12.175
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca॥
Yudhiṣṭhira said.
kutaḥ sṛṣṭam idaṃ viśvaṃ jagat sthāvara-jaṅgamam। pralaye ca kam abhyeti tan me brūhi pitāmaha ॥12-175-1॥
O Grandfather, tell me from where this universe, the world of immobile and mobile beings, is created, and where it goes at dissolution.
sasāgaraḥ sagaganaḥ saśailaḥ sabalāhakaḥ। sabhūmiḥ sāgnipavano loko'yaṃ kena nirmitaḥ ॥12-175-2॥
This world, endowed with ocean, sky, mountains, clouds, earth, fire, and wind—by whom was it created?
kathaṃ sṛṣṭāni bhūtāni kathaṃ varṇavibhaktayaḥ। śaucāśaucaṃ kathaṃ teṣāṃ dharmādharmāvatho katham ॥12-175-3॥
How are beings created? How are the divisions of caste? How is purity and impurity determined for them? How are their dharma and adharma established, and how is this so?
kīdṛśo jīvatāṃ jīvaḥ kva vā gacchanti ye mṛtāḥ। asmāllokādamuṃ lokaṃ sarvaṃ śaṃsatu no bhavān ॥12-175-4॥
What is the nature of the soul among the living? Where do those who have died go? Please tell us everything, from this world to the next, your honor.
bhīṣma uvāca॥
Bhīṣma said.
atrāpy udāharantīmam itihāsaṃ purātanam। bhṛguṇābhihitaṃ śreṣṭhaṃ bharadvājāya pṛcchate ॥12-175-5॥
Here too, they recount this ancient story, the excellent one spoken by Bhṛgu to Bharadvāja when he asked.
kailāsaśikhare dṛṣṭvā dīpyamānamivaujasā। bhṛguṃ maharṣimāsīnaṃ bharadvājo'nvapṛcchata ॥12-175-6॥
Bharadvāja, upon seeing the great sage Bhṛgu seated on the peak of Kailāsa, radiant as if with energy, asked him.
sasāgaraḥ sagaganaḥ saśailaḥ sabalāhakaḥ। sabhūmiḥ sāgnipavano loko'yaṃ kena nirmitaḥ ॥12-175-7॥
Who created this world, endowed with ocean, sky, mountains, clouds, earth, fire, and wind?
kathaṃ sṛṣṭāni bhūtāni kathaṃ varṇavibhaktayaḥ। śaucāśaucaṃ kathaṃ teṣāṃ dharmādharmāvatho katham ॥12-175-8॥
How are beings created? How are the divisions of castes determined? How is purity and impurity established among them? How are their dharma and adharma defined? And then, how is all this so?
kīdṛśo jīvatāṃ jīvaḥ kva vā gacchanti ye mṛtāḥ। paralokam imaṃ cāpi sarvaṃ śaṃsatu no bhavān ॥12-175-9॥
Please tell us, what is the nature of the soul among the living, and where do those who have died go? Kindly explain to us everything about this world and the next, O revered one.
evaṃ sa bhagavān pṛṣṭaḥ bharadvājena saṃśayam। maharṣir brahma-saṅkāśaḥ sarvaṃ tasmai tato'bravīt ॥12-175-10॥
Thus, when Bharadvāja asked his doubt, the great sage, who resembled Brahmā, explained everything to him.
mānaso nāma vikhyātaḥ śrutapūrvo maharṣibhiḥ। anādinidhano devastathābhedyo'jarāmaraḥ ॥12-175-11॥
The mind-born, known by this name, is renowned and was heard of by great sages; the god who is eternal, thus unbreakable, undecaying, and immortal.
avyakta iti vikhyātaḥ śāśvato'thākṣaro'vyayaḥ। yataḥ sṛṣṭāni bhūtāni jāyante ca mriyanti ca ॥12-175-12॥
The unmanifest, so called, is well-known as the eternal, imperishable, and immutable; it is that from which created beings arise and into which they perish.
so'sṛjat prathamaṃ devo mahāntaṃ nāma nāmataḥ। ākāśam iti vikhyātaṃ sarvabhūtadharaḥ prabhuḥ ॥12-175-13॥
He first created the god, the great one by name; this is well-known as ether, the supporter of all beings, the lord.
ākāśād abhavad vāri salilād agni-mārutau। agni-māruta-saṃyogāt tataḥ samabhavan mahī ॥12-175-14॥
Water arose from space; from water came fire and wind; from the union of fire and wind, the earth was then produced.
tatas tejo-mayaṃ divyaṃ padmaṃ sṛṣṭaṃ svayambhuvā। tasmāt padmāt samabhavad brahmā vedamayo nidhiḥ ॥12-175-15॥
Then, the self-born created a divine, radiant lotus. From that lotus emerged Brahmā, the repository of the Vedas.
ahaṅkāra iti khyātaḥ sarvabhūtātmabhūtakṛt। brahmā vai sumahātejā ya ete pañca dhātavaḥ ॥12-175-16॥
The ego, thus known as the maker of the self of all beings, is Brahmā himself, of great splendor, who is these five elements.
śailās tasyāsthi-saṃjñās tu medo māṃsaṃ ca medinī। samudrās tasya rudhiram ākāśam udaraṃ tathā ॥12-175-17॥
The mountains are regarded as his bones, while fat, flesh, and the earth are his body; the oceans are his blood, and the sky is his abdomen.
pavanaścaiva niḥśvāsastejo'gnirnimnagāḥ sirāḥ। agnīṣomau tu candrārkau nayane tasya viśrute ॥12-175-18॥
It is well-known that in him, wind and breath, radiance and fire, rivers and veins, Agni and Soma, and the moon and sun are (represented as) his eyes.
nabhaścordhvaṃ śirastasya kṣitiḥ pādau diśo bhujau। durvijñeyo hyanantatvātsiddhairapi na saṃśayaḥ ॥12-175-19॥
The sky is his head above, the earth his feet, and the directions his arms. He is indeed difficult to comprehend due to his infinitude, and even the perfected beings have no doubt about this.
sa eva bhagavān viṣṇur ananta iti viśrutaḥ। sarvabhūtātmabhūtastho durvijñeyo'kṛtātmabhiḥ ॥12-175-20॥
He alone is the Lord Viṣṇu, known as the infinite. He is the self of all beings, abiding within them, and is difficult to comprehend for those whose minds are not purified.
ahaṅkārasya yaḥ sraṣṭā sarvabhūtabhavāya vai। yataḥ samabhavadviśvaṃ pṛṣṭo'haṃ yadiha tvayā ॥12-175-21॥
You have asked me here about the one who is the creator of ego, for the existence of all beings, from whom the universe arose.
bharadvāja uvāca॥
Bharadvāja said.
gaganasya diśāṃ caiva bhūtalasyānilasya ca। kānyatra parimāṇāni saṃśayaṃ chindhi me'rthataḥ ॥12-175-22॥
Please resolve my doubt regarding the measures of the sky, directions, earth's surface, and wind, and explain their meanings to me.
bhṛguruvāca॥
Bhṛgu said.
anantam etad ākāśam siddha-cāraṇa-sevitam। ramyam nānā-āśraya-ākīrṇam yasya antaḥ na adhigamyate ॥12-175-23॥
This is the endless sky, attended by siddhas and cāraṇas, beautiful and filled with various abodes, whose end cannot be reached.
ūrdhvaṃ gater adhastāt tu candrādityau na dṛśyataḥ। tatra devāḥ svayaṃ dīptā bhāsvarāś cāgnivarcasaḥ ॥12-175-24॥
Above the path, below, the moon and sun are not visible; there, the gods themselves shine, radiant and possessing the brilliance of fire.
te cāpy antaṃ na paśyanti nabhasaḥ prathitaujasaḥ। durgamatvād anantatvād iti me viddhi mānada ॥12-175-25॥
They also do not see the end of the sky, which is of renowned strength, because it is difficult to reach and infinite—know this from me, O bestower of honor.
upariṣṭopariṣṭāttu prajvaladbhiḥ svayamprabhaiḥ। niruddhametadākāśamaprameyaṃ surairapi ॥12-175-26॥
But above and above, this immeasurable sky is obstructed by blazing self-luminous lights, even by the gods.
pṛthivy-ante samudrās tu samudra-ante tamaḥ smṛtam। tamaso ’nte jalaṃ prāhur jalasya-ante ’gnir eva ca ॥12-175-27॥
At the edge of the earth are the oceans; at the edge of the oceans is said to be darkness. Beyond darkness, they say, is water; and beyond water, indeed, is fire.
rasātalānte salilaṃ jalānte pannagādhipaḥ। tadante punarākāśam ākāśānte punarjalam ॥12-175-28॥
At the end of the netherworld is water; at the end of the water is the lord of serpents; beyond that, again is the sky; and at the end of the sky, again is water.
evam-antaṃ bhagavataḥ pramāṇaṃ salilasya ca। agni-māruta-toyebhyo durjñeyaṃ daivatair api ॥12-175-29॥
Thus, the limits of the Lord, the measure of water, and the origins of fire, wind, and water are difficult to comprehend even for the gods.
agnimārutatoyānāṃ varṇāḥ kṣititalasya ca। ākāśasadṛśā hyete bhidyante tattvadarśanāt ॥12-175-30॥
The colors of fire, wind, water, and the earth's surface, though appearing distinct, are in truth like the sky; they are differentiated only due to the perception of reality.
paṭhanti caiva munayaḥ śāstreṣu vividheṣu ca। trailokye sāgare caiva pramāṇaṃ vihitaṃ yathā ॥ adṛśyāya tvagamyāya kaḥ pramāṇamudāharet ॥12-175-31॥
The sages study various scriptures, and in the three worlds and the ocean, evidence is established as appropriate. But for that which is invisible and inaccessible, who can provide evidence?
siddhānāṃ devatānāṃ ca yadā parimitā gatiḥ। tadā gauṇamanantasya nāmānanteti viśrutam ॥ nāmadheyānurūpasya mānasasya mahātmanaḥ ॥12-175-32॥
When the movement of perfected beings and deities is limited, then the secondary name of the Infinite is well-known as 'Ananta'. The name corresponds to the mind of the great soul.
yadā tu divyaṃ tadrūpaṃ hrasate vardhate punaḥ। ko'nyaḥ tad vedituṃ śaktaḥ yaḥ api syāt tadvidhaḥ aparaḥ॥12-175-33॥
But when that divine form diminishes and grows again, who else could know it, even if there were another of the same kind?
tataḥ puṣkarataḥ sṛṣṭaḥ sarvajño mūrtimān prabhuḥ। brahmā dharmamayaḥ pūrvaḥ prajāpatiḥ anuttamaḥ ॥12-175-34॥
Then, from Puṣkara, the all-knowing, embodied lord Brahmā, full of righteousness, the ancient and unsurpassed progenitor, was created.
bharadvāja uvāca॥
Bharadvāja said.
puṣkarādyadi sambhūto jyeṣṭhaṃ bhavati puṣkaram। brahmāṇaṃ pūrvajaṃ cāha bhavānsandeha eva me ॥12-175-35॥
If one is born from Puṣkara, then Puṣkara becomes the eldest. Brahmā is the ancestor, and you say this; yet, I still have doubt.
bhṛguruvāca॥
Bhṛgu said.
mānasasyeha yā mūrtir brahmatvaṃ samupāgatā| tasyāsanavidhānārthaṃ pṛthivī padmam ucyate ||12-175-36||
Here, the form of the mind which has attained the state of Brahman—for arranging its seat, the earth is called the lotus.
karṇikā tasya padmasya merur gaganam ucchritaḥ। tasya madhye sthito lokān sṛjate jagataḥ prabhuḥ॥12-175-37॥
The central part of that lotus is Mount Meru, which rises to the sky. In its center, the Lord of the universe sits and creates all the worlds.
