Shloka 15

Nāgendra–Brāhmaṇa Saṃvāda: Praśna-vidhi and Dharmic Approach on the Gomatī Riverbank

Devanagari script

वायौ चाकाशसंलीने आकाशे च मनो<नुगे । व्यक्ते मनसि संलीने व्यक्ते चाव्यक्ततां गते

Transliteration

vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca | vāyau cākāśa-saṃlīne ākāśe ca mano'nuge | vyakte manasi saṃlīne vyakte cāvyaktatāṃ gate, nṛpaśreṣṭha ab tuṃ pañcabhūtoṃke ātyantika-pralayakī bāt suno | pūrvakāleṃ jab is pṛthvīkā ekārṇavake jala-meṃ laya ho gayā | jalakā tejas-meṃ, tejas-kā vāyu-meṃ, vāyu-kā ākāśa-gaṃ, ākāśa-kā mana-meṃ, mana-kā vyakta (mahat-tattva) meṃ, vyakta-kā avyakta prakṛti-meṃ, avyakta-kā puruṣa-meṃ arthāt māyā-viśiṣṭa īśvara-meṃ aur puruṣa-kā sarvavyāpī paramātma-meṃ laya ho gayā, us samaya sab or kevala andhakāra-hī-andhakāra chā gayā | uske sivā aur kuch bhī jñāna nahīṃ paṛtā thā ||

Translation

ਵੈਸ਼ੰਪਾਯਨ ਨੇ ਆਖਿਆ—ਜਦੋਂ ਵਾਯੂ ਆਕਾਸ਼ ਵਿੱਚ ਲੀਨ ਹੋ ਜਾਂਦੀ ਹੈ ਅਤੇ ਆਕਾਸ਼ ਮਨ ਦੇ ਪਿੱਛੇ-ਪਿੱਛੇ (ਮਨ ਵਿੱਚ) ਸਮਾ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ; ਜਦੋਂ ਮਨ ਵਿਅਕਤ (ਮਹੱਤੱਤਵ) ਵਿੱਚ ਲੀਨ ਹੁੰਦਾ ਹੈ ਅਤੇ ਵਿਅਕਤ ਅਵਿਅਕਤਤਾ ਨੂੰ ਪ੍ਰਾਪਤ ਹੁੰਦਾ ਹੈ; ਫਿਰ ਅਵਿਅਕਤ ਪੁਰੁਸ਼ ਵਿੱਚ ਅਤੇ ਪੁਰੁਸ਼ ਵੀ ਸਰਬ-ਵਿਆਪਕ ਪਰਮਾਤਮਾ ਵਿੱਚ ਲੀਨ ਹੋ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ—ਤਦ ਹਰ ਪਾਸੇ ਕੇਵਲ ਅੰਧਕਾਰ ਰਹਿੰਦਾ ਹੈ; ਕੁਝ ਵੀ ਜਨਮ ਨਹੀਂ ਲੈਂਦਾ।

Word by Word

• वायौ: in wind
• वायौ: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: वायु
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• आकाश-संलीने: when (it is) merged into space
• आकाश-संलीने: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आकाशसंलीन
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative, Singular

• आकाशे: in space/ether
• आकाशे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: आकाश
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• मनः-अनुगे: when (it is) following/entering the mind
• मनः-अनुगे: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मनोनुग
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative, Singular

• व्यक्ते: in the manifest (principle)
• व्यक्ते: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यक्त
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• मनसि: in the mind
• मनसि: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनस्
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• संलीने: when merged/dissolved
• संलीने: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: संलीन
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative, Singular

• व्यक्ते: in the manifest
• व्यक्ते: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यक्त
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• अव्यक्तताम्: unmanifest state
• अव्यक्तताम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अव्यक्तता
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• गते: when gone/attained
• गते: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गत
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative, Singular

• नृपश्रेष्ठ: O best of kings
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृपश्रेष्ठ
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

वैशग्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśaṃpāyana
• nṛpaśreṣṭha (best of kings, addressee)
• pañcabhūta (five elements)
• pṛthvī (earth)
• jala (water)
• tejas (fire)
• vāyu (wind)
• ākāśa (space/ether)
• manas (mind)
• vyakta (mahat-tattva)
• avyakta (Prakṛti)
• puruṣa
• īśvara (implied by māyā-viśiṣṭa puruṣa in the prose gloss)
• paramātman
• ekārṇava (cosmic ocean)
• andhakāra (darkness)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

All manifested reality is impermanent and resolves step-by-step into subtler causes, culminating in the Supreme Self. The passage uses the dissolution sequence to point beyond the elements and mind to the ultimate, all-pervading Paramātman.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśaṃpāyana instructs a kingly listener about the ‘final dissolution’ (ātyantika pralaya), describing how earth, water, fire, wind, space, mind, and higher principles are successively reabsorbed until only undifferentiated darkness is perceived.