Water Originated From Fire (English) in: South Asia — Sanskrit
CHAPTER SIX
The Origin of Creation (Continued)
Sūta said:
1-3 Water originated from fire. When the earth was destroyed in the fire and everything merged within (the water), when, therefore, the mobile and immobile beings were also destroyed, nothing could be known (seen) in that vast ocean of water. Then Brahmā, called Nārāyaṇa, lord Brahmā of thousand eyes, thousand legs and thousand heads, the Puruṣa who is golden in complexion beyond the ken of sense organs, slept in that water.
4. Due to the preponderance of Sattva, he woke up and he beheld that the world was a void. About Nārāyaṇa they cite this verse.
5. We have heard the epithet of waters, that waters are called Nārā, and that they are minute or subtle bodies. Since he lies in waters, he is therefore called Nārāyaṇa.
6. Having spent the whole period of night to a thousand yugas, at the close of the night, he assumed Brahmāhood for the purpose of creation.
7. Brahmā assumed the form of Vāyu and moved about in the water like a glow-worm at night during the rainy season.
8-9. Then having come to know definitely that the earth lies submerged in those waters and being convinced about it by reasoning (inference), he assumed another body as in the previous Kalpas for the lifting up of the earth. The noble soul then conceived mentally of a divine form.
10. Observing that the earth was overflowed with waters on all sides, (he thought to himself), “Oh, what great form should I assume and uplift the earth?”
11. He thought of the form of a Boar charmingly comfortable in sports about in waters. It was unassailable by living beings. It was of the nature of speech and was designated as Dharma.
12. It had a girth of ten and a height of a hundred Yojanas. It resembles a dark blue cloud in complexion. It grunted like the rumbling of thunder-clouds.
13. It had a huge body like a mountain. Its curved fangs were white and sharp and terrible. The eyes were brilliant like lightning and fire. Its lustre was like that of the sun.
14. Its shoulders were round, plump and large. It had the lion’s valiant gait. Its buttocks were stout and lifted up (well developed). It had auspicious characteristics. It was charming.
15. Assuming this large immeasurable form of a boar, Viṣṇu entered the nether regions in order to lift up the earth.
(r.i) Tagare (1987) — (r.ii) Suryakanta (1950) [abridged]
– Tagare, G. V., The Vāyu Purāṇa, Part I, (Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1987), pp. 42-44. [This source is in the public domain; download here].
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