Shloka 146

Yoga-Sleep, Cosmic Dissolution, and the Lotus of Creation

with Mārkaṇḍeya’s Vision

Devanagari script

आत्मतेजोभवाः पुण्या आपोमृतरसोपमाः । आकाशं छिद्रसंभूतं वायुराकाशसंभवः

Transliteration

ātmatejobhavāḥ puṇyā āpomṛtarasopamāḥ | ākāśaṃ chidrasaṃbhūtaṃ vāyurākāśasaṃbhavaḥ

Translation

आत्मतेजापासून उत्पन्न झालेली पवित्र आपे अमृतरसासारखी आहेत। आकाश अवकाश-छिद्रातून उत्पन्न झाले आणि वायू आकाशापासून उत्पन्न झाला।

Word by Word

• आत्मतेजोभवाः: born of self-lustre/inner radiance
• आत्मतेजोभवाः: विशेषण (Qualifier of ‘आपः’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आत्मन् + तेजस् + भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural); तत्पुरुष-समासः (षष्ठी/सम्बन्ध): ‘आत्मतेजसः भवाः’

• पुण्याः: pure/holy
• पुण्याः: विशेषण (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural); ‘आपः’ इति विशेषणम्

• आपः: waters
• आपः: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अप्/आप् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• अमृतरसोपमाः: like the taste of nectar
• अमृतरसोपमाः: विशेषण (Qualifier of ‘आपः’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अमृत + रस + उपम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural); तत्पुरुषः—‘अमृतरसेन उपमाः/सदृशाः’

• आकाशम्: space/sky
• आकाशम्: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आकाश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular); अत्र प्रथमा (as subject)

• छिद्रसंभूतम्: arisen from an opening
• छिद्रसंभूतम्: विशेषण (Qualifier of ‘आकाशम्’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: छिद्र + सम्भूत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, क्त/PPP from सम्+भू)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); तत्पुरुषः—‘छिद्रात् सम्भूतम्’; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त

• वायुः: wind/air
• वायुः: कर्ता (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वायु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• आकाशसंभवः: born from space
• आकाशसंभवः: विशेषण (Qualifier of ‘वायुः’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आकाश + सम्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); तत्पुरुषः—‘आकाशात् सम्भवः’

Speaker

Not specified in the provided excerpt (context needed from surrounding verses of Adhyaya 39).

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: आपोमृतरसोपमाः = आपः + अमृतरसोपमाः (visarga sandhi); वायुराकाशसंभवः = वायुः + आकाशसंभवः (visarga sandhi).

FAQs

What cosmological idea is taught in this verse?

It presents a creation sequence for subtle elements: water is described as arising from inner radiance (ātma-tejas), ether (ākāśa) as arising from a ‘space/opening’ (chidra), and wind (vāyu) as arising from ether—reflecting Purāṇic/Sāṃkhya-style elemental emanation.

Why are the waters called ‘like nectar’ (amṛtarasa-upamāḥ)?

The comparison emphasizes waters as life-giving, purifying, and sustaining—metaphorically ‘nectar-like’ in essence, not merely in taste—aligning with the Purāṇic view of sacred waters as spiritually restorative.

Does this verse directly teach Bhakti or ethics?

Indirectly: by portraying the cosmos as arising from a sacred, ordered source, it supports reverence toward creation and purity (especially of waters). Explicit Bhakti or moral injunctions would typically appear in nearby verses or a different narrative context.