Shloka 4

Ahaṅkāra-Tripartition and the Rise of Indriyas, Devatās, and Cosmic Administrators

Devanagari script

अहन्तत्त्वाभिमानी तु आदौ शेषो बभूवह / सहस्राब्दाच्च पश्चात्तौ जातौ खगहरौ द्विज

Transliteration

ahantattvābhimānī tu ādau śeṣo babhūvaha / sahasrābdācca paścāttau jātau khagaharau dvija

Translation

إنَّ المُشرفَ على مبدأ «الأنا» (ahaṅtattva) صار أولاً شِيشا (Śeṣa)؛ وبعد ألفِ سنةٍ، يا ذا الميلادين (dvija)، وُلِدَ الاثنانِ كغارودا (Garuḍa) وهاري (Hari).

Word by Word

• अहन्तत्त्वाभिमानी: identifying with the I-principle
• अहन्तत्त्वाभिमानी: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अहन्तत्त्व + अभिमानिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (अहन्तत्त्वे अभिमानः यस्य)

• तु: but
• तु: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (contrastive)

• आदौ: at first
• आदौ: Kriya-visheshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; सप्तमी-एकवचन-रूपेण क्रियाविशेषण (locative used adverbially)

• शेषः: Śeṣa
• शेषः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• बभूव: became
• बभूव: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ह: indeed
• ह: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphatic/metrical)

• सहस्राब्दात्: after a thousand years
• सहस्राब्दात्: Apadana (अपादान/ablative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र + अब्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (सहस्राणि अब्दाः)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• पश्चात्: afterwards
• पश्चात्: Kriya-visheshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पश्चात् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• तौ: those two
• तौ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; सर्वनाम

• जातौ: were born
• जातौ: Kriya (क्रिया/‘were born’)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्यय (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन

• खगहरौ: Khaga and Hari (the two)
• खगहरौ: Karta (कर्ता/apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: खग + हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), द्विवचन; समासः द्वन्द्व (खगः च हरिः च)

• द्विज: O twice-born (brāhmaṇa)
• द्विज: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (narrating cosmological sequence within Garuda Purana dialogue tradition)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Ahaṅ-tattva as a cosmic principle with presiding agency; sequential manifestation of divine supports (Śeṣa) and divine forms (Garuḍa, Hari).

Vedantic Theme: Tattva-sṛṣṭi (principle-based cosmology) and adhiṣṭhātṛ-devatā (presiding deities) within a theistic frame.

Application: Contemplate the layered origin of ego-sense and its governance; cultivate humility by seeing ‘I’-sense as a cosmic function, not the true Self.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana (Brahma-khanda/Adi-sarga sections): tri-guṇa ahaṅkāra and adhiṣṭhātṛ-devatā discussions (general parallel)

Characters & Entities

• Shesha (Ananta)
• Garuḍa
• Hari (Vishnu)
• Dvija (twice-born)

FAQs

What is the importance of ahantattva (the ‘I’-principle) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse links the presiding ‘I’-sense principle to cosmic manifestation, showing how subtle metaphysical categories are personified as divine beings in the Purana’s creation narrative.

How does this verse explain the appearance of Śeṣa, Garuḍa, and Hari?

It presents an ordered emergence: first Śeṣa is manifested, and later (after a long span) Garuḍa and Hari are described as being born—framing them within a cosmological timeline rather than a purely historical one.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Treat the ego-sense as a subtle power that shapes perception; cultivating humility and devotion (bhakti) helps prevent identification with the ‘I’-principle from dominating one’s actions.