Brahma Names the First of Each Kind; All Works End but Knowledge

Verse 1 (14.44.1)

यदादिमध्यपर्यन्तं ग्रहणोपायमेव च । नामलक्षणसंयुक्तं सर्वं वक्ष्यामि तत्त्वतः ॥

yadādimadhyaparyantaṃ grahaṇopāyameva ca | nāmalakṣaṇasaṃyuktaṃ sarvaṃ vakṣyāmi tattvataḥ

I shall tell you truly the beginning, the middle and the end of things, and the means by which they are grasped, together with their names and marks.

Verse 2 (14.44.2)

अहः पूर्वं ततो रात्रिर्मासाः शुक्लादयः स्मृताः । श्रवणादीनि ऋक्षाणि ऋतवः शिशिरादयः ॥

ahaḥ pūrvaṃ tato rātrirmāsāḥ śuklādayaḥ smṛtāḥ | śravaṇādīni ṛkṣāṇi ṛtavaḥ śiśirādayaḥ

Day comes first, and then night; the months are reckoned as beginning with the bright one; the constellations begin with Shravana, and the seasons with the cool season.

Note on the text: Wikisource's श्रवणादीनि ऋक्षाणि (a footnote on the page notes the variant श्रविष्ठादीनि) is kept; the critical edition has śraviṣṭhādīni ṛkṣāṇi.

Verse 3 (14.44.3)

भूमिरादिस्तु गन्धानां रसानामाप एव च । रूपाणामादिरग्निस्तु स्पर्शादिर्वायुरुच्यते ॥

bhūmirādistu gandhānāṃ rasānāmāpa eva ca | rūpāṇāmādiragnistu sparśādirvāyurucyate

Earth is the first of smells, and water of tastes; fire is the first of forms, and air is said to be the first of touches.

Note on the text: Not matched by the aligner; = CE 14.44.3a and 3c.

Verse 4 (14.44.4)

शब्दस्यादिस्तथाऽऽकाशमेष भूतकृतो गुणः । अतः परं प्रवक्ष्यामि भूतानामादिमुत्तमम् ॥

śabdasyādistathā''kāśameṣa bhūtakṛto guṇaḥ | ataḥ paraṃ pravakṣyāmi bhūtānāmādimuttamam

Space is likewise the first of sounds: this is the quality made by the elements. Now I shall tell you the best beginning of beings.

Note on the text: Not matched by the aligner; first line = CE 14.44.3e, second line = CE 14.44.4a.

Verse 5 (14.44.5)

आदित्यो ज्योतिषामादिरग्निर्भूतादिरुच्यते । सावित्री सर्वविद्यानां देवतानां प्रजापतिः ॥

ādityo jyotiṣāmādiragnirbhūtādirucyate | sāvitrī sarvavidyānāṃ devatānāṃ prajāpatiḥ

The sun is the first of lights, and fire is called the first of beings; Savitri is the first of all knowledge, and Prajapati of the gods.

Note on the text: Not matched by the aligner; = CE 14.44.4c and 5a.

Verse 6 (14.44.6)

ओङ्कारः सर्ववेदानां वचसां प्राण एव च । यदस्मिन्नियतं लोके सर्वं सावित्रमुच्यते ॥

oṅkāraḥ sarvavedānāṃ vacasāṃ prāṇa eva ca | yadasminniyataṃ loke sarvaṃ sāvitramucyate

Om is the first of all the Vedas and the very life of speech; whatever stands fixed in this world is all called Savitra.

Note on the text: Not matched by the aligner; = CE 14.44.5c and 5e.

Verse 7 (14.44.7)

गायत्री च्छन्दसामादिः प्रजानां सर्ग उच्यते । गावश्चतुष्पदामादिर्मनुष्याणां द्विजातयः ॥

gāyatrī cchandasāmādiḥ prajānāṃ sarga ucyate | gāvaścatuṣpadāmādirmanuṣyāṇāṃ dvijātayaḥ

Gayatri is the first of metres, and among living creatures it is creation that is called first; among four-footed animals the cows are the first, and among men the twice-born.

Verse 8 (14.44.8)

श्येनः पतत्रिणामादिर्यज्ञानां हुतमुत्तमम् । प्रसर्पिणां तु सर्वेषां ज्येष्ठः सर्पो द्विजोत्तमाः ॥

śyenaḥ patatriṇāmādiryajñānāṃ hutamuttamam | prasarpiṇāṃ tu sarveṣāṃ jyeṣṭhaḥ sarpo dvijottamāḥ

Among birds the hawk is the first, and among sacrifices the oblation is the best; among all creeping creatures the eldest is the serpent, O best of the twice-born.

Verse 9 (14.44.9)

कृतमादिर्युगानां च सर्वेषां नात्र संशयः । हिरण्यं सर्वरत्नानामोषधीनां यवास्तथा ॥

kṛtamādiryugānāṃ ca sarveṣāṃ nātra saṃśayaḥ | hiraṇyaṃ sarvaratnānāmoṣadhīnāṃ yavāstathā

The Krita age is the first of all the ages, there is no doubt of this; gold is first among all jewels, and barley among the herbs.

Verse 10 (14.44.10)

सर्वेषां भक्ष्यभोज्यानामन्नं परममुच्यते । द्रवाणां चैव सर्वेषां पेयानामाप उत्तमाः ॥

sarveṣāṃ bhakṣyabhojyānāmannaṃ paramamucyate | dravāṇāṃ caiva sarveṣāṃ peyānāmāpa uttamāḥ

Of all foods and edibles, grain is called supreme; of all liquids and drinks, the waters are the best.

Verse 11 (14.44.11)

स्थावराणां तु भूतानां सर्वेषामविशेषतः । ब्रह्मक्षेत्रं सदा पुण्यं प्लक्षः प्रवरजः स्मृतः ॥

sthāvarāṇāṃ tu bhūtānāṃ sarveṣāmaviśeṣataḥ | brahmakṣetraṃ sadā puṇyaṃ plakṣaḥ pravarajaḥ smṛtaḥ

Among all immovable beings without exception, the sacred field of Brahman is ever holy, and the plaksha tree is remembered as the foremost-born.

Verse 12 (14.44.12)

अहं प्रजापतीनां च सर्वेषां नात्र संशयः । मम विष्णुरचिन्त्यात्मा स्वयंभूरिति संस्मृतः ॥

ahaṃ prajāpatīnāṃ ca sarveṣāṃ nātra saṃśayaḥ | mama viṣṇuracintyātmā svayaṃbhūriti saṃsmṛtaḥ

Among all the Prajapatis I am the first, there is no doubt of this; and by me Vishnu, of inconceivable nature, is remembered as the Self-existent.

Verse 13 (14.44.13)

पर्वतानां महामेरुः सर्वेषामग्रजः स्मृतः । दिशां च प्रदिशां चोर्ध्वं दिक्पूर्वा प्रथमा तथा ॥

parvatānāṃ mahāmeruḥ sarveṣāmagrajaḥ smṛtaḥ | diśāṃ ca pradiśāṃ cordhvaṃ dikpūrvā prathamā tathā

Among mountains great Meru is remembered as the eldest of all; among the directions and the intermediate directions the upward is named, and the east is likewise the first.

Verse 14 (14.44.14)

तथा त्रिपथगा गङ्गा नदीनामग्रजा स्मृता । तथा सरोदपानानां सर्वेषां सागरोऽग्रजः ॥

tathā tripathagā gaṅgā nadīnāmagrajā smṛtā | tathā sarodapānānāṃ sarveṣāṃ sāgaro'grajaḥ

Likewise the Ganga, flowing by three paths, is remembered as the eldest of rivers; and among all pools and wells the ocean is the eldest.

Note on the text: Corrected सरोदपाननां → सरोदपानानां (misprint in Wikisource, a dropped long ā that breaks the metre; the critical edition has sarodapānānāṃ).

Verse 15 (14.44.15)

देवदानवभूतानां पिशाचोरगरक्षसाम् । नरकिन्नरयक्षाणां सर्वेषामीश्वरः प्रभुः ॥

devadānavabhūtānāṃ piśācoragarakṣasām | narakinnarayakṣāṇāṃ sarveṣāmīśvaraḥ prabhuḥ

Of gods, danavas and beings, of pishachas, serpents and rakshasas, and of men, kinnaras and yakshas, of all of these he is the Lord and master.

Verse 16 (14.44.16)

आदिर्विश्वस्य जगतो विष्णुर्ब्रह्ममयो महान् । ततः परतरं यस्मात्त्रैलोक्ये नेह विद्यते ॥

ādirviśvasya jagato viṣṇurbrahmamayo mahān | tataḥ parataraṃ yasmāttrailokye neha vidyate

Vishnu, great and formed of Brahman, is the beginning of the whole universe; there is none higher than he in the three worlds.

Verse 17 (14.44.17)

आश्रमाणां च सर्वेषां गार्हस्थ्यं नात्र संशयः । लोकानामादिरव्यक्तं सर्वस्यान्तस्तदेव च ॥

āśramāṇāṃ ca sarveṣāṃ gārhasthyaṃ nātra saṃśayaḥ | lokānāmādiravyaktaṃ sarvasyāntastadeva ca

Of all the orders of life, the householder's is the first, there is no doubt; the beginning of the worlds is the unmanifest, and the end of everything is that same.

Verse 18 (14.44.18)

अहान्यस्तमयान्तानि उदयान्ता च शर्वरी । सुखस्यान्तं सदा दुःखं दुःखस्यान्तं सदा सुखम् ॥

ahānyastamayāntāni udayāntā ca śarvarī | sukhasyāntaṃ sadā duḥkhaṃ duḥkhasyāntaṃ sadā sukham

Days end in the setting of the sun, and the night ends in sunrise; pain is always the end of pleasure, and pleasure always the end of pain.

Note on the text: Corrected सुखम → सुखम् (dropped halant in Wikisource; the critical edition has sukham).

Verse 19 (14.44.19)

सर्वे क्षयान्ता निचयाः पतनान्ताः समुच्छ्रयाः । संयोगाश्च वियोगान्ता मरणान्तं च जीवितम् ॥

sarve kṣayāntā nicayāḥ patanāntāḥ samucchrayāḥ | saṃyogāśca viyogāntā maraṇāntaṃ ca jīvitam

All gatherings end in loss, and all heights end in a fall; unions end in separation, and life ends in death.

Verse 20 (14.44.20)

सर्वं कृतं विनाशान्तं जातस्य मरणं ध्रुवम् । अशाश्वतं हि लोकेऽस्मिन्सदा स्थावरजङ्गमम् ॥

sarvaṃ kṛtaṃ vināśāntaṃ jātasya maraṇaṃ dhruvam | aśāśvataṃ hi loke'sminsadā sthāvarajaṅgamam

Everything made ends in destruction, and death is certain for one who is born; everything in this world, moving and unmoving, is impermanent.

Verse 21 (14.44.21)

इष्टं दत्तं तपोऽधीतं व्रतानि नियमाश्च ये । सर्वमेतद्विनाशान्तं ज्ञानस्यान्तो न विद्यते ॥

iṣṭaṃ dattaṃ tapo'dhītaṃ vratāni niyamāśca ye | sarvametadvināśāntaṃ jñānasyānto na vidyate

Sacrifice, gifts, austerity, study, vows and the observances: all of this ends in destruction, but knowledge has no end.

Verse 22 (14.44.22)

तस्माज्ज्ञानेन शुद्धेन प्रशान्तात्मा जितेन्द्रियः । निर्ममो निरहंकारो मुच्यते सर्वपाप्मभिः ॥

tasmājjñānena śuddhena praśāntātmā jitendriyaḥ | nirmamo nirahaṃkāro mucyate sarvapāpmabhiḥ

Therefore, through pure knowledge, with a tranquil mind and the senses conquered, free of possessiveness and egoism, one is released from all sins.