विष्णुपुराणम् — तृतीयांशे चतुर्थोऽध्यायः | viṣṇupurāṇam

श्रीपराशर उवाच ।

आद्यो वेदश्चतुष्पादः कृतः साहस्रसंमितः ।
ततो दशगुमः कृत्स्नो यज्ञोयं सर्वकामधुक् ॥

Summary AI Originally, the Veda was fourfold and consisted of one hundred thousand stanzas. From that, this entire sacrifice, which fulfills all desires, became tenfold in extension.

३.४.२

ततोत्र मत्सुतो व्यासो अष्टविंशतिमेन्तरे ।
वेदमेकं चतुष्पादं चतुर्धा व्यभजत्प्रभुः ॥

Summary AI Then, in the twenty-eighth interval, the powerful Vyāsa, my son, divided the single four-part Veda into four separate sections.

३.४.३

यथा च तेन वै व्यस्ता वेदब्यासेन धीमता ।
वेदास्तथा समस्तैस्तैर्व्यस्ता व्यस्तैस्तथा मया ॥

Summary AI Just as the wise Vedavyāsa divided the Vedas, they were similarly divided by all the previous Vyāsas in their respective times, and likewise by me.

३.४.४

तदनेनैव वेदानां शाखाभेदान्द्विजोत्तम ।
चतुर्युगेषु पठितान्समस्तेष्ववधारय ॥

Summary AI O best of the twice-born, understand through this the various branch divisions of the Vedas as they are studied throughout all the four ages.

३.४.५

कृष्णद्वैपायनं व्यासं विद्धि नारायणं प्रभुम् ।
को ह्यन्यो भुवि मैत्रेय महाभारतकृद्भवेत् ॥

Summary AI O Maitreya, know Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana Vyāsa to be the Lord Nārāyaṇa himself. For who else on earth could be the creator of the Mahābhārata?

३.४.६

तेन व्यस्ता यथा वेदा मत्पुत्रेण महात्मना ।
द्वापरे ह्यत्र मैत्रेय तस्मिञ्शृणु यथातथम् ॥

Summary AI O Maitreya, listen now to the accurate account of how the Vedas were divided by my high-souled son in this present Dvāpara age.

३.४.७

ब्रह्मणा चोदितो व्यासो वेदान्व्यस्तुं प्रचक्रमे ।
अथ शिष्यान्प्रजग्राह चतुरो वेदपारगान् ॥

Summary AI Commanded by Brahmā, Vyāsa began the task of dividing the Vedas. He then accepted four disciples who were experts in the Vedic lore.

३.४.८

ऋग्वेदपाठकं पैलं जग्राह स महामुनिः ।
वैशंपायननामानं यजुर्वेदस्य चाग्रहीत् ॥

Summary AI That great sage chose Paila as the teacher of the Ṛgveda and took Vaiśampāyana for the Yajurveda.

३.४.९

जैमिनिं सामवेदस्य तथैवाथर्ववेदवित् ।
सुमन्तुस्तस्य शिष्योभूद्वेदव्यासस्य धीमतः ॥

Summary AI Likewise, he selected Jaimini for the Sāmaveda, and Sumantu, the knower of the Atharvaveda, became the disciple of the wise Vedavyāsa.

३.४.१०

रोमहर्षणनामानं महाबुद्धिं महामुनिः ।
सूतं जग्राह शिष्यं स इतिहासपुराणयोः ॥

Summary AI The great sage accepted the highly intelligent Sūta, named Romaharṣaṇa, as his disciple for the Itihāsas and Purāṇas.

३.४.११

एक आसीद्यजुर्वेदस्तं चतुर्धा व्यकल्पयत् ।
चातुर्हेत्रमभूत्तस्मिंस्तेन यज्ञमथाकरोत् ॥

Summary AI Originally, the Yajurveda was one; he divided it into four parts. From that arose the fourfold priestly duties, with which he then performed the sacrifice.

३.४.१२

आध्वर्यवं यजुर्भिस्तु ऋग्भिर्होत्रं तथा मुनिः ।
औद्गात्रं सामाभिश्चक्रे ब्रह्मत्वं चाप्यथर्वभिः ॥

Summary AI The sage assigned the duties of the Adhvaryu priest to the Yajurveda, the Hotṛ to the Ṛgveda, the Udgātṛ to the Sāmaveda, and the office of Brahman to the Atharvaveda.

३.४.१३

ततःस ऋच उद्धृत्य ऋग्वेदं कृतवान्मुनिः ।
यजृंषि च यजुर्वेदं सामवेदं च सामाभः ॥

Summary AI Then, extracting the hymns, the sage compiled the Ṛgveda, the sacrificial formulas for the Yajurveda, and the chants for the Sāmaveda.

३.४.१४

राज्ञां चाथर्ववेदेन सर्वकर्माणि च प्रभुः ।
कारयामास मैत्रेय ब्रह्मत्वं च यथास्थिति ॥

Summary AI O Maitreya, the powerful sage arranged all the rituals of kings and the office of the Brahman priest using the Atharvaveda, according to established tradition.

३.४.१५

सोयमेको यथा वेदस्तरुस्तेन पृथक्कृतः ।
चतुर्धाथ ततो जातं वेदपादपकाननम् ॥

Summary AI Just as that single tree of the Veda was divided by him into four parts, there subsequently arose a whole forest of Vedic trees.

३.४.१६

बिभेद प्रथमं विप्र पैलो ऋग्वेदपादपम् ।
इन्द्रप्रमितये प्रादाद्बाष्कलाय च संहिते ॥

Summary AI O Brāhmaṇa, Paila first divided the Ṛgveda tree and gave two collections to Indrapramiti and Bāṣkala.

३.४.१७

चतुर्धा स विभेदाथ बाष्कलोपि च संहिताम् ।
बोधादिभ्यो ददौ ताश्च शिष्येभ्यः समहामुनिः ॥

Summary AI Then Bāṣkala also divided his collection into four parts, and that great sage gave them to his disciples Bodha and others.

३.४.१८

बोध्याग्निमाढकौ तदूद्याज्ञवल्क्यपराशरौ ।
प्रतिशाखास्तु शाखायास्तस्यास्ते जगृहुर्मुने ॥

Summary AI O sage, Bodhya, Agnimāḍhaka, Yajñavalkya, and Parāśara then accepted the sub-branches of that primary branch.

३.४.१९

इन्द्रप्रमितिरेकां तु संहितां स्वसूतं ततः ।
माण्डुकेयं महात्मानं मैत्रेयाध्यापयत्तदा ॥

Summary AI O Maitreya, then Indrapramiti taught his single collection to his high-souled son, Māṇḍukeya.

३.४.२०

तस्य शिष्यप्रशिष्येभ्यः ।
पुत्रशिष्यक्रमाद्ययौ ॥

Summary AI From him, the knowledge of the Veda was passed down to his disciples and their disciples through the succession of sons and pupils.

३.४.२१

वेदमित्रस्तु शाकल्यः संहितां तामधीतवान् ।
चकार संहिताः पञ्च शिष्येभ्यः प्रददौ च ताः ॥

Summary AI Vedamitra, also known as Śākalya, studied that saṃhitā. He created five saṃhitās and gave them to his disciples.

३.४.२२

तस्य शिष्यास्तु ये पञ्च तेषां नामानि मे शृणु ।
मुद्गलो गोमखश्चैव वात्स्यः शालीय एव च ।
शरीरः पञ्चमश्चासीन्मैत्रेय सुमहामतिः ॥

Summary AI O Maitreya, hear from me the names of his five disciples: Mudgala, Gomakha, Vātsya, Śālīya, and the highly intelligent Śarīra, who was the fifth.

३.४.२३

संहितात्रितयं चक्रे शाकपूर्णस्तथेतरः ।
निरुक्तमकरोत्तदूच्चतुर्थं मुनिसत्तम ॥

Summary AI O best of sages, another scholar named Śākapūrṇa created three saṃhitās and likewise composed a fourth work, a glossary.

३.४.२४

क्रैञ्चो वैतालिकस्तद्वद्बलाकश्च महामुनिः ।
निरुक्तश्च चतुर्थोभूद्वेदवेदाङ्गपारगः ॥

Summary AI Similarly, Kraiñca, Vaitālika, and the great sage Balāka were disciples. The fourth was Nirukta, who was well-versed in the Vedas and their auxiliary sciences.

३.४.२५

इत्येताः प्रतिशाखाभ्यो ह्यनुशाखा द्विजोत्तम ।
बाष्कलश्चापरास्तिस्त्रःसंहिताः कृतवान्द्विज ।
शिष्यः कालायनिर्गार्ग्यस्तृतीयश्च कथाजपः ॥

Summary AI O best of the twice-born, these are the sub-branches derived from the branches. The sage Bāṣkala created three other saṃhitās; his disciples were Kālāyani, Gārgya, and the third, Kathājapa.

३.४.२६

इत्येता बह्वृचाः प्रोक्ताः ।
संहिता यैः प्रवर्तिताः ॥

Summary AI Thus, these are the Bahvṛca saṃhitās that have been described, along with the teachers who promulgated them.

इति श्रीविष्णुमहापुराणे तृतीयांशेचतुर्थो ऽध्यायः ।

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