And the glorious Jannardana, wearing form of Brahmā, the essence of all things, the lord of all, the creator of all, involved in his own illusions and having swallowed up three spheres, sleeps upon the serpent Sesha in the midst of the ocean. And awaking after sleep the undecaying Hari, resorting to the quality of foulness, creates all things as they were before. And by virtue of a part of his essence which is identical with the quality of goodness he, as the Manus, the celestials, their chiefs, kings, as well as the seven Rishis, preserves the universe. I will now explain to you, O Maitreya, how Vishnu, who is regarded as Providence all through the four ages, preserved (the universe).
In the Krita Yuga, He, for the behoof of all creatures, was born as the great ascetic Kapila and imparted to them true wisdom. In the Treta Yuga he was born as the Lord Paramount and repressed the wicked and protected the three worlds. In the Dwapara Yuga He was born as Vyāsa and divided the Vedas into four divisions which were again divided into various branches; which were again divided into diverse sections. And at the end of Kali the fourth Yuga, He shall be born as Kalki and shall lead again the wicked to the paths of piety. Thus the endless Vishnu creates, preserves and destroys the universe. And there is none else but Him. I have thus described to you, O Brahman, the real nature of that Great Being who is at one with all things, and besides whom there is nothing else, nor has there been, nor will there be either here or elsewhere. I have also described to you all the Manwantaras with their presiding deities. What else do you wish to hear?
SECTION III.
Maitreya said:—I had been informed before by you that this universe is but the manifestation of Vishnu, that it exists in Him and that there is nothing else distinct from Him. I wish now to hear how the illustrious Vedvyāsa divided the Vedas into various sections in diverse Yugas. Describe to me, O great Muni, who were the Vyāsas in different eras, and what were the various divisions of the Vedas?
Parāçara said:—O Maitreya, the great tree of Vedas has a thousand branches. It is impossible for me to describe them at length. Listen, I shall, however, describe them in short.
O great Muni, the glorious Vishnu, in the form of Vyāsa, at every Dwāpara Yuga, for the benefit of mankind, divided the Vedas into various branches. Beholding the diminution of the prowess and energy of mankind, He, for their behoof, divided the Vedas into various divisions. The form, in which the glorious Vishnu divides the Vedas, is named Veda-Vyāsa. Listen, I shall now describe to you, O Muni, who were the Vyāsas in their respective periods and how they divided the Vedas.
In the Vaivaswata Manwantara in the Dwapara age, the Rishis divided the Vedas twenty-eight times and accordingly twenty-eight Vyāsas have passed away who divided the Vedas in their respective periods into four. In the Dwapara age the distribution was made by Swayambhuva (Brahmā) himself; in the second period Veda-Vyāsa was the Manu; in the third, Usanas; in the fourth, Vrihaspatii in the fifth, Savitri; in the sixth, Mrityu; in the seventh, Indra; in the eighth, Vasishtha; in the ninth, Sāraswata; in the tenth, Tridhāman; in the eleventh, Trivreshan; in the twelfth, Bharadwāja; in the thirteenth, Antariksha; in the fourteenth, Vapra; in the fifteenth, Trayyaruna; in the sixteenth, Dhananjaya; in the seventeenth, Kritanjaya; in the eighteenth, Rina; in the nineteenth, Bharadwāja; in the twentieth, Goutama; in the twenty-first, Uttama, also called Haryāttmā; in the twenty-second, Vena, who is otherwise named Rājasravas; in the twenty-third, Somasushināpana, also Trina-Vindu; in the twenty-fourth, Riksha, the descendant of Bhrigu, who is known by the name Vālmiki; in the twenty-fifth my father Sakti was the Vyāsa; I was the Vyāsa of the twenty-sixth period; and was succeeded by Jaratkaru: the Vyāsa in the twenty-eighth period was Krishna Dwaipāyana. These are the twenty-eight elder Vyāsas who divided the Vedas into four in the preceding Dwāpara ages. In the next Dwāpara, Drauni, the son of Drona, will be the Vyāsa when my son the Muni Krishna Dwaipāyana, who is the actual Vyāsa, shall cease to be.
The syllable Om is defined to be the eternal monosyllabic Brahmā. The word Brahmā is derived from the root Vriha to increase because it is infinite and because it is the cause by which the Vedas developed. The regions, Bhur, Bhuva and Swa exist in Brahmā, who is Om. Glory to Brahmā, who is known as Om and who is at one with Rik, Yajur, and Shāma. Salutation unto Brahmā who is the cause of creation and destruction, who is the great and mysterious cause of the intellectual principle (Mahat), who is devoid of limit in time and space and is freed from diminution and decay, from whom proceeds worldly illusion and in whom exists the end of soul through the qualities of goodness and foulness. He is the refuge of those who are acquainted with the Sānkhya philosophy and those who have mastered their thoughts and passions. He is the invisible and imperishable Brahmā, assuming various forms but invariable in substance and the chief self-create principle. He lightens the recesses of heart, is indivisible, radiant, undecaying and multiform. Salutation unto this supreme Brahmā, ever and ever—this form of Vāsudeva who is at one with the supreme spirit. This Brahmā, although diversified as threefold, is identical, is the lord of all, exists as one in all creatures, and is perceived as many on account of their diversity of understanding. He, composed of Rik, Shāma and Yajur Vedas, is at the same time their essence as He is the soul of all embodied spirits. He, though at one with the Vedas, creates them and divides them into various branches. He is the author of these divisions—He is those branches collectively; for that eternal lord is the essence of true knowledge.
SECTION IV.
Parāçara said:—The original Veda, divided into four branches, consists of one hundred thousand Stanzas and from it originated sacrifice of ten kinds—the fulfiller of all desires. In the twenty-eighth Dwāpara era, my son Vyāsa divided the Veda into four branches.