Shloka 3

Adhyāya 352: Brāhmaṇa–Nāga Saṃvāda — Uñchavrata-niścaya

Dialogue and the Resolve to Practice Uñchavrata

Devanagari script

बहूनां पुरुषाणां च यथैका योनिरुच्यते । तथा त॑ पुरुष विश्व व्याख्यास्थामि गुणाधिकम्‌

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca |

bahūnāṃ puruṣāṇāṃ ca yathaikā yonir ucyate |

tathā taṃ puruṣaṃ viśva vyākhyāsthāmi guṇādhikam ||

Translation

ਵੈਸ਼ੰਪਾਯਨ ਨੇ ਆਖਿਆ—ਜਿਵੇਂ ਬਹੁਤੇ ਪੁਰੁਸ਼ਾਂ ਲਈ ਇੱਕ ਹੀ ‘ਯੋਨੀ’ (ਉਤਪੱਤੀ-ਸਥਾਨ) ਕਹੀ ਜਾਂਦੀ ਹੈ, ਤਿਵੇਂ ਹੀ ਮੈਂ ਤੈਨੂੰ ਗੁਣਾਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਉਤਕ੍ਰਿਸ਼ਟ, ਸਰਵਵਿਆਪੀ ‘ਵਿਸ਼ਵ-ਪੁਰੁਸ਼’ (ਵਿਸ਼ਵਾਤਮਾ) ਦਾ ਵਰਣਨ ਕਰਾਂਗਾ, ਜਿਸ ਨੂੰ ਸਭ ਦਾ ਮੂਲ ਕਿਹਾ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ।

Word by Word

• बहूनाम्: of many
• बहूनाम्: Sambandha
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• पुरुषाणाम्: of persons / men
• पुरुषाणाम्: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

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

• यथा: as / just as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा

• एका: one (single)
• एका: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• योनिः: source / womb / origin
• योनिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: योनि
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• उच्यते: is said / is called
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Present, Passive, Third, Singular

• तथा: so / in the same way
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• तम्: him / that
• तम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• पुरुषम्: the Person (Purusha)
• पुरुषम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• विश्वम्: O all-pervading one / O universal one
• विश्वम्: Sambodhana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विश्व
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• व्याख्यास्यामि: I shall explain
• Type: Verb
• Root: व्याख्या-√अस् (व्याख्यास्)
• Form: Future, Parasmaipada, First, Singular

• गुणाधिकम्: endowed with superior qualities / more excellent in qualities
• गुणाधिकम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गुणाधिक
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Puruṣa (all-pervading/world-self)
• Yoni (source/origin)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Many beings can be traced to a single ultimate source; the speaker prepares to expound the all-pervading Puruṣa (World-Self) as the common origin and superior principle behind multiplicity.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana transitions into a doctrinal explanation: he introduces an analogy (one source for many persons) and announces that he will now explain the supreme, all-pervading Puruṣa who underlies the universe.