The Rise of Water, Wind, Fire and Earth

Verse 1 (12.181.1)

मेरुमध्ये स्थितो ब्रह्मा कथं स ससृजे प्रजाः । एतन्मे सर्वमाचक्ष्व याथातथ्येन पृच्छतः ॥

merumadhye sthito brahmā kathaṃ sa sasṛje prajāḥ | etanme sarvamācakṣva yāthātathyena pṛcchataḥ

Brahma stands in the middle of Meru: how did he create the creatures? Tell me all this exactly as it is, since I ask.

Note on the text: The alignment found no match. Lines 1-2 are the critical edition's star passage 12.176.1d*0485_01-02 (merumadhye sthito brahmā kathaṃ sa sasṛje prajāḥ / etan me sarvam ācakṣva yāthātathyena pṛcchataḥ), printed in the apparatus after 12.176.1 (where the CE heads bharadvāja uvāca). The CE's own 12.176.1 (prajāvisargaṃ vividhaṃ …) is not in Wikisource.

Verse 2 (12.181.2)

प्रजाविसर्गं पूर्वं स मानसो मनसाऽसृजत् । संरक्षणार्थं भूतानां सृष्टं प्रथमतो जलम् ॥

prajāvisargaṃ pūrvaṃ sa mānaso manasā'sṛjat | saṃrakṣaṇārthaṃ bhūtānāṃ sṛṣṭaṃ prathamato jalam

The Mind-born one first brought forth the creation of creatures by his mind; to sustain beings, water was created first of all.

Verse 3 (12.181.3)

यत्प्राणाः सर्वभूतानां वर्धन्ते येन च प्रजाः । परित्यक्ताश्च नश्यन्ति तेनेदं सर्वमावृतम् ॥

yatprāṇāḥ sarvabhūtānāṃ vardhante yena ca prajāḥ | parityaktāśca naśyanti tenedaṃ sarvamāvṛtam

That by which the breaths of all beings are sustained and by which creatures grow, and without which they perish: by it all this is covered.

Note on the text: Corrected यत्प्राणः → यत्प्राणाः (misprint in Wikisource; the verb वर्धन्ते is plural and the critical edition reads yat prāṇāḥ).

Verse 4 (12.181.4)

पृथिवी पर्वता मेघा मूर्तिमन्तश्च ये परे । सर्वं तद्वारुणं ज्ञेयमापस्तस्तम्भिरे हि ताः ॥

pṛthivī parvatā meghā mūrtimantaśca ye pare | sarvaṃ tadvāruṇaṃ jñeyamāpastastambhire hi tāḥ

The earth, the mountains, the clouds, and whatever other bodied things there are: know all that to be of Varuna, of water, for those waters became solid.

Verse 5 (12.181.5)

कथं सलिलमुत्पन्नं कथं चैवाग्निमारुतौ । कथं वा मेदिनी सृष्टेत्यत्र मे संशयो महान् ॥

kathaṃ salilamutpannaṃ kathaṃ caivāgnimārutau | kathaṃ vā medinī sṛṣṭetyatra me saṃśayo mahān

How did water arise, and how fire and wind? And how was the earth created? On this I have a great doubt.

Verse 6 (12.181.6)

ब्रह्मकल्पे पुरा ब्रह्मन्ब्रह्मर्षीणां समागमे । लोकसंभवसन्देहः समुत्पन्नो महात्मनाम् ॥

brahmakalpe purā brahmanbrahmarṣīṇāṃ samāgame | lokasaṃbhavasandehaḥ samutpanno mahātmanām

Long ago, O brahmin, in a kalpa of Brahma, at a gathering of brahmin seers, a doubt about the origin of the worlds arose among those great souls.

Verse 7 (12.181.7)

तेऽतिष्ठन्ध्यानमालम्ब्य मौनमास्थाय निश्चलाः । त्यक्ताहाराः पवनपा दिव्यं वर्षशतं द्विजाः ॥

te'tiṣṭhandhyānamālambya maunamāsthāya niścalāḥ | tyaktāhārāḥ pavanapā divyaṃ varṣaśataṃ dvijāḥ

Those twice-born stood in meditation, keeping silence and motionless, giving up food and living on air, for a hundred divine years.

Verse 8 (12.181.8)

तेषां ब्रह्ममयी वाणी सर्वेषां श्रोत्रमागमत् । दिव्या सरस्वती तत्र संबभूव नभस्तलात् ॥

teṣāṃ brahmamayī vāṇī sarveṣāṃ śrotramāgamat | divyā sarasvatī tatra saṃbabhūva nabhastalāt

Then a voice full of Brahman, the divine Sarasvati, came from the sky to the ears of them all.

Verse 9 (12.181.9)

पुराऽस्तमितनिःशब्दमाकाशमचलोपमम् । नष्टचन्द्रार्कपवनं प्रसुप्तमिव संबभौ ॥

purā'stamitaniḥśabdamākāśamacalopamam | naṣṭacandrārkapavanaṃ prasuptamiva saṃbabhau

In former times space was still and soundless, steady as a mountain; with moon, sun and wind gone, it seemed fast asleep.

Verse 10 (12.181.10)

ततः सलिलमुत्पन्नं तमसीवापरं तमः । तस्माच्च सलिलोत्पीडात्समजायत मारुतः ॥

tataḥ salilamutpannaṃ tamasīvāparaṃ tamaḥ | tasmācca salilotpīḍātsamajāyata mārutaḥ

Then water arose, like a darkness within darkness; and from the pressure of that water the wind arose.

Verse 11 (12.181.11)

यथा भाजनमच्छिद्रं निःशब्दमिह लक्ष्यते । तच्चाम्भसा पूर्यमाणं सशब्दं कुरुतेऽनिलः ॥

yathā bhājanamacchidraṃ niḥśabdamiha lakṣyate | taccāmbhasā pūryamāṇaṃ saśabdaṃ kurute'nilaḥ

Just as a vessel without a hole seems silent, but when it is filled with water the air makes it sound,

Verse 12 (12.181.12)

तथा सलिलसंरुद्धे नभसोऽन्ते निरन्तरे । भित्त्वाऽर्णवतलं वायुः समुत्पतति घोषवान् ॥

tathā salilasaṃruddhe nabhaso'nte nirantare | bhittvā'rṇavatalaṃ vāyuḥ samutpatati ghoṣavān

so, when space was packed with water without a gap, the wind broke through the floor of the ocean and rushed up with a roar.

Note on the text: Corrected नभसोन्ते → नभसोऽन्ते (misprint in Wikisource; missing avagraha; the critical edition reads nabhaso 'nte).

Verse 13 (12.181.13)

स एष चरते वायुरर्णवोत्पीडसंभवः । आकाशस्थानमासाद्य प्रशान्तिं नाधिगच्छति ॥

sa eṣa carate vāyurarṇavotpīḍasaṃbhavaḥ | ākāśasthānamāsādya praśāntiṃ nādhigacchati

That wind moves about, born of the pressure of the ocean; having reached the place of space, it finds no rest.

Verse 14 (12.181.14)

तस्मिन्वाय्वम्बुसंघर्षे दीप्ततेजा महाबलः । प्रादुर्बभूवोर्ध्वशिखः कृत्वा निस्तिमिरं नभः ॥

tasminvāyvambusaṃgharṣe dīptatejā mahābalaḥ | prādurbabhūvordhvaśikhaḥ kṛtvā nistimiraṃ nabhaḥ

In that clash of wind and water a fire appeared, blazing and very strong, its flame rising upward, leaving the sky free of darkness.

Verse 15 (12.181.15)

अग्निः पवनसंयुक्तः खात्समुत्क्षिपते जलम् । सोऽग्निमारुतसंयोगाद्धनत्वमुपपद्यते ॥

agniḥ pavanasaṃyuktaḥ khātsamutkṣipate jalam | so'gnimārutasaṃyogāddhanatvamupapadyate

Fire, joined with the wind, flung the water up out of space; and through its union with fire and wind the water took on density.

Note on the text: Corrected स्वात्समुत्क्षिपते → खात्समुत्क्षिपते (misprint in Wikisource; स्वात् is out of place here; the critical edition reads khāt samutpatate jalam).

Verse 16 (12.181.16)

तस्याकाशान्निपतितः स्नेहस्तिष्ठति योऽपरः । स संघातत्वमापन्नो भूमित्वमनुगच्छति ॥

tasyākāśānnipatitaḥ snehastiṣṭhati yo'paraḥ | sa saṃghātatvamāpanno bhūmitvamanugacchati

The other moisture of it that fell from space and remained there, compacted, took on the state of earth.

Verse 17 (12.181.17)

रसानां सर्वगन्धानां स्नेहानां प्राणिनां तथा । भूमिर्योनिरिह ज्ञेया यस्यां सर्वं प्रसूयते ॥

rasānāṃ sarvagandhānāṃ snehānāṃ prāṇināṃ tathā | bhūmiryoniriha jñeyā yasyāṃ sarvaṃ prasūyate

Of flavours, of all scents, of oily substances and of living beings, know the earth to be the womb here, in which everything is born.