Shloka 18

हिरण्यगर्भो भगवानेष बुद्धिरिति स्मृत: । महानिति च योगेषु विरिज्चिरिति चाप्यज:,परमेश्वरसे उत्पन्न जो सबके अग्रज भगवान्‌ हिरण्यगर्भ हैं, ये ही बुद्धि कहे गये हैं। योगशास्त्रमें ये ही महान्‌ कहे गये हैं। इन्हींको विरिज्चि तथा अज भी कहते हैं

hiraṇyagarbho bhagavān eṣa buddhir iti smṛtaḥ | mahān iti ca yogeṣu viriñcir iti cāpy ajaḥ |

Vasiṣṭha sprach: „Der erhabene Herr, der Erstgeborene aller — Hiraṇyagarbha — wird als ‘Buddhi’ (kosmische Intelligenz) erinnert. In den Lehren des Yoga heißt er auch ‘Mahān’ (das Große Prinzip). Ebenso ist er als ‘Viriñci’ und auch als ‘Aja’ (der Ungeborene) bekannt.“

हिरण्यगर्भःHiraṇyagarbha (the cosmic embryo/creator)
हिरण्यगर्भः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootहिरण्यगर्भ
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
भगवान्the Blessed Lord
भगवान्:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootभगवत्
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
एषःthis (one)
एषः:
Karta
TypePronoun
Rootएतद्
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
बुद्धिःintellect
बुद्धिः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootबुद्धि
FormFeminine, Nominative, Singular
इतिthus
इति:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootइति
स्मृतःis remembered/called
स्मृतः:
TypeVerb
Rootस्मृ
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular, Past passive participle (क्त)
महान्the Great (Mahat)
महान्:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootमहत्
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
इतिthus
इति:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootइति
and
:
TypeIndeclinable
Root
योगेषुin the yogas / in yoga-texts
योगेषु:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootयोग
FormMasculine, Locative, Plural
विरिञ्चिःViriñci (Brahmā)
विरिञ्चिः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootविरिञ्चि
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
इतिthus
इति:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootइति
and
:
TypeIndeclinable
Root
अपिalso
अपि:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootअपि
अजःAja (the Unborn)
अजः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootअज
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular

वसिष्ठ उवाच

V
Vasiṣṭha
H
Hiraṇyagarbha
B
Buddhi
M
Mahān (Mahat)
V
Viriñci
A
Aja

Educational Q&A

The verse equates multiple philosophical and devotional names—Buddhi (cosmic intelligence), Mahān/Mahat (the great principle), Viriñci (creator aspect), and Aja (the unborn)—as referring to the same primordial divine principle, Hiraṇyagarbha, emphasizing unity behind different doctrinal vocabularies.

Vasiṣṭha is instructing by identifying the supreme, first-origin principle using terms familiar to different traditions (Sāṅkhya and Yoga), clarifying that these are not competing entities but alternate names for the same cosmic source.