Conversation Between Maitreya and Vidura

Verse 1 (bhagavata.3.20.1)

शौनक उवाच महीं प्रतिष्ठामध्यस्य सौते स्वायम्भुवो मनुः । कान्यन्वतिष्ठद् द्वाराणि मार्गायावरजन्मनाम् ॥ १ ॥

śaunaka uvāca mahīṁ pratiṣṭhām adhyasya saute svāyambhuvo manuḥ kāny anvatiṣṭhad dvārāṇi mārgāyāvara-janmanām

Shaunaka said: O Suta, once the earth had been set firmly back in its place, what paths did Svayambhuva Manu open up for the liberation of those who were yet to be born?

Verse 2 (bhagavata.3.20.2)

क्षत्ता महाभागवतः कृष्णस्यैकान्तिकः सुहृत् । यस्तत्याजाग्रजं कृष्णे सापत्यमघवानिति ॥ २ ॥

kṣattā mahā-bhāgavataḥ kṛṣṇasyaikāntikaḥ suhṛt yas tatyājāgrajaṁ kṛṣṇe sāpatyam aghavān iti

Kshatta was a great devotee, Krishna's most intimate friend, who gave up his elder brother, along with his sons, having judged him an offender against Krishna.

Verse 3 (bhagavata.3.20.3)

द्वैपायनादनवरो महित्वे तस्य देहजः । सर्वात्मना श्रितः कृष्णं तत्परांश्चाप्यनुव्रतः ॥ ३ ॥

dvaipāyanād anavaro mahitve tasya dehajaḥ sarvātmanā śritaḥ kṛṣṇaṁ tat-parāṁś cāpy anuvrataḥ

Though born from the very body of Dvaipayana Vyasa, he was in no way lesser in greatness; with his whole being he took shelter of Krishna, and remained devoted also to Krishna's devotees.

Verse 4 (bhagavata.3.20.4)

किमन्वपृच्छन्मैत्रेयं विरजास्तीर्थसेवया । उपगम्य कुशावर्त आसीनं तत्त्ववित्तमम् ॥ ४ ॥

kim anvapṛcchan maitreyaṁ virajās tīrtha-sevayā upagamya kuśāvarta āsīnaṁ tattva-vittamam

What did the now taintless Vidura, purified by his pilgrimage to holy places, ask of Maitreya, the foremost knower of truth, when he came upon him seated at Kushavarta?

Verse 5 (bhagavata.3.20.5)

तयोः संवदतोः सूत प्रवृत्ता ह्यमलाः कथाः । आपो गाङ्गा इवाघघ्नीर्हरेः पादाम्बुजाश्रयाः ॥ ५ ॥

tayoḥ saṁvadatoḥ sūta pravṛttā hy amalāḥ kathāḥ āpo gāṅgā ivāgha-ghnīr hareḥ pādāmbujāśrayāḥ

O Suta, as the two conversed, pure narratives began to flow, resting in the shelter of Hari's lotus feet, washing away sin just as the waters of the Ganga do.

Verse 6 (bhagavata.3.20.6)

ता नः कीर्तय भद्रं ते कीर्तन्योदारकर्मणः । रसज्ञः को नु तृप्येत हरिलीलामृतं पिबन् ॥ ६ ॥

tā naḥ kīrtaya bhadraṁ te kīrtanyodāra-karmaṇaḥ rasajñaḥ ko nu tṛpyeta hari-līlāmṛtaṁ piban

May all good come to you; recount to us those narrations of Him whose magnanimous deeds deserve to be sung. What true connoisseur could ever feel satisfied while drinking the nectar of Hari's pastimes?

Verse 7 (bhagavata.3.20.7)

एवमुग्रश्रवाः पृष्ट ऋषिभिर्नैमिषायनैः । भगवत्यर्पिताध्यात्मस्तानाह श्रूयतामिति ॥ ७ ॥

evam ugraśravāḥ pṛṣṭa ṛṣibhir naimiṣāyanaiḥ bhagavaty arpitādhyātmas tān āha śrūyatām iti

Thus questioned by the sages dwelling in Naimisha, Ugrashrava, his mind wholly given over to the Lord, said to them: 'Listen, then.'

Verse 8 (bhagavata.3.20.8)

सूत उवाच हरेर्धृतक्रोडतनोः स्वमायया निशम्य गोरुद्धरणं रसातलात् । लीलां हिरण्याक्षमवज्ञया हतं सञ्जातहर्षो मुनिमाह भारतः ॥ ८ ॥

sūta uvāca harer dhṛta-kroḍa-tanoḥ sva-māyayā niśamya gor uddharaṇaṁ rasātalāt līlāṁ hiraṇyākṣam avajñayā hataṁ sañjāta-harṣo munim āha bhārataḥ

Suta said: Hearing of that pastime of Hari, who by His own power had assumed the boar's body, lifting the earth from Rasatala and slaying Hiranyaksha with mere indifference, Vidura, descendant of Bharata, filled with delight, spoke to the sage.

Verse 9 (bhagavata.3.20.9)

विदुर उवाच प्रजापतिपतिः सृष्ट्वा प्रजासर्गे प्रजापतीन् । किमारभत मे ब्रह्मन् प्रब्रूह्यव्यक्तमार्गवित् ॥ ९ ॥

vidura uvāca prajāpati-patiḥ sṛṣṭvā prajā-sarge prajāpatīn kim ārabhata me brahman prabrūhy avyakta-mārga-vit

Vidura said: O brahmana, O knower of the unmanifest path, tell me: after Brahma, lord of the Prajapatis, had brought forth the Prajapatis for the work of creation, what did he undertake next?

Verse 10 (bhagavata.3.20.10)

ये मरीच्यादयो विप्रा यस्तु स्वायम्भुवो मनुः । ते वै ब्रह्मण आदेशात्कथमेतदभावयन् ॥ १० ॥

ye marīcy-ādayo viprā yas tu svāyambhuvo manuḥ te vai brahmaṇa ādeśāt katham etad abhāvayan

How did those brahmanas headed by Marichi, together with Svayambhuva Manu, at Brahma's command bring this creation into being?

Verse 11 (bhagavata.3.20.11)

सद्वितीयाः किमसृजन् स्वतन्त्रा उत कर्मसु । आहोस्वित्संहताः सर्व इदं स्म समकल्पयन् ॥ ११ ॥

sa-dvitīyāḥ kim asṛjan svatantrā uta karmasu āho svit saṁhatāḥ sarva idaṁ sma samakalpayan

Did they create together with their wives, each remaining independent in his own work, or did all of them join together to fashion this world?

Verse 12 (bhagavata.3.20.12)

मैत्रेय उवाच दैवेन दुर्वितर्क्येण परेणानिमिषेण च । जातक्षोभाद्भगवतो महानासीद् गुणत्रयात् ॥ १२ ॥

maitreya uvāca daivena durvitarkyeṇa pareṇānimiṣeṇa ca jāta-kṣobhād bhagavato mahān āsīd guṇa-trayāt

Maitreya said: Through destiny beyond all reckoning, through the Supreme Person, and through unblinking time, when agitation arose within the Lord's three modes of nature, the great cosmic principle, the mahat-tattva, came into being.

Verse 13 (bhagavata.3.20.13)

रजःप्रधानान्महतस्त्रिलिङ्गो दैवचोदितात् । जातः ससर्ज भूतादिर्वियदादीनि पञ्चशः ॥ १३ ॥

rajaḥ-pradhānān mahatas tri-liṅgo daiva-coditāt jātaḥ sasarja bhūtādir viyad-ādīni pañcaśaḥ

From that Mahat, in which the mode of passion predominated, driven on by destiny, arose the threefold false ego, which in turn brought forth ether and the other elements, five by five.

Verse 14 (bhagavata.3.20.14)

तानि चैकैकशः स्रष्टुमसमर्थानि भौतिकम् । संहत्य दैवयोगेन हैममण्डमवासृजन् ॥ १४ ॥

tāni caikaikaśaḥ sraṣṭum asamarthāni bhautikam saṁhatya daiva-yogena haimam aṇḍam avāsṛjan

Those elements, each unable alone to create the material universe, combined together through the working of destiny and gave rise to a golden egg.

Verse 15 (bhagavata.3.20.15)

सोऽशयिष्टाब्धिसलिले आण्डकोशो निरात्मकः । साग्रं वै वर्षसाहस्रमन्ववात्सीत्तमीश्वरः ॥ १५ ॥

so ’śayiṣṭābdhi-salile āṇḍakośo nirātmakaḥ sāgraṁ vai varṣa-sāhasram anvavātsīt tam īśvaraḥ

That shell of an egg lay lifeless upon the waters of the ocean, and for a little over a thousand years the Lord Himself dwelt within it.

Verse 16 (bhagavata.3.20.16)

तस्य नाभेरभूत्पद्मं सहस्रार्कोरुदीधिति । सर्वजीवनिकायौको यत्र स्वयमभूत्स्वराट् ॥ १६ ॥

tasya nābher abhūt padmaṁ sahasrārkoru-dīdhiti sarva-jīvanikāyauko yatra svayam abhūt svarāṭ

From His navel sprang a lotus, blazing with the splendor of a thousand suns, the dwelling place of every host of living beings, and there the self-ruling Brahma himself came into being.

Verse 17 (bhagavata.3.20.17)

सोऽनुविष्टो भगवता यः शेते सलिलाशये । लोकसंस्थां यथापूर्वं निर्ममे संस्थया स्वया ॥ १७ ॥

so ’nuviṣṭo bhagavatā yaḥ śete salilāśaye loka-saṁsthāṁ yathā pūrvaṁ nirmame saṁsthayā svayā

Entered by the Lord who reclines upon the ocean, Brahma fashioned the arrangement of the worlds just as before, guided by his own indwelling wisdom.

Verse 18 (bhagavata.3.20.18)

ससर्ज च्छाययाविद्यां पञ्चपर्वाणमग्रतः । तामिस्रमन्धतामिस्रं तमो मोहो महातमः ॥ १८ ॥

sasarja cchāyayāvidyāṁ pañca-parvāṇam agrataḥ tāmisram andha-tāmisraṁ tamo moho mahā-tamaḥ

First of all he created from his own shadow ignorance in five forms: tamisra, andha-tamisra, tamas, moha, and maha-moha.

Verse 19 (bhagavata.3.20.19)

विससर्जात्मनः कायं नाभिनन्दंस्तमोमयम् । जगृहुर्यक्षरक्षांसि रात्रिं क्षुत्तृट्समुद्भवाम् ॥ १९ ॥

visasarjātmanaḥ kāyaṁ nābhinandaṁs tamomayam jagṛhur yakṣa-rakṣāṁsi rātriṁ kṣut-tṛṭ-samudbhavām

Taking no delight in it, he cast off that body of darkness; the Yakshas and Rakshasas seized upon it, and it became the night, the very source of hunger and thirst.

Verse 20 (bhagavata.3.20.20)

क्षुत्तृड्भ्यामुपसृष्टास्ते तं जग्धुमभिदुद्रुवुः । मा रक्षतैनं जक्षध्वमित्यूचुः क्षुत्तृडर्दिताः ॥ २० ॥

kṣut-tṛḍbhyām upasṛṣṭās te taṁ jagdhum abhidudruvuḥ mā rakṣatainaṁ jakṣadhvam ity ūcuḥ kṣut-tṛḍ-arditāḥ

Overcome by hunger and thirst, they ran to devour him, and tormented by their own hunger and thirst, they cried: 'Spare him not! Eat him up!'

Verse 21 (bhagavata.3.20.21)

देवस्तानाह संविग्नो मा मां जक्षत रक्षत । अहो मे यक्षरक्षांसि प्रजा यूयं बभूविथ ॥ २१ ॥

devas tān āha saṁvigno mā māṁ jakṣata rakṣata aho me yakṣa-rakṣāṁsi prajā yūyaṁ babhūvitha

The alarmed god Brahma said to them: 'Do not eat me, but protect me instead. Ah, you Yakshas and Rakshasas, you are my own children, born of me.'

Verse 22 (bhagavata.3.20.22)

देवताः प्रभया या या दीव्यन् प्रमुखतोऽसृजत् । ते अहार्षुर्देवयन्तो विसृष्टां तां प्रभामहः ॥ २२ ॥

devatāḥ prabhayā yā yā dīvyan pramukhato ’sṛjat te ahārṣur devayanto visṛṣṭāṁ tāṁ prabhām ahaḥ

Whatever radiant demigods he then created in front of him, shining with brilliance, took joyful possession of that discarded splendor: the day.

Verse 23 (bhagavata.3.20.23)

देवोऽदेवाञ्जघनतः सृजति स्मातिलोलुपान् । त एनं लोलुपतया मैथुनायाभिपेदिरे ॥ २३ ॥

devo ’devāñ jaghanataḥ sṛjati smātilolupān ta enaṁ lolupatayā maithunāyābhipedire

The god then created demons from his hips, creatures of unbounded lust; and in their lust they turned upon him himself, seeking union.

Verse 24 (bhagavata.3.20.24)

ततो हसन् स भगवानसुरैर्निरपत्रपैः । अन्वीयमानस्तरसा क्रुद्धो भीतः परापतत् ॥ २४ ॥

tato hasan sa bhagavān asurair nirapatrapaiḥ anvīyamānas tarasā kruddho bhītaḥ parāpatat

The worshipful Brahma laughed at first, but as those shameless asuras pursued him swiftly, he grew angry, and in fear, he fled.

Verse 25 (bhagavata.3.20.25)

स उपव्रज्य वरदं प्रपन्नार्तिहरं हरिम् । अनुग्रहाय भक्तानामनुरूपात्मदर्शनम् ॥ २५ ॥

sa upavrajya varadaṁ prapannārti-haraṁ harim anugrahāya bhaktānām anurūpātma-darśanam

He went to Hari, the bestower of boons, who dispels the distress of those who take refuge in Him, and who reveals fitting forms of Himself out of grace toward His devotees.

Verse 26 (bhagavata.3.20.26)

पाहि मां परमात्मंस्ते प्रेषणेनासृजं प्रजाः । ता इमा यभितुं पापा उपाक्रामन्ति मां प्रभो ॥ २६ ॥

pāhi māṁ paramātmaṁs te preṣaṇenāsṛjaṁ prajāḥ tā imā yabhituṁ pāpā upākrāmanti māṁ prabho

'Protect me, O Supreme Soul! At Your own command I created these beings, and now, O Lord, these sinful creatures are turning upon me, seeking union.'

Verse 27 (bhagavata.3.20.27)

त्वमेकः किल लोकानां क्लिष्टानां क्लेशनाशनः । त्वमेकः क्लेशदस्तेषामनासन्नपदां तव ॥ २७ ॥

tvam ekaḥ kila lokānāṁ kliṣṭānāṁ kleśa-nāśanaḥ tvam ekaḥ kleśadas teṣām anāsanna-padāṁ tava

You alone are the one who dispels the sufferings of the afflicted worlds, and You alone bring suffering upon those who have not sought refuge at Your feet.

Verse 28 (bhagavata.3.20.28)

सोऽवधार्यास्य कार्पण्यं विविक्ताध्यात्मदर्शनः । विमुञ्चात्मतनुं घोरामित्युक्तो विमुमोच ह ॥ २८ ॥

so ’vadhāryāsya kārpaṇyaṁ viviktādhyātma-darśanaḥ vimuñcātma-tanuṁ ghorām ity ukto vimumoca ha

The Lord, who sees clearly into the hearts of others, understood Brahma's distress and said: 'Cast off this terrible body of yours.' So commanded, Brahma cast it off.

Verse 29 (bhagavata.3.20.29)

तां क्वणच्चरणाम्भोजां मदविह्वललोचनाम् । काञ्चीकलापविलसद्दुकूलच्छन्नरोधसम् ॥ २९ ॥

tāṁ kvaṇac-caraṇāmbhojāṁ mada-vihvala-locanām kāñcī-kalāpa-vilasad- dukūla-cchanna-rodhasam

That body, its lotus feet chiming softly, its eyes languorous with intoxication, its hips draped in fine cloth that shone beneath a jeweled girdle,

Verse 30 (bhagavata.3.20.30)

अन्योन्यश्लेषयोत्तुङ्गनिरन्तरपयोधराम् । सुनासां सुद्विजां स्निग्धहासलीलावलोकनाम् ॥ ३० ॥

anyonya-śleṣayottuṅga- nirantara-payodharām sunāsāṁ sudvijāṁ snigdha- hāsa-līlāvalokanām

its breasts full and so close together that no gap showed between them, its nose shapely, its teeth lovely, and its glance carried a soft, playful smile,

Verse 31 (bhagavata.3.20.31)

गूहन्तीं व्रीडयात्मानं नीलालकवरूथिनीम् । उपलभ्यासुरा धर्म सर्वे सम्मुमुहुः स्त्रियम् ॥ ३१ ॥

gūhantīṁ vrīḍayātmānaṁ nīlālaka-varūthinīm upalabhyāsurā dharma sarve sammumuhuḥ striyam

seemed to hide herself out of modesty beneath her thick, dark tresses. O righteous Vidura, seeing that woman, every one of the asuras fell utterly under her spell.

Verse 32 (bhagavata.3.20.32)

अहो रूपमहो धैर्यमहो अस्या नवं वयः । मध्ये कामयमानानामकामेव विसर्पति ॥ ३२ ॥

aho rūpam aho dhairyam aho asyā navaṁ vayaḥ madhye kāmayamānānām akāmeva visarpati

'Ah, what beauty! Ah, what poise! Ah, this fresh bloom of youth! Amid all of us who long for her, she moves as if wholly untouched by desire!'

Verse 33 (bhagavata.3.20.33)

वितर्कयन्तो बहुधा तां सन्ध्यां प्रमदाकृतिम् । अभिसम्भाव्य विश्रम्भात्पर्यपृच्छन् कुमेधसः ॥ ३३ ॥

vitarkayanto bahudhā tāṁ sandhyāṁ pramadākṛtim abhisambhāvya viśrambhāt paryapṛcchan kumedhasaḥ

Speculating endlessly about her, that twilight in the guise of a young woman, the foolish asuras, treating her with great deference, questioned her with fond familiarity.

Verse 34 (bhagavata.3.20.34)

कासि कस्यासि रम्भोरु को वार्थस्तेऽत्र भामिनि । रूपद्रविणपण्येन दुर्भगान्नो विबाधसे ॥ ३४ ॥

kāsi kasyāsi rambhoru ko vārthas te ’tra bhāmini rūpa-draviṇa-paṇyena durbhagān no vibādhase

'Who are you, O shapely one? To whom do you belong? What brings you here, O radiant lady? Why do you torment us unlucky ones with the priceless treasure of your beauty?'

Verse 35 (bhagavata.3.20.35)

या वा काचित्त्वमबले दिष्टया सन्दर्शनं तव । उत्सुनोषीक्षमाणानां कन्दुकक्रीडया मनः ॥ ३५ ॥

yā vā kācit tvam abale diṣṭyā sandarśanaṁ tava utsunoṣīkṣamāṇānāṁ kanduka-krīḍayā manaḥ

'Whoever you are, gentle lady, we count ourselves fortunate to have seen you; as you play with your ball, you stir the hearts of all who watch.'

Verse 36 (bhagavata.3.20.36)

नैकत्र ते जयति शालिनि पादपद्मं घ्नन्त्या मुहुः करतलेन पतत्पतङ्गम् । मध्यं विषीदति बृहत्स्तनभारभीतं शान्तेव दृष्टिरमला सुशिखासमूहः ॥ ३६ ॥

naikatra te jayati śālini pāda-padmaṁ ghnantyā muhuḥ kara-talena patat-pataṅgam madhyaṁ viṣīdati bṛhat-stana-bhāra-bhītaṁ śānteva dṛṣṭir amalā suśikhā-samūhaḥ

'O lovely one, as you strike the bouncing ball again and again with your palm, your lotus feet cannot rest in one place; your waist seems to grow faint, as though burdened by the weight of your full breasts, and your clear eyes seem to grow weary and still, do gather up your beautiful loosened hair.'

Verse 37 (bhagavata.3.20.37)

इति सायन्तनीं सन्ध्यामसुराः प्रमदायतीम् । प्रलोभयन्तीं जगृहुर्मत्वा मूढधियः स्त्रियम् ॥ ३७ ॥

iti sāyantanīṁ sandhyām asurāḥ pramadāyatīm pralobhayantīṁ jagṛhur matvā mūḍha-dhiyaḥ striyam

Thus the dull-witted demons, mistaking the evening twilight, appearing so alluring and wanton, for an actual woman, seized hold of her.

Verse 38 (bhagavata.3.20.38)

प्रहस्य भावगम्भीरं जिघ्रन्त्यात्मानमात्मना । कान्त्या ससर्ज भगवान् गन्धर्वाप्सरसां गणान् ॥ ३८ ॥

prahasya bhāva-gambhīraṁ jighrantyātmānam ātmanā kāntyā sasarja bhagavān gandharvāpsarasāṁ gaṇān

Smiling with an inward, deeply meaningful joy, savoring his own presence within himself, the worshipful Brahma brought forth, from his own loveliness, the hosts of Gandharvas and Apsaras.

Verse 39 (bhagavata.3.20.39)

विससर्ज तनुं तां वैज्योत्स्नां कान्तिमतीं प्रियाम् । त एव चाददुः प्रीत्या विश्वावसुपुरोगमाः ॥ ३९ ॥

visasarja tanuṁ tāṁ vai jyotsnāṁ kāntimatīṁ priyām ta eva cādaduḥ prītyā viśvāvasu-purogamāḥ

Then he cast off that beloved, radiant body of moonlight, and it was those very Gandharvas, led by Vishvavasu, who gladly took it for their own.

Verse 40 (bhagavata.3.20.40)

सृष्ट्वा भूतपिशाचांश्च भगवानात्मतन्द्रिणा । दिग्वाससो मुक्तकेशान् वीक्ष्य चामीलयद् दृशौ ॥ ४० ॥

sṛṣṭvā bhūta-piśācāṁś ca bhagavān ātma-tandriṇā dig-vāsaso mukta-keśān vīkṣya cāmīlayad dṛśau

Having created ghosts and fiends from his own languor, the worshipful Brahma, seeing them naked with their hair in disarray, closed his eyes.

Verse 41 (bhagavata.3.20.41)

जगृहुस्तद्विसृष्टां तां जृम्भणाख्यां तनुं प्रभोः । निद्रामिन्द्रियविक्लेदो यया भूतेषु दृश्यते । येनोच्छिष्टान्धर्षयन्ति तमुन्मादं प्रचक्षते ॥ ४१ ॥

jagṛhus tad-visṛṣṭāṁ tāṁ jṛmbhaṇākhyāṁ tanuṁ prabhoḥ nidrām indriya-vikledo yayā bhūteṣu dṛśyate yenocchiṣṭān dharṣayanti tam unmādaṁ pracakṣate

They took possession of that body of his called yawning, thus cast off, sleep, in which a certain moistness of the senses appears among living beings; and by that same power with which they assail the impure, that affliction is called madness.

Verse 42 (bhagavata.3.20.42)

ऊर्जस्वन्तं मन्यमान आत्मानं भगवानजः । साध्यान् गणान् पितृगणान् परोक्षेणासृजत्प्रभुः ॥ ४२ ॥

ūrjasvantaṁ manyamāna ātmānaṁ bhagavān ajaḥ sādhyān gaṇān pitṛ-gaṇān parokṣeṇāsṛjat prabhuḥ

Considering himself full of vigor, the worshipful, unborn lord brought forth, from his unseen form, the hosts of Sadhyas and the hosts of Pitris.

Verse 43 (bhagavata.3.20.43)

त आत्मसर्गं तं कायं पितरः प्रतिपेदिरे । साध्येभ्यश्च पितृभ्यश्च कवयो यद्वितन्वते ॥ ४३ ॥

ta ātma-sargaṁ taṁ kāyaṁ pitaraḥ pratipedire sādhyebhyaś ca pitṛbhyaś ca kavayo yad vitanvate

The Pitris took possession of that body, the very source of their own being; and it is through this same body that the wise offer their oblations to the Sadhyas and the Pitris.

Verse 44 (bhagavata.3.20.44)

सिद्धान् विद्याधरांश्चैव तिरोधानेन सोऽसृजत् । तेभ्योऽददात्तमात्मानमन्तर्धानाख्यमद्भुतम् ॥ ४४ ॥

siddhān vidyādharāṁś caiva tirodhānena so ’sṛjat tebhyo ’dadāt tam ātmānam antardhānākhyam adbhutam

He created the Siddhas and Vidyadharas through the power of concealment, and to them he gave that wondrous form of his own known as Antardhana, invisibility.

Verse 45 (bhagavata.3.20.45)

स किन्नरान किम्पुरुषान् प्रत्यात्म्येनासृजत्प्रभुः । मानयन्नात्मनात्मानमात्माभासं विलोकयन् ॥ ४५ ॥

sa kinnarān kimpuruṣān pratyātmyenāsṛjat prabhuḥ mānayann ātmanātmānam ātmābhāsaṁ vilokayan

Admiring himself, beholding his own reflection, the lord created the Kinnaras and Kimpurushas from that very image of himself.

Verse 46 (bhagavata.3.20.46)

ते तु तज्जगृहू रूपं त्यक्तं यत्परमेष्ठिना । मिथुनीभूय गायन्तस्तमेवोषसि कर्मभिः ॥ ४६ ॥

te tu taj jagṛhū rūpaṁ tyaktaṁ yat parameṣṭhinā mithunī-bhūya gāyantas tam evoṣasi karmabhiḥ

They took possession of that image cast off by the supreme Brahma; and ever since, paired with their spouses, they sing his praises and recount his deeds at every daybreak.

Verse 47 (bhagavata.3.20.47)

देहेन वै भोगवता शयानो बहुचिन्तया । सर्गेऽनुपचिते क्रोधादुत्ससर्ज ह तद्वपुः ॥ ४७ ॥

dehena vai bhogavatā śayāno bahu-cintayā sarge ’nupacite krodhād utsasarja ha tad vapuḥ

Lying stretched out full length, deeply troubled that creation was making no progress, he, in a fit of anger, cast off that body too.

Verse 48 (bhagavata.3.20.48)

येऽहीयन्तामुतः केशा अहयस्तेऽङ्ग जज्ञिरे । सर्पाः प्रसर्पतः क्रूरा नागा भोगोरुकन्धराः ॥ ४८ ॥

ye ’hīyantāmutaḥ keśā ahayas te ’ṅga jajñire sarpāḥ prasarpataḥ krūrā nāgā bhogoru-kandharāḥ

O dear Vidura, the hairs that fell from that body turned into serpents, and from its crawling form sprang fierce snakes and cobras with their great hooded necks.

Verse 49 (bhagavata.3.20.49)

स आत्मान् मन्यमानः कृतकृत्यमिवात्मभूः । तदा मनून् ससर्जान्ते मनसा लोकभावनान् ॥ ४९ ॥

sa ātmānaṁ manyamānaḥ kṛta-kṛtyam ivātmabhūḥ tadā manūn sasarjānte manasā loka-bhāvanān

The self-born Brahma, feeling as though his purpose had at last been fulfilled, then created, through his own mind, the Manus, who further the welfare of the worlds.

Verse 50 (bhagavata.3.20.50)

तेभ्यः सोऽसृजत्स्वीयं पुरं पुरुषमात्मवान् । तान् दृष्ट्वा ये पुरा सृष्टाः प्रशशंसुः प्रजापतिम् ॥ ५० ॥

tebhyaḥ so ’sṛjat svīyaṁ puraṁ puruṣam ātmavān tān dṛṣṭvā ye purā sṛṣṭāḥ praśaśaṁsuḥ prajāpatim

Self-possessed, he gave them his own human form, and seeing them, those who had been created earlier praised Brahma, the lord of creatures.

Verse 51 (bhagavata.3.20.51)

अहो एतज्जगत्स्रष्टः सुकृतं बत ते कृतम् । प्रतिष्ठिताः क्रिया यस्मिन् साकमन्नमदामहे ॥ ५१ ॥

aho etaj jagat-sraṣṭaḥ sukṛtaṁ bata te kṛtam pratiṣṭhitāḥ kriyā yasmin sākam annam adāma he

'O creator of this universe, indeed you have done a fine work! In this form all the rites of sacrifice are now firmly established; together we shall share the sacrificial offerings.'

Verse 52 (bhagavata.3.20.52)

तपसा विद्यया युक्तो योगेन सुसमाधिना । ऋषीनृषिर्हृषीकेशः ससर्जाभिमताः प्रजाः ॥ ५२ ॥

tapasā vidyayā yukto yogena susamādhinā ṛṣīn ṛṣir hṛṣīkeśaḥ sasarjābhimatāḥ prajāḥ

Endowed with austerity, sacred knowledge, yoga, and profound meditation, the sage Brahma, master of his own senses, brought forth the great sages as his beloved offspring.

Verse 53 (bhagavata.3.20.53)

तेभ्यश्चैकैकशः स्वस्य देहस्यांशमदादजः । यत्तत्समाधियोगर्द्धितपोविद्याविरक्तिमत् ॥ ५३ ॥

tebhyaś caikaikaśaḥ svasya dehasyāṁśam adād ajaḥ yat tat samādhi-yogarddhi- tapo-vidyā-viraktimat

That unborn Brahma gave to each of them a portion of his own body, endowed with deep meditation, yoga, mystic power, austerity, knowledge, and renunciation.