Shloka 16
Ajāna Lineages, Divine Classes, Ṛṣi Catalogues, and the Merit of Śravaṇa-Smaraṇa
ब्रुवे द्व्यष्टसहस्रं च शृणु तार्क्ष्य मम स्त्रियः / अग्निपुत्रास्तु यद्द्व्यष्टसहस्रञ्च मम स्त्रियः / अजानजसमा ह्येता (ते) नात्र कार्या विचारणा
bruve dvyaṣṭasahasraṃ ca śṛṇu tārkṣya mama striyaḥ / agniputrāstu yaddvyaṣṭasahasrañca mama striyaḥ / ajānajasamā hyetā (te) nātra kāryā vicāraṇā
Ich werde es darlegen: Höre, o Tārkṣya—meine Gemahlinnen sind zweitausendachtundzwanzig an der Zahl. Diese zweitausendachtundzwanzig Gemahlinnen von mir sind wahrlich Töchter Agnis. Sie sind rein und makellos, gleichsam „ungeboren und doch geboren“; darum ist hier weder Zweifel noch weitere Prüfung nötig.
Lord Vishnu
Concept: Purāṇic pramāṇa: authoritative enumeration of divine lineages; acceptance of śāstra-based testimony to settle doubt.
Vedantic Theme: Śabda-pramāṇa (scriptural testimony) as a valid means of knowledge in matters beyond perception.
Application: Approach sacred texts with disciplined listening (śravaṇa) and avoid fruitless skepticism in supra-sensory matters; verify via traditional commentarial/paramparā sources when possible.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Related Themes: Garuda Purana: genealogical/cosmological catalogues in early kāṇḍas; dialogic address to Tārkṣya (Garuḍa)
FAQs
This verse uses sacred genealogy to establish the purity and authoritative status of the beings being described—linking them to Agni and removing grounds for doubt in the narrative.
Vishnu addresses Garuḍa directly (“O Tārkṣya”), giving a precise declaration meant to be accepted as reliable instruction within the Purāṇic teaching style.
Treat scriptural instruction with careful listening and disciplined inquiry—once a point is clearly established by a trusted source, avoid needless skepticism and focus on ethical practice.