Shloka 10

Brahmā’s Enumeration of Primacies (Ādi) and the Supremacy of Knowledge

Jñāna

Devanagari script

सर्वेषां भक्ष्यभोज्यानामन्नं परममुच्यते । द्रवाणां चैव सर्वेषां पेयानामाप उत्तमा:

Transliteration

sarveṣāṁ bhakṣyabhojyānām annaṁ paramam ucyate | dravāṇāṁ caiva sarveṣāṁ peyānām āpa uttamāḥ ||

Translation

ವಾಯುದೇವನು ಹೇಳಿದರು—ಎಲ್ಲ ಭಕ್ಷ್ಯ-ಭೋಜ್ಯಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಅನ್ನವೇ ಪರಮವೆಂದು ಹೇಳಲ್ಪಟ್ಟಿದೆ; ಹಾಗೆಯೇ ಎಲ್ಲ ದ್ರವಗಳಲ್ಲಿ, ಎಲ್ಲ ಪೇಯಗಳಲ್ಲಿ, ನೀರೇ ಶ್ರೇಷ್ಠ.

Word by Word

सर्वेषाम्of all

भक्ष्यभोज्यानाम्of foods (to be eaten and to be enjoyed/consumed)

अन्नम्food, cooked rice

परमम्supreme, highest

उच्यतेis said/called

द्रवाणाम्of liquids

चand

एवindeed, just

सर्वेषाम्of all

पेयानाम्of drinkables

आपःwaters, water

उत्तमाःbest, highest

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

व

वायुदेव (Vāyu-deva)

अ

अन्न (food/grain)

आ

आपः (water)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse ranks essentials: among foods, anna (staple nourishment) is foremost; among drinks, water is best. Ethically, it points to honoring basic sustenance as the foundation of life, restraint, and righteous living.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyu-deva is speaking and delivering a concise instruction that elevates fundamental necessities—food and water—over luxuries, reinforcing a dharmic perspective on what truly sustains beings.