तेषाम् अब्जोद्भवादीनां तेष्व् अण्डेषु दिवौकसाम् । उत्पत्तयो महाबाहो विचित्राः कथिता दिवि
O mighty-armed one, the origins of the celestial beings—such as those born from the lotus and others—in those cosmic eggs have been described as manifold in the heavens.
कदाचित् सृष्टयश् शार्व्यः कदाचित् पद्मजोद्भवाः । कदाचिद् अपि वैष्णव्यः कदाचिन् मुनिनिर्मिताः
Sometimes the creations arise from Shiva, sometimes from the lotus-born, sometimes from Vishnu, and sometimes they are fashioned by sages.
कदाचिद् अब्जजो ब्रह्मा कदाचित् सलिलोद्भवः । अण्डोद्भवः कदाचिच् च कदाचिज् जायते ऽम्बरात्
At times, Brahma is born from the lotus, at times from the waters, sometimes from the cosmic egg, and sometimes he arises from the sky.
कस्मिंश्चिद् अण्डे त्र्यक्षो ऽर्कः कस्मिंश्चिद् अपि वासवः । कस्मिंश्चित् पुण्डरीकाक्षः कस्मिंश्चित् त्र्यक्ष एव हि
In some universes, the three-eyed one is the sun; in others, it is Indra; in some, it is the lotus-eyed one; and in some, it is indeed the three-eyed one again.
कस्याञ्चिद् भूर् अभूत् सृष्टौ नीरन्ध्रतरुसङ्कटा । कस्याञ्चिन् नरनीरन्ध्रा कस्याञ्चिद् भूधरावृता
In some creations, the earth was filled with dense, impenetrable forests; in others, it was crowded with people; in others still, it was covered with mountains.
भूर् अभून् मृण्मयी काचित् काचिद् आसीद् दृषन्मयी । आसीद् धेममयी काचित् काचिन् मांसमयी तथा
The earth became of clay in some worlds, in others it was of stone; in some it was of smoke, and in others, likewise, of flesh.
इहैव कानिचित् तानि जगन्त्य् अन्यान्य् अथान्यथा । अन्योऽन्यैकैकलोकानि निर्वेधांस्य् अपि कानिचित्
Here itself, some of these worlds were of one kind, others of another; some worlds interpenetrated each other, and some were entirely distinct.
अनन्तानि जगन्त्य् अस्मिन् ब्रह्मतत्त्वमहाम्बरे । अम्भोधिवीचिव्रजवन् निमज्जन्त्य् उद्भवन्ति च
Countless worlds, in this vast expanse of the reality of Brahman, arise and dissolve like groups of waves in the ocean.
यथा तरङ्गा जलधौ मृगतृष्णा मरौ यथा । कुसुमानि यथा चूते तथा विश्वश्रियः परे
Just as waves in the sea, mirages in the desert, or blossoms on a mango tree, so too are the glories of the universe in the Supreme.
भानोर् गणयितुं शक्या रश्मिषु त्रसरेणवः । आलोलवपुषो ब्रह्मतत्त्वे न जगतां गणाः
The motes of dust in sunbeams can be counted, but not the hosts of worlds in the ever-moving reality of Brahman.
यथा मषकजालानि वर्षास्व् इक्षुवनालिषु । उत्पत्योत्पत्य नश्यन्ति तथेमा लोकसृष्टयः
Just as swarms of gnats in sugarcane fields arise and perish again and again during the rains, so too do these creations of worlds.
न च विज्ञायते कस्मात् कालात् प्रभृति चागताः । नित्यागमापायपरा एतास् सर्गपरम्पराः
Nor is it known from what time or for what reason these series of creations, ever coming and going, have arisen.
अनादिमत्यो ऽविरतं प्रस्फुरन्ति तरङ्गवत् । पूर्वात् पूर्वं किलाभूवंस् ततः पूर्वतरं तथा
Without beginning, they ceaselessly arise and vanish like waves; what was before is succeeded by what came before that, and so on.
भूत्वा भूत्वा प्रलीयन्ते सुरासुरनरादिकाः । सरित्तरङ्गभङ्ग्यैतास् समस्ता भूतजातयः
The hosts of gods, demons, humans, and others continually arise and dissolve, just like the patterns of waves on a river—such are all the classes of beings.
यथेदम् अण्डं वैरिञ्चं तथा ब्रह्माण्डपङ्क्तयः । सहस्रशः परिक्षीणा नालिका वत्सरेष्व् इव
Just as this cosmic egg of Brahma, so too countless series of universes are exhausted by the thousands, like reeds in a stream over the years.
अन्यास् सम्प्रति विद्यन्ते वर्तमानशरीरकाः । पारे ब्रह्मपुरस्यास्य वितते ब्रह्मणः पदे
Others now exist, possessing bodies in the present, on the far side of this city of Brahma, in the expanse of the realm of the Absolute.
ब्रह्मण्य् अन्या भविष्यन्ति बह्व्यो ब्रह्मपुरश्रियः । पुरस्ताच् च विनङ्क्ष्यन्ति भूत्वा भूत्वा यथा गिरः
In the Absolute, many other glories of the city of Brahma will arise in the future, and in the past, they have perished, appearing and disappearing like spoken words.
ब्रह्मण्य् अन्या भविष्यन्त्यस् स्थितास् सर्गपरम्पराः । घटा इव मृदो राशाव् अङ्कुरे पल्लवा इव
In the Absolute, other lines of creation will arise and remain, just as pots emerge from a mass of clay, or shoots and leaves from a sprout.
यावत्समुद्रं जलधौ यथा जलरयोर्मयः । यावद्ब्रह्म चिदाकाशे तथा त्रिभुवनश्रियः
As long as there is water in the ocean, so are the waves made of water; likewise, as long as there is Brahman in the space of consciousness, so are the glories of the three worlds.
स्फाराकारविकाराढ्याः प्रेक्ष्यमाणा न किञ्चन । उन्मज्जन्त्यो निमज्जन्त्यो न सत्या नाप्य् असच्छ्रियः
Though appearing vast, transformed, and splendid, when observed, they are nothing at all—emerging and submerging, they are neither truly real nor entirely unreal.
जडा रसान्वितास् तन्व्यस् ताश् शेवाललता इव । तरङ्गसमधर्मिण्यो दृष्टनष्टशरीरिकाः
They are inert, endowed with qualities, slender like the stalks of the śevala plant, wave-like in their nature, and their bodies are seen and then lost.
सर्वासां सृष्टिकोटीनां चित्राचारविचेष्टिताः । चित्राकारविकाराश् च चित्ररूपाश् च सृष्टयः
The countless worlds of creation display wondrous movements, transformations of marvelous forms, and creations of varied appearances.
व्यतिरिक्ता न सर्वेशात् समग्रास् सृष्टिदृष्टयः । तत्त्वज्ञविषया राम सलिलाद् इव वृष्टयः
All these visions of creation, O Rama, are not separate from the Supreme Lord; they pertain to the knower of truth, like rains from water.
आयान्ति सृष्टयो देवाज् जलदाद् इव वृष्टयः । तस्माद् एवाखिला जाता आलोकाद् इव दृष्टयः
Creations arise from the Divine, just as rains come from the clouds; all are born from That alone, like visions from light.
व्यतिरिक्ता न सर्वेशात् समस्तास् सृष्टिदृष्टयः । व्यतिरिक्ता इवाभान्ति स्वाष्ठीलाश् शल्मलेर् इव
All these visions of creation are not separate from the Supreme Lord; yet they appear distinct, like spikes on the silk-cotton tree.
इह सृष्टिषु पुष्टासु निकृष्टासु च राघव । परमान् नभसो जाततन्मात्रमलमालितम्
Here, among these creations, O Raghava, some are excellent and some are inferior; yet the Supreme remains, touched only by the subtle impurity of space.
कदाचित् प्रथमं व्योम प्रतिष्ठाम् उपगच्छति । ततः प्रजायते ब्रह्मा व्योमजो ऽसौ प्रजापतिः
Sometimes, space first attains stability; then Brahma is born from it, the progenitor arising from space.
कदाचित् प्रथमं वायुः प्रतिष्ठाम् उपगच्छति । ततः प्रजायते ब्रह्मा वायुजो ऽसौ प्रजापतिः
Sometimes, air first attains stability; then Brahma is born from it, the progenitor arising from air.
कदाचित् प्रथमं वारि स्फारताम् अधिगच्छति । ततः प्रजायते ब्रह्मा जलजो ऽसौ प्रजापतिः
Sometimes, water first attains fullness; then Brahma is born from it, the progenitor arising from water.
कदाचित् प्रथमं पृथ्वी स्फारताम् अधिगच्छति । ततः प्रजायते ब्रह्मा पार्थिवो ऽसौ प्रजापतिः
Sometimes, first the earth attains expansion; then, from it, Brahma is born—he, the lord of creatures, arising from the earth.