Shloka 12

Adhyāya 40: Brahmā on Mahān (The Great Principle) and the All-Pervading Puruṣa

Devanagari script

विष्णुरेवादिसर्गेषु स्वयम्भूर्भवति प्रभु:,आदिसर्ममें सर्वसमर्थ स्वयम्भू विष्णु ही स्वयं अपनी इच्छासे प्रकट होते है। जो इस प्रकार बुद्धिरूपी गुहामें स्थित, विश्वरूप, पुराणपुरुष, हिरण्मय देव और ज्ञानियोंकी परम गतिरूप परम प्रभुको जानता है, वह बुद्धिमान्‌ बुद्धिकी सीमाके पार पहुँच जाता है

Transliteration

viṣṇur evādi-sargeṣu svayambhūr bhavati prabhuḥ |

Translation

वायू म्हणाला—आदिसृष्टींमध्ये स्वयंभू, सर्वाधिपती विष्णूच प्रकट होतो. तो कोणत्याही बाह्य कारणाने उत्पन्न होत नाही; आपल्या इच्छेनेच सृष्टीच्या आरंभी प्रादुर्भूत होतो. जो त्या परम प्रभूला—बुद्धिरूपी गुहेत स्थित अंतर्यामी, विश्वरूप, पुराणपुरुष, हिरण्मय देव आणि ज्ञानीजनांची परम गती—असा जाणतो, तो खरा बुद्धिमान होऊन सामान्य बुद्धीची सीमा ओलांडून परम पदाला पोहोचतो.

Word by Word

विष्णुःVishnu

एवindeed/only

आदि-सर्गेषुin the primordial creations

स्वयम्-भूःthe self-existent one

भवतिbecomes/is

प्रभुःthe Lord/master

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vāyu (Vāyudeva)

Viṣṇu

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 teaches that Viṣṇu, the Supreme Lord, is self-manifest at the beginning of creation—independent and sovereign. Realizing Him as the inner presence (in the ‘cave’ of intellect/heart), as the universal and primeval Person, is presented as the knowledge that carries one beyond the limits of ordinary intellect toward the highest attainment.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyudeva is speaking and delivering a doctrinal statement about the origin of creation and the nature of the Supreme. The focus is not on external action but on instruction: identifying Viṣṇu as the self-manifest primal Lord and describing the fruit of knowing Him—transcendence and the highest goal sought by the wise.