Shloka 331

Atithi-prāpti and the Brāhmaṇa’s Deliberation on Triadic Dharma (अतिथिप्राप्तिः धर्मत्रयविचारश्च)

Devanagari script

योअसौ व्यक्तत्वमापन्नो निर्ममे च पितामहम्‌ । सो<हंकार इति प्रोक्त: सर्वतेजोमयों हि सः

Transliteration

yo 'sau vyaktatvam āpanno nirmame ca pitāmaham | so 'haṅkāra iti proktaḥ sarva-tejomayo hi saḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: „Jenes Prinzip, das in die manifeste Existenz eingetreten ist und den Großvater (Brahmā) hervorbrachte, heißt ‘Ahaṅkāra’ (das Gefühl des ‘Ich’). Wahrlich, es ist aus der Gesamtheit strahlender Energien gebildet.“

Word by Word

यःwho

असौthat (one), he

व्यक्तत्वम्manifest state, manifestation

आपन्नःhaving attained, having reached

निर्ममेcreated, fashioned

चand

पितामहम्the Grandfather (Brahmā)

सःhe

अहम्I

अहंकारःego-principle, I-sense

इतिthus, as

प्रोक्तःis called, is said

सर्वतेजोमयःconsisting of all splendor/energy

हिindeed, for

सःhe

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Pitāmaha (Brahmā)

Ahaṅkāra

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 identifies ahaṅkāra (the ‘I’-sense) as a cosmic principle that, upon becoming manifest, functions as a creative source—so potent that it is said to generate Brahmā. It emphasizes ahaṅkāra’s comprehensive energetic nature (sarva-tejomaya), framing ego not merely as personal pride but as a fundamental ontological category in creation-theory.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana is continuing a philosophical exposition in Śānti Parva, describing stages/principles of manifestation in the universe. In this step, he explains that the manifesting principle called ahaṅkāra is responsible for producing the ‘Grandfather’ (Brahmā), situating Brahmā’s emergence within a broader metaphysical sequence.