Shloka 4

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

Devanagari script

सर्वतःपाणिपादश्च सर्वतो$क्षिशिरोमुख: । सर्वतः:श्रुतिमॉल्लोके सर्व व्याप्प स तिष्ठति,परमात्मा सब ओर हाथ-पैरवाला, सब ओर नेत्र, सिर और मुखवाला तथा सब ओर कानवाला है; क्योंकि वह संसारमें सबको व्याप्त करके स्थित है

Transliteration

sarvataḥ-pāṇipādaś ca sarvato 'kṣi-śiro-mukhaḥ | sarvataḥ śrutimāl loke sarvaṁ vyāpya sa tiṣṭhati ||

Translation

Vāyu disse: “O Si mesmo Supremo tem mãos e pés por todos os lados; olhos, cabeças e faces por todos os lados; e ouvidos em toda parte. Pois, permeando todos os seres no mundo, Ele permanece—presente dentro e ao redor de tudo.”

Word by Word

सर्वतःeverywhere/on all sides

पाणिhand

पादःfoot

चand

सर्वतः-पाणि-पादःhaving hands and feet on all sides

सर्वतःeverywhere/on all sides

अक्षिeye

शिरःhead

मुखःmouth/face

सर्वतः-अक्षि-शिरो-मुखःhaving eyes, head and face on all sides

सर्वतःeverywhere/on all sides

श्रुतिमान्having hearing/ears

लोकेin the world

सर्वम्all/everything

व्याप्यhaving pervaded

सःhe/that (one)

तिष्ठतिstands/abides

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vāyudeva

Paramātman (Supreme Self)

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 the omnipresence of the Supreme Self: all faculties (hands, feet, eyes, heads, mouths, ears) are attributed to Him in a universal sense, indicating that nothing lies outside His pervasion; this supports an ethical vision where all beings are encompassed by one reality, grounding compassion and restraint.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyudeva is speaking and instructing about the nature of the Paramātman, describing Him through all-pervading imagery to convey that the divine presence permeates the entire world and all beings.