Shloka 98

Invocations, Definition and Authority of Purāṇa, Pulastya–Bhīṣma Frame, and the Creation–Dissolution Schema

Devanagari script

संभवंति ततोंभांसि रूपमात्रं समावृणोत् । विकुर्वाणानि चांभांसि गंधमात्रं ससर्जिरे

Transliteration

saṃbhavaṃti tatoṃbhāṃsi rūpamātraṃ samāvṛṇot | vikurvāṇāni cāṃbhāṃsi gaṃdhamātraṃ sasarjire

Translation

ครั้นแล้วบรรดาน้ำทั้งหลายก็บังเกิดขึ้น และได้แผ่คลุมเพียงรูปเท่านั้น; ครั้นน้ำนั้นแปรเปลี่ยน ก็ได้ก่อกำเนิดเพียงหลักแห่งกลิ่น (คันธะ)

Word by Word

संभवन्तिarise, come into being

ततःthen, from that

अम्भांसिwaters

रूपमात्रम्mere form

समावृणोत्covered

विकुर्वाणानिtransforming

चand

अम्भांसिwaters

गन्धमात्रम्mere smell

ससर्जिरेcreated, produced

Speaker

Unspecified narrator (cosmogonic narration; speaker not identifiable from the single verse alone)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: celestial_realm

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: ततोंभांसि = ततः + अम्भांसि; चांभांसि = च + अम्भांसि; ससर्जिरे = लिट्-लकार आत्मनेपद बहुवचन।

FAQs

What is the cosmological idea expressed in this verse?

It presents a step in Purāṇic/Sāṃkhya-style evolution: an element (here, waters) arises, relates to a subtle quality (tanmātra), and through further modification generates another subtle principle (here, smell as gandha-mātra).

Why are “form” (rūpa) and “smell” (gandha) mentioned as “mātra”?

“Mātra” indicates a subtle, essential principle—i.e., a tanmātra—rather than a gross sensory object. The verse is mapping creation in terms of elemental qualities and their causal progression.

Does this verse teach a Bhakti or ethical lesson directly?

Not directly; it is primarily cosmogonic. Any devotional or ethical application would be indirect—e.g., reflecting on the ordered emergence of creation as an expression of cosmic law (dharma) and divine governance in the Purāṇic worldview.