mind is not stained by delusion, who has installed Janardana in his heart—know that man to be ever devoted to Hari.