Shloka 13
सो<5सृजत् प्रथमं देवो महान्तं नाम नामतः । महान् ससर्जाहँंकारं स चापि भगवानथ,उस स्वयम्भू देवने पहले महत्तत्त्व (समष्टि बुद्धि) की रचना की। फिर उस महत्तत्त्वस्वरूप भगवानने अहंकार (समघष्टि अहंकार) की सृष्टि की
so 'sṛjat prathamaṃ devo mahāntaṃ nāma nāmataḥ | mahān sasarjāhaṅkāraṃ sa cāpi bhagavān atha ||
Bhīṣma said: In the beginning, the self-born Lord first brought forth the principle called Mahat (the cosmic intellect). From that Mahat, that very Blessed Lord then produced Ahaṅkāra (the cosmic sense of ‘I’).
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse outlines a Sāṅkhya-style sequence of cosmic evolution: the Lord first manifests Mahat (cosmic intellect), and from Mahat arises Ahaṅkāra (the ego-principle). It frames creation as an ordered unfolding of principles rather than a random event.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction during the Śānti Parva, he describes the beginnings of creation: the self-born divine creator first produces Mahat, and subsequently generates Ahaṅkāra from it, setting the stage for further emanation of the world and its constituents.