Shloka 15
निरय-परमस्थान-वर्णनम्
Niraya and the Supreme Station: A Metaphysical Re-reading
पृथिवी सर्वभूतानां जनित्री तद्विधा: स्त्रिय: । पुमान् प्रजापतिस्तत्र शुक्रे तेजोमयं विदु:
pṛthivī sarvabhūtānāṁ janitrī tadvidhāḥ striyaḥ | pumān prajāpatis tatra śukre tejomayaṁ viduḥ ||
婆罗多婆阇说道：“大地是万有众生之母；同样，女子亦具大地之性，因为她们怀胎并生育后嗣。在此过程中，男子被视作如同生主（Prajāpati），而男子之精被理解为具‘提阇斯’（tejas）之性——生命的光辉与热力。”
भरद्वाज उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames procreation as a cosmic process: Earth is the universal mother, women mirror that maternal function, and the male principle is likened to Prajāpati, with semen described as tejas—vital radiance—emphasizing responsibility and reverence toward generative power.
In Śānti Parva’s instructional discourse, Bharadvāja explains a traditional model of generation, using cosmological analogies (Earth, Prajāpati, tejas) to clarify how life is conceived and to ground ethical attitudes toward sexuality, parenthood, and lineage.