Shloka 48

Āścarya-kathana: Brāhmaṇa–Nāga Dialogue on Sūrya (Vivasvat) and the ‘Second Sun’ Phenomenon

Devanagari script

यदिदं सप्तमं जन्म पद्मजं ब्रह्मणो नूप । तत्रैष धर्म: कथित: स्वयं नारायणेन ह

Transliteration

yad idaṃ saptamaṃ janma padmajaṃ brahmaṇo nūpa | tatraiṣa dharmaḥ kathitaḥ svayaṃ nārāyaṇena ha, nareśvara |

Translation

Vaiśampāyana nói: Hỡi Đại vương, trong lần sinh thứ bảy của Brahmā—đấng Liên Hoa Sinh—chính dharma này đã được giảng dạy, quả thật do Nārāyaṇa tự thân. Vào buổi khởi đầu của kiếp, Chúa tể đã truyền dharma này cho Brahmā thuần tịnh, đấng tạo dựng các thế giới; rồi sau đó Brahmā trước hết đã trao giáo huấn ấy cho Prajāpati Dakṣa.

Word by Word

• {'yad idam': 'this which (is being spoken of here)', 'saptamam': 'seventh', 'janma': 'birth

• origin', 'padmajam': 'lotus-born (epithet of Brahmā)', 'brahmaṇaḥ': 'of Brahmā', 'nūpa': 'O king (vocative address)', 'tatra': 'there

• in that context/occasion', 'eṣaḥ dharmaḥ': 'this Dharma

• this law/teaching of righteousness', 'kathitaḥ': 'taught

• declared', 'svayam': 'personally

• Himself', 'nārāyaṇena': 'by Nārāyaṇa', 'ha': 'indeed

• emphatic particle (traditional narrative marker)', 'nareśvara': 'O lord of men

• O king', 'kalpa-ārambhe': 'at the beginning of the kalpa (aeon)', 'jagaddhātā': 'sustainer/creator of the world(s) (epithet of Brahmā)', 'śuddha-svarūpa': 'of pure nature/essence', 'upadeśa': 'instruction

• teaching', 'prajāpati': 'lord of creatures

• progenitor', 'dakṣa': 'Dakṣa (a Prajāpati)'}

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Brahmā (Padmaja)
• Nārāyaṇa
• Dakṣa (Prajāpati)
• Kalpa

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse emphasizes the divine origin and authoritative transmission of Dharma: Nārāyaṇa teaches Dharma directly to Brahmā at the start of the kalpa, and Brahmā then passes it on to Dakṣa. Dharma is presented as primordial, revealed, and preserved through a lineage of teachers.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana addresses the king and situates the teaching within a cosmic timeline: during Brahmā’s lotus-born manifestation, Nārāyaṇa instructs Brahmā in Dharma at the beginning of creation, after which Brahmā first teaches Dakṣa, establishing an early chain of instruction.