Shloka 1
Adhyāya 189: Japa—Inquiry into the Jāpaka, Method
Vidhi), and Fruit (Phala
- जैसे लोहा दाहक एवं दीप्तिमान् हो उठता है
bharadvāja uvāca | asṛjad brāhmaṇān eva pūrvaṁ brahmā prajāpātīn | ātma-tejobhinirvattān bhāskarāgni-samaprabhān ||
Bharadvāja dit : Au commencement de la création, Brahmā, Seigneur des créatures, fit naître d’abord les Brāhmanes—les Prajāpati tels que Marīci—issus de sa propre radiance intérieure, éclatants d’une splendeur pareille au soleil et au feu.
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents creation and social-cosmic order as arising from tejas (spiritual radiance): the earliest progenitors are described as emanations of Brahmā’s inner power, implying that authority and function (especially of the Brahmin/Prajāpati archetype) are ideally rooted in luminosity, discipline, and creative responsibility rather than mere birth alone.
Bharadvāja introduces a cosmogonic account: at the start of creation, Brahmā first produces the Brahmins/Prajāpatis (e.g., Marīci), who shine like the sun and fire, setting the stage for a broader explanation of the origin and differentiation of beings and social categories.