तमो वा इदमेकमास तत्पश्चात्परेणेरितं विषयत्वं प्रयात्येतद्वै रजसो रूपं तद्रजः खल्वीरितं विषमत्वं प्रयात्येतद्वै तमसो रूपं तत्तमः खल्वीरितं तमसः सम्प्रास्रवत्येतद्वै सत्त्वस्य रूपं तत्सत्त्वमेवेरितं तत्सत्त्वात्संप्रास्रवत्सोंऽशोऽयं यश्चेतनमात्रः प्रतिपुरुषं क्षेत्रज्ञः सङ्कल्पाध्यवसायाभिमानलिङ्गः प्रजापतिस्तस्य प्रोक्ता अग्र्यास्तनवो ब्रह्मा रुद्रो विष्णुरित्यथ यो ह खलु वावास्य राजसोंऽशोऽसौ स योऽयं ब्रह्माथ यो ह खलु वावास्य तामसोंऽशोऽसौ स योऽयं रुद्रोऽथ यो ह खलु वावास्य सात्विकोंऽशोऽसौ स एवं विष्णुः स वा एष एकस्त्रिधाभूतोऽष्टधैकादशधा द्वादशधापरिमितधा चोद्भूत उद्भूतत्वाद्भूतेषु चरति प्रतिष्ठा सर्वभूतानामधिपतिर्बभूवेत्यसावात्मान्तर्बहिश्चान्तर्बहिस् ह्च ॥४.५ ॥
In plain words
In the beginning this was darkness alone. That, stirred by the highest, passed into unevenness. This is the form of passion. That passion, being stirred, passed into disturbance. This is the form of darkness. That darkness, being stirred, flowed forth out of darkness. This is the form of goodness. That goodness, being stirred, flowed forth out of goodness; and that part of it which is pure consciousness, present in each person, the knower of the field, marked by will, resolve and self-conceit, is Prajāpati. Of him the foremost bodies have been declared: Brahmā, Rudra and Viṣṇu. That part of him which belongs to passion is Brahmā; that part of him which belongs to darkness is Rudra; and that part of him which belongs to goodness is Viṣṇu. So this one, being one, became threefold, and came forth eightfold, elevenfold, twelvefold and beyond measure; and because he came forth, he moves among beings; he became the ground and the overlord of all beings. So that Self is within and without — within and without.