Shloka 1
Adhyāya 40: Brahmā on Mahān (The Great Principle) and the All-Pervading Puruṣa
पम्प बछ। अऑ-छकऋ--> चत्वारिशो< ध्याय: महत्तत््वके नाम और परमात्मतत्त्वको जाननेकी महिमा ब्रह्मोवाच अव्यक्तात् पूर्वमुत्पन्नो महानात्मा महामतिः । आदिर्गुणानां सर्वेषां प्रथम: सर्ग उच्यते,ब्रह्माजी बोले-महर्षिगण! पहले अव्यक्त प्रकृतिसे महान् आत्मस्वरूप महाबुद्धितत्त्व उत्पन्न हुआ। यही सब गुणोंका आदि तत्त्व और प्रथम सर्ग कहा जाता है
brahmovāca—avyaktāt pūrvam utpanno mahān ātmā mahāmatiḥ | ādir guṇānāṁ sarveṣāṁ prathamaḥ sarga ucyate ||
Brahmā said: “From the Unmanifest (Prakṛti) there first arose the Great Principle—Mahān, the great self, the vast intelligence. It is called the origin of all the guṇas and is spoken of as the first act of creation.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents a cosmological sequence: from the unmanifest Prakṛti arises Mahān (cosmic intelligence), which is described as the first creation and the source from which the guṇas become operative. The implied ethical thrust is that understanding the principles behind creation is a form of higher knowledge that steadies the mind and clarifies one’s place within dharma.
A doctrinal discourse is underway in which Brahmā explains the beginnings of creation. He identifies Mahān (the great intelligence principle) as the first emergence from the unmanifest, framing the discussion as a teaching on ultimate reality (tattva) rather than a battlefield event.