The Origin in the Kurma (Tortoise) Kalpa

Verse 1 (skanda.5.162.1)

श्रीमार्कण्डेय उवाच। पुनरेकार्णवे घोरे नष्टे स्थावरजंगमे। सलिलेनाप्लुते लोके निरालोके तमोद्भवे॥

śrīmārkaṇḍeya uvāca| punarekārṇave ghore naṣṭe sthāvarajaṁgame| salilenāplute loke nirāloke tamodbhave||

Sri Markandeya said: Again, when the moving and unmoving had perished in the terrible single ocean, when the world was flooded with water, lightless, born of darkness,

Verse 2 (skanda.5.162.2)

ब्रह्मैको विचरंस्तत्र तमीभूते महार्णवे। दिव्यवर्षसहस्रं तु खद्योत इव रूपवान्॥

brahmaiko vicaraṁstatra tamībhūte mahārṇave| divyavarṣasahasraṁ tu khadyota iva rūpavān||

Brahma alone wandered there in that darkness-filled great ocean, for a thousand divine years, beautiful in form like a firefly.

Verse 3 (skanda.5.162.3)

शेते योजनसाहस्रमप्रमेयमनुत्तमम्। द्वादशादित्यसंकाशं सहस्रचरणेक्षणम्॥

śete yojanasāhasramaprameyamanuttamam| dvādaśādityasaṁkāśaṁ sahasracaraṇekṣaṇam||

He beheld one lying outstretched a thousand yojanas, immeasurable, unsurpassed, resembling twelve suns, of a thousand feet and eyes,

Verse 4 (skanda.5.162.4)

प्रसुप्तं चार्णवे घोरे ह्यपश्यत्कूर्मरूपिणम्। तं दृष्ट्वा विस्मयापन्नो ब्रह्मा बोधयते शनैः॥

prasuptaṁ cārṇave ghore hyapaśyatkūrmarūpiṇam| taṁ dṛṣṭvā vismayāpanno brahmā bodhayate śanaiḥ||

sleeping in the terrible ocean, in the form of a tortoise. Seeing him, Brahma, filled with astonishment, gently roused him,

Verse 5 (skanda.5.162.5)

स्तुतिभिर्मंगलैश्चैव वेदवेदांगसंभवैः। वाचस्पते विबुध्यस्व महाभूत नमोऽस्तु ते॥

stutibhirmaṁgalaiścaiva vedavedāṁgasaṁbhavaiḥ| vācaspate vibudhyasva mahābhūta namo'stu te||

with auspicious hymns of praise drawn from the Veda and the Vedangas: 'O lord of speech, awaken! O great being, salutation to you!'

Verse 6 (skanda.5.162.6)

तवोदरे जगत्सर्वं तिष्ठते परमेश्वर। तद्विमुञ्च महासत्त्व यत्पूर्वं संहृतं त्वया॥

tavodare jagatsarvaṁ tiṣṭhate parameśvara| tadvimuñca mahāsattva yatpūrvaṁ saṁhṛtaṁ tvayā||

'In your belly rests the entire world, O supreme lord; release now, O great being, that which was formerly withdrawn by you.'

Verse 7 (skanda.5.162.7)

व्यतीता रजनी ब्राह्मी दिनं समनुवर्तते। निरीक्ष्य सर्वलोकेश येन संभवते जगत्॥

vyatītā rajanī brāhmī dinaṁ samanuvartate| nirīkṣya sarvalokeśa yena saṁbhavate jagat||

'The night of Brahma has passed, and the day now follows; look upon it, O lord of all the worlds, so that the world may come into being.'

Verse 8 (skanda.5.162.8)

स निशम्य वचस्तस्य उत्थितः परमेश्वरः। समुद्गिरन् स लोकांस्त्रीन् ग्रस्तान् कल्पक्षये तदा॥

sa niśamya vacastasya utthitaḥ parameśvaraḥ| samudgiran sa lokāṁstrīn grastān kalpakṣaye tadā||

He, hearing his words, the Supreme Lord arose, disgorging the three worlds that had been swallowed at the dissolution of the kalpa.

Verse 9 (skanda.5.162.9)

देवदानवगन्धर्वाः सयक्षोरगराक्षसाः। सचन्द्रार्कग्रहाः सर्वे शरीरात्तस्य निर्गताः॥

devadānavagandharvāḥ sayakṣoragarākṣasāḥ| sacandrārkagrahāḥ sarve śarīrāttasya nirgatāḥ||

The gods, danavas, gandharvas, together with the yakshas, serpents and rakshasas, together with the moon, sun, and all the planets, issued forth from his body.

Verse 10 (skanda.5.162.10)

ततो ह्येकार्णवं सर्वं विभज्य परमेश्वरः। विस्तीर्णोपलतोयौघां सरित्सरविवर्धिताम्॥

tato hyekārṇavaṁ sarvaṁ vibhajya parameśvaraḥ| vistīrṇopalatoyaughāṁ saritsaravivardhitām||

Then the Supreme Lord, having divided up the entire single ocean, made a world with vast stretches of stones and floods of water, enlarged with rivers and lakes,

Verse 11 (skanda.5.162.11)

पश्यते मेदिनीं देवः सवृक्षौषधिपल्वलाम्। हिमवन्तं गिरिश्रेष्ठं श्वेतं पर्वतमुत्तमम्॥

paśyate medinīṁ devaḥ savṛkṣauṣadhipalvalām| himavantaṁ giriśreṣṭhaṁ śvetaṁ parvatamuttamam||

the god beheld the earth, with its trees, herbs, and pools; he beheld the Himavat, best of mountains, the white, excellent mountain,

Verse 12 (skanda.5.162.12)

शृङ्गवन्तं महाशैलं ये चान्ये कुलपर्वताः। जंबुद्वीपं कुशं क्रौञ्चं सगोमेदं सशाल्मलम्॥

śṛṅgavantaṁ mahāśailaṁ ye cānye kulaparvatāḥ| jaṁbudvīpaṁ kuśaṁ krauñcaṁ sagomedaṁ saśālmalam||

the great mountain Shringavat, and the other Kula mountains; Jambudvipa, Kusha, Kraunca, together with Gomeda and Shalmala,

Verse 13 (skanda.5.162.13)

पुष्करान्ताश्च ये द्वीपा ये च सप्तमहार्णवाः। लोकालोकं महाशैलं सर्वं च पुरतः स्थितम्॥

puṣkarāntāśca ye dvīpā ye ca saptamahārṇavāḥ| lokālokaṁ mahāśailaṁ sarvaṁ ca purataḥ sthitam||

the continents ending with Pushkara, and the seven great oceans; the great mountain Lokaloka, and everything standing before him,

Verse 14 (skanda.5.162.14)

चतुःप्रकृतिसंयुक्तं जगत्स्थावरजंगमम्। युगान्ते तु विनिष्क्रान्तमपश्यत्स महेश्वरः॥

catuḥprakṛtisaṁyuktaṁ jagatsthāvarajaṁgamam| yugānte tu viniṣkrāntamapaśyatsa maheśvaraḥ||

the world, joined with the four kinds of nature, moving and unmoving, which had gone forth again at the end of the age — all this Maheshvara beheld.

Verse 15 (skanda.5.162.15)

विप्रकीर्णशिलाजालामपश्यत्स वसुंधराम्। कूर्मपृष्ठोपगां देवीं महार्णवगतां प्रभुः॥

viprakīrṇaśilājālāmapaśyatsa vasuṁdharām| kūrmapṛṣṭhopagāṁ devīṁ mahārṇavagatāṁ prabhuḥ||

He beheld the earth strewn with networks of rocks; the Lord also beheld the goddess resting upon the tortoise's back, gone into the great ocean —

Verse 16 (skanda.5.162.16)

तस्मिन् विशीर्णशैलाग्रे सरित्सरोविवर्जिते। नानातरंगभिन्नोद आवर्तोद्वर्तसंकुले॥

tasmin viśīrṇaśailāgre saritsarovivarjite| nānātaraṁgabhinnoda āvartodvartasaṁkule||

there, on that shattered mountain-peak, bereft of rivers and lakes, its waters broken by many kinds of waves, thronged with whirlpools rising and falling,

Verse 17 (skanda.5.162.17)

नानौषधिप्रज्वलिते नानोत्पलशिलातले। नानाविहंगसंघुष्टां मत्स्यकूर्मसमाकुलाम्॥

nānauṣadhiprajvalite nānotpalaśilātale| nānāvihaṁgasaṁghuṣṭāṁ matsyakūrmasamākulām||

ablaze with many kinds of herbs, its rocky bed strewn with many kinds of lotuses, resounding with many kinds of birds, thronged with fish and tortoises,

Verse 18 (skanda.5.162.18)

दिव्यमायामयीं देवीमुत्कृष्टाम्बुदसन्निभाम्। नदीमपश्यद्देवेशो ह्यनौपम्यजलाशयाम्॥

divyamāyāmayīṁ devīmutkṛṣṭāmbudasannibhām| nadīmapaśyaddeveśo hyanaupamyajalāśayām||

the lord of gods beheld a divine, maya-formed goddess, resembling a magnificent rain-cloud — a river of incomparable waters.

Verse 19 (skanda.5.162.19)

मध्ये तस्याम्बुदश्यामां पीनोरुजघनस्तनीम्। वस्त्रैरनुपमैर्दिव्यैर्नानाभरणभूषिताम्॥

madhye tasyāmbudaśyāmāṁ pīnorujaghanastanīm| vastrairanupamairdivyairnānābharaṇabhūṣitām||

In the midst of that river he saw one dark as a rain-cloud, with full thighs, hips, and breasts, adorned with incomparable divine garments and manifold ornaments,

Verse 20 (skanda.5.162.20)

सनूपुररवोद्दामां हारकेयूरमण्डिताम्। तादृशीं नर्मदां देवीं स्वयं स्त्रीरूपधारिणीम्॥

sanūpuraravoddāmāṁ hārakeyūramaṇḍitām| tādṛśīṁ narmadāṁ devīṁ svayaṁ strīrūpadhāriṇīm||

resounding with the tinkling of her anklets, decked with necklace and armlets — such was the goddess Narmada, herself bearing the form of a woman,

Verse 21 (skanda.5.162.21)

योगमायामयैश्चित्रैर्भूषणैः स्वैर्विभूषिताम्। अव्यक्ताङ्गीं महाभागामपश्यत्स तु नर्मदाम्॥

yogamāyāmayaiścitrairbhūṣaṇaiḥ svairvibhūṣitām| avyaktāṅgīṁ mahābhāgāmapaśyatsa tu narmadām||

adorned with her own wondrous ornaments made of yogamaya, her limbs unmanifest to ordinary sight — he beheld that greatly fortunate Narmada,

Verse 22 (skanda.5.162.22)

अर्धोद्यतभुजां बालां पद्मपत्रायतेक्षणाम्। स्तुवन्तीं देवदेवेशमुत्थितां तु जलात्तदा॥

ardhodyatabhujāṁ bālāṁ padmapatrāyatekṣaṇām| stuvantīṁ devadeveśamutthitāṁ tu jalāttadā||

a young woman with one arm half-raised, her eyes long as lotus petals, praising the lord of the gods of gods, having risen then from the water.

Verse 23 (skanda.5.162.23)

विस्मयाविष्टहृदयो ह्यहमुद्वीक्ष्य तां शुभाम्। स्नात्वा जले शुभे तस्याः स्तोतुमभ्युद्यतस्ततः॥

vismayāviṣṭahṛdayo hyahamudvīkṣya tāṁ śubhām| snātvā jale śubhe tasyāḥ stotumabhyudyatastataḥ||

I myself, my heart filled with wonder, having beheld that auspicious one, and having bathed in her auspicious water, then rose up to praise her.

Verse 24 (skanda.5.162.24)

अर्चयामास संहृष्टो मन्त्रैर्वेदांगसंभवैः। सृष्टं च तत्पुरा राजन्पश्येयं सचराचरम्॥

arcayāmāsa saṁhṛṣṭo mantrairvedāṁgasaṁbhavaiḥ| sṛṣṭaṁ ca tatpurā rājanpaśyeyaṁ sacarācaram||

Filled with delight, she was worshipped with mantras drawn from the Vedangas. And, O king, I saw that creation of old, together with the moving and unmoving,

Verse 25 (skanda.5.162.25)

सदेवासुरगन्धर्वं सपन्नगमहोरगम्। पश्याम्येषा महाभागा नैव याता क्षयं पुरा॥

sadevāsuragandharvaṁ sapannagamahoragam| paśyāmyeṣā mahābhāgā naiva yātā kṣayaṁ purā||

together with gods, asuras, and gandharvas, together with serpents and great serpents. I see that this greatly fortunate one had never gone to destruction, even in that former time.

Verse 26 (skanda.5.162.26)

महादेवप्रसादाच्च तच्छरीरसमुद्भवा। भूयो भूयो मया दृष्टा कथिता ते नृपोत्तम॥

mahādevaprasādācca taccharīrasamudbhavā| bhūyo bhūyo mayā dṛṣṭā kathitā te nṛpottama||

By the grace of Mahadeva, and sprung from his very body, she has been seen by me again and again; I have told you of this, O best of kings.

Verse 27 (skanda.5.162.27)

प्रादुर्भावमिमं कौर्म्यं येऽधीयन्ते द्विजोत्तमाः। येऽपि शृण्वन्ति विद्वांसो मुच्यन्ते तेऽपि किल्बिषैः॥

prādurbhāvamimaṁ kaurmyaṁ ye'dhīyante dvijottamāḥ| ye'pi śṛṇvanti vidvāṁso mucyante te'pi kilbiṣaiḥ||

Those best of brahmins who study this manifestation in the Kurma kalpa, and those wise ones too who hear it, they too are freed from their sins.