Shloka 16

धर्मद्वारबहुत्वविमर्शः — Reflection on the Many ‘Doors’ of Dharma (Śānti-parva 342)

Devanagari script

ब्राह्मे रात्रिक्षये प्राप्ते तस्य हुमिततेजस:

Transliteration

brāhme rātrikṣaye prāpte tasyāmitatejasaḥ | aniruddhasya kṛpayā padmaṃ prādurabhūt tadā | tasmāt padmād abhūd brahmā aniruddhaprasādataḥ ||

Translation

Als die kosmische Nacht Brahmās zu Ende ging, erschien durch die Gnade Aniruddhas, dessen Glanz unermesslich ist, ein Lotus. Aus eben diesem Lotus trat Brahmā hervor; so heißt es, Brahmās Hervorgehen sei Aniruddhas Huld zu verdanken.

Word by Word

• ब्राह्मे: in/at the Brahmic (cosmic) [night]
• ब्राह्मे: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ब्राह्म (ब्राह्म-)
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• रात्रि-क्षये: at the end of the night
• रात्रि-क्षये: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: रात्रि + क्षय
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• प्राप्ते: when (it) had arrived/occurred
• प्राप्ते: Adhikarana
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्राप्
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), Masculine, Locative, Singular

• तस्य: of him/of that
• तस्य: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• अमित-तेजसः: of (the one) of immeasurable splendor
• अमित-तेजसः: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अमित + तेजस्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

Speaker

अर्जुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Arjuna
• Aniruddha
• Brahmā
• brāhmī rātri (cosmic night)
• padma (lotus)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Creation is portrayed as dependent on divine grace: even Brahmā’s arising is attributed to Aniruddha’s prasāda, encouraging humility and devotion toward the supreme source rather than pride in autonomous power.

What is happening in the narrative?

At the close of the cosmic night (a dissolution phase), a lotus appears by Aniruddha’s grace, and from that lotus Brahmā manifests—linking the renewal of creation to Aniruddha’s favor.