Shloka 12
सृष्टिवर्णनम्
Cosmogony and the Roles of the Trimūrti
हिरण्यवर्णमभवत्तदंडमुदकेशयम् । तत्र जज्ञे स्वयं ब्रह्मा स्वयंभूरिति विश्रुतः
hiraṇyavarṇamabhavattadaṃḍamudakeśayam | tatra jajñe svayaṃ brahmā svayaṃbhūriti viśrutaḥ
That cosmic Egg became golden-hued and rested upon the waters. Within it, Brahmā was born of himself—therefore renowned as Svayambhū, the Self-born.
Suta Goswami (narrating the cosmic account within the Umāsaṃhitā to the sages)
Tattva Level: pasha
Role: creative
Cosmic Event: Hiraṇyāṇḍa (cosmic egg) formation and the self-birth of Brahmā within it
FAQs
It frames creation as an ordered emergence within the cosmic principle governed by Pati (Śiva): even Brahmā, the creator-function, arises within the cosmic egg on the primal waters, indicating that creative power is not independent but situated within the higher Shaiva reality.
By portraying Brahmā as ‘self-born’ within the manifested cosmos, the verse supports the Shaiva understanding that Saguna manifestations and cosmic functions arise within Shiva’s domain; Linga-worship centers the devotee on the transcendent source (Pati) beyond the created offices.
Contemplate the source of creation as resting in the divine ground: meditate on Śiva as Pati beyond all emergence, and support the contemplation with japa of the Pañcākṣarī mantra (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) to steady the mind toward the origin beyond the cosmic process.