पादेषु वेदास्तव यूपदंष्ट्रा दन्तेषु जज्ञाश्चितयश्च वक्त्रे । हुताशजिह्वोसि तनूरुहाणि दर्भाः प्रभो यज्ञपुमांस्त्वमेव
In your feet are the Vedas, your tusks are the sacrificial posts, your teeth are the rites, and your mouth is the altar; you are the fire-tongue, your hairs are the sacred darbha grass—O Lord, you alone are the embodiment of sacrifice.
विलोचने रात्र्! यहनी महात्मन्सर्वाश्रयं ब्रह्मपरं शिरस्ते । सूक्तान्यश्षोआ!णि सटाकलापो घ्राणं समस्तानि हवींषि देव
Your eyes are day and night, O great soul; your head is the supreme Brahman, the refuge of all; your mane is the collection of hymns, and your nose is all the offerings, O God.
स्रुक्तुण्डसामस्वरधीरनादप्राग्वंशकायाखिलसत्रसन्धे । पूर्तेष्टधर्मश्रवणोसि देव सनातनात्मन्भगवन्प्रसीद
Your snout is the sacrificial ladle, your voice is the deep tone of the Sāma chants, your body is the eastern altar, the connection of all sacrifices; you are the hearing of righteous and charitable acts—O eternal soul, O blessed Lord, be gracious.
पदक्रमाक्रान्तभुवं भवन्तमादिस्थितं चाक्षरविश्वमूर्ते । विश्वस्य विद्मः परमेश्वरोऽसि प्रसीद नाथोसि परावरस्य
You, who stride over the earth with your measured steps, are the primal, imperishable form of the universe; we know you as the supreme Lord—be gracious, for you are the master of all that is high and low.
दंष्ट्राग्रविन्यस्तमश्षोमेतद्भूमण्डलं नाथ विभाव्यते ते । विगाहतः पद्मवनं विलग्नं सरोजिनीपत्रमिवोढपंकम्
O Lord, the earth, placed on the tip of your tusk, appears as if a lotus leaf, freshly lifted from the mud, clings to a great blue lotus in the pond.
द्यावापृथिव्योरतुलप्रभाव यदन्तरं तद्वपुषा तवैव । व्याप्तं जगद्व्याप्तिसमर्थदीप्ते हिताय विश्वस्य विभो भव त्वम्
The space between heaven and earth, of incomparable extent, is pervaded by your very form; the universe is filled by your all-pervading radiance—O Lord, may you exist for the welfare of all.
परमार्थस्त्वमेवैको नान्योस्ति जगतः पते । तवैष महिमा येन व्याप्तमेतच्चराचरम्
You alone are the highest reality, O Lord of the universe; there is no other. By your greatness, this entire world, moving and unmoving, is pervaded.
यदेतदृश्यते मूर्त्तमेतज्ज्ञानात्मनस्तव । भ्रान्तिज्ञानेन पश्यन्ति जगद्रू पमयोगिनः
Whatever is seen here as form is, in truth, your own self of knowledge; but those whose knowledge is deluded perceive the world as separate, O Yogis.
ज्ञानस्वरूपमखिलं जगदेतदबुद्धयः । अर्थस्वरूपं पश्यन्तो भ्राम्यन्ते मोहसंप्लवे
Those without understanding see this entire world as material, but, perceiving it as mere objects, they wander lost in the flood of delusion.
ये तु ज्ञानविदः शुद्धचेतसस्तेऽखिलं जगत् । ज्ञानात्मकं प्रपश्यन्ति त्वद्रू पं परमेश्वर
But those who know knowledge, whose minds are pure, see the entire world as composed of knowledge, perceiving your form, O Supreme Lord.
प्रसीद सर्व सर्वात्मन्भवाय जगतामिमाम् । उद्धरोर्वीममेयात्मञ्छन्नो देह्यब्जलोचन
Be gracious, O all-pervading Soul of all, for the sake of these worlds; uplift the earth, O lotus-eyed one, who are concealed in this form.
सत्त्वोद्रि क्तोऽसि भगवन् गोविंद पृथिवीमिमाम् । समुद्धर भवायेश शन्नो देह्यब्जलोचन
O blessed Govinda, you are filled with Sattva; O Lord of beings, uplift this earth for our sake; grant us your favor, O lotus-eyed one.
सर्गप्रवृत्तिर्भवतो जगतामुपकारिणी । भवत्वेषा नमस्तेऽस्तु शन्नो देह्यब्जलोचन
May this activity of creation, which benefits the worlds, proceed from you; salutations to you—grant us your favor, O lotus-eyed one.
श्रीपराशर उवाच। एवं संस्तूयमानस्तु परमात्मा महीधरः । उज्जहार क्षितिं क्षिप्रं न्यस्तवांश्च महाम्भसि
Śrī Parāśara said: Thus praised, the Supreme Soul, the bearer of the earth, swiftly lifted up the earth and placed it upon the great waters.
तस्योपरि जलौघस्य महती नौरिव स्थिता । विततत्त्वात्तु देहस्य न मही याति संप्लवम्
Upon him, amidst the flood of waters, the earth stood like a great ship; because of the expanse of his body, the earth did not sink.
ततः क्षितिं समां कृत्वा पृथिव्यां सोचिनोद्गिरीन् । यथाविभागं भगवाननादिः परमेश्वरः
Then, having made the earth level, the primeval Lord, the beginningless Supreme Lord, arranged the mountains upon the earth according to their divisions.
प्राक्यसर्गदग्धानखिलान्पर्वतान्पृथिवीतले । अमोघेन प्रभावेण ससर्जामोघवाञ्छितः
He created upon the earth all the mountains that had been destroyed in the previous creation, by his unfailing power, desiring nothing in vain.
भूविभागं ततः कृत्वा सप्तद्वीपान्यथातथम् । भूराद्यांश्चतुरो लोकान्पूर्ववत्समकल्पयत्
Then, having divided the earth, he formed the seven continents as before, and established the four worlds, beginning with Bhū, just as previously.
ब्रह्मरूपधरो देवस्ततोऽसौ रजसा वृतः । चकार सृष्टिं भगवांश्चतुर्वक्त्रधरो हरिः
Then the god, assuming the form of Brahmā and enveloped in rajas, the blessed Hari with four faces, performed the act of creation.
निमित्तमात्रमेवाऽसौ सृज्यानां सर्गकर्मणि । प्रधानकारणीभूता यतो वै सृज्यशक्तयः
He is only the instrumental cause in the work of creation; for the powers of creation themselves become the primary causes.
निमित्तमात्रं मुक्त्वैवं नान्यत्किंचिदपेक्षते । नीयते तपतां श्रेष्ठ स्वशक्त्या वस्तु वस्तुताम्
Apart from being the mere instrument, he requires nothing else; O best of ascetics, by his own power, each thing attains its own reality.
श्रीमैत्रेय उवाच अर्वाक्स्रोतास्तु कथितो भवता यस्तु मानुषः । ब्रह्मन्विस्तरतो ब्रूहि ब्रह्म तमसृजद्यथा ॥ १,६.
Śrī Maitreya said: You have described the human creation, which flows downward; O Brāhmaṇa, tell in detail how Brahmā created it.
यथा च वर्णानसृजद्यद्गुणां श्च प्रजापतिः । यच्च तेषां स्मृतं कर्म विप्रादीनां तदुच्यताम् ॥ १,६.
And how did the Lord of creatures create the castes and their qualities? Tell also what duties are prescribed for Brāhmaṇas and the others.
श्रीपराशर उवाच सत्याभिध्यायिनः पूर्वं सिसृक्षेर्ब्रह्मणो जगत् । अजायन्त द्विजश्रेष्ठ सत्त्वोद्रिक्ता मुखात्प्रजाः ॥ १,६.
Śrī Parāśara said: At first, from Brahmā's desire to create the world, beings devoted to truth were born from his mouth, O best of twice-born, endowed with predominance of Sattva.
वक्षमो रजसोद्रिक्तास्तथा वै ब्रह्मणोऽभवन् । रजसा तमसा चैव समुद्रिक्तास्तथोरुतः ॥ १,६.
Those born from his chest were endowed with Rajas; those from his thighs were filled with both Rajas and Tamas.
पद्भ्यामन्याः प्रजा ब्रह्मा ससर्ज द्विजसत्तम । तमःप्रधानास्ताः सर्वश्चातुर्वर्ण्यमिदं ततः ॥ १,६.
From his feet, O best of twice-born, Brahmā created other beings, all dominated by Tamas; thus arose the fourfold caste system.
ब्रह्मणाः क्षत्रिया वेश्याः शूद्राश्च द्विजसत्तम । पादोरुवक्षस्थलतो मुखतश्च समुद्गताः ॥ १,६.
Brāhmaṇas, Kṣatriyas, Vaiśyas, and Śūdras, O best of twice-born, emerged from his mouth, chest, thighs, and feet, respectively.
यज्ञनिष्पत्तये सर्वमेतद्ब्रह्या चकार वै । चातुर्वर्ण्यं महाभाग यज्ञसाधनमुत्तमम् ॥ १,६.
For the accomplishment of sacrifice, Brahmā created this entire fourfold caste system as the supreme means for sacrifice, O greatly fortunate one.
यज्ञैराप्यायिता देवा वृष्ट्युत्सर्गेण वै प्रजाः । आप्याययन्ते धर्मज्ञ यज्ञाः कल्याणहेतवः ॥ १,६.
The gods, nourished by sacrifices, indeed cause rain to fall, and thus the people are sustained; O knower of righteousness, sacrifices, which are the cause of welfare, bring prosperity.
निष्पाद्यन्ते नरैस्तैस्तु स्वधर्माभिरतैः सदा । विशुद्धाचरणैपेतैः सद्भिः सन्मार्गगामिभिः ॥ १,६.
Those sacrifices are always performed by men devoted to their own duties, by the virtuous who are pure in conduct and who walk the noble path.