Shloka 24
Vāc–Manas Saṃvāda: Prāṇa-Apāna and the Primacy Debate (वाक्–मनस् संवादः)
ब्राह्मण्युवाच अनुत्पन्नेषु वाक्येषु चोद्यमाना विवक्षया । किन्नु पूर्व तदा देवी व्याजहार सरस्वती,ब्राह्मणीने पूछा--नाथ! जब वाक्य उत्पन्न नहीं हुए थे, उस समय कुछ कहनेकी इच्छासे प्रेरित की हुई सरस्वती देवीने पहले क्या कहा था?
brāhmaṇy uvāca anutpanneṣu vākyeṣu codyamānā vivakṣayā | kinnu pūrvaṃ tadā devī vyājahāra sarasvatī ||
La mujer brahmana preguntó: «Cuando las palabras aún no habían surgido, y la diosa Sarasvatī —impulsada por el deseo de hablar— era incitada, ¿qué fue lo primero que pronunció entonces?»
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames speech as a sacred, primordial power: before articulated words exist, the impulse to speak arises, prompting inquiry into the very first utterance. It highlights reverence for vāṇī (speech) and the ethical responsibility to understand the source and purpose of expression.
A Brahmin woman questions about the earliest moment of speech: when words were not yet manifest, and Sarasvatī, moved by the intention to speak, was urged to speak—what did she say first?