Srimad Bhagavatam — Tritiya Skandha, Shloka 20

Brahmā’s Secondary Creation, Kāla (Eternal Time), and the Taxonomy of Species

Devanagari script

उत्स्रोतसस्तम:प्राया अन्त:स्पर्शा विशेषिण: ॥ २० ॥

Transliteration

utsrotasas tamaḥ-prāyā antaḥ-sparśā viśeṣiṇaḥ

Translation

All the immovable trees and plants seek their subsistence upwards. They are almost unconscious but have feelings of pain within. They are manifested in variegatedness.

Synonyms

• utsrotasaḥ: having upward-flowing channels
• utsrotasaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ut-srotas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Prathamā, Bahuvacana; Bahuvrīhi: ‘ut-srotāṁsi yeṣām’ = those whose streams (of growth) go upward; qualifier of the plant categories

• tamaḥ-prāyāḥ: mostly tamasic
• tamaḥ-prāyāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tamas (प्रातिपदिक) + prāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Prathamā, Bahuvacana; Tatpuruṣa: ‘tamaḥ prāyaḥ’ = mostly of darkness; qualifier

• antaḥ-sparśāḥ: having inner touch-sense
• antaḥ-sparśāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: antaḥ (अव्यय/उपसर्गवत्) + sparśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Prathamā, Bahuvacana; Tatpuruṣa: ‘antaḥ sparśaḥ yeṣām’ = having internal sense of touch

• viśeṣiṇaḥ: distinctive/characterized
• viśeṣiṇaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: viśeṣin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Prathamā, Bahuvacana; adjective meaning ‘distinct/characterized’

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about tamas (darkness) in creation?

This verse notes that many living beings are predominantly influenced by tamas, which shapes their awareness and behavior according to their embodied nature.

Why is Śukadeva Gosvāmī describing different types of beings in Canto 3 Chapter 10?

He is outlining the divisions of creation (sarga) and how varied embodiments arise with different qualities and modes, as part of the Bhagavatam’s cosmological description.

Practical application of understanding tamasic tendencies in modern life?

Recognizing tamasic influence encourages one to cultivate clarity and devotion—choosing habits that increase sattva and support bhakti rather than inertia and ignorance.