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Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvitiya Skandha, Shloka 39

Puruṣa-sūkta Logic of the Virāṭ: Cosmic Anatomy, Sacrifice, and the Lord’s Transcendence

स एष आद्य: पुरुष: कल्पे कल्पे सृजत्यज: । आत्मात्मन्यात्मनात्मानं स संयच्छति पाति च ॥ ३९ ॥

sa eṣa ādyaḥ puruṣaḥ kalpe kalpe sṛjaty ajaḥ ātmātmany ātmanātmānaṁ sa saṁyacchati pāti ca

Il est le Purusha originel, le Seigneur non-né; à chaque kalpa Il crée ce cosmos manifesté. La création se déroule en Lui-même; la substance et les formes sont Son propre déploiement. Il le maintient un temps puis le résorbe de nouveau en Lui.

saḥhe
saḥ:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Roottad (प्रातिपदिक)
FormSarvanāma, Masculine, Nominative, Singular
eṣaḥthis (one)
eṣaḥ:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootetad (प्रातिपदिक)
FormDemonstrative pronoun, Masculine, Nominative, Singular
ādyaḥprimeval
ādyaḥ:
Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootādya (प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular; qualifies puruṣaḥ
puruṣaḥPerson (Supreme)
puruṣaḥ:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootpuruṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
kalpein a kalpa
kalpe:
Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootkalpa (प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine, Locative (सप्तमी/7), Singular
kalpein (each) kalpa
kalpe:
Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootkalpa (प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine, Locative, Singular; repetition indicates distributive ‘in each kalpa’
sṛjaticreates
sṛjati:
Kriyā (क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Root√sṛj (धातु)
FormLaṭ (present), Parasmaipada, Prathama-puruṣa, Singular
ajaḥthe unborn
ajaḥ:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootaja (प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular; epithet ‘unborn’
ātma-ātmaniin himself
ātma-ātmani:
Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootātman (प्रातिपदिक) + ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
FormTatpuruṣa (locative relation: ‘in himself’), Masculine, Locative (सप्तमी/7), Singular
ātmanāby himself
ātmanā:
Karaṇa (करण)
TypeNoun
Rootātman (प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine, Instrumental (तृतीया/3), Singular
ātmānamhimself
ātmānam:
Karma (कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootātman (प्रातिपदिक)
FormMasculine, Accusative (द्वितीया/2), Singular
saḥhe
saḥ:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Roottad (प्रातिपदिक)
FormSarvanāma, Masculine, Nominative, Singular
saṁyacchatiwithdraws/controls
saṁyacchati:
Kriyā (क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootsaṁ-√yam (धातु)
FormLaṭ (present), Parasmaipada, Prathama-puruṣa, Singular
pātiprotects
pāti:
Kriyā (क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Root√pā (धातु)
FormLaṭ (present), Parasmaipada, Prathama-puruṣa, Singular
caand
ca:
Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/particle)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootca (अव्यय)
FormConjunction (समुच्चय)

The creation is nondifferent from the Lord, and still He is not in the creation. This is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā (9.4) as follows:

P
Puruṣa (Supreme Lord)

FAQs

This verse says the unborn original Puruṣa repeatedly creates in each kalpa and later withdraws all beings back into Himself, while also maintaining and protecting them.

Śukadeva is establishing the Supreme Lord’s absolute sovereignty—He is the source of creation, the power of maintenance, and the agent of dissolution—so Parīkṣit can fix his mind on the Lord beyond fear and death.

Remembering that the Lord sustains and regulates all cycles helps reduce anxiety and increases surrender: do your duty responsibly, but rely on the Supreme Maintainer for outcomes.