CHAPTER – 103
Markandeya said: – When the sky and the earth were heated by the rays of the sun the lotus sprung grandfather, with a desire to create progeny, began to think. (1) “As soon as I will create it everything will be destroyed by the heat of the divine sun, the cause of the creation, preservation and destruction. (2) All the creatures will be deprived of their lives, the water will be dried up by his heat and without water it will be impossible to carry on the creation of the universe.” (3) Thinking thus the Divine Brahma, the grandfather of the world, with his mind fixed on him, began to chant the glories of the Divine Sun. (4)
BRAHMA said: – Salutation unto him who is identical with this whole universe, who is identical with all who has the universe for his form, who is the great light which is meditated on by the Yogins; (5) who is identical with Rik, who is the root of Yayush, who is the origin of Saman, who is of inconceivable energy, who, for his grossness, is identical with three, the half matra is whose great form and who is beyond all qualities; (6) who is the cause of all, who is worthy of being eulogised greatly and being known, who is the great light Avanhi in the beginning, who is gross being identical with the gross – I bow unto that greatest of the great, the Sun, the first of all. (7) Urged on by this prime energy I create water, earth, air, fire, gods and various other endless objects beginning with Om; and in due order preserve and destroy them. I can never do so of my own accord. (8) Thou art fire. By thy prowess I dry up the water and create the world and perform the first cooking process of the world. Thou art, O lord, manifest over the universe and identical with Akasa (space). Thou art protecting this universe in fivefold ways. (9) By undertaking sacrifices, persons conversant with great soul, worship thee; thou art Vivaswan – thou art Vishnu – thou art the lord of all and the greatest of the great. Desirous of emancipation and controlling their mind and soul, even the ascetics meditate on thee. (10) Salutation unto thee who art in the form of sacrifice, art the great Brahman and being meditated upon by the Yogins. (11) O lord, I am engaged in creation – this bundle of effulgence has stood in my way – do thou withdraw it. (12)
MARKANDEYA said: – Having been thus eulogised in a most excellent manner by Brahma, the creator of the universe, the Divine Sun withdrew his own great effulgence and held a little. (13) Then the lotus-sprung great Brahma, O great Muni, created, as in the previous Kalpa, the similar gods, Asuras, men, beasts and others, trees, creepers and hells. (14-15)