Shloka 8

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

Devanagari script

अण्डो हिरण्मयो रुद्र तस्यान्तः स्वयमेव हि / शरीरग्रहणं पूर्वं सृष्ट्यर्थं कुरुते प्रभुः

Transliteration

aṇḍo hiraṇmayo rudra tasyāntaḥ svayameva hi / śarīragrahaṇaṃ pūrvaṃ sṛṣṭyarthaṃ kurute prabhuḥ

Translation

O Rudra, within that golden cosmic egg, the Lord Himself indeed first assumes a body, in order to accomplish creation.

Word by Word

• अण्डः: cosmic egg
• अण्डः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• हिरण्मयः: golden
• हिरण्मयः: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हिरण्मय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (अण्डः इति विशेष्यस्य)

• रुद्र: O Rudra
• रुद्र: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रुद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• तस्य: of it/of that
• तस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• अन्तः: inside, within
• अन्तः: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्तर् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; स्थानवाचक (within)

• स्वयम्: by oneself
• स्वयम्: Emphasis (Nipata/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वयम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; आत्मवाचक-निपात (reflexive emphatic)

• एव: indeed, only
• एव: Emphasis (Avadharana/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण-निपात (restrictive particle)

• हि: for, indeed
• हि: Discourse particle (Nipata/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; हेत्वर्थक/निश्चयार्थक-निपात (for/indeed)

• शरीरग्रहणम्: taking a body
• शरीरग्रहणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरीर + ग्रहण (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (शरीरस्य ग्रहणम्)

• पूर्वम्: first, beforehand
• पूर्वम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावेन प्रयोगः; क्रियाविशेषण (adverbial accusative)

• सृष्ट्यर्थम्: for creation
• सृष्ट्यर्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सृष्टि + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: अव्यय (अर्थे द्वितीया); चतुर्थी-अर्थे/प्रयोजनार्थक (for the purpose of); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (सृष्टेः अर्थः)

• कुरुते: does, undertakes
• कुरुते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• प्रभुः: the Lord
• प्रभुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Īśvara voluntarily assumes a form (śarīra-grahaṇa) as a creative upādhi for sṛṣṭi.

Vedantic Theme: Saguna Brahman’s līlā through māyā/upādhi while remaining intrinsically transcendent.

Application: Contemplate creation as purposeful divine order; cultivate reverence and steadiness when facing change by remembering a guiding intelligence behind beginnings.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: cosmic-egg

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.4.9-12 (Brahmā/Vişṇu/Rudra functions within the aṇḍa)

Characters & Entities

• Rudra
• Prabhu (the Lord)
• Hiranyagarbha (implied by ‘golden egg’)

FAQs

What is the importance of the ‘golden cosmic egg’ (Hiranyagarbha) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse presents the golden cosmic egg as the primordial locus of manifestation, within which the Lord initiates creation by assuming a form.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

Indirectly: by grounding the universe in a purposeful divine act (sṛṣṭyartham), it frames individual embodiment as occurring within an ordered cosmic creation rather than as randomness.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

See embodied life as purposeful and ethically accountable—use the body as an instrument for dharma rather than mere indulgence.