Shloka 17

Devanagari script

द्रष्टव्यं नैतदेवं हि कथं जायेदजो हि सः । स्मृतमाकाशमण्डं तु तस्माज्जात: पितामह:

Transliteration

draṣṭavyaṃ naitadevaṃ hi kathaṃ jāyed ajo hi saḥ | smṛtam ākāśamaṇḍaṃ tu tasmāj jātaḥ pitāmahaḥ ||

Translation

阿周那说：“不可如此按字面理解。无生者怎会有生？所谓‘卵生’在此只是譬喻之名：以无边虚空称为‘卵’，从那虚空之中，大祖父（梵天）显现。故称其‘卵生’，唯取此义。”

Word by Word

• द्रष्टव्यम्: should be seen/understood
• द्रष्टव्यम्: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: तव्यत्, Neuter, Nominative, Singular, Obligation/necessity (gerundive)

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• एवम्: thus/in this way
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम्

• हि: indeed/for
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि

• कथम्: how?
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम्

• जायेत्: could be born/arise
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन्
• Form: Vidhi-lin (optative), Optative, 3rd, Singular, Atmanepada

• अजः: unborn
• अजः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अज
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• हि: indeed/for
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• स्मृतम्: is remembered/has been stated
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ
• Form: क्त, Neuter, Nominative, Singular, Past passive participle

• आकाशम्: space/sky
• Type: Noun
• Root: आकाश
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• अण्डम्: egg (cosmic egg)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अण्ड
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• तु: but/however
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• तस्मात्: from that
• तस्मात्: Apadana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Ablative, Singular

• जातः: born/arisen
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन्
• Form: क्त, Masculine, Nominative, Singular, Past passive participle (used adjectivally)

• पितामहः: Pitāmaha (Brahmā, the grandsire)
• पितामहः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितामह
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

अजुन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Arjuna
• Pitāmaha (Brahmā)
• Ākāśa (space/ether)
• Ākāśa-maṇḍa (expanse of space)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches careful interpretation of traditional epithets: an “unborn” principle cannot literally be said to be born; terms like ‘egg-born’ are to be understood figuratively, pointing to manifestation from the cosmic expanse (ākāśa) rather than biological birth.

What is happening in the narrative?

Arjuna clarifies a cosmological description about Pitāmaha (Brahmā), rejecting a literal reading and explaining that the ‘egg’ (aṇḍa) is intended as the vast space itself, from which Brahmā is said to appear.