Shloka 21
Nāgendra–Brāhmaṇa Saṃvāda: Praśna-vidhi and Dharmic Approach on the Gomatī Riverbank
अहंकारस्ततो जातो ब्रह्मा स तु चतुर्मुख: । हिरण्यगर्भो भगवान् सर्वलोकपितामह:
ahaṅkāras tato jāto brahmā sa tu caturmukhaḥ | hiraṇyagarbho bhagavān sarvalokapitāmahaḥ ||
Sesudah itu lahirlah ahaṅkāra, prinsip “aku”-pembentuk. Ahaṅkāra itulah Brahmā yang bermuka empat—Bhagavān Hiraṇyagarbha, kakek agung bagi semua dunia.
वैशग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents creation as a causal unfolding: from a prior cosmic principle arises ahaṅkāra (the individuating ‘I’-sense), identified here with Brahmā/Hiraṇyagarbha. Ethically, it suggests that ego and personal agency are derivative and should be subordinated to a wider cosmic order (dharma), not treated as ultimate.
Vaiśaṃpāyana describes a stage in the account of cosmic creation: the manifestation of ahaṅkāra, which is equated with the four-faced creator Brahmā, famed as Hiraṇyagarbha and regarded as the progenitor of all worlds.