Shloka 14

Devanagari script

धरण्यामथ लीनायामप्सु चैकार्णवे पुरा । ज्योतिर्भूते जले चापि लीने ज्योतिषि चानिले

Transliteration

dharaṇyām atha līnāyām apsu caikārṇave purā | jyotir-bhūte jale cāpi līne jyotiṣi cānile, nṛpaśreṣṭha adya tvaṁ pañcabhūtānām ātyantika-pralayasya vṛttāntaṁ śṛṇu |

Translation

Waiśaṃpāyana berkata: “Pada zaman purba, ketika bumi larut ke dalam air samudra tunggal; dan air—menjadi cahaya—larut ke dalam cahaya; dan cahaya pun larut ke dalam angin; maka setahap demi setahap segala wujud kembali ke sebabnya yang lebih halus. Saat itu tak ada apa pun yang tampak di mana pun—hanya kegelapan semata.”

Word by Word

• धरण्याम्: in the earth (on the earth)
• धरण्याम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: धरणी
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Singular

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

• लीनायाम्: having dissolved/merged
• लीनायाम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लीन
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Singular

• अप्सु: in the waters
• अप्सु: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अप्
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• एकार्णवे: in the single ocean (cosmic flood)
• एकार्णवे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: एकार्णव
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• पुरा: formerly/once
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा

• ज्योतिः: light/tejas (fire principle)
• ज्योतिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्योतिस्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• भूते: having become/being (in the state of)
• भूते: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भूत
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• जले: in water
• जले: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• अपि: also/even
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• लीने: when dissolved/merged
• लीने: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लीन
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• ज्योतिषि: in light/tejas
• ज्योतिषि: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्योतिस्
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• अनिले: in wind/air
• अनिले: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनिल
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

Speaker

वैशग्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• nṛpaśreṣṭha (the king addressed)
• dharaṇī (earth)
• ap (water)
• ekārṇava (single cosmic ocean)
• jyotis/tejas (light/fire principle)
• anila/vāyu (wind/air)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

All manifested forms are impermanent and ultimately resolve back into subtler causes; recognizing this cosmic reabsorption supports detachment and steadiness in dharma by loosening clinging to transient worldly structures.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes an ancient scene of cosmic dissolution: earth merges into water, water into the fiery/light principle, and that into wind, indicating a stepwise withdrawal of the elements until perceptible reality disappears into darkness.