Shloka 14
Brahmā’s Enumeration of Primacies (Ādi) and the Supremacy of Knowledge
Jñāna
तथा त्रिपथगा गड्जा नदीनामग्रजा स्मृता । तथा सरोदपानानां सर्वेषां सागरोडग्रज:,सब नदियोंमें त्रिपथगा गंगा ज्येष्ठ मानी गयी है। सरोवरोंमें सर्वप्रथम समुद्रका प्रादुर्भाव हुआ है
tathā tripathagā gaṅgā nadīnām agrajā smṛtā | tathā sarodapānānāṁ sarveṣāṁ sāgaro 'grajaḥ ||
Vāyu said: “Just as Tripathagā—Gaṅgā, who flows in three courses—is remembered as the foremost among rivers, so too among all reservoirs and watersheds the Ocean is regarded as the first-born and preeminent.” The statement underscores a moral analogy: as the greatest exemplars are acknowledged in each domain, so should rightful precedence and excellence be recognized in matters of conduct and order.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches recognition of rightful preeminence: just as tradition acknowledges Gaṅgā as chief among rivers and the Ocean as primary among bodies of water, one should similarly honor proper rank, excellence, and established order in ethical and social contexts.
Vāyudeva is speaking and uses well-known natural exemplars—Gaṅgā and the Ocean—to make an illustrative comparison about primacy and acknowledged greatness, grounding the point in widely accepted sacred-geographical knowledge.