Shloka 17
Śukasya Janma-yoga-phalaṁ — Vyāsasya Tapasā Putrārthaḥ (Śānti-parva 310)
महतकश्नलाप्यहड़कार उत्पन्नो हि नराधिप । द्वितीयं सर्गमित्याहुरेतद् बुछ्धात्मकं स्मृतम्,नरेश्वर! महत्तत्त्व्से अहंकार प्रकट होता है, जो दूसरा सर्ग बताया जाता है। इसे बुद्धात्मक सृष्टि माना गया है
mahataś cānalāpy ahaṅkāra utpanno hi narādhipa | dvitīyaṃ sargam ity āhur etad buddhyātmakaṃ smṛtam, nareśvara ||
Yājñavalkya said: “O king, from the Mahat-principle there indeed arises ahaṅkāra (the sense of ‘I’). The wise describe this as the second stage of creation, and it is remembered as a creation characterized by intellect (buddhi).”
याज़्ञवल्क्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse outlines a cosmological-psychological sequence: from Mahat (the cosmic/intellectual principle) arises ahaṅkāra, the ‘I-maker’. This is called the second emanative stage and is ‘buddhi-based’, emphasizing that individuality and ego-sense emerge from an intellect-structured cosmic order—an insight used to analyze and ultimately transcend ego in pursuit of liberation.
In Śānti Parva’s instructional setting, the sage Yājñavalkya addresses a king and explains a traditional account of creation (sarga). He identifies the emergence of ahaṅkāra from Mahat and classifies it as the second stage, framing the teaching as authoritative doctrine (smṛta) meant to guide the listener’s understanding of self and reality.