Critical Edition
मार्कण्डेय उवाच आपस्य मुदिता भार्या सहस्य परमा प्रिया भूपतिर्भुवभर्ता च जनयत्पावकं परम्
AI Translation: Markandeya said: Aapa's wife was Mudita, the supreme beloved of Sahasra. The lord of the earth, the supporter of the earth, gave birth to the supreme fire.
भूतानां चापि सर्वेषां यं प्राहुः पावकं पतिम् आत्मा भुवनभर्तेति सान्वयेषु द्विजातिषु
AI Translation: He is the lord of all beings, whom they call the lord of fire. He is the soul, the lord of the world, among the twice-born in the Anvaya lineage.
महतां चैव भूतानां सर्वेषामिह यः पतिः भगवान्स महातेजा नित्यं चरति पावकः
AI Translation: He is the lord of all the great beings here. The illustrious one, of great splendor, always moves as the fire.
अग्निर्गृहपतिर्नाम नित्यं यज्ञेषु पूज्यते हुतं वहति यो हव्यमस्य लोकस्य पावकः
AI Translation: Agni, the householder, is always worshipped in sacrifices. He who carries the oblation, the purifier of this world.
अपां गर्भो महाभागः सहपुत्रो महाद्भुतः भूपतिर्भुवभर्ता च महतः पतिरुच्यते
M. N. Dutt: That great son of Svaha, the great Adbhuta fire, is the soul of the waters and the prince and the regent of the sky and the lord of everything great.
दहन्मृतानि भूतानि तस्याग्निर्भरतोऽभवत् अग्निष्टोमे च नियतः क्रतुश्रेष्ठो भरस्य तु
M. N. Dutt: His son, the Bharata fire, consumes the dead bodies of all creatures. His first Kratu is known as Niyata at the performance of Agnishtoma.
Supplementary Passages:
3.212.6 After 6, Dc Dn D5 ins.: *1054 स वन्हिः प्रथमो नित्यं देवैरन्विष्यते प्रभुः
आयान्तं नियतं दृष्ट्वा प्रविवेशार्णवं भयात् देवास्तं नाधिगच्छन्ति मार्गमाणा यथादिशम्
AI Translation: Seeing him coming, he entered the ocean out of fear. The gods, searching in the directions, do not find him.
दृष्ट्वा त्वग्निरथर्वाणं ततो वचनमब्रवीत् देवानां वह हव्यं त्वमहं वीर सुदुर्बलः अथर्वन्गच्छ मध्वक्षं प्रियमेतत्कुरुष्व मे
M. N. Dutt: "O hero, carry the oblations for the celestials. I am unable to do it for the want of strength. Becoming the red-eyed fire, be good enough to do me this favour."
प्रेष्य चाग्निरथर्वाणमन्यं देशं ततोऽगमत् मत्स्यास्तस्य समाचख्युः क्रुद्धस्तानग्निरब्रवीत्
M. N. Dutt: Having thus spoken to Atharvan, the fire went away to some other place. But his place of concealment was divulged by the fish, Upon them he passed this course in anger.
भक्ष्या वै विविधैर्भावैर्भविष्यथ शरीरिणाम् अथर्वाणं तथा चापि हव्यवाहोऽब्रवीद्वचः
AI Translation: You will be the various kinds of food for embodied beings. Then the bearer of oblations spoke these words to Atharvaṇa:
अनुनीयमानोऽपि भृशं देववाक्याद्धि तेन सः नैच्छद्वोढुं हविः सर्वं शरीरं च समत्यजत्
M. N. Dutt: Though entreated by the celestials, he did not agree to continue to carry the oblations. He then became insensible and abandoned his body.
स तच्छरीरं संत्यज्य प्रविवेश धरां तदा भूमिं स्पृष्ट्वासृजद्धातून्पृथक्पृथगतीव हि
AI Translation: Having abandoned that body, he entered the earth at that time. Having touched the earth, he created the elements separately, as it were.
आस्यात्सुगन्धि तेजश्च अस्थिभ्यो देवदारु च श्लेष्मणः स्फटिकं तस्य पित्तान्मरकतं तथा
AI Translation: From the nose comes the fragrant and the fiery, from the bones the deodar tree, From the phlegm comes crystal, from the bile comes the emerald.
यकृत्कृष्णायसं तस्य त्रिभिरेव बभुः प्रजाः नखास्तस्याभ्रपटलं शिराजालानि विद्रुमम् शरीराद्विविधाश्चान्ये धातवोऽस्याभवन्नृप
AI Translation: The liver is of black iron. From it were born three kinds of beings. The nails are of cloud-like substance, the network of veins is of coral. From the body were born other various metals.
एवं त्यक्त्वा शरीरं तु परमे तपसि स्थितः भृग्वङ्गिरादिभिर्भूयस्तपसोत्थापितस्तदा
AI Translation: Having thus abandoned the body, he remained in the supreme austerity. Then he was roused from austerity by Bhṛgu, Aṅgiras, and others.
भृशं जज्वाल तेजस्वी तपसाप्यायितः शिखी दृष्ट्वा ऋषीन्भयाच्चापि प्रविवेश महार्णवम्
AI Translation: The blazing fire, nourished by austerities, was very bright. Seeing the sages, and also out of fear, he entered the great ocean.
तस्मिन्नष्टे जगद्भीतमथर्वाणमथाश्रितम् अर्चयामासुरेवैनमथर्वाणं सुरर्षयः
M. N. Dutt: But seeing the Rishi, he in fear again entered the great ocean. When he thus disappeared, all the worlds were filled with fear and came to Atharvan for protection. The celestials and others then began to adore Atharvan.
अथर्वा त्वसृजल्लोकानात्मनालोक्य पावकम् मिषतां सर्वभूतानामुन्ममाथ महार्णवम्
AI Translation: Then Atharva created the worlds, having seen the fire with his own self. While all beings were watching, he churned the great ocean.
एवमग्निर्भगवता नष्टः पूर्वमथर्वणा आहूतः सर्वभूतानां हव्यं वहति सर्वदा
AI Translation: Thus Agni, the Lord, was lost before by Atharva. Summoned, he always carries the oblation of all beings.
एवं त्वजनयद्धिष्ण्यान्वेदोक्तान्विबुधान्बहून् विचरन्विविधान्देशान्भ्रममाणस्तु तत्र वै
M. N. Dutt: Living in the sea and travelling in various countries, he produced the various fires mentioned in the Shastras.
सिन्धुवर्जं पञ्च नद्यो देविकाथ सरस्वती गङ्गा च शतकुम्भा च शरयूर्गण्डसाह्वया
AI Translation: The five rivers, excluding the Sindhu, are Devīkā, Sarasvatī, Gaṅgā, Śatakumbhā, and Śarayū, called Gaṇḍa.
चर्मण्वती मही चैव मेध्या मेधातिथिस्तथा ताम्रावती वेत्रवती नद्यस्तिस्रोऽथ कौशिकी
AI Translation: Charmaṇvatī, Mahī, Medhyā, Medhātithi, Tāmrāvatī, Vetravati, and the three rivers, Kauśikī,
तमसा नर्मदा चैव नदी गोदावरी तथा वेण्णा प्रवेणी भीमा च मेद्रथा चैव भारत
AI Translation: Tamasā, Narmadā, Godāvarī, Veṇā, Praveṇī, Bhīmā, and Medhatā, O descendant of Bharata.
भारती सुप्रयोगा च कावेरी मुर्मुरा तथा कृष्णा च कृष्णवेण्णा च कपिला शोण एव च एता नद्यस्तु धिष्ण्यानां मातरो याः प्रकीर्तिताः
AI Translation: Bharti, Suprayoga, Kaveri, Murmura, Krishna, Krishnavenna, Kapila, and the river Son - These rivers are proclaimed as the mothers of the Dhishnyas.
अद्भुतस्य प्रिया भार्या तस्याः पुत्रो विडूरथः यावन्तः पावकाः प्रोक्ताः सोमास्तावन्त एव च
M. N. Dutt: Adbhuta had a wife named Priya and Vibhurasi was his eldest son. There are as many kinds of Soma sacrifices as the number of fires mentioned. All these fires were first born from the spirit of Brahma, but they also sprung from the race of Atri.
अत्रेश्चाप्यन्वये जाता ब्रह्मणो मानसाः प्रजाः अत्रिः पुत्रान्स्रष्टुकामस्तानेवात्मन्यधारयत् तस्य तद्ब्रह्मणः कायान्निर्हरन्ति हुताशनाः
M. N. Dutt: He in his own mind conceived these sons in order to extend the creation. These fires all sprung from his Brahmic body.
एवमेते महात्मानः कीर्तितास्तेऽग्नयो मया अप्रमेया यथोत्पन्नाः श्रीमन्तस्तिमिरापहाः
M. N. Dutt: I have thus narrated to you the history of the origin of the (different) fires. They are great, effulgent and matchless in prowess; and they are the destroyer of darkness.
अद्भुतस्य तु माहात्म्यं यथा वेदेषु कीर्तितम् तादृशं विद्धि सर्वेषामेको ह्येष हुताशनः
M. N. Dutt: Know that the prowess of all fires is the same as that of the Adbhuta fire as described in the Vedas. All these fires are one and the same.
एक एवैष भगवान्विज्ञेयः प्रथमोऽङ्गिराः बहुधा निःसृतः कायाज्ज्योतिष्टोमः क्रतुर्यथा
M. N. Dutt: This adorable and exalted being, the firstborn fire, must be considered as all the fires, for like the Jyotishtoma sacrifice, he came out of Angira's body in various forms.
इत्येष वंशः सुमहानग्नीनां कीर्तितो मया पावितो विविधैर्मन्त्रैर्हव्यं वहति देहिनाम्
M. N. Dutt: I have thus told you the history of the great Agni race. When duly worshipped with hymns they carry the oblations of all creatures to the celestials.