Shloka 21

Cosmic Manifestation, Mahāmāyā’s Mandate, Varṇāśrama-Dharma, and the Unity of the Trimūrti

Devanagari script

ततो ऽसृजत् स भगवान् ब्रह्मा लोकपितामहः / चराचराणि भूतानि यथापूर्वं ममाज्ञया

Transliteration

tato 'sṛjat sa bhagavān brahmā lokapitāmahaḥ / carācarāṇi bhūtāni yathāpūrvaṃ mamājñayā

Translation

ನಂತರ ಲೋಕಪಿತಾಮಹನಾದ ಭಗವಾನ್ ಬ್ರಹ್ಮನು ನನ್ನ ಆಜ್ಞೆಯಂತೆ, ಹಿಂದಿನಂತೆಯೇ ಚರಾಚರ ಸಮಸ್ತ ಭೂತಗಳನ್ನು ಸೃಷ್ಟಿಸಿದನು।

Word by Word

• tataḥ: Then/Thereafter
• tataḥ: Adhikaran/Hetu (Context)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Adverb

• asṛjat: Created
• asṛjat: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sṛj (धातु)
• Form: Imperfect Past (Lan/लङ्), 3rd Person (Prathama), Singular

• saḥ: He
• saḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• bhagavān: The Lord/Divine
• bhagavān: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• brahmā: Brahma
• brahmā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• lokapitāmahaḥ: Grandfather of the worlds
• lokapitāmahaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka + pitāmaha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular. (lokānāṃ pitāmahaḥ)

• carācarāṇi: Moving and non-moving (animate/inanimate)
• carācarāṇi: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: cara + acara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Plural. (caraṃ ca acaraṃ ca)

• bhūtāni: Beings/Elements
• bhūtāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Plural

• yathāpūrvam: As before
• yathāpūrvam: Kriya-Visheshana (Adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā + pūrvam (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Adverbial Compound

• mama: My
• mama: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular

• ājñayā: By command/order
• ājñayā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ājñā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Singular

Speaker

Lord Kurma (Vishnu) narrating the order of creation

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Characters & Entities

• Brahma
• Lord Kurma (Vishnu)

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

How does this verse explain the nature of the Supreme Self (Atman)?

It presents the Supreme (spoken as “I”) as the sovereign source whose will/ordinance governs cosmic manifestation, implying an inner Lord (Īśvara) who precedes and regulates creation through Brahmā as the secondary creator.

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

No specific technique is taught in this line, but it supports the Kurma Purana’s Yoga-shāstra premise that disciplined practice culminates in alignment with Īśvara’s ājñā (divine ordinance), the same governing principle by which the cosmos is ordered.

How does this verse depict the relationship between Shiva and Vishnu?

By emphasizing a single supreme command behind creation, it fits the Kurma Purana’s non-sectarian synthesis where the one Īśvara—revered as Hari or Hara in different contexts—operates through cosmic functions such as Brahmā’s sarga.