Devi Bhagavata Purana · Chapter 3.1

bhuvaneśvarīvarṇanam
janamejaya uvāca -
bhagavan bhavatā proktaṃ yajñamambābhidhaṃ mahat /
sā kā kathaṃ samutpannā kutra kasmācca kiṃguṇā

kīdṛśaśca makhastasyāḥ svarūpaṃ kīdṛśaṃ tathā /
vidhānaṃ vidhivad‌‌brūhi sarvajño'si dayānidhe

brahmāṇḍasya tathotpattiṃ vada vistaratastathā /
yathoktaṃ yādṛśaṃ brahmannakhilaṃ vetsi bhūsura

brahmā viṣṇuśca rudraśca trayo devā mayā śrutāḥ /
sṛṣṭipālanasaṃhārakārakāḥ saguṇāstvamī

svatantrāste mahātmānaḥ pārāśarya vadasva me /
āhosvitparatantrāste śrotumicchāmi sāmpratam

mṛtyudharmāśca te no vā saccidānandarūpiṇaḥ /
adhibhūtādibhiryuktā na vā duḥkhaistridhātmakaiḥ

kālasya vaśagā no vā te sureṃdrā mahābalāḥ /
kathaṃ te vai samutpannā kasmāditi ca saṃśayaḥ

harṣaśokayutāste vai nidrālasyasamanvitāḥ /
saptadhātumayāsteṣāṃ dehāḥ kiṃ vānyathā mune

kairdravyairnirmitāste vai kairguṇairindriyaistathā /
bhogaśca kīdṛśasteṣāṃ pramāṇamāyuṣastathā

nivāsasthānamapyeṣāṃ vibhūtiṃ ca vadasva me /
śrotumicchāmyahaṃ brahman vistareṇa kathāmimām

vyāsa uvāca -
durgamaḥ praśnabhāro'yaṃ kṛto rājaṃstvayā'dhunā /
brahmādīnāṃ samutpattiḥ kasmāditi mahāmate

etadeva mayā pūrvaṃ pṛṣṭo'sau nārado muniḥ /
vismitaḥ pratyuvācedamutthitaḥ śṛṇu bhūpate

kasmiṃśca samaye cāhaṃ gaṅgātīre sthitaṃ munim /
apaśyaṃ nāradaṃ śāntaṃ sarvajñaṃ vedavittamam

dṛṣṭvāhaṃ mudito bhūtvā pādayorapataṃ muneḥ /
tejājñaptaḥ samīpe'sya saṃviṣṭaśca varāsane

śrutvā kuśalavārtāṃ vai tamapṛcchaṃ vidheḥ sutam /
nirviṣṭaṃ jāhnavītīre nirjane sūkṣmavāluke

mune'tivitatasyāsya brahmāṇḍasya mahāmate /
kaḥ kartā paramaḥ proktastanme brūhi vidhānataḥ

kasmādetatsamutpannaṃ brahmāṇḍaṃ munisattama /
anityaṃ vā tathā nityaṃ tadācakṣva dvijottama

ekakartṛkametadvā bahukartṛkamanyathā /
akartṛkaṃ na kāryaṃ syādvirodho'yaṃ vibhāti me

iti sandehasandohe magnaṃ māṃ tārayādhunā /
vikalpakoṭīḥ kṛrvāṇaṃ saṃsāre'smin pravistare

bruvanti śaṃkaraṃ kecinmatvā kāraṇakāraṇam /
sadāśivaṃ mahādevaṃ pralayotpattivarjitam

ātmārāmaṃ sureśaṃ ca triguṇaṃ nirmalaṃ haram /
saṃsāratārakaṃ nityaṃ sṛṣṭisthityantakāraṇam

anye viṣṇuṃ stuvantyenaṃ sarveṣāṃ prabhumīśvaram /
paramātmānamavyaktaṃ sarvaśaktisamanvitam

bhuktidaṃ muktidaṃ śāntaṃ sarvādiṃ sarvatomukham /
vyāpakaṃ viśvaśaraṇamanādinidhanaṃ harim

dhātāraṃ ca tathā cānye bruvanti sṛṣṭikāraṇam /
tameva sarvavettāraṃ sarvabhūtapravartakam

caturmukhaṃ sureśānaṃ nābhipadmabhavaṃ vibhum /
sraṣṭāraṃ sarvalokānāṃ satyalokanivāsinam

dineśaṃ pravadantyanye sarveśaṃ vedavādinaḥ /
stuvanti caiva gāyanti sāyaṃ prātaratandritāḥ

yajanti ca tathā yajñe vāsavaṃ ca śatakratum /
sahasrākṣaṃ devadevaṃ sarveṣāṃ prabhumulbaṇam

yajñādhīśaṃ surādhīśaṃ trilokeśaṃ śacīpatim /
yajñānāṃ caiva bhoktāraṃ somapaṃ somapapriyam

varuṇaṃ ca tathā somaṃ pāvakaṃ pavanaṃ tathā /
yamaṃ kuberaṃ dhanadaṃ gaṇādhīśaṃ tathāpare

herambaṃ gajavaktraṃ ca sarvakāryaprasādhakam /
smaraṇātsiddhidaṃ kāmaṃ kāmadaṃ kāmagaṃ param

bhavānīṃ kecanācāryāḥ pravadantyakhilārthadām /
ādimāyāṃ mahāśaktiṃ prakṛtiṃ puruṣānugām

brahmaikatāsamāpannāṃ sṛṣṭisthityantakāriṇīm /
mātaraṃ sarvabhūtānāṃ devatānāṃ tathaiva ca

anādinidhanāṃ pūrṇāṃ vyāpikāṃ sarvajantuṣu /
īśvarīṃ sarvalokānāṃ nirguṇāṃ saguṇāṃ śivām

vaiṣṇavīṃ śāṅkarīṃ brāhmīṃ vāsavīṃ vāruṇīṃ tathā /
vārāhīṃ nārasiṃhīṃ ca mahālakṣmīṃ tathād‌bhutām

vedamātaramekāṃ ca vidyāṃ bhavataroḥ sthirām /
sarvaduḥkhanihantrīṃ ca smaraṇātsarvakāmadām

mokṣadāṃ ca mumukṣūṇāṃ kāmadāṃ ca phalārthinām /
triguṇātītarūpāṃ ca guṇavistārakārakām

nirguṇāṃ saguṇāṃ tasmāttāṃ dhyāyanti phalārthinaḥ /
niraṃjanaṃ nirākāraṃ nirlepaṃ nirguṇaṃ kila

arūpaṃ vyāpakaṃ brahma pravadanti munīśvarāḥ /
vedopaniṣadi proktastejomaya iti kvacit

sahasraśīrṣā puruṣaḥ sahasranayanastathā /
sahasrakarakarṇaśca sahasrāsyaḥ sahasrapāt

viṣṇoḥ pādamathākāśaṃ paramaṃ samudāhṛtam /
virājaṃ virajaṃ śāntaṃ pravadanti manīṣiṇaḥ

puruṣottamaṃ tathā cānye pravadanti purāvidaḥ /
naiko'pīti vadantyanye prabhurīśaḥ kadācana

anīśvaramidaṃ sarvaṃ brahmāṇḍamiti kecana /
na kadāpīśajanyaṃ yajjagadetadacintitam

sadaivedamanīśaṃ ca svabhāvotthaṃ sadedṛśam /
akartāsau pumānproktaḥ prakṛtistu tathā ca sā

evaṃ vadanti sāṅkhyāśca munayaḥ kapilādayaḥ /
ete sandehasandohāḥ prabhavanti tathā'pare

vikalpopahataṃ cetaḥ kiṃ karomi munīśvara /
dharmādharmavivakṣāyāṃ na mano me sthiraṃ bhavet

ko dharmaḥ kīdṛśo'dharmaścihnaṃ naivopalabhyate /
devāḥ sattvaguṇotpannāḥ satyadharmavyavasthitāḥ

pīḍyante dānavaiḥ pāpaiḥ kutra dharmavyavasthitiḥ /
dharmasthitāḥ sadācārāḥ pāṇḍavā mama vaṃśajāḥ

duḥkhaṃ bahuvidhaṃ prāptāstatra dharmasya kā sthitiḥ /
ato me hṛdayaṃ tāta vepate'tīva saṃśaye

kuru me'saṃśayaṃ cetaḥ samartho'si mahāmune /
trāhi saṃsāravārdhestvaṃ jñānapotena māṃ mune

majjantaṃ cotpatantaṃ ca magnaṃ mohajalāvile

iti śrīdevībhāgavate mahāpurāṇe'ṣṭādaśasāhasryāṃ saṃhitāyāṃ
tṛtīyaskandhe bhuvaneśvarīvarṇanaṃ nāma prathamo'dhyāyaḥ