Shloka 18

Devanagari script

ससूजे नाभित: पूर्व ब्रह्माणममितप्रभ: । ततः स प्रादुरभवदथैनं वाक्यमब्रवीत्‌

Transliteration

Vaiśampāyana uvāca: sasūje nābhitaḥ pūrvaṁ brahmāṇam amitaprabhaḥ | tataḥ sa prādurabhavad athainaṁ vākyam abravīt |

Translation

Vaiśampāyana dit : Le Seigneur à l’éclat incommensurable fit d’abord naître Brahmā du lotus de son nombril. Quand Brahmā se fut manifesté, le Seigneur lui adressa ces paroles—mettant en mouvement l’œuvre ordonnée de la création à l’ouverture du cycle.

Word by Word

• ससूजे: created, produced
• Type: Verb
• Root: सृज्
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• नाभितः: from (his) navel
• नाभितः: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाभि
• Form: Feminine, Ablative, Singular

• पूर्वम्: first, earlier
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्व

• ब्रह्माणम्: Brahmā
• ब्रह्माणम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अमितप्रभः: he whose radiance is immeasurable
• अमितप्रभः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अमितप्रभ
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• ततः: then, thereafter
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• प्रादुरभवत्: appeared, manifested
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada, प्रादुर्

• अथ: then, now
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ

• एनम्: him
• एनम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• वाक्यम्: speech, words
• वाक्यम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाक्य
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• अब्रवीत्: said, spoke
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Brahmā
• Nārāyaṇa (implied by context: navel-lotus creation motif)
• nābhi (navel)
• nābhi-kamala (navel-lotus, implied by context)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames cosmic order as originating from the Supreme Lord: creation begins not as random emergence but as a purposeful manifestation (Brahmā arising from the Lord), implying that dharma and the world’s structure rest on a transcendent source.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana narrates the moment when Brahmā is first manifested from the Lord’s navel-lotus; once Brahmā appears, the Lord begins to instruct him—introducing the forthcoming discourse that guides the work of creation.