Shloka 13

An Exposition of the Distinctions of Creation, Inert Matter, and the Lord

Devanagari script

रजः प्रधानं यत्तत्वं महत्तत्तवमितीरितम् / सर्गं त्विमं विजानीयाद्गुणवैषम्यनामकम्

Transliteration

rajaḥ pradhānaṃ yattatvaṃ mahattattavamitīritam / sargaṃ tvimaṃ vijānīyādguṇavaiṣamyanāmakam

Translation

ตัตตวะใดมีรชคุณเป็นใหญ่ ตัตตวะนั้นเรียกว่า “มหัตตัตตวะ” และพึงรู้ว่าการอุบัติแห่งสรรพสิ่งนี้มีนามว่า “คุณไวษมยะ” คือความไม่เสมอกันแห่งตรีคุณ

Word by Word

• rajaḥ: rajas (the quality of activity)
• rajaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rajas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; here used as qualifier of pradhānam (appositional)

• pradhānam: Pradhāna (primordial matter)
• pradhānam: Karta/Viṣaya (कर्ता/विषयः)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pradhāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• yat: which
• yat: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; relative pronoun

• tatvam: principle, reality
• tatvam: Karta/Viṣaya (कर्ता/विषयः)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tattva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• mahat-tattvam: the Mahat-tattva (great principle)
• mahat-tattvam: Karta/Viṣaya (कर्ता/विषयः)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahat (प्रातिपदिक) + tattva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः = ‘mahat’ qualifying ‘tattva’

• iti: thus
• iti: Vacana-paryavasāna (वचनपर्यवसानम्)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: इति-इत्यादि-निपातः; quotation marker

• īritam: is said/declared
• īritam: Karma-bhāva (कर्मभावः)
• Type: Verb
• Root: īr (धातु) + kta (कृत्)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; passive participle

• sargam: creation, emanation
• sargam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha-bodhaka (सम्बन्धबोधक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/अन्वयार्थक-निपात (contrast/emphasis particle)

• imam: this
• imam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; deictic pronoun

• vijānīyāt: one should understand/know
• vijānīyāt: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi + jñā (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• guṇa-vaiṣamya-nāmakam: named ‘inequality of the guṇas’
• guṇa-vaiṣamya-nāmakam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: guṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + vaiṣamya (प्रातिपदिक) + nāmaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (षष्ठी/सम्बन्ध) ‘guṇavaiṣamya’ + ‘nāmaka’ = ‘named as…’

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in instruction to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Mahat-tattva is characterized here by rajas predominance; creation is termed guṇa-vaiṣamya—disequilibrium among sattva, rajas, tamas.

Vedantic Theme: Interplay of guṇas as the proximate mechanism of manifestation; naming/knowing (saṃjñā-jñāna) as a step toward discernment (viveka).

Application: Diagnose personal states via guṇas: when rajas dominates, ‘mahat’ becomes outward-activating; restore balance through sattvic disciplines (diet, conduct, meditation) to reduce agitation.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 3.4.11 (Mahat from guṇas); Garuda Purana 3.4.15 (request for meaning of guṇa-vaiṣamya)

Characters & Entities

• Mahat-tattva
• Guṇas (sattva, rajas, tamas)

FAQs

What is the importance of guṇa-vaiṣamya in the Garuda Purana?

This verse identifies creation as beginning when the guṇas lose equilibrium; that imbalance (guṇa-vaiṣamya) is the trigger for cosmic manifestation.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

By grounding the universe in guṇas and Mahat-tattva, it frames embodied life as arising from guṇic conditions—helping explain why karma and tendencies operate through the qualities of nature.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Observe how rajas (restlessness and compulsive activity) drives the mind; cultivating balance—especially sattva—supports clarity, ethical choices, and steadier spiritual practice.