Shloka 20

Brahmā’s Enumeration of Primacies (Ādi) and the Supremacy of Knowledge

Jñāna

Devanagari script

सर्व कृतं विनाशान्तं जातस्य मरणं ध्रुवम्‌ । अशाश्रवृतं हि लोके5स्मिन्‌ सदा स्थावरजड्रमम्‌

Transliteration

sarvaṃ kṛtaṃ vināśāntaṃ jātasya maraṇaṃ dhruvam | aśāśvataṃ hi loke 'smin sadā sthāvara-jaṅgamam ||

Translation

వాయుదేవుడు పలికెను— సృష్టింపబడినదంతా వినాశాంతమే; జన్మించినవానికి మరణం నిశ్చయం. ఈ లోకంలో స్థావరమైనా జంగమమైనా ఏదియు శాశ్వతంగా నిలవదు.

Word by Word

• सर्वम्: everything
• सर्वम्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• कृतम्: made, produced
• कृतम्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular, Past passive participle (क्त)

• विनाशान्तम्: ending in destruction
• विनाशान्तम्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विनाशान्त
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• जातस्य: of one who is born
• जातस्य: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जन्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular, Past active participle (क्त/जात as PPP used adjectivally: 'born')

• मरणम्: death
• मरणम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मरण
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• ध्रुवम्: certain, inevitable
• ध्रुवम्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ध्रुव
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• अशाश्वतम्: impermanent, not eternal
• अशाश्वतम्: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ-शाश्वत
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• हि: indeed, for
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि

• लोके: in the world
• लोके: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• अस्मिन्: in this
• अस्मिन्: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative, Singular

• सदा: always
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा

• स्थावरजङ्गमम्: the immobile and the mobile (all beings/things)
• स्थावरजङ्गमम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थावर + जङ्गम
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vāyu (Vāyudeva)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

All conditioned things are impermanent: whatever is produced will perish, and whoever is born will certainly die. The verse urges clear-sighted detachment and steadiness in dharma by recognizing the inevitability of change and death.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyu-deva delivers a concise philosophical instruction, emphasizing the universal law of impermanence—applying it to all entities in the world, both immobile (sthāvara) and mobile (jaṅgama)—to guide the listener toward right understanding and composure.