विष्णुपुराणम् — तृतीयांशे षष्ठोऽध्यायः

श्रीपराशर उवाच ।

सामवेदतरोः शाखा व्यासशिष्यस्य जौमिनिः ।
क्रमेण येन मैत्रेय विभेदशृणु तन्मम ॥

Summary AI O Maitreya, listen to me as I describe the sequence in which Jaimini, the disciple of Vyāsa, divided the branches of the Sāmaveda tree.

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सुसंतुस्तस्य पुत्रोभूत्सूत्वानश्चाभवत्सुतः ।
अधीतवन्तौ चैकैकां संहितां तौ माहमती ॥

Summary AI His son was Susantu, and Sutvān was his son. Those two great-minded individuals each studied a single Saṃhitā.

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सहस्रसंहिताभेदं सुकर्मातत्सुतस्ततः ।
चकार तं च तच्छिष्यौ जगृहाते महाव्रतौ ॥

Summary AI Then his son Sukarmā created a thousand divisions of the Saṃhitā. His two disciples, observers of great vows, received that knowledge.

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हिरण्यनाभः कौसल्यः पौष्पिंजिश्च द्विजोत्तम ।
उदीच्याःसामगाः शिष्यास्तस्य पञ्चशतं स्मृताः ॥

Summary AI O best of the twice-born, they were Hiraṇyanābha of Kosala and Pauṣpiñji. Five hundred northern chanters of the Sāma are remembered as his disciples.

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हिरण्यनाभात्तावत्यःसंहिता यैर्द्विजोत्तमैः ।
गृहीतास्तेपि चोच्यन्ते पण्डितैः प्राच्यसामगाः ॥

Summary AI O best of the twice-born, the sages who received as many Saṃhitās from Hiraṇyanābha are called the eastern chanters of the Sāma by the learned.

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लोकाक्षिर्नैधमिश्चैव कक्षिवांल्लाङ्गलिस्तथा ।
पौष्पिजिशिष्यास्तद्भेदैः संहिता बहुलीकृताः ॥

Summary AI Lokākṣi, Naidhami, Kakṣīvān, and Lāṅgali were the disciples of Pauṣpiñji. Through their divisions, the Saṃhitās were multiplied.

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हिरण्यनाभशिष्यस्तु चतुर्विशतिसंहिताः ।
प्रोवाच कृतनामासौ शिष्येभ्यश्च महामुनिः ॥

Summary AI The great sage named Kṛta, a disciple of Hiraṇyanābha, taught twenty-four Saṃhitās to his disciples.

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तैश्चापि सामवेदो ऽसौ शाखाभिर्बहुलीकृतः ।
अथर्वणामथो वक्ष्ये संहितानां समुच्चयम् ।
अथर्ववेदं स मुनिःसुसंतुरमितद्युतिः ॥

Summary AI Through them, this Sāmaveda was multiplied into many branches. Now I shall describe the collection of the Atharva Saṃhitās. The sage Susantu, of immeasurable luster, taught the Atharvaveda.

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शिष्यमध्यापयामास कबन्धं सो ऽपि तं द्विधा ।
कृत्वा तुदेवदर्साय तथा पथ्याय दत्तवान् ॥

Summary AI He taught his disciple Kabandha. He, in turn, divided it into two and gave them to Devadarśa and Pathya.

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देवदर्शस्य शिष्यास्तु मेधोब्रह्मबलिस्तथा ।
शौल्कायनिः पिप्पलादस्तथान्यो द्विजसत्तम ॥

Summary AI O best of the twice-born, the disciples of Devadarśa were Medha, Brahmabali, Śaulkāyani, and another named Pippalāda.

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पथ्यस्यापि त्रयः शिष्याः कृता यैर्द्विज संहिताः ।
जाबालिः कुमुदादिश्च तृतीयः शौनको द्विज ॥

Summary AI O twice-born, Pathya also had three disciples—Jābāli, Kumudādi, and the third, Śaunaka—by whom the Saṃhitās were fashioned.

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शौनकस्तु द्विधा कृत्वा ददावेकां तु बभ्रवे ।
द्वितीयां संहितां प्रादात्सैन्धवाय य संज्ञिने ॥

Summary AI Śaunaka divided his work into two; he gave one to Babhru and the second Saṃhitā to the one known as Saindhava.

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सैन्धवान्मुजिकेशश्च द्वेधभिन्नास्त्रिधा पुनः ।
नक्षत्रकल्पो वेदानां संहितानां तथैव च ॥

Summary AI From Saindhava came Muñjikeśa. The Saṃhitās were divided into two and then again into three. There is also the Nakṣatrakalpa of the Vedas and Saṃhitās.

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चतुर्थःस्यादाङ्गिरसः शान्तिकल्पश्चपञ्चमः ।
श्रेष्ठास्त्वथर्वणामेते संहितानां विकल्पकाः ॥

Summary AI The fourth is the Āṅgirasa and the fifth is the Śāntikalpa. These are the pre-eminent dividers of the Atharva Saṃhitās.

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आख्यानैश्चाप्युपाख्यानैर्गाथाभिः कल्पशुद्धिभिः ।
पुराणसंहितां चक्रेपुराणार्थविशारदः ॥

Summary AI The expert in the meaning of the Purāṇas compiled the Purāṇa Saṃhitā using tales, anecdotes, songs, and ritual descriptions.

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प्रख्यातो व्यासशिष्योभूत्सूतो वै रोमहर्षणः ।
पुरामसंहितां तस्मै ददौ व्यासो महामतिः ॥

Summary AI The celebrated disciple of Vyāsa was the Sūta named Romaharṣaṇa. The great-minded Vyāsa gave the Purāṇa Saṃhitā to him.

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सुमतिश्चाग्निवर्चाश्च मित्रायुःशांसपायनः ।
अकृतव्रणसावर्णिष्पट्शिष्यास्तस्य चाभवन् ॥

Summary AI Sumati, Agnivarcas, Mitrāyu, Śāṃsapāyana, Akṛtavraṇa, and Sāvarṇi were his six disciples.

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काश्यपः संहिताकर्ता सावर्णिः शांसपायनः ।
रोमहर्षाणिकाचान्या तिसॄणां मूलसंहिता ॥

Summary AI Kāśyapa, Sāvarṇi, and Śāṃsapāyana were the authors of the Saṃhitās. The other was the Romaharṣaṇikā, which is the root Saṃhitā for the three.

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चतुष्टयेन भेदेन ।
संहितानामिदं मुने ॥

Summary AI O sage, this is the fourfold division of the Saṃhitās.

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आद्यं सर्वपुराणानां पुराणं ब्राह्ममुच्यते ।
अष्टादशपुराणानि पुराणज्ञाः प्रचक्षते ॥

Summary AI Among all the Purāṇas, the Brāhma Purāṇa is said to be the first. Those learned in the Purāṇas declare that there are eighteen Purāṇas in total.

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ब्राह्मं पाद्मं वैष्णवं च शैवं भागवतं तथा ।
तथान्यं नारदीयं च मार्कण्डेयं च सप्तमम् ॥

Summary AI The Brāhma, Pādma, Vaiṣṇava, Śaiva, Bhāgavata, Nāradīya, and the seventh, Mārkaṇḍeya, are the primary Purāṇas.

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आग्नेयमष्टमं चैव भविष्यन्नवमं स्मृतम् ।
दशमं ब्रह्मवैवर्तं लैङ्गमेकादशं स्मृतम् ॥

Summary AI The eighth is known as the Āgneya, the ninth is the Bhaviṣyat, the tenth is the Brahmavaivarta, and the eleventh is recorded as the Lainga Purāṇa.

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वाराहं द्वादशं चैव स्कान्दं चात्र त्रयोदशम्
चतुर्दशंवामनं च कौर्मं पञ्चदशं तथा ।
मात्स्यं च गारुडं चैव ब्रह्माण्डं च ततः परम्
महापुराणान्येतानि ह्यष्टादश महामुने ॥

Summary AI O great sage, the twelfth is the Vārāha, the thirteenth is the Skānda, the fourteenth is the Vāmana, the fifteenth is the Kaurma, followed by the Mātsya, Gāruḍa, and Brahmāṇḍa. These eighteen are the Mahāpurāṇas.

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तथा चोप पुराणानि मुनिभिः कथितानि च ।
सर्गश्च प्रतिसर्गश्च वंशमन्वन्तराणि च ।
सर्वेष्वेतेषु कथ्यन्ते वंशानुचारीतं च यत् ॥

Summary AI Sages also proclaimed the secondary Purāṇas (Upapurāṇas). In all these works, the five topics—creation, recreation, genealogy, the periods of Manus, and dynastic history—are described.

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यदेतत्तव मैत्रेय पुराणं कथ्यते मया ।
एतद्वैष्णवसंज्ञं वै पाद्मस्यसमनन्तरम् ॥

Summary AI O Maitreya, this Purāṇa which I am narrating to you is known as the Vaiṣṇava (Viṣṇu Purāṇa), and it follows immediately after the Pādma Purāṇa.

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सर्गे च प्रतिसर्गे च वंशमन्वन्तरादिषु ।
कथ्यते भगवान्विष्णुरशेषेष्विव सत्तम ॥

Summary AI O best of men, Lord Viṣṇu is extolled throughout all sections of these works, including the descriptions of creation, recreation, genealogies, and the ages of Manus.

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अङ्गानि वेदाश्चत्वारो मीमांसान्यायविस्तरः ।
पुराणं धर्मशास्त्रं च विद्या ह्येताश्चतुर्दश ॥

Summary AI The six limbs of the Vedas, the four Vedas, Mīmāṃsā, logic (Nyāya), the Purāṇas, and the Dharmaśāstra constitute the fourteen branches of knowledge (vidyā).

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आयुर्वेदोधनुर्वेदो गान्धर्वश्चैव ते त्रयः ।
अर्थशास्त्रं चतुर्थं तु विद्य ह्यष्टादशैव ताः ॥

Summary AI With Āyurveda, Dhanurveda, and Gāndharvaveda as three additional branches, and Arthaśāstra as the fourth, there are altogether eighteen branches of knowledge.

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ज्ञेया ब्रह्मर्षयः पूर्वं तेभ्यो देवर्षयः पुनः ।
राजर्षयः पुनस्तेभ्य ऋषिप्रकृतयस्त्रयः ॥

Summary AI One should first know the Brahmarṣis, followed by the Devarṣis, and then the Rājarṣis. These are the three distinct classes of sages.

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इति शाखाःसमाख्यातः शाखाभेदास्तथैव च ।
कर्तारश्चैव शाखानां भेदहेतुस्तथोदितः ॥

Summary AI Thus, the branches of the Vedas, their subdivisions, the authors of these branches, and the reasons for their diversification have been described.

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सर्वमन्वन्तरेष्वेवं ।
शाखाभेदाःसमाः स्मृताः ॥

Summary AI In all the manvantaras (ages of Manus), the divisions of the Vedic branches are traditionally remembered to be similar to these.

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प्राजापत्या श्रुतिर्नित्या ।
तद्विकल्पास्त्विमे द्विज ॥

Summary AI O twice-born one, the original revelation from Prajāpati is eternal, while these various branches are its alternative manifestations.

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एतत्ते कथितं सर्वं यत्पृष्टोहमिहत्वया ।
मैत्रेय वेदसंबन्धः किमन्यत्कथयामि ते ॥

Summary AI O Maitreya, I have explained everything regarding the Vedas that you asked me. What else shall I narrate to you now?

इति श्रीविष्णुमहापुराणे तृतीयांशेःष्ठोध्यायः ।