Shloka 4

Sṛṣṭi-krama: Brahmā’s Sequential Creation of Devas, Sages, and Sense-Presiding Powers

Devanagari script

सृष्टिं कर्तुं मनो दध्रे प्रीणयन्नेव माधवम् / महत्तत्वात्मको ब्रह्मा वायुं जीवभिमानिनम्

Transliteration

sṛṣṭiṃ kartuṃ mano dadhre prīṇayanneva mādhavam / mahattatvātmako brahmā vāyuṃ jīvabhimāninam

Translation

欲行创造之业，梵天摄心于此，同时令摩陀婆（毗湿奴）欢悦。梵天以“大我原理”（Mahat-tattva）为性，继而生出伐由（Vāyu）——那以生命之息而自认与众生（jīva）同一的原则。

Word by Word

• sṛṣṭim: creation
• sṛṣṭim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sṛṣṭi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• kartum: to do / to make
• kartum: Prayojana (प्रयोजन/उद्देश्य)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु) + tumun (तुमुन्)
• Form: Infinitive (तुमुनन्त), indeclinable verbal (अव्ययभाव); expresses purpose

• manaḥ: mind
• manaḥ: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• dadhre: held/assumed
• dadhre: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dhṛ (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन); ātmanepada

• prīṇayan: pleasing
• prīṇayan: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prī (धातु) + śatṛ (शतृ)
• Form: Present active participle (शतृ), Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); agrees with ‘brahmā’

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), emphatic particle (अवधारण)

• mādhavam: Mādhava (Viṣṇu)
• mādhavam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mādhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• mahat-tattva-ātmakaḥ: consisting of the Mahat principle
• mahat-tattva-ātmakaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat (प्रातिपदिक) + tattva (प्रातिपदिक) + ātmaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन); agrees with ‘brahmā’; तत्पुरुषः—‘mahattattvasya ātmakaḥ’ (consisting of the Mahat-tattva)

• brahmā: Brahmā
• brahmā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

• vāyum: Vāyu (wind)
• vāyum: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāyu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• jīva-abhimāninam: having ego-identification with the living being
• jīva-abhimāninam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jīva (प्रातिपदिक) + abhimānin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Accusative (द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); agrees with ‘vāyum’; तत्पुरुषः—‘jīve abhimānaḥ asya’ (identifying with the jīva)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (Mādhava) instructing Garuda (Vinata-putra) in the creation narrative

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Sṛṣṭi unfolds through tattvas: Brahmā as Mahat-tattva-associated creator produces Vāyu linked with jīva-abhimāna (life-identification).

Vedantic Theme: Sāṅkhya-Vedānta interface: Mahat/ahaṅkāra/prāṇa as evolutes; jīva’s identification (abhimāna) as the seed of bondage within prakṛti’s unfoldment under Īśvara.

Application: Observe prāṇa and ego-identification: use breath-awareness to reduce jīva-abhimāna; remember devotion while engaging in creative/managerial roles.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana cosmogony sequence of tattva-sṛṣṭi (Mahat → Ahaṅkāra → elements/prāṇa)

Characters & Entities

• Mādhava (Vishnu)
• Brahmā
• Vāyu
• Mahat-tattva
• Jīva

FAQs

What is the importance of Mahat-tattva in Garuda Purana cosmology?

This verse presents Brahmā as “mahattattvātmaka,” linking creation to Mahat-tattva (cosmic intellect), indicating that manifested order begins from an intelligible cosmic principle rather than from gross matter alone.

How does this verse explain the role of Vāyu in relation to the jīva?

It calls Vāyu “jīvābhimānin,” implying that life-breath is closely tied to the sense of being a living individual; prāṇa becomes a vehicle through which embodied consciousness experiences itself as a jīva.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Cultivating prāṇa-awareness (through disciplined breath and sattvic living) supports clarity of mind and reduces mistaken identity with mere life-force, aligning one’s life with devotion and higher understanding.