Shloka 15

Adhyāya 302: Guṇa-vicāra, Gati-bheda, and the Imperishable State

Yājñavalkya–Janaka

Devanagari script

रात्रिश्वनैतावती राजन्‌ यस्यान्ते प्रतिबुद्धयते । सृजत्यनन्तकर्माणं महान्तं भूतमग्रजम्‌

Transliteration

rātriś ca naitāvatī rājan yasyānte pratibudhyate | sṛjaty anantakarmāṇaṃ mahāntaṃ bhūtam agrajam ||

Translation

వసిష్ఠుడు పలికెను—ఓ రాజా, ఆయన రాత్రి కూడా అంతే విస్తారమైనది; దాని అంత్యంలో ఆయన మేల్కొంటాడు. అప్పుడు ఆ మహానుభావుడు, అగ్రజుడు—అనంతకర్ముడు బ్రహ్మ—సృష్టికార్యాన్ని ప్రవృత్తి చేస్తాడు.

Word by Word

• रात्रिः: night
• रात्रिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: रात्रि
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

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

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• एतावती: so great/so long (of that measure)
• एतावती: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतावत्
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• राजन्: O king
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• यस्य: whose/of whom
• यस्य: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• अन्ते: at the end
• अन्ते: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्त
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• प्रतिबुद्ध्यते: awakens/comes to wakefulness
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति-बुध्
• Form: Present, Atmanepada, Third, Singular

• सृजति: creates/emits
• Type: Verb
• Root: सृज्
• Form: Present, Parasmaipada, Third, Singular

• अनन्तकर्माणम्: having endless actions/works
• अनन्तकर्माणम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनन्तकर्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• महान्तम्: great
• महान्तम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• भूतम्: being/entity
• भूतम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूत
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• अग्रजम्: the first-born/elder
• अग्रजम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्रज
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

वसिष्ठ उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vasiṣṭha
• Rājan (the King, addressee)
• Brahmā (anantakarmā, agraja)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames creation as cyclical: after an immense ‘night’ (a cosmic period of withdrawal), awakening occurs and the primordial creator (Brahmā) resumes the work of manifestation. It points to vast cosmic time and the ordered recurrence of creation rather than a single, linear beginning.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vasiṣṭha is instructing a king, describing the scale of cosmic time and the moment when, at the end of a great night, awakening occurs and Brahmā—the great first-born being of endless activity—initiates creation.