Shloka 55
Teaching of Karma-yoga
Student Conduct, Vedic Study, and Gāyatrī Supremacy
प्रधानं पुरुषः कालो विष्णुब्रह्ममहेश्वराः । सत्वंरजस्तमस्तिस्रः क्रमाद्व्याहृतयः स्मृताः
pradhānaṃ puruṣaḥ kālo viṣṇubrahmamaheśvarāḥ | satvaṃrajastamastisraḥ kramādvyāhṛtayaḥ smṛtāḥ
Pradhāna（根本質料）、Puruṣa（宇宙的人格）、時、そして神々Viṣṇu・Brahmā・Maheśvara—さらに三つのguṇa、sattva・rajas・tamas—は、順次に（七つの）vyāhṛtiとして伝統により記憶される。
Unspecified (narrative voice not provided in the input excerpt)
Concept: Cosmic reality is structured through primordial matter, the cosmic Person, Time, the triad of deities, and the three guṇas—remembered as foundational utterances (vyāhṛtis) in ordered sequence.
Application: Use the verse as a contemplative map: observe how time, temperament (guṇas), and devotion shape choices; cultivate sattva through purity, japa, and service to orient life toward Viṣṇu.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: celestial_realm
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A vast celestial diagram unfolds like a mandala in the sky: Pradhāna as a dark, shimmering ocean of potential, Puruṣa as a luminous cosmic figure, and Kāla as a wheel of constellations. Viṣṇu, Brahmā, and Maheśvara appear in a balanced triad above the three guṇas—sattva as clear light, rajas as crimson motion, tamas as deep indigo shadow—arranged in a sacred sequence of uttered vyāhṛtis.","primary_figures":["Vishnu","Brahma","Maheshvara (Shiva)","Purusha (cosmic person)","Kala (personified Time)"],"setting":"Celestial realm as a cosmic mandala-space with concentric rings, starfields, and subtle mantra glyphs floating like sparks.","lighting_mood":"divine radiance","color_palette":["sapphire blue","lotus pink","gold leaf","crimson vermilion","deep indigo"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: a symmetrical cosmic mandala with Viṣṇu at the center as the sustaining lord, Brahmā and Maheśvara flanking; Pradhāna depicted as a textured dark ocean below, Kāla as a golden wheel halo behind; the three guṇas as three colored aureoles (white-gold sattva, red rajas, blue-black tamas); heavy gold leaf embellishment, rich reds and greens, gem-studded ornaments, traditional South Indian iconography, ornate arch framing the trimūrti.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: a lyrical celestial panorama with delicate brushwork; Puruṣa as a serene luminous figure above a misty Pradhāna sea; Kāla as a subtle zodiac wheel in the sky; Viṣṇu, Brahmā, and Maheśvara seated on cloud-lotus thrones; guṇas suggested through flowing color bands; refined faces, soft gradients, cool blues and pinks, fine linework constellations.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold black outlines and temple-wall composition; Viṣṇu central with broad chest and calm eyes, Brahmā and Maheśvara on either side; Kāla as a circular chakra-like motif; Pradhāna as stylized waves; guṇas as three stacked color fields; natural pigments with dominant reds, yellows, greens, and deep blue background, characteristic eye shapes and ornamental borders.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: Viṣṇu as the cosmic preserver amid lotus motifs and concentric floral borders; the guṇas as three decorative bands with symbolic patterns (white lotuses for sattva, red flames for rajas, dark vines for tamas); peacocks and celestial cows as auspicious fillers; intricate gold detailing on deep blue ground, Nathdwara-inspired symmetry and dense ornamentation."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Yaman","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["low temple drone (tanpura)","soft conch shell","distant celestial chimes","silence between phrases"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: विष्णुब्रह्ममहेश्वराः → विष्णु + ब्रह्म + महेश्वराः (द्वन्द्व); सत्वंरजस्तमस्तिस्रः → सत्त्वम् + रजः + तमः + तिस्रः; क्रमाद्व्याहृतयः → क्रमात् + व्याहृतयः (त् + व् → द्व्).
FAQs
Vyāhṛtis are sacred utterances/cosmic designations used in Vedic recitation and cosmological mapping. This verse broadens their scope by associating them with fundamental metaphysical principles (Pradhāna, Puruṣa, Time), key deities (Viṣṇu, Brahmā, Maheśvara), and the three guṇas.
It places Sāṅkhya categories—Pradhāna, Puruṣa, and the guṇas—alongside Purāṇic personal deities (Viṣṇu, Brahmā, Śiva), presenting a synthesis where metaphysical principles and divine forms jointly describe cosmic order.
The list implies a layered cosmology: ultimate reality is articulated both impersonally (matter, spirit, time, guṇas) and personally (the Trimūrti), suggesting that divine governance and metaphysical structure are mutually complementary descriptions of the universe.