Shloka 23

Vānaprastha-vṛtti and the Transition toward the Fourth Āśrama (वानप्रस्थवृत्तिः चतुर्थाश्रमोपक्रमश्च)

Devanagari script

प्रजापतिरिवाक्षो भ्य: शरीरात्‌ सृजते प्रजा: । अड्गुल्यड्गुष्ठमात्रेण हस्तपादेन वा तथा

Transliteration

prajāpatir ivākṣobhyaḥ śarīrāt sṛjate prajāḥ | aṅguly-aṅguṣṭha-mātreṇa hasta-pādena vā tathā ||

Translation

قال فياسا: «كما أن براجابتي، الثابت الذي لا يتزعزع، يُخرج الكائنات الحيّة من جسده هو، كذلك يمكن أن يقع الخلق حتى بمقدار إصبع أو إبهام، أو كذلك بيدٍ أو قدمٍ».

Word by Word

प्रजापतिःPrajapati (the Creator)

इवlike, as

अक्षोभ्यःfrom Akṣobhya (the unshakable one)

शरीरात्from (his) body

सृजतेcreates, produces

प्रजाःcreatures, progeny

अङ्गुलि-अङ्गुष्ठ-मात्रेणby (something) of the measure of a finger and thumb

हस्त-पादेनby hand and foot

वाor

तथाthus, likewise

Speaker

व्यास उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vyāsa

Prajāpati

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse emphasizes the effortless sovereignty of the creator: just as Prajāpati generates beings from his own body, the supreme, unshakable source can manifest creation even from the smallest portion—highlighting divine potency and the non-limitation of creative power.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vyāsa is explaining a cosmological point within the Shānti Parva’s reflective discourse: he uses Prajāpati as an analogy to illustrate how beings can be produced from the creator’s own substance, even from a minute measure such as a finger or thumb (or a hand or foot).