Shloka 4
नारद-देवमत-संवादः
Nārada–Devamata Dialogue on Prāṇa, Apāna, and Udāna
देवमत उवाच केनायं सृज्यते जन्तु: कश्चान्य: पूर्वमेति तम् । प्राणद्वन्द्धं च मे ब्रूहि तिर्यगूर्धष्यमधश्च॒ यत्
devamata uvāca: kenāyaṃ sṛjyate jantuḥ? kaścānyaḥ pūrvam eti tam | prāṇadvandvaṃ ca me brūhi tiryag ūrdhvaṃ adhaś ca yat ||
Devamatā bertanya: “Dengan sebab apakah makhluk bernyawa ini dijadikan? Dan prinsip apakah yang lain datang terlebih dahulu, mendahuluinya sebagai sebab awal? Juga jelaskan kepadaku tentang ‘keduaan nafas hayat’—yang meresapi alam bawah, alam tengah, dan alam atas.”
देवमत उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a philosophical inquiry into causality and embodiment: it asks what produces living beings, what prior principle precedes their manifestation, and how the vital forces (prāṇas) operate as a duality that pervades all levels of existence. The ethical thrust is humility before ultimate causes and the disciplined pursuit of knowledge through questioning.
Devamatā addresses a sage (contextually Narada in this dialogue) with a set of metaphysical questions. She seeks an explanation of the origin of creatures, the antecedent cause behind their arising, and the nature of the prāṇic duality that functions throughout the cosmos—above, in the middle, and below.