Shloka 42

Adhyaya 48 — The Emanation of Beings from Brahma: Night, Day, Twilight, and the Orders of Creation

Sanskrit

नाम रूपञ्च भूतानां कृत्यानाञ्च प्रपञ्चनम् ।

वेदशब्देभ्य एवाऽऽदौ देवादीनाञ्चकार सः ॥

Transliteration

nāma rūpañ ca bhūtānāṃ kṛtyānāṃ ca prapañcanam / vedaśabdebhya evādau devādīnāṃ cakāra saḥ

Translation

Gleich zu Beginn gestaltete er (Brahmā) — mittels der Laute des Veda — die ausführliche Erscheinung von Namen und Formen der Wesen und setzte auch die Ordnung der Riten und Handlungen fest, beginnend mit den Göttern und so weiter.

Word by Word

• nāma: name
• nāma: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• rūpam: form
• rūpam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/coordination)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction/particle (समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय)

• bhūtānām: of beings
• bhūtānām: Sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural (बहुवचन)

• kṛtyānām: of duties/rites (things to be done)
• kṛtyānām: Sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛtya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural (बहुवचन)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/coordination)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction/particle (समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय)

• prapañcanam: detailed manifestation/expansion
• prapañcanam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prapañcana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• veda-śabdebhyaḥ: from the Vedic words
• veda-śabdebhyaḥ: Apādāna (अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: veda (प्रातिपदिक) + śabda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Ablative (5th/पञ्चमी), Plural (बहुवचन); Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) ‘veda-śabdāḥ’ = words of the Veda

• eva: indeed/only
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Emphatic particle (निश्चयार्थक/अवधारण अव्यय)

• ādau: in the beginning
• ādau: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन); adverbial use

• deva-ādīnām: of the gods and others
• deva-ādīnām: Sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural (बहुवचन); Tatpuruṣa (तत्पुरुष) ‘deva-ādayaḥ’ = gods and others

• cakāra: made/created
• cakāra: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd Person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

Speakers

• Narrative voice within the cosmology account (contextually Markandeya speaking in the broader dialogue)

Verse Rasa

{ "primaryRasa": "adbhuta", "secondaryRasa": "shanta", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

Primary Deities

• Brahmā

Key Themes

• Cosmology
• Sarga (creation)
• Veda as creative principle
• Name-and-form (nāma-rūpa)

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

The verse places Vedic sound (śabda) at the root of ordered reality: the cosmos is not random but structured through intelligible principles—names, forms, and prescribed actions—implying that dharma (right action) is woven into creation itself.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

Primarily Sarga (primary creation): the origination of differentiated beings via nāma-rūpa and the establishment of ritual/functional order.

What is the esoteric significance?

Veda-śabda indicates a mantra-like ontology: sound as archetype. ‘Name and form’ signify the descent from subtle principle to manifest multiplicity; ‘kṛtya’ hints that cosmic order includes karmic/ritual law, not merely physical forms.