Shloka 44

Āścarya-kathana: Brāhmaṇa–Nāga Dialogue on Sūrya (Vivasvat) and the ‘Second Sun’ Phenomenon

Devanagari script

अण्डजे जन्मनि पुनर्ब्रद्मणे हरियोनये । एष धर्म: समुद्‌्भूतो नारायणमुखात्‌ पुन:,इसके बाद जब ब्रह्माजीका अण्डसे छठा जन्म हुआ, तब भगवानसे उत्पन्न हुए ब्रह्माजीके लिये पुनः भगवान्‌ नारायणके मुखसे यह धर्म प्रकट हुआ

Transliteration

Vaiśampāyana uvāca: aṇḍaje janmani punar brahmaṇe hari-yonaye | eṣa dharmaḥ samudbhūto nārāyaṇa-mukhāt punaḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: When Brahmā again took birth from the cosmic egg—Brahmā whose source is Hari—this very dharma once more arose, being revealed anew from the mouth of Nārāyaṇa.

Word by Word

अण्डजेin the egg-born (state/birth)

जन्मनिin (the) birth

पुनःagain

ब्रह्मणेto Brahmā / for Brahmā

हरि-योनयेto the one whose source/womb is Hari

एषःthis

धर्मःdharma / law

समुद्भूतःarisen / originated

नारायण-मुखात्from the mouth of Nārāyaṇa

पुनःagain

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Brahmā

Hari (Viṣṇu)

Nārāyaṇa

Dharma

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Dharma is portrayed as a primordial, divinely revealed principle: it arises from Nārāyaṇa and is re-disclosed even across repeated creations, giving ethical order an enduring, supra-human authority.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana explains that at a renewed phase of creation—when Brahmā is born again from the cosmic egg—dharma is once more manifested, emerging from Nārāyaṇa’s mouth for Brahmā, who then becomes the vehicle for establishing order in the world.