Verse 9

Sita

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

श्रीरामसान्निध्यवशाज्जगदानन्दकारिणी ।

उत्पत्तिस्थितिसंहारकारिणी सर्वदेहिनाम् ।

सीता भगवती ज्ञेया मूलप्रकृतिसंज्ञिता ।

प्रणवत्वात्प्रकृतिरिति वदन्ति ब्रह्मवादिन इति ।

अथातो ब्रह्मजिज्ञासेति च ॥९॥

Padapatha (Word Split)

श्री-राम-सान्निध्य-वशात् । जगत्-आनन्द-कारिणी ।

उत्पत्ति-स्थिति-संहार-कारिणी । सर्व-देहिनाम् ।

सीता । भगवती । ज्ञेया । मूल-प्रकृति-संज्ञिता ।

प्रणवत्वात् । प्रकृतिः इति । वदन्ति । ब्रह्म-वादिनः । इति ।

अथ । अतः । ब्रह्म-जिज्ञासा । इति । च ।

IAST Transliteration

śrīrāmasānnidhyavaśāj jagadānandakāriṇī |

utpattisthitisaṃhārakāriṇī sarvadehinām |

sītā bhagavatī jñeyā mūlaprakṛtisaṃjñitā |

praṇavatvāt prakṛtir iti vadanti brahmavādina iti |

atha ato brahmajijñāseti ca ||9||

Translation

श्रीराम के सान्निध्य-बल से वह जगत् के आनन्द की हेतु है। वह समस्त देहधारियों की उत्पत्ति, स्थिति और संहार करने वाली है। सीता को भगवती जानना चाहिए; वह मूल-प्रकृति कहलाती है। प्रणव (ॐ) स्वरूप होने से ब्रह्मवेत्ता कहते हैं—“वह प्रकृति है।” और (इसी से) “अब, अतः ब्रह्म-जिज्ञासा”॥९॥

Academic Translation

By the power of Śrī Rāma’s proximity, she is the cause of the world’s bliss. She is the agent of creation, maintenance, and dissolution for all embodied beings. Sītā is to be known as the Blessed Goddess, designated as the root Prakṛti. Because she is of the nature of the praṇava (Oṃ), the knowers of Brahman say, “She is Prakṛti.” And (thus) also: “Now, therefore, the inquiry into Brahman.”

Verse Context

• Brahman–Śakti inseparability; Māyā/Prakṛti as dependent power; initiation of Brahma-jijñāsā
• Mahavakya: Indirect: encourages the movement toward mahāvākya realization by first situating the manifest universe in a single principle symbolized by Oṃ, then pointing to Brahman-inquiry.
• Atharva
• Chandas: Prose / mixed (later Upaniṣadic style)