Shloka 15

Nāgendra–Brāhmaṇa Saṃvāda: Praśna-vidhi and Dharmic Approach on the Gomatī Riverbank

Devanagari script

वायौ चाकाशसंलीने आकाशे च मनो<नुगे । व्यक्ते मनसि संलीने व्यक्ते चाव्यक्ततां गते

Transliteration

vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca | vāyau cākāśa-saṃlīne ākāśe ca mano'nuge | vyakte manasi saṃlīne vyakte cāvyaktatāṃ gate, nṛpaśreṣṭha ab tuṃ pañcabhūtoṃke ātyantika-pralayakī bāt suno | pūrvakāleṃ jab is pṛthvīkā ekārṇavake jala-meṃ laya ho gayā | jalakā tejas-meṃ, tejas-kā vāyu-meṃ, vāyu-kā ākāśa-gaṃ, ākāśa-kā mana-meṃ, mana-kā vyakta (mahat-tattva) meṃ, vyakta-kā avyakta prakṛti-meṃ, avyakta-kā puruṣa-meṃ arthāt māyā-viśiṣṭa īśvara-meṃ aur puruṣa-kā sarvavyāpī paramātma-meṃ laya ho gayā, us samaya sab or kevala andhakāra-hī-andhakāra chā gayā | uske sivā aur kuch bhī jñāna nahīṃ paṛtā thā ||

Translation

Vaiśaṃpāyana nói: “Khi gió tan vào hư không, và hư không theo về tâm; khi tâm tan vào nguyên lý hiển lộ (mahat), và cái hiển lộ trở về vô hiển—hỡi bậc vương giả tối thượng, hãy nghe về cuộc đại tiêu vong rốt ráo của năm đại. Thuở trước, khi đất này tan vào nước của đại dương vũ trụ duy nhất; nước tan vào lửa; lửa tan vào gió; gió tan vào hư không; hư không tan vào tâm; tâm tan vào mahat; mahat tan vào Prakṛti vô hiển; cái vô hiển tan vào Puruṣa (Đấng Chủ Tể gắn với māyā); và Puruṣa tan vào Đại Ngã Tối Thượng bao trùm khắp—khi ấy, khắp nơi chỉ còn bóng tối; không thể nhận biết gì khác.”

Word by Word

• वायौ: in wind
• वायौ: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: वायु
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

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

• आकाश-संलीने: when (it is) merged into space
• आकाश-संलीने: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आकाशसंलीन
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative, Singular

• आकाशे: in space/ether
• आकाशे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: आकाश
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

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

• मनः-अनुगे: when (it is) following/entering the mind
• मनः-अनुगे: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मनोनुग
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative, Singular

• व्यक्ते: in the manifest (principle)
• व्यक्ते: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यक्त
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• मनसि: in the mind
• मनसि: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनस्
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• संलीने: when merged/dissolved
• संलीने: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: संलीन
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative, Singular

• व्यक्ते: in the manifest
• व्यक्ते: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यक्त
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

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

• अव्यक्तताम्: unmanifest state
• अव्यक्तताम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अव्यक्तता
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• गते: when gone/attained
• गते: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गत
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative, Singular

• नृपश्रेष्ठ: O best of kings
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृपश्रेष्ठ
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

वैशग्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśaṃpāyana
• nṛpaśreṣṭha (best of kings, addressee)
• pañcabhūta (five elements)
• pṛthvī (earth)
• jala (water)
• tejas (fire)
• vāyu (wind)
• ākāśa (space/ether)
• manas (mind)
• vyakta (mahat-tattva)
• avyakta (Prakṛti)
• puruṣa
• īśvara (implied by māyā-viśiṣṭa puruṣa in the prose gloss)
• paramātman
• ekārṇava (cosmic ocean)
• andhakāra (darkness)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

All manifested reality is impermanent and resolves step-by-step into subtler causes, culminating in the Supreme Self. The passage uses the dissolution sequence to point beyond the elements and mind to the ultimate, all-pervading Paramātman.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśaṃpāyana instructs a kingly listener about the ‘final dissolution’ (ātyantika pralaya), describing how earth, water, fire, wind, space, mind, and higher principles are successively reabsorbed until only undifferentiated darkness is perceived.