Srimad Bhagavatam — Tritiya Skandha, Shloka 18

Brahmā’s Secondary Creation, Kāla (Eternal Time), and the Taxonomy of Species

Devanagari script

षडिमे प्राकृता: सर्गा वैकृतानपि मे श‍ृणु । रजोभाजो भगवतो लीलेयं हरिमेधस: ॥ १८ ॥

Transliteration

ṣaḍ ime prākṛtāḥ sargā vaikṛtān api me śṛṇu rajo-bhājo bhagavato līleyaṁ hari-medhasaḥ

Translation

These six sargas are natural creations wrought by the Lord’s external energy. Now hear from me of the secondary creations performed by Brahmā, who embodies the mode of passion (rajas) and whose creative intelligence is akin to that of Bhagavān, the all-wise Hari.

Synonyms

• ṣaṭ: six
• ṣaṭ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ṣaṭ (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Saṅkhyā (numeral); here used as adjective; Puṁliṅga, Prathamā, Bahuvacana agreeing with ‘sargāḥ’ (form appears as ṣaḍ before vowel)

• ime: these
• ime: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Prathamā, Bahuvacana; demonstrative pronoun qualifying ‘sargāḥ’

• prākṛtāḥ: material (of prakṛti)
• prākṛtāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prākṛta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Prathamā, Bahuvacana; qualifier of ‘sargāḥ’

• sargāḥ: creations
• sargāḥ: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Prathamā, Bahuvacana

• vaikṛtān: transformational (secondary)
• vaikṛtān: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vaikṛta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Dvitīyā vibhakti (Accusative/द्वितीया), Bahuvacana; object of ‘śṛṇu’ (understood: ‘vaikṛtān (sargān)’)

• api: also
• api: Sambandha-bodhaka (connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; particle (nipāta) meaning ‘also/even’

• me: my/from me
• me: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (possessive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Ṣaṣṭhī/Paṅcamī? here Genitive (षष्ठी) Ekavacana enclitic; ‘of me / my’ (speaker’s)

• śṛṇu: hear
• śṛṇu: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śru (श्रु धातु)
• Form: Loṭ-lakāra (Imperative/लोट्), Madhyama-puruṣa (2nd person/मध्यम), Ekavacana; parasmaipada

• rajo-bhājaḥ: partakers of rajas
• rajo-bhājaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rajas (प्रातिपदिक) + bhāj (भाज् धातु/प्रातिपदिक ‘partaker’)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Prathamā, Bahuvacana; Tatpuruṣa: ‘rajasā bhājāḥ’ = those who partake of rajas; qualifier (of implied beings/creations)

• bhagavataḥ: of the Blessed Lord
• bhagavataḥ: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī, Ekavacana

• līlā: play, divine sport
• līlā: Karta (predicate/प्रत्ययार्थ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: līlā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (Feminine/स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Prathamā, Ekavacana; predicate noun with ‘iyam’

• iyam: this
• iyam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; demonstrative pronoun

• hari-medhasaḥ: of (him) whose intellect is fixed on Hari
• hari-medhasaḥ: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (epithet relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hari (प्रातिपदिक) + medhas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī, Ekavacana; Tatpuruṣa: ‘harau medhā yasya’/‘harimedhasaḥ’ as epithet (of the sage): one whose intelligence is in Hari

Characters & Entities

• Śukadeva Gosvāmī
• Mahārāja Parīkṣit
• Bhagavān (the Supreme Lord/Hari)

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about prākṛta sarga and vaikṛta sarga?

This verse distinguishes six prākṛta (primary, material) creations and introduces the vaikṛta (secondary, transformative) creations, presenting creation as a structured unfolding of prakṛti under the Lord’s governance.

Why does Śukadeva Gosvāmī describe creation as Bhagavān’s līlā?

Śukadeva frames cosmology devotionally: the universe is not random or merely mechanical, but the Lord’s purposeful, divine play—meant to reveal His sovereignty and invite remembrance of Hari.

How can the idea of the Lord’s līlā help in modern life?

Seeing life as under a higher, benevolent intelligence reduces anxiety and pride, encouraging humility, responsibility, and steady devotion—especially when facing change and uncertainty.