Shloka 49
An Exposition of the Distinctions of Creation, Inert Matter, and the Lord
इदानीं गुणवैषम्यं शृणु सम्यङ् मम प्रिय / सृष्टिकाले तु संप्राप्ते यत्पूर्वं प्रलये खग
idānīṃ guṇavaiṣamyaṃ śṛṇu samyaṅ mama priya / sṛṣṭikāle tu saṃprāpte yatpūrvaṃ pralaye khaga
હવે, હે પ્રિય, ગુણોની વૈષમ્યતા ધ્યાનથી સાંભળ. હે ખગ, સૃષ્ટિકાળ આવે ત્યારે જે પહેલાં પ્રલયમાં સ્થિત હતું તે ફરી પ્રગટ થાય છે।
Lord Vishnu
Concept: Vaiṣamya (inequality/imbalance) of guṇas initiates manifestation; creation re-expresses what was latent in pralaya.
Vedantic Theme: From causal latency to effectual plurality; cyclic recurrence (punar-āvṛtti) of cosmic processes under īśvara’s governance.
Application: Notice how imbalance of guṇas in one’s mind triggers ‘creation’ of thoughts and reactions; restore balance through sattvic disciplines.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Related Themes: 3.4.47–48 (sāmya/vimiśra at pralaya); 3.4.50 (quantification of mixtures)
FAQs
This verse frames creation as beginning with a renewed imbalance of sattva, rajas, and tamas, which becomes the causal condition for differentiation and manifestation after pralaya.
It states that when creation-time arrives, what lay in a prior dissolved state (pralaya) re-emerges—implying continuity of the cosmic cycle rather than a one-time creation.
Recognize that inner imbalance of qualities drives outward change; cultivating sattva through discipline, truthfulness, and restraint helps align one’s life with dharmic order.