Srimad Bhagavatam — Tritiya Skandha, Shloka 20
Brahmā’s Secondary Creation, Kāla (Eternal Time), and the Taxonomy of Species
Devanagari script
उत्स्रोतसस्तम:प्राया अन्त:स्पर्शा विशेषिण: ॥ २० ॥
Transliteration
utsrotasas tamaḥ-prāyā antaḥ-sparśā viśeṣiṇaḥ
Translation
これら不動の樹木草木は上方へと糧を求める。ほとんど無自覚であるが、内には触れによる痛みを感じ、さまざまな相として現れる。
Synonyms
utsrotasaḥhaving upward-flowing channels
utsrotasaḥ:
Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootut-srotas (प्रातिपदिक)
FormPuṁliṅga, Prathamā, Bahuvacana; Bahuvrīhi: ‘ut-srotāṁsi yeṣām’ = those whose streams (of growth) go upward; qualifier of the plant categories
tamaḥ-prāyāḥmostly tamasic
tamaḥ-prāyāḥ:
Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Roottamas (प्रातिपदिक) + prāya (प्रातिपदिक)
FormPuṁliṅga, Prathamā, Bahuvacana; Tatpuruṣa: ‘tamaḥ prāyaḥ’ = mostly of darkness; qualifier
antaḥ-sparśāḥhaving inner touch-sense
antaḥ-sparśāḥ:
Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootantaḥ (अव्यय/उपसर्गवत्) + sparśa (प्रातिपदिक)
FormPuṁliṅga, Prathamā, Bahuvacana; Tatpuruṣa: ‘antaḥ sparśaḥ yeṣām’ = having internal sense of touch
viśeṣiṇaḥdistinctive/characterized
viśeṣiṇaḥ:
Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootviśeṣin (प्रातिपदिक)
FormPuṁliṅga, Prathamā, Bahuvacana; adjective meaning ‘distinct/characterized’
FAQs
This verse notes that many living beings are predominantly influenced by tamas, which shapes their awareness and behavior according to their embodied nature.
He is outlining the divisions of creation (sarga) and how varied embodiments arise with different qualities and modes, as part of the Bhagavatam’s cosmological description.
Recognizing tamasic influence encourages one to cultivate clarity and devotion—choosing habits that increase sattva and support bhakti rather than inertia and ignorance.