by Bibek Debroy
918 Brahma. They were born through Brahma’s mental powers.
919 Or Angira.
920 Meaning some other Brahma.
921 That is, Brahma.
922 Interpreted as collections of mantras.
923 The same as agnishtoma.
924 The names of different kinds of sacrifices.
925 These are the four kinds of conduct for brahmacharya. Savitra means that one is celibate for three nights, beginning with the sacred thread ceremony, reciting the savitri mantra. Prajapatya means the observance of celibacy for one year. Brahma means the observance of celibacy until the Vedas have been mastered. Brihat means the observance of celibacy throughout one’s life.
926 These are the four kinds of conduct for garhasthya. Varta means subsistence on the basis of permitted occupations. Sanchaya means subsistence on the basis of what has been stored, such as through earnings by performing sacrifices. Shalina means subsistence on the basis of whatever can be obtained without resorting to asking for alms. Shila-unccha means subsistence on the basis of collecting grains from the ground.
927 These are the four kinds of conduct for vanaprastha. Vaikhanasas are those who subsist on wild grain, obtained without resorting to agriculture; valakhilyas are those who subsist on fresh fruit; audumburas eat fruit gathered from whatever direction they first happen to look at in the morning; phenapas live on fruits and leaves that naturally drop down from trees.
928 These are the four kinds of conduct for those who are in sannyasa. Kutichakas follow the norms prescribed for the sannyasa stage. Bahvodas also follow these norms, but focus on knowledge, as do hamsas. A bahvoda carries three staffs and can stay at a place for three nights. A hamsa carries a single staff and can stay at a place for one night. There are such variations between the two, but they vary across texts. A nishkriya (also known as paramahamsa) is someone who has realized the brahman and has given up all action.
929 Dharma, artha and kama.
930 Vyahriti means the words bhuh, bhuvah and svah, uttered after Oum.
931 The sound of Oum.
932 The consonants, ka to ma, are Brahma’s sense organs.
933 Sha to ha.
934 This is probably a reference to Brahma having given up his body in shame.
935 Devahuti.
936 The father is Svayambhuva (Brahma) and the son is Svaayambhuva Manu.
937 Vishnu. This is interpreted as Krishna often resting his feet on Vidura’s lap.
938 The boar.
939 Sanaka, Sananda, Sanatana and Sanatkumara.
940 The three Vedas.
941 More accurately, his three joints were the rites of sacrifices.
942 Before creation.
943 The text uses the word rasa and we have translated this simply as water. Rasa, in these shlokas, is often translated and interpreted as rasatala. In other words, the earth was not just in the waters, but in the specific nether region known as rasatala.
944 This daitya was Hiranyaksha.
945 The Sudarshana chakra.
946 Red chalk from the earth.
947 The three Vedas.
948 The earth.
949 Referred to as Yajna Varaha.
950 Vessel used to offer a share to Brahma.
951 Cup for holding soma.
952 There are three ishtis or upasads associated with a sacrifice—diksha (the initiation into the sacrifice), prayaniya (the initial rites of the sacrifice) and upaniya (the concluding rites of the sacrifice).
953 Pravargya is the rite performed before a soma sacrifice. Before each of the upasads, pravargya is performed. Sabhya sacrifices are performed without a fire and avasathya ones with a fire.
954 Agnishtoma, atyagnishtoma, ukthya, shodashi, vajapeya, atiratra and aptoryama.
955 The Vedas.
956 A kulachala is a great mountain, but any great mountain is not a kulachala. Each of the seven regions has a kulachala and their names are Mahendra, Malaya, Sahya, Shuktiman, Riksha, Vindhya and Pariyatra.
957 In the form of the boar incarnation.
958 Dhruva.
959 Narada.
960 The ocean of life.
961 Rudra or Shiva.
962 Shiva.
963 Probably implying that there is no secrecy.
964 Interpreted as Shiva having rejected material objects and maya, though these are enjoyed by others.
965 Kama, the god of love.
966 Sati, Shiva’s wife, was also Daksha’s daughter and Diti’s sister.
967 The vajra.
968 Sudarshana chakra.
969 Vishnu.
970 The moon.
971 Indra and the other gods might harm her sons.
972 The power of the foetus.
973 The guna of rajas.
974 Interpreted as the Vedas.
975 They have Vishnu’s form, with four arms.
976 Meaning something that leads to ultimate bliss.
977 Kind of creeper.
978 Mandara is the Indian coral tree, kunda is a kind of jasmine, kuraba is the Barleria Caerulea, utpala is a water lily or the blue lotus, champaka is the sampangi flower, arna is the teak tree, punnaga is the nutmeg tree or a white lotus, naga (nagakesara) is the Indian rose chestnut, bakula is a tree with fragrant blossoms, ambuja is a lotus and parijata is the night-flowering coral jasmine. The text says kurava, we have corrected it to kuraba.
979 Tulasi.
980 Other than Krishna’s deeds.
981 Of ignorance.
982 Vaikuntha is above the worlds of the gods.
983 Sanatkumara and his brothers.
984 The sages were beyond mundane concerns and distinctions.
985 Such as inside a pot.
986 But aren’t really gods.
987 The universe is in Hari’s stomach.
988 Lust, anger and avarice.
989 The same as Padmanabha, the one who had a lotus in his navel.
990 Garuda.
991 Sanatkumara and his brothers.
992 The brahman.
993 Brahma.
994 Such as material objects.
995 Literally, a svapacha is someone who eats dogs or cooks for dogs. In most instances, it is used as a synonym for a chandala.
996 Of brahmanas.
997 Shiva.
998 Yama.
999 Instead of noble rishis, translations usually say that Vishnu’s words were like mantras composed by rishis, that is, Vedic hymns. This seems to be forced and unnecessary.
1000 One who has avataras in the first three yugas.
1001 Lakshmi.
1002 Auspicious planets like Mercury, Jupiter and Venus were surpassed by inauspicious ones like Mars and Saturn.
1003 Kashyapa.
1004 If there were twins, contrary to current practice, the one born first was regarded as younger and the one born later (who remained longer in the womb) was regarded as elder.
1005 Hiranyaksha.
1006 The gods.
1007 A necklace or garland indicating victory, usually made out of eight kinds of pearls. This is also the name of Vishnu’s necklace.
1008 Though Garuda has earlier been described as Tarkshya’s son, Tarkshya is also a name for Garuda.
1009 Prachetas is Varuna and Varuna’s capital city is named Vibhavari.
1010 In his boar incarnation.
1011 The boar’s.
1012 Vanagochara means an animal that dwells in the forest, as well as one that lives in the water. Therefore, it can be taken to mean an animal that is amphibious.
1013 The earth.
1014 The one with the golden hair, another name for Hiranyaksha.
1015 Brahma.
1016 Hiranyaksha.
1017 The same as Hiranyaksha.
1018 Brahma.
1019 Brahma.
1020 Cattle.
1021 Abhijit is usually taken to be one muhurta, not two. There are thirty muhurtas in a span of twenty-four hours, fifteen during the day and fifteen duri
ng the night. Some muhurtas are auspicious, others are not and Abhijit muhurta is the most auspicious of the fifteen muhurtas during the day. Literally, Abhijit is a muhurta that brings victory. Today, Abhijit muhurta, depending on the place, will be around noon.
1022 As a boar.
1023 They were ignorant because they didn’t know about Vishnu’s powers.
1024 The text uses the word Hari, which means Indra too. But because two uses of the word Hari might cause confusion, we have rendered this as Indra. The reference is to an incident where Tarkshya/Garuda carried away amrita and was struck by Indra’s vajra. Though Garuda wasn’t hurt, out of respect for the vajra, he dropped one of his feathers.
1025 Hiranyaksha.
1026 The three rites of a sacrifice, diksha (the initiation into the sacrifice), prayaniya (the initial rites of the sacrifice) and upaniya (the concluding rites of the sacrifice) being used as a metaphor.
1027 The lord of the Maruts is Indra and Tvashta’s son is Vritra.
1028 Vishnu’s.
1029 Brahma.
1030 Shounaka.
1031 Of liberation.
1032 Kushavarta is identified with Haridvara.
1033 Brahma.
1034 The preceding sentence means independent of their wives. This sentence means all the Prajapatis acting together.
1035 This shloka is capable of being interpreted in many different kinds of ways and so are the ones that immediately follow.
1036 Vaikarika, taijasa and tamasa.
1037 Five gross elements, five organs of perception, five organs of action and so on.
1038 Enter Brahma.
1039 From night.
1040 Asuras.
1041 Meaning Vidura.
1042 She was actually evening.
1043 Brahma.
1044 The gandharvas.
1045 Every living being has four bodies—tandra (lassitude), jrimbhana (yawning), nidra (sleep) and unmada (madness).
1046 Bhutas and pishachas.
1047 Meaning disappearance.
1048 Thanks to humans being created.
1049 Hrishikesha means controller of the senses and is a word normally applied to Vishnu/Krishna. But here, it is being used for Brahma and Brahma is also referred to as a rishi.
1050 The word dvipa not only means island, but also a continent or region of the earth. The earth was believed to be divided into seven continents.
1051 Respectively, Akuti and Prasuti.
1052 The word used is kriya yoga, which can be interpreted in diverse ways.
1053 A complete form with attributes described in the Vedas.
1054 Kardama.
1055 Be as useful as a cow is to a householder.
1056 The months and the days, with an intercalary month included.
1057 The rims are the seasons, the leaves being various units of time. The naves are units of four months each.
1058 This is Maitreya speaking, not Kardama.
1059 Brahmavarta is the area around Kurukshetra. The seven oceans are Lavana, Kshira, Sura, Ghrita, Ikshu, Dadhi and Svadu. These have been speculatively identified as Lavana (Indian Ocean), Kshira (Shirwan, part of the Caspian Sea), Sura (Sarain, the remaining part of the Caspian Sea), Ghrita (Erythraean Sea), Ikshu (the river Oxus), Dadhi (Dahae, the Aral Sea) and Svadu (Tchadun, the river in Mongolia).
1060 The Samkhya texts.
1061 Vishnu.
1062 This is taken to mean Kardama, who performed austerities and sought refuge with him. However, the statement is general and doesn’t specifically mention Kardama. Bindusaras or Bindusarovara is identified with Siddhapura (Sitpur) in Gujarat. Bindu means drop and saras means lake.
1063 Ashoka is a tree with red flowers, karanja is the Indian beech tree, ashana is the Indian laurel, kutaja is a kind of coral tree and chuta is mango.
1064 Chakravaka is the ruddy goose or Brahmany duck, karandava is a type of duck, plava is a diving aquatic bird, chakora is a partridge.
1065 Kind of monkey, with a tail resembling a cow’s tail.
1066 Kardama.
1067 Brahmanas.
1068 The vow of celibacy.
1069 Shri is interpreted as Devahuti’s ornaments, but there seems to be no reason to do this.
1070 That is, withdraw from the householder stage.
1071 At being separated from her.
1072 Relating to adhidaivika (destiny), adhibhoutika (nature) and adhyatmika (one’s own nature).
1073 Parvati.
1074 Kardama.
1075 That is, before she could speak.
1076 Female vidyadharas.
1077 This can be interpreted in two ways. The moon, the lord of the stars, makes night lotuses bloom. Alternatively, Kardama is the moon, the vimana is the sky, the maidens are the stars and the eyes of the maidens are night lotuses.
1078 As mentioned before, the kulachalas are Mahendra, Malaya, Sahya, Shuktiman, Riksha, Vindhya and Pariyatra. Their Indra is Mount Meru.
1079 Lokapalas are guardians of the world and the directions. The eight lokapalas are Kubera, Yama, Indra, Varuna, Ishana, Agni, Vayu and Nirriti.
1080 Ganga.
1081 Dhanada, Kubera.
1082 Manasa may also mean Lake Manasa.
1083 Yoga has eight elements—yama (restraint), niyama (rituals), asana (posture), pranayama (breathing), pratyahara (withdrawal), dharana (retention), dhyana (meditation) and samadhi (liberation). That’s the reason the expression ashtanga (eight-limbed) yoga is used. Dama is control of the senses and can be equated with yama.
1084 And also Devahuti, though she is not specifically mentioned.
1085 Vishnu killed two demons named Madhu and Kaitabha.
1086 Sanatkumara and his brothers.
1087 The word used is Hamsa, meaning Brahma.
1088 Indra.
1089 Kardama went to Kapila. Vishnu is known as Triyuga because he has appeared in satya yuga, treta yuga and dvapara yuga, but not in kali yuga.
1090 The three gunas.
1091 Resort to sannyasa.
1092 Transcendantal, about the atman.
1093 Since the left is inauspicious, the person being circumambulated must be kept to the right.
1094 Happiness and unhappiness, heat and cold and so on.
1095 The wheel of life, the circle of birth and death.
1096 To objects of the senses.
1097 Truths, principles.
1098 Of birth and death.
1099 These shlokas have diverse interpretations. Given the way we have translated it, Pradhana is unmanifest and undifferentiated, while Prakriti is manifest and differentiated.
1100 Five tanmatras or subtle elements, five mahabhutas or gross elements, five organs of perception, five organs of action, manas (mind), buddhi (intelligence), ahamkara (ego) and chitta (consciousness).
1101 The mind creates doubt, intelligence leads to conclusions, ego leads to pride and consciousness results in remembrance.
1102 Thus identifying itself with the body.
1103 Prakriti.
1104 This is the darkness at the time of destruction, when Mahat is absorbed back into Prakriti and Vishnu sleeps.
1105 Through contact with other objects like the earth.
1106 Respectively associated with sattva, rajas and tamas.
1107 The breath of life is also created from taijasa ahamkara.
1108 Receiving and conveying to the nose and the ear.
1109 Colour and form.
1110 Mahat, ahamkara and the elements.
1111 Interpreted as Indra.
1112 Brahma.
1113 Virat Purusha.
1114 Surya.
1115 Kshetrajna.
1116 Respectively, gods, humans and subhuman.
1117 The atman.
1118 Prakriti.
1119 Consciousness.
1120 Emancipation.
1121 Is not born again.
1122 Bija is a mystic akshara from a mantra. When yoga has such an object of meditati
on, it is sabija. When meditation is on the atman, without any other object, it is nirbija.
1123 Pursuit of dharma (ordinary), artha and kama.
1124 The chakras in the body are muladhara, svadhishthana, manipura, anahata, vishuddha, ajna and sahasrara. As used in the text, svadhishthana probably means any of the first six chakras and not specifically the svadhishthana chakra.
1125 Respectively inhalation, retention and exhalation.
1126 Ganga.
1127 The sign of the vajra on the foot.
1128 The creator means Brahma. Since Brahma was created by Vishnu, Lakshmi is Brahma’s mother by extension.
1129 Garuda’s.
1130 The flower of flax, Linum usitatissimum. Vishnu’s complexion is often likened to this flower.
1131 Brahma.
1132 Lakshmi.
1133 When the ocean was being churned.
1134 Sudarshana chakra.
1135 Both are white.
1136 The name of Vishnu’s club.
1137 Koustubha.
1138 A lotus.
1139 Which take it to be a lotus. The eyes are being compared to fish.
1140 Relating to adhidaivika (destiny), adhibhoutika (nature) and adhyatmika (one’s own nature).
1141 Makaradhvaja is the one with the makara on his banner and means Madana. Madana distracts the sages from their meditations and Hari’s smile distracts Madana.
1142 This is interpreted in diverse ways, such as the following. Initially, the mind meditates on Hari, the hook. Once a person has progressed, the hook is no longer necessary and the person can meditate directly on the atman.
1143 That is, ahamkara.
1144 The text uses the word prapancha. This has many meanings, but visible world fits best.
1145 The other things are the senses and the mind.
1146 This probably means that the devotee sees himself as distinct from the brahman.
1147 Respectively, residence in the same world as Vishnu, powers like Vishnu, residing near Vishnu, forms like Vishnu and union with Vishnu.
1148 Rather than the fire.
1149 Meaning ashtanga yoga.
1150 Indra.
1151 Probably implying fraudulent.
1152 Hell or birth as inferior species.
1153 The jivatman.
1154 A yojana is a measure of distance, between 8 and 9 miles.
1155 As human, after having been born as inferior species several times.
1156 Of the sperm and the ovum.
1157 Karkandhu.
1158 Plasma, blood, muscle, fat, bone, marrow and seminal fluid. These are known as the seven dhatus.