Shloka 15
धर्मद्वारबहुत्वविमर्शः — Reflection on the Many ‘Doors’ of Dharma (Śānti-parva 342)
तस्मात् सर्वा: प्रवर्तन्ते सर्गप्रलयविक्रिया: । तपो यज्ञश्न यष्टा च पुराण: पुरुषो विराट
tasmāt sarvāḥ pravartante sarga-pralaya-vikriyāḥ | tapo yajñaś ca yaṣṭā ca purāṇaḥ puruṣo virāṭ ||
Darum gehen aus Ihm alle Wandlungen hervor—Schöpfung und Auflösung. Er ist die Askese selbst, das Opfer und der Opfernde; der uralte Purusha, der Virāṭ, das allgegenwärtige kosmische Wesen.
अर्जुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
All cosmic processes—creation and dissolution—ultimately proceed from the Supreme Reality, who is not only the goal but also the very means of sacred life: austerity, sacrifice, and the sacrificer. The verse frames ethical action (yajña, tapas) as participation in a divine, all-encompassing order.
Arjuna speaks in a reflective, doctrinal mode, affirming the supreme source behind the universe’s cycles and identifying that source with both cosmic sovereignty (Virāṭ) and the inner principle of sacrifice and discipline. The dialogue context emphasizes understanding the divine foundation of dharma and ritual action.