Shloka 35

Atithi-prāpti and the Brāhmaṇa’s Deliberation on Triadic Dharma (अतिथिप्राप्तिः धर्मत्रयविचारश्च)

Devanagari script

ज्ञेया: प्रकृतयोडष्टौ ता यासु लोका: प्रतिष्ठिता: । वेदवेदाडसंयुक्तान्‌ यज्ञान्‌ यज्ञाड्संयुतान्‌

Transliteration

jñeyāḥ prakṛtayo 'ṣṭau tā yāsu lokāḥ pratiṣṭhitāḥ | vedavedāṅgasaṃyuktān yajñān yajñāṅgasaṃyutān |

Translation

毗湿摩波耶那说道：“当知自然（Prakṛti）有八种根本成分，诸世界皆依此而立。为使一切世界众生得以维系生存，世界之祖梵天（Brahmā）开显祭祀之法，具足吠陀及其诸辅学，又备齐祭仪之诸支分。由此八种成分，整个宇宙遂得生起。”

Word by Word

• ज्ञेयाः: to be known (should be known)
• ज्ञेयाः: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ज्ञेय (√ज्ञा)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• प्रकृतयः: natures, constituents (prakṛtis)
• प्रकृतयः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रकृति
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• अष्टौ: eight
• अष्टौ: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्टन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• ताः: those (them)
• ताः: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Plural

• यासु: in which
• यासु: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Plural

• लोकाः: worlds
• लोकाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• प्रतिष्ठिताः: established, founded
• प्रतिष्ठिताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रतिष्ठित (प्रति-√स्था)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• वेद: Vedas
• वेद: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेद
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• वेदाङ्ग: Vedic auxiliaries (vedāṅgas)
• वेदाङ्ग: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेदाङ्ग
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• संयुक्तान्: endowed with, joined with
• संयुक्तान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: संयुक्त (सम्-√युज्)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• यज्ञान्: sacrifices
• यज्ञान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• यज्ञाङ्ग: limbs/parts of sacrifice (yajñāṅgas)
• यज्ञाङ्ग: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञाङ्ग
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• संयुतान्: furnished with, connected with
• संयुतान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: संयुत (सम्-√यु)
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• lokāḥ (the worlds)
• Veda
• Vedāṅga
• yajña
• yajñāṅga
• Brahmā (Prajāpati/Pitāmaha; implied by the accompanying prose)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse grounds the universe in an ordered set of eight primordial constituents (prakṛtis) and links cosmic stability to Vedic order: the Vedas, their auxiliaries, and properly constituted sacrifice (yajña) are presented as instruments for sustaining life and maintaining the worlds.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana continues an instructive discourse in Śānti Parva, explaining cosmological principles: the worlds rest upon eight basic constituents, and Brahmā (as Grandsire) establishes Veda-informed sacrificial systems to support the ongoing life and functioning of the cosmos.