आतां पाहों जातां उत्पत्ति । मनुष्यापासून मनुष्यें होती । पशुपासून पशु निपजती। प्रत्यक्ष आतां॥ १ ॥

Now, when we look into the matter of creation, we directly see that humans are born from humans, and animals are born from animals.

खेंचरें आणी भूचरें । वनचरें आणी जळचरें । नाना प्रकारीचीं शरीरें । शरीरांपासून होती ॥ २ ॥

Creatures of the sky, of the land, of the forest, and of the water - all such various bodies are likewise born from bodies of their own kind.

प्रत्ययास आणी प्रमाण । निश्चयास आणी अनुमान । मार्ग देखोन आडरान । घेऊंच नये ॥ ३ ॥

One should reach certainty through direct experience and evidence, not through mere speculation. When the straight path lies visible, one should not take a roundabout detour.

विपरीतपासून विपरीतें होती । परी शरीरेंच बोलिजेती । शरीरावांचून उत्पत्ती । होणार नाहीं ॥ ४॥

Sometimes unusual offspring arise from unusual unions, but even these are said to arise from bodies. Without a body, no creation can ever occur.

तरी हे उत्पत्ति कैसी जाली । कासयाची कोणें केली । जेणें केली त्याची निर्मिली । काया कोणें ॥ ५ ॥

But then how did this original creation come about, from what, and by whom? And the body of that very creator - who created that?

ऐसें पाहातां उदंड लांबलें । परी मुळीं शेरीर जैसें जालें । कासयाचें उभारिलें । कोणें कैसें ॥ ६ ॥

If we go on looking at it this way, the question stretches on endlessly. But the real question is: how was the very first body formed, from what, and by whom, and in what manner?

ऐसी हे मागील आशंका । राहात गेली ते ऐका । कदापी जाजु घेऊं नका । प्रत्ययो आलियानें ॥ ७ ॥

Now hear this lingering doubt that has remained unresolved till now. But once direct proof is given, never raise objection about it again.

प्रत्ययोचि आहे प्रमाण । मूर्खास वाटे अप्रमाण । पिंडें प्रचितशब्दें जाण । विश्वासासी ॥ ८ ॥

Direct experience alone is the true proof; only a fool considers it insufficient. Know that it is the word of proven, felt experience within oneself that alone earns real trust.

ब्रह्मीं मूळमाया जाली । तेचि अष्टधा प्रकृती बोलिली । भूतीं त्रिगुणीं कालवली । मूळमाया ॥ ९ ॥

Within Brahman arose the primal maya, which is spoken of as the eightfold prakriti. This primal maya is blended throughout the five elements and the three qualities.

तें मूळमाया वायोस्वरूप । वायोमध्यें जाणीवेचें रूप । तेचि इच्च्हा परी आरोप । ब्रह्मीं न घडे ॥ १० ॥

This primal maya is of the form of air, and within that air resides the form of awareness. That itself is the power of will; but this attribution does not apply to Brahman at all.

तथापि ब्रह्मीं कल्पिला । तरी तो शब्द वायां गेला । आत्मा निर्गुण संचला । शब्दातीत ॥ ११ ॥

Even so, if anyone tries to attach this to Brahman, that very word goes to waste. The Self is attributeless, all-pervading, and beyond the reach of words.

आत्मा निर्गुण वस्तु ब्रह्म । नाममात्र तितुका भ्रम । कल्पून लाविला संभ्रम । तरी तो लागणार नाहीं ॥ १२ ॥

The Self is the attributeless reality, Brahman itself. Whatever is named and formed is merely an illusion. However much confusion the mind may attach to it through imagination, none of it actually touches Brahman.

तथापि आग्रहें लाविला । जरी धोंडा मारिला आकाशाला । आकाशावरी थुंकिला । तरी तें तुटेना ॥ १३ ॥

Even if someone insists on attaching it anyway, it is like throwing a stone at the sky or spitting upward at the sky - the sky itself remains entirely unaffected.

तैसें ब्रह्म निर्विकार । निर्विकारीं लाविती विकार । विकार नासे निर्विकार । जैसें तैसें ॥ १४ ॥

In the same way Brahman is changeless. People try to attribute change to that changeless reality, but the attributed change itself simply vanishes, and the changeless remains exactly as it always was.

आतां ऐका प्रत्ययो । जाणोनि धरावा निश्चयो । तरीच पाविजे जयो । अनुभवाचा ॥ १५ ॥

Now hear how direct proof actually comes. One must understand it and hold to certainty accordingly - only then is the victory of true experience attained.

मायाब्रह्मीं जो समीर। त्यांत जाणता तो ईश्वर । ईश्वर आणि सर्वेश्वर । तयासीच बोलिजे ॥ १६ ॥

Within the air that exists at the meeting of maya and Brahman, the knowing principle in it is called Ishwara. The names Ishwara and Sarveshwara refer to this very principle.

तोचि ईश्वर गुणासी आला । त्याचा त्रिगुणभेद जाला । ब्रह्मा विष्णु महेश उपजला । तये ठाईं ॥ १७ ॥

That same Ishwara then came into a state of the three qualities, and thus divided into three according to the three gunas. From that very point arose Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh.

सत्व रज आणी तम । हे त्रिगुण उत्तमोत्तम । यांच्या स्वरूपाचा अनुक्रम । मागां निरोपिला ॥ १८ ॥

Sattva, raja, and tama are these three foremost qualities. The order of their nature has already been explained earlier.

जाणता विष्णु भगवान । जाणता नेणता चतुरानन । नेणता महेश पंचानन । अत्यंत भोळा ॥ १९ ॥

The Lord Vishnu is fully knowing; the four-faced Brahma is partly knowing and partly not; and the five-faced Mahesh is wholly unknowing, utterly simple and guileless.

त्रिगुण त्रिगुणीं कालवले । कैसे होती वेगळाले । परी विशेष न्यून भासले । ते बोलावे लागती ॥ २० ॥

The three qualities are all blended together within one another - how could they ever be wholly separate? But whatever relative predominance appears among them still has to be pointed out.

वायोमध्यें विष्णु होता । तो वायोस्वरूपचि तत्वता । पुढें जाला देहधर्ता । चतुर्भुज ॥ २१ ॥

Vishnu existed within the air, being in essence of the very form of air itself. Later he came to bear a bodily form with four arms.

तैसाच ब्रह्मा आणी महेश । देह धरिती सावकास । गुप्त प्रगट होतां तयास । वेळ नाहीं ॥ २२ ॥

In the same way, Brahma and Mahesh too gradually take on bodily forms. For them it takes no time at all to become hidden or to become manifest.

आतां रोकडी प्रचिती । मनुष्यें गुप्त प्रगटती । मां त्या देवांच्याच मूर्ती । सामर्थ्यवंत ॥ २३ ॥

Now see the direct proof of this - even ordinary humans are seen to appear and disappear; how much more so, then, can the powerful forms of these gods do the same?

देव देवता भूतें देवतें । चढतें सामर्थ्य तेथें । येणेंचि न्यायें राक्षसांतें । सामर्थ्यकळा ॥ २४ ॥

Among gods, deities, spirits, and minor divinities, power exists in ascending degrees. By this same logic, demons too possess their own measure of supernatural power.

झोटींग वायोस्वरूप असती । सवेंच खुळखुळां चालती । खोबरीं खारिका टाकून देती । अकस्मात ॥ २५ ॥

The jhoting spirit exists in the form of air, and it suddenly stirs about with a rattling motion. It is known to suddenly fling about coconut pieces and dates, as people commonly experience.

अवघेंचि न्याल अभावें । तरी तें बहुतेकांस ठावें । आपुल्याला अनुभवें । विश्वलोक जाणती ॥ २६ ॥

Even if one denies all of this as nonexistent, most people are already familiar with it. People of the world know it through their own personal experience.

मनुष्यें धरती शरीरवेष । नाना परकाया प्रवेश । मां तो परमात्मा जगदीश । कैसा न धरी ॥ २७ ॥

Even human beings take on various bodily disguises and can even enter into another's body. Then how could that supreme Lord of the universe, the Paramatma, not be capable of the same?

म्हणोनि वायोस्वरूपें देह धरिलें । ब्रह्मा विष्णु महेश जालें । पुढें तेचि विस्तारलें । पुत्रपौत्रीं ॥ २८ ॥

Thus, taking on bodily form out of the very substance of air, they became Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh. Afterward that same essence expanded further through sons and grandsons.

अंतरींच स्त्रिया कल्पिल्या । तों त्या कल्पितांच निर्माण जाल्या । परी तयापासून प्रजा निर्मिल्या । नाहींत कदा ॥ २९ ॥

They conceived wives in their own minds, and those wives came into being at that very act of imagining. But actual offspring were never produced from them in that way.

इच्हून पुत्र कल्पिले । ते ते प्रसंगीं निर्माण जाले । येणें प्रकारें वर्तले । हरिहरादिक ॥ ३० ॥

Sons too were conceived purely by will, and they came into being on each such occasion. Hari, Hara, and the other gods proceeded in this very manner.

पुढें ब्रह्मयानें सृष्टी कल्पिली । इच्हेसरिसी सृष्टी जाली । जीवसृष्टि निर्माण केली । ब्रह्मदेवें ॥ ३१ ॥

Later Brahmadeva conceived of creation, and creation came into being together with that very wish. In this way Brahmadeva brought forth the creation of living beings.

नाना प्रकारीचे प्राणी कल्पिले । इच्हेसरिसे निर्माण जाले । अवघे जोडेचि उदेले । अंडजजारजादिक ॥ ३२ ॥

He conceived beings of many different kinds, and they came into being together with that very wish. All of them - egg-born, womb-born, and the rest - arose together in pairs.

येक जळस्वेदापासून जाले । ते प्राणी स्वेदज बोलिले । येक वायोकरितां जाले । अकस्मात उद्भिज ॥ ३३ ॥

Some beings arose from moisture and sweat, and these are called swedaja (sweat-born). Some arose suddenly through air itself, and these are called udbhija (sprout-born).

मनुष्याची गौडविद्या । राक्षसांची वोडंबरी विद्या । ब्रह्मयाची सृष्टिविद्या । येणें प्रकरें ॥ ३४ ॥

Human beings possess a kind of conjuring skill, demons possess an illusory magical skill, and in this very same manner Brahmadeva possesses the skill of creating the universe.

कांहीयेक मनुष्यांची । त्याहून विशेष राक्षसांची । त्याहून विशेष ब्रह्मयाची । सृष्टिविद्या ॥ ३५ ॥

Human beings have some small power of creation, demons possess more of it than humans, and Brahmadeva possesses a still greater power of creation than either.

जाणते नेणते प्राणी निर्मिले । वेद वदोन मार्ग लाविले । ब्रह्मयानें निर्माण केले । येणें प्रकारें ॥ ३६ ॥

Brahmadeva created beings both knowing and unknowing, and by proclaiming the Vedas he also set them upon the right path. In this manner he brought forth this creation.

मग शरीपासून शरीरें । सृष्टी वाढली विकारें । सकळ शरीरें येणें प्रकारें । निर्माण जाली ॥ ३७ ॥

Then, body giving rise to body, this creation went on expanding through natural process. In this very manner all bodies came to be produced.

येथें आशंका फिटली । सकळ सृष्टी विस्तारली । विचार पाहातं प्रत्यया आली । येथान्वयें ॥ ३८ ॥

Here the doubt is resolved, and it becomes clear how the entire creation came to expand. Considered in this proper sequence, all of it becomes evident through direct proof.

ऐसी सृष्टी निर्माण केली । पुढें विष्णुनें कैसी प्रतिपाळिली । हेहि विवंचना पाहिली । पाहिजे श्रोतीं ॥ ३९ ॥

Thus this creation came into being. Now listeners should also examine how Vishnu went on to sustain and protect it.

सकळ प्राणी निर्माण जाले । ते मूळरूपें जाणोन पाळिले । शरीरें दैत्य निर्दाळिले । नाना प्रकारींचे ॥ ४० ॥

Once all beings were created, Vishnu recognized them in their essential nature and sustained them, and by taking on bodily forms he destroyed the various demons that threatened them.

नाना अवतार धरणें । दुष्टांचा संहार करणें । धर्म स्थापायाकारणें । विष्णुस जन्म ॥ ४१ ॥

Taking on many different incarnations, destroying the wicked, and establishing righteousness - it is for this very purpose that Vishnu takes birth.

म्हणोन धर्मस्थापनेचे नर । तेंहि विष्णुचे अवतार । अभक्त दुर्जन रजनीचर । सहजचि जाले ॥ ४२ ॥

Therefore men who establish righteousness are themselves regarded as Vishnu's incarnations. And the irreligious, the wicked, and the demonic too arose quite naturally alongside them.

आतां प्राणी जे जन्मले । ते नेणोन संव्हारिले । मूळरूपें संव्हारिलें । येणें प्रकारें ॥ ४३ ॥

Now, the creatures that were born also perish in this same unknowing state. It is through this same underlying principle that their destruction takes place.

शरीरें रुद्र खवळेल । तैं जीवसृष्टि संव्हारेल । अवघें ब्रह्मांडचि जळेल । संव्हारकाळीं ॥ ४४ ॥

When Rudra, taking on bodily form, becomes enraged, then the entire creation of living beings will be destroyed. At that time of dissolution, the whole universe itself will be consumed by fire.

एवं उत्पत्ति स्थिती संव्हार । याचा ऐसा आहे विचार । श्रोतीं होऊन तत्पर । अवधान द्यावें ॥ ४५ ॥

Thus is the reasoning concerning creation, sustenance, and destruction. Let the listeners give their full and eager attention to it.

कल्पांतीं संव्हार घडेल । तोचि पुढें सांगिजेल । पंचप्रळय वोळखेल । तोचि ज्ञानी ॥ ४६ ॥

The destruction that occurs at the end of a cosmic cycle will be described next. He alone who recognizes the five kinds of dissolution is truly a man of wisdom.