Shloka 45

Adhyaya 48 — The Netherworlds

Sanskrit

एवंविधाः सृष्टयस्तु ब्रह्मणोऽव्यक्तजन्मनः ।

शर्वर्यन्ते प्रबुद्धस्य कल्पे कल्पे भवन्ति वै ॥

Transliteration

evaṃvidhāḥ sṛṣṭayas tu brahmaṇo 'vyaktajanmanaḥ / śarvaryante prabuddhasya kalpe kalpe bhavanti vai

Translation

അവ്യക്തത്തിൽ നിന്നുദ്ഭവിച്ച ബ്രഹ്മനു ഇത്തരത്തിലുള്ള സൃഷ്ടികളാണ് സംഭവിക്കുന്നത്; അദ്ദേഹം ഉണർന്നാൽ ഓരോ കല്പത്തിലും—കല്പം കല്പമായി—അവയെ പ്രകടമാക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• evaṃ-vidhāḥ: such (of this kind)
• evaṃ-vidhāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: evaṃ (अव्यय) + vidha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); Karmadhāraya (कर्मधारय) ‘of such a kind’ qualifying sṛṣṭayaḥ

• sṛṣṭayaḥ: creations
• sṛṣṭayaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sṛṣṭi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (विरोध/विशेषार्थक अव्यय)

• brahmaṇaḥ: of Brahmā/Brahman
• brahmaṇaḥ: Sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter (पुं/नपुंसक), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन)

• avyakta-janmanaḥ: of him whose birth is unmanifest
• avyakta-janmanaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-vyakta (प्रातिपदिक) + janman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन); Bahuvrīhi (बहुव्रीहि) ‘whose birth is unmanifest’ qualifying brahmaṇaḥ

• śarvary-ante: at the end of the night
• śarvary-ante: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śarvarī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन); ‘ante’ = anta (प्रातिपदिक) Locative singular

• prabuddhasya: of the awakened (one)
• prabuddhasya: Sambandha (षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prabuddha (प्रातिपदिक; PPP from √budh)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन)

• kalpe: in a kalpa
• kalpe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kalpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन)

• kalpe: in each kalpa
• kalpe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kalpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन); repetition for distributive sense

• bhavanti: come to be/occur
• bhavanti: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: Present (लट्), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd Person (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन)

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: Emphatic particle (खलु/नूनम्-अर्थक अव्यय)

Speakers

• Narrative voice within the cosmology account (contextually Markandeya speaking in the broader dialogue)

Primary Deities

• Brahmā

Key Themes

• Cosmology
• Kalpa cycles
• Avyakta (unmanifest)
• Recurring creation

FAQs

What is the philosophical or ethical takeaway?

Creation is periodic, not a one-time event. This relativizes worldly permanence and supports a contemplative stance: align with the timeless (avyakta/dharma) rather than the transient.

How does this fit the Pancalakshana (5 characteristics)?

Sarga (creation) framed within Kalpa repetition; it also gestures toward Pratisarga (re-creation) insofar as each kalpa renews the manifest order.

What is the esoteric significance?

‘Brahmā’s awakening’ symbolizes the rise of manifest cognition from latency. The ‘unmanifest-born’ points to a metaphysical ground (avyakta) from which structured reality periodically emerges.