Shloka 49
An Exposition of the Distinctions of Creation, Inert Matter, and the Lord
इदानीं गुणवैषम्यं शृणु सम्यङ् मम प्रिय / सृष्टिकाले तु संप्राप्ते यत्पूर्वं प्रलये खग
idānīṃ guṇavaiṣamyaṃ śṛṇu samyaṅ mama priya / sṛṣṭikāle tu saṃprāpte yatpūrvaṃ pralaye khaga
ഇപ്പോൾ, എന്റെ പ്രിയനേ, ഗുണങ്ങളുടെ വൈഷമ്യം ശ്രദ്ധയോടെ കേൾക്കുക. ഹേ ഖഗാ, സൃഷ്ടികാലം വന്നാൽ മുൻപ് പ്രളയത്തിൽ നിലകൊണ്ടതുതന്നെ വീണ്ടും പ്രകടമാകുന്നു।
Lord Vishnu
Concept: Vaiṣamya (inequality/imbalance) of guṇas initiates manifestation; creation re-expresses what was latent in pralaya.
Vedantic Theme: From causal latency to effectual plurality; cyclic recurrence (punar-āvṛtti) of cosmic processes under īśvara’s governance.
Application: Notice how imbalance of guṇas in one’s mind triggers ‘creation’ of thoughts and reactions; restore balance through sattvic disciplines.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Related Themes: 3.4.47–48 (sāmya/vimiśra at pralaya); 3.4.50 (quantification of mixtures)
FAQs
This verse frames creation as beginning with a renewed imbalance of sattva, rajas, and tamas, which becomes the causal condition for differentiation and manifestation after pralaya.
It states that when creation-time arrives, what lay in a prior dissolved state (pralaya) re-emerges—implying continuity of the cosmic cycle rather than a one-time creation.
Recognize that inner imbalance of qualities drives outward change; cultivating sattva through discipline, truthfulness, and restraint helps align one’s life with dharmic order.