Shloka 24

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

Devanagari script

पूर्वमेव च पद्मस्य पत्रे सूर्याशुसप्र भे । नारायणकृतौ बिन्दू अपामास्तां गुणोत्तरो

Transliteration

vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca | pūrvam eva ca padmasya patre sūryāṃśu-saprabhe | nārāyaṇa-kṛtau bindū apām āstāṃ guṇottarau ||

Translation

Vaiśaṃpāyana nói: Trên chiếc lá sen—vốn đã rực sáng như tia nắng mặt trời—ngay từ thuở ban đầu đã có những giọt nước do uy lực của Nārāyaṇa đặt xuống. Những giọt ấy tượng trưng cho sự hiển lộ của các guṇa trong công cuộc tạo hóa, và gợi lên bàn tay sắp đặt của thần linh phía sau sự xuất hiện ấy.

Word by Word

• पूर्वम्: formerly, beforehand
• पूर्वम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्व
• Form: Avyaya (temporal adverb)

• एव: indeed, just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव
• Form: Avyaya (emphatic particle)

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च
• Form: Avyaya (conjunction)

• पद्मस्य: of the lotus
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद्म
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• पत्रे: on/in the leaf
• पत्रे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: पत्र
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• सूर्य: sun
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूर्य
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular (used as upamā-member in compound)

• आशु: swiftly; (in compounds) intensely/quickly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आशु
• Form: Avyaya (adverb)

• सप्रभे: in/at (that which is) radiant, shining
• सप्रभे: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सप्रभ
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular (agreeing with पत्रे)

• नारायण: of Nārāyaṇa
• Type: Noun
• Root: नारायण
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular (in compound relation)

• कृतौ: in/at (something) made/caused
• कृतौ: Adhikarana
• Type: Kridanta
• Root: कृत
• Form: Past passive participle (कृ), Neuter, Locative, Singular (agreeing with पत्रे; 'made/caused')

• बिन्दू: two drops
• बिन्दू: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: बिन्दु
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• अपाम्: of waters
• Type: Noun
• Root: अप्
• Form: Feminine, Genitive, Plural

• आस्ताम्: were (there), existed
• Type: Verb
• Root: आस्
• Form: Imperfect/Perfect-like (लिट्/लङ् usage varies in epic), 3rd person, Dual

• गुण: quality, guṇa
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular (as first member in compound)

• उत्तरो: higher, superior
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular (agreeing with implied/elliptic subject; or as predicate adjective)

Speaker

वैशग्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśaṃpāyana
• Nārāyaṇa
• lotus (padma)
• lotus leaf (patra)
• sun/rays (sūryāṃśu)
• water drops (bindu, ap)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames the guṇas as part of an ordered cosmic unfolding under divine governance: even the earliest manifestations (symbolized by water-drops on a radiant lotus leaf) occur through Nārāyaṇa’s agency, implying that moral and spiritual discernment requires understanding how rajas and tamas arise and are to be regulated rather than blindly followed.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśaṃpāyana describes a primordial scene involving a radiant lotus leaf and water-drops placed there by Nārāyaṇa. The imagery functions as a symbolic account of creation and the appearance of the guṇa-principles, setting up a philosophical explanation within Śānti Parva’s reflective discourse.