Adhyāya 42 — Mahābhūta–Indriya–Adhyātma-Vyavasthā
Brahmā’s Instruction on Elements and Faculties
जरायुजानि भूतानि विकृतान्यपि सत्तमा: । श्रेष्ठ ब्राह्मणो! दो पैरवाले, बहुत पैरवाले एवं टेढ़े-मेढ़े चलनेवाले तथा विकृत रूपवाले प्राणी जरायुज हैं
jarāyujāni bhūtāni vikṛtāny api sattamāḥ | śreṣṭha brāhmaṇo |
風神ヴァーユは言った。「おお、衆生のうち最も勝れた者よ、すぐれたバラモンよ。胎より生まれるもの(jarāyuja)は、その姿が歪み、あるいは異様であっても、なお胎生(jarāyuja)に数えられる。二足のもの、多足のもの、曲がりくねって不規則に動くもの、そして形貌の損なわれたものもまた、その中に含まれる。」
वायुदेव उवाच
The verse teaches a dharmic-cosmological classification: beings are categorized by mode of birth, and external irregularities (deformity, unusual gait, number of limbs) do not change the fundamental category of womb-born (jarāyuja). It implies an ethical steadiness in judgment—do not let mere appearance obscure essential nature.
Vāyudeva is instructing an addressed Brāhmaṇa, explaining what kinds of creatures are termed jarāyuja (womb-born), explicitly including those with abnormal or distorted forms and various modes of movement.