Shloka 11

Brahmā’s Enumeration of Primacies (Ādi) and the Supremacy of Knowledge

Jñāna

Devanagari script

सम्पूर्ण भक्ष्य-भोज्य पदार्थोंमें अन्न श्रेष्ठ कहा जाता है। बहनेवाले और सभी पीनेयोग्य पदार्थोमें जल उत्तम है ।।

Transliteration

sthāvarāṇāṁ tu bhūtānāṁ sarveṣām aviśeṣataḥ | brahmakṣetraṁ sadā puṇyaṁ plakṣaḥ prathamataḥ smṛtaḥ ||

Translation

风神说道：“在一切不动之类（草木等）中，不加分别，那名为梵域树（Brahmakṣetra）的树常被视为恒常神圣；而朴叉树（plakṣa，圣无花果）被记为最先、最上。”

Word by Word

• {'sthāvarāṇām': 'of immobile beings (plants/trees and other stationary life)', 'bhūtānām': 'of beings/creatures

• living entities', 'sarveṣām': 'of all', 'aviśeṣataḥ': 'without distinction

• in a common sense', 'brahmakṣetram': 'Brahmakṣetra (name of a sacred tree/holy ‘field of Brahman’)

• here, a revered tree-name', 'sadā': 'always', 'puṇyam': 'holy, meritorious, sacred', 'plakṣaḥ': 'plakṣa tree (a species of fig

• traditionally sacred)', 'prathamataḥ': 'as first

• foremost', 'smṛtaḥ': 'is remembered/considered (by tradition)'}

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vāyu-deva
• Brahmakṣetra (tree)
• Plakṣa (sacred fig tree)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse affirms a traditional hierarchy of sacred ‘foremost’ entities, teaching reverence for life-sustaining and ritually pure elements—here, especially sacred trees—within a dharmic worldview.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyu-deva is speaking and enumerating what is considered ‘best’ or ‘foremost’ in various categories; in this line he turns to stationary beings (plants/trees) and names Brahmakṣetra and the plakṣa as especially sacred.