मैत्रेय उवाच
ऋग्यजुःसामाथर्वाख्यान् वेदान्पूर्वादिभिर्मुखैः ।
शास्त्रमिज्यां स्तुतिस्तोमं प्रायश्चित्तं व्यधात्क्रमात् ॥ ३७ ॥
vedan purvadibhir mukhaih
sastram ijyam stuti-stomam
prayas-cittam vyadhat kramat
maitreyah uvaca-Maitreya said; rk-yajuh-sama-atharva-the four Vedas; akhyan-of the name; vedan-Vedic literatures; purva-adibhih-beginning with the front; mukhaih-by the mouths; sastram-Vedic hymns not pronounced before; ijyam-priestly rituals; stuti-stomam-the subject matter of the reciters; prayah-cittam-transcendental activities; vyadhat-established; kramat-one after another.
Maitreya said: Beginning from the front face of Brahma, gradually the four Vedas-Rk, Yajuh, Sama and Atharva-became manifest. Thereafter, Vedic hymns which had not been pronounced before, priestly rituals, the subject matters of the recitation, and transcendental activities were all established, one after another.