Vayu Purana · Verses 26-2

//sūta uvāca//
aho vismayanīyāni rahasyāni mahāmate/
tvayoktāni yathātattvaṃ lokānugrahakāraṇāt

tatra vai saṃśayo mahyamavatā (vā) reṣu śūlinaḥ/
kiṃ kāraṇaṃ mahādevaḥ kaliṃ prāpya sudāruṇam/
hitvā yugāni pūrvāṇi avatāraṃ karoti vai

asminmanvantare caiva prāpte vaivasvate prabho/
avatāraṃ kathañcakre etadicchāmi veditum

na te'styaviditaṃ kiñcidiha loke paratra ca/
bhaktānāmupadeśārthaṃ vinayāt pṛcchato mama/
kathayasva mahāprājña yadi śrāvyaṃ mahāmatam

//lomaśa uvāca//
evaṃ pṛṣṭo'tha bhagavān vāyurlokahite rataḥ/
idamāha mahātejā vāyurlokanamaskṛtaḥ

etadghuptatamaṃ loke yanmāntvaṃ paripṛcchasi/
tatsarvaṃ śrṛṇu gādheya ucyamānaṃ yathākramam

purā hyekārṇave vṛtte divye varṣasahasrake/
sraṣṭukāmaḥ prajā brahmā cintayāmāsa duḥśitaḥ

tasya cintayamānasya prādurbhūtaḥ kumārakaḥ/
divyagandhaḥ sudhāpekṣī divyāṃ śrutimudīrayan

aśabdasparśarūpāntāmagandhāṃ rasavarjjitām/
śrutiṃ hyudīrayan devo yāmavindaccaturmmukhaḥ

tatastu dhyānasaṃyuktastapa āsthāya bhairavam/
cintayāmāsa manasā tritayaṃ ko'nvayantviti

tasya cintayamānasya prādurbhūtaṃ tadakṣaram/
aśabdasparśarūpañca rasagandhavivarjjitam

athottamaṃ sa lokeṣu svamūrttiñcāpi paśyati/
dhyāyanvai sa tadā devamathainaṃ paśyate punaḥ

taṃ śvetamatha raktañca pītaṃ kṛṣṇaṃ tadā punaḥ/
varṇasthaṃ tatra paśyeta na strī na ca napuṃsakam

tatsarvaṃ suciraṃ jñātvā cintayan hi tadakṣaram /
tasya cintayamānasya kaṇṭhāduttiṣṭhate'kṣaraḥ

ekamātro mahāghoṣaḥ śvetavarṇaḥ sunirmalaḥ/
sa oṅkāro bhavedvedaḥ akṣaraṃ vai maheśvaraḥ

tataścintayamānasya tvakṣaraṃ vai svayambhuvaḥ/
prādurbhūtantu raktantu sa devaḥ prathamaḥ smṛtaḥ

ṛgvedaṃ prathamaṃ tasya tvagnimīḻe purohitam/
etāṃ dṛṣṭvā ṛcaṃ brahmā cintayāmāsa vai punaḥ/
tadakṣaraṃ mahātejāḥ kimetaditi lokakṛt

tasya cintayamānasya tasminnatha maheśvaraḥ /
dvimātramakṣaraṃ jajñe īśitvena dvimātrikam

tataḥ punardvimātraṃ tu cintayāmāsa cākṣaram/
prādurbhūtaṃ ca raktaṃ tacchedane gṛhya sā yajuḥ

iṣe tvorjjetvā vāyavastha devo vaḥ savitā punaḥ/
ṛgveda ekamātrastu dvimātrantu yajuḥ smṛtam

tato vedaṃ dvimātraṃ tu dṛṣṭvā caiva tadakṣaram/
dvimātraṃ cintayan brahma tvakṣaraṃ punarīśvaraḥ

tasya cintayamānasya coṅkāraḥ sambabhūva ha/
tatastadakṣaraṃ brahmā oṅkāraṃ samacintayat

athāpaśyattataḥ pītāmṛcaṃ caiva samutthitām/
agna āyāhi vītaye gṛṇāno havyadātaye

tatastu sa mahātejā dṛṣṭvā vedānupasthitān/
cintayitvā ca bhagavāṃstrisandhyaṃ yatrrirakṣaram/
trivarṇaṃ yat triṣavaṇamoṅkāraṃ brahmasaṃjñitam

tataśvaiva trisaṃyogāt trivarṇaṃ tu tadakṣaram/
lakṣyālakṣyapradṛśyaṃ ca sahitaṃ tridivaṃ trikam

trimātraṃ tripadaṃ caiva triyogaṃ caiva śāśvatam/
tasmāttadakṣaraṃ brahmā cintayāmāsa vai prabhuḥ

tasmāttadakṣaraṃ so'tha brahmarūpaṃ svayambhuvaḥ/
caturddaśamukhaṃ devaṃ paśyate dīptatejasam/
tamoṅkāraṃ sa kṛtvādau vijñeyaḥ sa svayambhuvaḥ

caturmukhamukhāttasmādajāyanta caturddaśa/
nānāvarṇāḥ svarā divyamādyaṃ tacca tadakṣaram/
tasmāt triṣaṣṭivarṇā vai akāraprabhavāḥ smṛtāḥ

tataḥ sādhāraṇārthāya varṇānāntu svayambhuvaḥ/
akārarūpa ādau tu sthitaḥ sa prathamaḥ svaraḥ

tatastebhyaḥ svarebhyastu caturddaśa mahāmukhāḥ/
manavaḥ samprasūyante divyā manvantare svarāḥ

caturddaśamukho yaśca akāro brahmasaṃjñitaḥ/
brahmakalpaḥ samākhyātaḥ sarvavarṇaḥ prajāpatiḥ

mukhāttu prathamāttasya manuḥ svāyambhuvaḥ smṛtaḥ/
akārastu sa vijñeyaḥ śvetavarṇaḥ svayambhuvaḥ

dvitīyāttu mukhāttasya ākāro vai mukhaḥ smṛtaḥ/
nāmnā svārociṣo nāma varṇaḥ pāṇḍura ucyate

tṛtīyāttu mukhāttasya ikāro yajuṣāṃ varaḥ/
yajurmayaḥ sa cādityo yajurvedo yataḥ smṛtaḥ

īkāraḥ sa manurjñeyo raktavarṇaḥ pratāpavān/
tataḥ kṣatraṃ pravarttanta tasmādraktastu kṣatriyaḥ

caturthāttu mukhāttasya ukāraḥ svara ucyate/
varṇatastu smṛtastāmraḥ sa manustāmasaḥ smṛtaḥ

pañcamāttu mukhāttasya ūkāro nāma jāyate/
pītako varṇataścaiva manuścāpi cariṣṇavaḥ

tataḥ ṣaṣṭhānmukhāttasya oṅkāraḥ kapilaḥ smṛtaḥ/
variṣṭhaśca tataḥ ṣaṣṭho vijayaḥ sa mahātapāḥ

saptamāttu mukhāttasya tato vaivasvato manuḥ/
ṛkāraśca svarastatra varṇataḥ kuṣṇa ucyate

aṣṭamāttu mukhāttasya ṝkāraḥ śyāmavarṇataḥ/
śyāmākṣarasavarṇaśca tataḥ sāvarṇirucyate

mukhāttu navamāttasya lṛkāro navamaḥ smṛtaḥ/
dhūmro vai varṇataścāpi dhūmrasva manurucyate

daśamāttu mukhāttasya lṛkāraḥ prabhurucyate/
samaścaiva savarṇaśca babhau sāvarṇiko manuḥ

mukhādekādaśāttasya ekāro manurucyate/
piśaṅgo varṇataścaiva piśaṅgo varṇa ucyate

dvādaśāttu mukhāttasya aikāro nāma ucyate/
piśaṅgo bhasmavarṇābhaḥ piśaṅgo manurucyate

trayodaśānmukhāttasya okāro varṇa ucyate/
pañcavarṇasamāyukta okāro varṇa uttamaḥ

caturddaśamukhāttasya aukāro varṇa ucyate/
karbūro varṇataścaiva manuḥ sāvarṇirucyate

ityete manavaścaiva svarā varṇāśca kalpataḥ/
vijñeyā hi yathātattvaṃ svarato varṇatastathā

parasparasavarṇāśca svarā yasmād vṛtā hi vai /
tasmātteṣāṃ savarṇatvādanvayastu prakīrtitaḥ

savarṇāḥ sadṛśāścaiva yasmājjātāstu kalpajāḥ/
tasmāt prajānāṃ loke'smin savarṇāḥ sarvasandhayaḥ

bhaviṣyanti yathāśailaṃ varṇāśca nyāyato'rthataḥ/
abhyāsātsandhayaścaiva tasmājjñeyāḥ svarā iti

iti śrīmahāpurāṇe vāyuprokte svarotpattirnāma ṣaḍ‌viṃśo'dhyāyaḥ