Shloka 19

सर्गभेदाः — अविद्या, स्रोतोभेदाः, नव सर्गाः, देवासुरादिसृष्टिः, वेद-यज्ञप्रादुर्भावः

Devanagari script

इत्य् एते कथिताः सर्गाः षड् अत्र मुनिसत्तम प्रथमो महतः सर्गो विज्ञेयो ब्रह्मणस् तु सः

Transliteration

ity ete kathitāḥ sargāḥ ṣaḍ atra munisattama prathamo mahataḥ sargo vijñeyo brahmaṇas tu saḥ

Translation

Ainsi, ô le meilleur des sages, les six sortes de création ont été exposées ici. Sache que la première est la création de Mahat; c’est bien la création qui se rapporte à Brahman, la Réalité suprême.

Word by Word

इतिthus

एतेthese

कथिताःhave been described

सर्गाःcreations, emanations

षट्six

अत्रhere

मुनिसत्तमO best of sages

प्रथमःthe first

महतःof Mahat (the Great principle)

सर्गःcreation, emanation

विज्ञेयःis to be known

ब्रह्मणःof Brahmā/Brahman

तुindeed, but

सःthat (one), he

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Characters & Entities

Parāśara

Maitreya

Brahman

FAQs

What is the significance of Mahat (cosmic intellect) in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse identifies Mahat as the first creation, marking the initial intelligible principle from which further cosmic manifestation proceeds.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the structure of creation here?

He frames creation as sixfold and states that the first category is the creation of Mahat, grounding the sequence in a principled cosmological order.

What is the theological importance of Brahman in this context?

By calling the first creation ‘of Brahman,’ the verse underscores that all emanation ultimately rests on the Supreme Reality—understood in the Vishnu Purana’s Vaishnava lens as the highest sovereign source.