Shloka 12
Adhyāya 40: Brahmā on Mahān (The Great Principle) and the All-Pervading Puruṣa
विष्णुरेवादिसर्गेषु स्वयम्भूर्भवति प्रभु:
viṣṇur evādi-sargeṣu svayambhūr bhavati prabhuḥ |
ヴァーユは言った。「原初の創造において、まことにヴィシュヌ—至高の主宰—こそが自ら顕現する者（svayambhū）である。」この教えは、至上者がいかなる外的原因によっても生み出されず、ただ自らの意志によって創造の初めに現れることを示す。知性という「洞窟」に内なる統御者として住し、宇宙の姿を具え、太古のプルシャであり、黄金のごとく輝く（hiraṇmaya）神、そして賢者たちの最高の到達点であるその至上主を知る者は、凡庸な知の限界を超えて、最上の境地に至る。
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that Viṣṇu, the Supreme Lord, is self-manifest at the beginning of creation—independent and sovereign. Realizing Him as the inner presence (in the ‘cave’ of intellect/heart), as the universal and primeval Person, is presented as the knowledge that carries one beyond the limits of ordinary intellect toward the highest attainment.
Vāyudeva is speaking and delivering a doctrinal statement about the origin of creation and the nature of the Supreme. The focus is not on external action but on instruction: identifying Viṣṇu as the self-manifest primal Lord and describing the fruit of knowing Him—transcendence and the highest goal sought by the wise.