Adhyaya 4 — Draupadi and Her Husbands
देवत्वेऽथ मनुष्यत्वे तिर्यग्योनौ च संस्थिता ।
गृह्णाति तत्स्वभावं च वासुदेवेष्छया सदा ॥
devatve ’tha manuṣyatve tiryagyonau ca saṃsthitā /
gṛhṇāti tat-svabhāvaṃ ca vāsudevecchayā sadā //
Mitunter im göttlichen, mitunter im menschlichen und mitunter in einem tierischen Schoß begründet, nimmt das verkörperte Wesen stets die entsprechende Natur an — immerdar durch den Willen Vāsudevas.
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The verse emphasizes that embodied existence varies across deva, human, and animal states, and with each state the jīva assumes an appropriate disposition (svabhāva). Ethically, it supports humility and responsibility: one’s present tendencies are linked to the condition of embodiment, while ultimate governance is attributed to the Lord (Vāsudeva), encouraging surrender (śaraṇāgati) alongside right conduct.
Primarily aligns with 'Manvantara' and 'Vaṃśānucarita' only indirectly (as it concerns transmigration across orders of beings), but most directly it supports the Purāṇic cosmological/ontological framework that underlies 'Sarga/Pratisarga' discussions—how beings take forms and natures within creation under divine governance.
Esoterically, 'taking on svabhāva' points to the binding power of guṇas and saṃskāras that color consciousness according to the sheath/body assumed. The phrase 'vāsudevecchayā' signals the antaryāmin (inner ruler): the Supreme regulates the unfolding of karmic potentials, so the changing identities (deva/human/animal) are masks worn by consciousness under the Lord’s supervision.