Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvadasha Skandha, Shloka 43

Parīkṣit’s Final Absorption, Takṣaka’s Bite, Janamejaya’s Snake Sacrifice, and the Vedic Sound-Lineage

Devanagari script

ततोऽक्षरसमाम्नायमसृजद् भगवानज: । अन्तस्थोष्मस्वरस्पर्शह्रस्वदीर्घादिलक्षणम् ॥ ४३ ॥

Transliteration

tato ’kṣara-samāmnāyam asṛjad bhagavān ajaḥ antasthoṣma-svara-sparśa- hrasva-dīrghādi-lakṣaṇam

Translation

Aus jenem Oṁkāra erschuf Bhagavān Brahmā, der Ungeborene, die gesamte Folge der Lautzeichen des Alphabets—Vokale, Konsonanten, Halbvokale, Zischlaute und andere—unterschieden durch Merkmale wie Kürze und Länge.

Synonyms

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: then/from that)

• akṣara-samāmnāyam: the collection of letters
• akṣara-samāmnāyam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: akṣara (प्रातिपदिक) + samāmnāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masc.), द्वितीया (Acc. 2), एकवचन (sg.); समासः—तत्पुरुष (collection/recension of syllables)

• asṛjat: created
• asṛjat: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sṛj (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/past), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन (sg.)

• bhagavān: the Blessed Lord
• bhagavān: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masc.), प्रथमा (Nom. 1), एकवचन (sg.)

• ajaḥ: the unborn
• ajaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masc.), प्रथमा (Nom. 1), एकवचन (sg.); विशेषणरूपेण (as epithet: unborn)

• antastha-uṣma-svara-sparśa-hrasva-dīrgha-ādi-lakṣaṇam: (a system) characterized by semivowels, sibilants, vowels, mutes, short/long, etc.
• antastha-uṣma-svara-sparśa-hrasva-dīrgha-ādi-lakṣaṇam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: antastha (प्रातिपदिक) + uṣma (प्रातिपदिक) + svara (प्रातिपदिक) + sparśa (प्रातिपदिक) + hrasva (प्रातिपदिक) + dīrgha (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक) + lakṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neut.), द्वितीया (Acc. 2), एकवचन (sg.); बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (having the characteristics such as semivowels, sibilants, vowels, mutes, short/long, etc.)

Characters & Entities

• Bhagavān (the Supreme Lord)

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about the origin of Sanskrit letters and sound?

This verse explains that the unborn Supreme Lord manifests the ordered system of syllables (akṣara-samāmnāya), categorized into vowels, consonants, semivowels, sibilants, and distinctions like short and long sounds—indicating that sacred sound has a divine origin.

Why does Śukadeva Gosvāmī describe phonemes like svara and sparśa in Canto 12?

Śukadeva is presenting a cosmological and philosophical account where creation includes the manifestation of śabda (sound). By describing the structure of letters and pronunciation, he shows how Vedic revelation and articulate speech arise from the Lord’s ordering potency.

Practical application of this teaching in modern life?

It encourages reverence for truthful speech and mindful chanting—especially mantra and nāma-saṅkīrtana—recognizing sound as spiritually potent and meant to connect the mind and heart to the Supreme.