Shloka 20

Sṛṣṭi–Pratisṛṣṭi: Viṣṇu as Kāla and the Ninefold Creation Schema

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मणः कुर्वतः सृष्टिं जज्ञिरे मानसाः सुताः / ततो देवासुरपितॄन्मानुषांश्च चतुष्टयम्

Transliteration

brahmaṇaḥ kurvataḥ sṛṣṭiṃ jajñire mānasāḥ sutāḥ / tato devāsurapitṝnmānuṣāṃśca catuṣṭayam

Translation

As Brahmā set about the work of creation, mind-born sons came forth. From them arose the fourfold order—devas, asuras, pitṛs (ancestors), and human beings.

Word by Word

• brahmaṇaḥ: of Brahmā
• brahmaṇaḥ: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (ब्रह्मन्), षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• kurvataḥ: while doing
• kurvataḥ: Sambandha (Genitive absolute-like modifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु) + śatṛ (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले कृदन्त (present active participle/शतृ); पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; ‘while doing/creating’

• sṛṣṭim: creation
• sṛṣṭim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sṛṣṭi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• jajñire: were born; arose
• jajñire: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद

• mānasāḥ: mental; mind-born
• mānasāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mānasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण (born of mind)

• sutāḥ: sons
• sutāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: suta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• tataḥ: then; thereafter
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Temporal/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: then/from that)

• deva-asura-pitṝn: gods, demons, and ancestors (pitṛs)
• deva-asura-pitṝn: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + asura (प्रातिपदिक) + pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्वसमासः; पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; ‘देवाश्च असुराश्च पितरश्च’

• mānuṣān: humans
• mānuṣān: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mānuṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (conjunction)

• catuṣṭayam: the group of four
• catuṣṭayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: catuṣṭaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समूहवाचक (a set of four)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Mānasaputras (mind-born sons) as intermediaries in creation; fourfold emergence of devas, asuras, pitṛs, and humans.

Vedantic Theme: Mind (antaḥkaraṇa) as a proximate cause in nāma-rūpa projection; yet the ultimate cause transcends mind—inviting discrimination between seer and seen.

Application: Reflect on how ‘mind-born’ categories shape perception and society; cultivate mindful responsibility for what one ‘creates’ mentally—intentions, narratives, and identities.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.4.19 (fourfold beings); Garuda Purana 1.4.21-22 (tamas-body and asura emergence)

Characters & Entities

• Brahma
• Devas
• Asuras
• Pitris
• Humans

FAQs

What is the importance of the fourfold creation (devas, asuras, pitris, humans) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse frames the cosmic hierarchy that underlies dharma: different classes of beings arise from Brahmā’s creative process, including pitṛs—central to ancestor rites and obligations discussed later in the Purāṇa.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

By establishing pitṛs as a distinct order of beings, it provides the cosmological basis for ancestor-loka and the ritual link between humans and the departed—an essential backdrop for later teachings on death rites and post-death states.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Recognize ancestral duty as part of dharma: maintain ethical living and, where appropriate, perform śrāddha/tarpaṇa with sincerity, honoring the pitṛ relationship affirmed by this cosmology.