Yajnavalkya Teaches Janaka the Eight Prakritis and the Nine Creations

Verse 1 (12.315.1)

धर्माधर्मविमुक्तं यद्विमुक्तं सर्वसंशयात् । जन्ममृत्युविमुक्तं च विमुक्तं पुण्यपापयोः ॥

dharmādharmavimuktaṃ yadvimuktaṃ sarvasaṃśayāt | janmamṛtyuvimuktaṃ ca vimuktaṃ puṇyapāpayoḥ

That which is free of righteousness and unrighteousness, free of every doubt, free of birth and death, and free of merit and sin—

Note on the text: Adhyaya note: the page is the right adhyaya (table rows 1-26; the colophon reads पञ्चदशाधिकत्रिशततमोऽध्यायः । 315). Its text is the critical edition's 12.298.1-26 (the CE numbers this adhyaya 298), verse for verse. The heading line printed above the table (भीष्मेण युधिष्ठिरंप्रति … जनकयाज्ञवल्क्यसंवादानुवादः) is not part of the text and is not added. No Appendix I passage and no CE star passage occurs here.

Verse 2 (12.315.2)

यच्छिवं नित्यमभयं नित्यमक्षरमव्ययम् । शुचि नित्यमनायासं तद्भवान्वक्तुमर्हति ॥

yacchivaṃ nityamabhayaṃ nityamakṣaramavyayam | śuci nityamanāyāsaṃ tadbhavānvaktumarhati

that which is auspicious, ever fearless, eternal, imperishable and unchanging, pure, everlasting and effortless—you are able to tell me of that.

Verse 3 (12.315.3)

अत्र ते वर्तयिष्यामि इतिहासं पुरातनम् । याज्ञवल्क्यस्य संवादं जनकस्य च भारत ॥

atra te vartayiṣyāmi itihāsaṃ purātanam | yājñavalkyasya saṃvādaṃ janakasya ca bhārata

On this point I shall relate to you an ancient account, O Bharata: the conversation of Yajnavalkya and Janaka.

Verse 4 (12.315.4)

याज्ञवल्क्यमृषिश्रेष्ठं दैवरातिर्महायशाः । पप्रच्छ जनको राजा प्रश्नं प्रश्नविदांवरः ॥

yājñavalkyamṛṣiśreṣṭhaṃ daivarātirmahāyaśāḥ | papraccha janako rājā praśnaṃ praśnavidāṃvaraḥ

The renowned King Janaka, son of Devarata, who was the best of those who know how to question, put a question to Yajnavalkya, the foremost of sages.

Verse 5 (12.315.5)

कतीन्द्रियाणि विप्रर्षे कति प्रकृतयः स्मृताः । किमव्यक्तं परं ब्रह्म तस्माच्च परतस्तु किम् ॥

katīndriyāṇi viprarṣe kati prakṛtayaḥ smṛtāḥ | kimavyaktaṃ paraṃ brahma tasmācca paratastu kim

O sage among brahmins, how many are the senses? How many primal sources (prakritis) are reckoned? What is the Unmanifest, what is the supreme Brahman, and what lies beyond that?

Verse 6 (12.315.6)

प्रभवं चाप्ययं चैव कालसङ्ख्यां तथैव च । वक्तुमर्हसि विप्रेन्द्र त्वदनुग्रहकाङ्क्षिणः ॥

prabhavaṃ cāpyayaṃ caiva kālasaṅkhyāṃ tathaiva ca | vaktumarhasi viprendra tvadanugrahakāṅkṣiṇaḥ

O best of brahmins, you should tell me of origin and of dissolution, and likewise of the reckoning of time; I look to receive your grace.

Verse 7 (12.315.7)

अज्ञानात्परिपृच्छामि त्वं हि ज्ञानमयो निधिः । तदहं श्रोतुमिच्छामि सर्वमेतदसंशयम् ॥

ajñānātparipṛcchāmi tvaṃ hi jñānamayo nidhiḥ | tadahaṃ śrotumicchāmi sarvametadasaṃśayam

I ask out of ignorance, for you are a treasury made wholly of knowledge. I wish to hear all this, free of any doubt.

Verse 8 (12.315.8)

श्रूयतामवनीपाल यदेतदनुपृच्छसि । योगानां परमं ज्ञानं साङ्ख्यानां च विशेषतः ॥

śrūyatāmavanīpāla yadetadanupṛcchasi | yogānāṃ paramaṃ jñānaṃ sāṅkhyānāṃ ca viśeṣataḥ

Listen, O protector of the earth, to what you ask: the highest knowledge of the Yogas, and above all of the Sankhyas.

Verse 9 (12.315.9)

न तवाविदितं किंचिन्मां तु जिज्ञासते भवान् । पृष्टेन चापि वक्तव्यमेष धर्मः सनातनः ॥

na tavāviditaṃ kiṃcinmāṃ tu jijñāsate bhavān | pṛṣṭena cāpi vaktavyameṣa dharmaḥ sanātanaḥ

Nothing is unknown to you, yet you seek to learn from me. And one who is asked must answer; this is the eternal law.

Note on the text: Corrected त तवा → न तवा (misprint in Wikisource; न is mistyped as त, giving no word; CE reads na tavāviditaṃ).

Verse 10 (12.315.10)

अष्टौ प्रकृतयः प्रोक्ता विकाराश्चापि षोडश । आसां तु सप्त व्यक्तानि प्राहुरध्यात्मचिन्तकाः ॥

aṣṭau prakṛtayaḥ proktā vikārāścāpi ṣoḍaśa | āsāṃ tu sapta vyaktāni prāhuradhyātmacintakāḥ

Eight are declared to be the prakritis (primal sources), and sixteen the modifications. Of these, say those who reflect on the Self, seven are manifest.

Note on the text: Wikisource reads आसां तु सप्त where the CE has अथ सप्त (recension variant, kept).

Verse 11 (12.315.11)

अव्यक्तं च महांश्चैव तथाऽहंकार एव च । पृथिवी वायुराकाशमापो ज्योतिश्च पञ्चमम् ॥

avyaktaṃ ca mahāṃścaiva tathā'haṃkāra eva ca | pṛthivī vāyurākāśamāpo jyotiśca pañcamam

They are the Unmanifest, the Great (Mahat), and egoity as well; earth, air, space, water, and light as the fifth.

Verse 12 (12.315.12)

एताः प्रकृतयस्त्वष्टौ विकारानपि मे शृणु । श्रोत्रं त्वक्चैव चक्षुश्च जिह्वा घ्राणं च पञ्चमम् ॥

etāḥ prakṛtayastvaṣṭau vikārānapi me śṛṇu | śrotraṃ tvakcaiva cakṣuśca jihvā ghrāṇaṃ ca pañcamam

These are the eight prakritis. Now hear from me the modifications as well: hearing, skin, eye, tongue, and nose as the fifth;

Verse 13 (12.315.13)

शब्दः स्पर्शश्च रूपं च रसो गन्धस्तथैव च । वाक्च हस्तौ च पादौ च पायुर्मेढ्रं तथैव च ॥

śabdaḥ sparśaśca rūpaṃ ca raso gandhastathaiva ca | vākca hastau ca pādau ca pāyurmeḍhraṃ tathaiva ca

sound, touch, form, taste and smell as well; speech, the two hands and the two feet, the organ of excretion and the organ of generation.

Verse 14 (12.315.14)

एते विशेषा राजेन्द्र महाभूतेषु पञ्चसु । बुद्धीन्द्रियाण्यथैतानि सविशेषाणि मैथिल ॥

ete viśeṣā rājendra mahābhūteṣu pañcasu | buddhīndriyāṇyathaitāni saviśeṣāṇi maithila

These are the specific forms, O chief of kings, belonging to the five great elements. And these are the organs of knowledge together with their specifics, O king of Mithila.

Note on the text: Corrected राजेन्द्रा → राजेन्द्र (misprint in Wikisource; stray long ā on the vocative; CE reads rājendra).

Verse 15 (12.315.15)

मनः षोडशकं प्राहुरध्यात्मगतिचिन्तकाः । त्वं चैवान्ये च विद्वांसस्तत्त्वबुद्धिविशारदाः ॥

manaḥ ṣoḍaśakaṃ prāhuradhyātmagaticintakāḥ | tvaṃ caivānye ca vidvāṃsastattvabuddhiviśāradāḥ

The mind they call the sixteenth, say those who reflect on the course of the Self—you yourself and other learned men, skilled in the discernment of the principles.

Verse 16 (12.315.16)

अव्यक्ताच्च महानात्मा समुत्पद्यति पार्थिव । प्रथमं सर्गमित्येतदाहुः प्राधानिकं बुधाः ॥

avyaktācca mahānātmā samutpadyati pārthiva | prathamaṃ sargamityetadāhuḥ prādhānikaṃ budhāḥ

From the Unmanifest arises the Great Self (Mahat), O king. The wise call this the first creation, the Pradhanika (that of the Pradhana).

Verse 17 (12.315.17)

महतश्चाप्यहंकार उत्पद्यति नराधिप । द्वितीयं सर्गमित्याहुरेतद्बुद्ध्यात्मकं स्मृतम् ॥

mahataścāpyahaṃkāra utpadyati narādhipa | dvitīyaṃ sargamityāhuretadbuddhyātmakaṃ smṛtam

From Mahat, O ruler of men, egoity arises. They call this the second creation, remembered as of the nature of intellect.

Verse 18 (12.315.18)

अहंकाराच्च संभूतं मनो भूतगुणात्मकम् । तृतीयः सर्ग इत्येष आहंकारिक उच्यते ॥

ahaṃkārācca saṃbhūtaṃ mano bhūtaguṇātmakam | tṛtīyaḥ sarga ityeṣa āhaṃkārika ucyate

From egoity is born the mind, whose nature is that of the qualities of the elements. This is the third creation, called the Ahamkarika (born of egoity).

Verse 19 (12.315.19)

मनसस्तु समुद्भूता महाभूता नराधिप । चतुर्थं सर्गमित्येतन्मानसं चिन्तनात्मकम् ॥

manasastu samudbhūtā mahābhūtā narādhipa | caturthaṃ sargamityetanmānasaṃ cintanātmakam

From the mind arise the great elements, O ruler of men. This is called the fourth creation, the mental one, of the nature of thought.

Note on the text: Wikisource closes the verse with चिन्तनात्मकम्; the CE has परिचक्षते (recension variant, kept).

Verse 20 (12.315.20)

शब्दः स्पर्शश्च रूपं च रसो गन्धस्तथैव च । पञ्चमं सर्गमित्याहुर्भौतिकं भूतचिन्तकाः ॥

śabdaḥ sparśaśca rūpaṃ ca raso gandhastathaiva ca | pañcamaṃ sargamityāhurbhautikaṃ bhūtacintakāḥ

Sound, touch, form, taste and smell as well: this, say those who reflect on the beings, is the fifth creation, the elemental one (bhautika).

Verse 21 (12.315.21)

श्रोत्रं त्वक्चैव चक्षुश्च जिह्वा घ्राणं च पञ्चमम् । सर्गं तु षष्ठमित्याहुर्बहुचिन्तात्मकं स्मृतम् ॥

śrotraṃ tvakcaiva cakṣuśca jihvā ghrāṇaṃ ca pañcamam | sargaṃ tu ṣaṣṭhamityāhurbahucintātmakaṃ smṛtam

Hearing, skin, eye, tongue, and nose as the fifth: this they call the sixth creation, remembered as of the nature of much thought.

Verse 22 (12.315.22)

अधः श्रोत्रेन्द्रियग्राम उत्पद्यति नराधिप । सप्तमं सर्गमित्याहुरेतदैन्द्रियकं स्मृतम् ॥

adhaḥ śrotrendriyagrāma utpadyati narādhipa | saptamaṃ sargamityāhuretadaindriyakaṃ smṛtam

Downward there arises the group of the senses beginning with hearing, O ruler of men. This they call the seventh creation, remembered as the sensory (aindriyaka) one.

Note on the text: Corrected उत्पद्यदि → उत्पद्यति (misprint in Wikisource; the verb ending is mistyped; CE reads utpadyati).

Verse 23 (12.315.23)

ऊर्ध्वं स्रोतस्तथा तिर्यगुत्पद्यति नराधिप । अष्टमं सर्गमित्याहुरेतदार्जवकं स्मृतम् ॥

ūrdhvaṃ srotastathā tiryagutpadyati narādhipa | aṣṭamaṃ sargamityāhuretadārjavakaṃ smṛtam

The upward current arises, and the sideways one as well, O ruler of men. This they call the eighth creation, remembered as the Arjavaka.

Note on the text: Wikisource closes the verse with स्मृतम्; the CE has बुधाः (recension variant, kept).

Verse 24 (12.315.24)

तिर्यक्स्रोतस्त्वधःस्रोत उत्पद्यति नराधिप । नवमं सर्गमित्याहुरेतदार्जवकं बुधाः ॥

tiryaksrotastvadhaḥsrota utpadyati narādhipa | navamaṃ sargamityāhuretadārjavakaṃ budhāḥ

The sideways current and the downward current arise, O ruler of men. This they call the ninth creation, the Arjavaka, say the wise.

Verse 25 (12.315.25)

एते वै नव सर्गा हि तत्त्वानि च नराधिप । चतुर्विशतिरुक्तानि यथाश्रुतिनिदर्शनम् ॥

ete vai nava sargā hi tattvāni ca narādhipa | caturviśatiruktāni yathāśrutinidarśanam

These are the nine creations, and twenty-four principles have been declared, O ruler of men, just as scripture shows.

Note on the text: Wikisource reads एते वै नव सर्गा हि … निदर्शनम्; the CE has एतानि नव सर्गाणि … निदर्शनात् (recension variant, kept).

Verse 26 (12.315.26)

अत ऊर्ध्वं महाराज गुणस्यैतस्य तत्त्वतः । महात्मभिरनुप्रोक्तां कालसङ्ख्यां निबोध मे ॥

ata ūrdhvaṃ mahārāja guṇasyaitasya tattvataḥ | mahātmabhiranuproktāṃ kālasaṅkhyāṃ nibodha me

Beyond this, O great king, hear from me the reckoning of time that the great-souled ones have declared with regard to this quality, in truth.