Mahabharata · Chapter 12.360
bahavaḥ puruṣā brahmannutāho eka eva tu /
ko hyatra puruṣaḥ śreṣṭhaḥ ko vā yonirihocyate //
vaiśampāyana uvāca /
bahavaḥ puruṣā loke sāṅgyayogavicāraṇe /
naitadicchanti puruṣamekaṃ kurukulodvaha //
bahanāṃ puruṣāṇāṃ ca yathaikā yonirucyate /
tathā taṃ puruṣaṃ viśvaṃ vyākhyāsyāmi guṇādhikam //
namaskṛtvā ca gurave vyāsāya viditātmane /
tapoyuktāya dāntāya vandyāya paramapaye //
idaṃ puruṣasūktaṃ hi sarvavedeṣu pārthiva /
ṛtaṃ satyaṃ ca vikhyātamṛpisiṃhena cintitam //
utsargeṇāpavādena ṛṣibhiḥ kapilādibhiḥ /
adhyānmacintāmāśritya śāstrāṇyuktāni bhārata //
samāsatestu yadvyāsaḥ puruṣaikatvamuktavān /
tatte'haṃ sampravakṣyāmi prasādādamitaujasaḥ //
atrāpyudāharantīmamitihāsaṃ purātanam /
brahmaṇā saha saṃvādaṃ tryambakasya viśāmpate //
kṣīrodasya samudrasya madhye hāṭakasaprabhaḥ /
vaijayanta iti khyātaḥ parvatapravaro nṛpa //
tatrādhyātmagatiṃ deva ekākī pravicintayan /
vairājasadanānnityaṃ vaijayantaṃ nipevate //
atha tatrā'satastasya caturvakrasya dhīmataḥ / lalāṭaprabhavaḥ putraḥ śiva āgādyadṛcchayā /
ākāśena mahāyogī purā trinayanaḥ prabhuḥ //
tataḥ khānnipapātāśu dharaṇīdharamūrdhani /
agrataścābhavatprīto vavande cāpi pādayoḥ //
taṃ pādayonimpatitaṃ dṛṣṭvā savyena pāṇinā / atthāpayāmāsa tadā prabhurekaḥ prajāpatiḥ /
uvāca cainaṃ bhagavāṃścirasyāgatamātmajam //
pitāmaha uvāca /
svāgataṃ te mahābāho diṣṭyā prāptosi me'ntikam / kaccitte kuśalaṃ putra svādhyāyatapasoḥ sadā /
nityamugratapāstvaṃ hi tataḥ pṛcchāmi te punaḥ //
rudra uvāca /
tvatprasādena bhagavansvādhyāyatapasormama /
kṛśalaṃ cāvyayaṃ caiva sarvasya jagatastvatha //
ciradṛṣṭomi bhagavanvairājasadane mayā /
tato'haṃ parvataṃ prāptastvimaṃ tvatpādasevitam //
kautūhalaṃ cāpi hi me ekāntagamanena te /
naitatkāraṇamalpaṃ hi bhaviṣyati pitāmaha //
kinnu tatsadanaṃ śreṣṭhaṃ kṣutpipāsāvivarjitam /
surāsurairadhyupitamṛṣibhiścāmitaprabhaiḥ //
gandharvairepsarobhiśca satataṃ sanniṣevitam /
utsṛjyemaṃ girivaramekākī prāptavānasi //
brahmovāca /
vaijayanto girivaraḥ satataṃ sevyate mayā /
atraikāgreṇa manasā puruṣaścintyate virāṭ //
rudra uvāca /
bahavaḥ puruṣā brahmaṃstvayā sṛṣṭāḥ svayambhuva /
sṛjyante cāpare brahmansa caikaḥ puruṣo virāṭ //
ko hyasau cintyate brahmaṃstvayaikaḥ puruṣottamaḥ /
etanme saṃśayaṃ chindhi mahatkautūhalaṃ hi me //
brahmovāca /
bahavaḥ puruṣāḥ putra tvayā ye samudāhṛtāḥ /
evametadatikrāntaṃ draṣṭavyaṃ naivamityapi //
ādhāraṃ tu pravakṣyāmi ekasya puruṣasya te /
bahūnāṃ puruṣāṇāṃ sa yathaikā yonirucyate //
tathā taṃ puruṣaṃ viśvaṃ paramaṃ sumahattamam /
nirguṇaṃ nirguṇā bhūtvā praviśanti sanātanam //
Original text: Mahābhārata (southern recension) · Edition: Śrīman Mahābhāratam, ed. T. R. Krishnacharya and T. R. Vyasacharya, Nirnaya Sagar Press, Bombay 1906–1910; e-text by SARIT (Shrinivasa Varakhedi and others) · SARIT: Search and Retrieval of Indic Texts · SARIT (e-text) via Internet Archive · CC BY-SA 3.0