Shloka 26

Devanagari script

कोटिशकक्ष करोत्येष प्रत्यगात्मानमात्मना । यह ऐश्वर्यशालिनी प्रकृति अपने ही प्रभावसे जीवको सैकड़ों, हजारों, लाखों और करोड़ों रूपोंमें प्रकट कर देती है

Transliteration

koṭiśaḥ karoty eṣa pratyagātmānam ātmanā |

Translation

యాజ్ఞవల్క్యుడు పలికెను— ఈ ఐశ్వర్యవంతమైన ప్రకృతి తన స్వంత ప్రభావశక్తితో ఒకే అంతరాత్మను వందలు, వేలలు, లక్షలు, కోట్ల రూపాలలో నిర్మిస్తుంది; అందువల్ల ఒకే జీవతత్త్వం అనేకంగా కనిపిస్తుంది.

Word by Word

कोटिa crore; ten million

शतa hundred

कक्षa multitude/collection (lit. compartment; here: groups/sets)

करोतिmakes; causes

एषःthis (one)

प्रत्यगात्मानम्the inner self

आत्मनाby/with the self

Speaker

याज़्वल्क्य उवाच

Characters & Entities

य

याज्ञवल्क्य (Yājñavalkya)

प

प्रत्यगात्मन् (the indwelling Self)

प

प्रकृति (Prakṛti, implied by the explanatory gloss)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches that multiplicity in living beings is a manifestation produced by an operative power (understood as Prakṛti), while the inner Self is fundamentally one; the many-ness is an appearance or expression rather than a change in the essential Self.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Śānti Parva’s philosophical instruction, the sage Yājñavalkya explains to his interlocutor how the single indwelling Self comes to be presented as innumerable individual forms, framing a metaphysical basis for detachment and discernment.