Manusmriti Chapter 1 Verses 1–30: Creation, Cosmology and Consciousness

Manusmṛti 1.1–1.30 — Cosmology and the Structure of Creation

Manusmṛti 1.1–1.30 presents a compact cosmogonic and natural-philosophical scheme in which the origin of the manifest world is explained as a progressive differentiation of an initially unmanifest condition. The description of Tamas, Avyakta, the Self-existent principle, the primordial waters, the Hiraṇyagarbha or golden Aṇḍa, and the subsequent differentiation of Heaven, Earth, space, and the directions belongs to the cosmological vocabulary of ancient India. It should be understood within its own intellectual framework rather than recast as a primitive version of modern physics. The text then moves from cosmology to a remarkably systematic ordering of the constituents of experience: Mahat, Manas, Ahaṃkāra, the Trigunas, the five Indriyas, subtle Mātrās, and the Mahābhūtas are presented as successive or interrelated categories through which the undifferentiated becomes differentiated and embodied existence becomes intelligible. This is significant because the text does not restrict its account of reality to gross physical objects; it incorporates cognition, perception, self-identification, qualities, embodiment, and action into the same explanatory architecture. (Read More: Ontology)

The emergence of the Pañcendriyas alongside their objects indicates an early concern with the relation between the perceiving organism and the world perceived, while the distinction between subtle constituents and gross embodiment reflects a layered conception of material existence. The discussion of Kāla, its divisions, Nakṣatras, Grahās, seasons, rivers, oceans and mountains introduces an observational dimension: the ordered universe is characterised by recurring temporal cycles, spatial differentiation and relatively stable natural forms. The later verses extend this principle of regularity to living beings, asserting that each class possesses characteristic Karma and that beings repeatedly express the functions associated with their constitution.

From the standpoint of modern Western science, none of these propositions constitutes an empirical cosmological theory in the contemporary sense; there is no mathematical formulation, controlled observation, or experimentally testable mechanism comparable to modern astronomy, physics, or biology. Their scientific-historical importance lies elsewhere: Manusmṛti is attempting to construct an integrated theory of order, connecting cosmogenesis, elemental differentiation, cognition, sensory perception, embodiment, temporality, natural cycles and patterned action within a single conceptual sequence. The passage therefore belongs more properly to the history of Indian cosmology, ontology and natural philosophy than to the history of experimental science. Its intellectual characteristic is the search for an underlying order by which apparently different domains—cosmic space, matter, living bodies, sense perception, mind and conduct—can be placed within one hierarchical scheme. The movement from Avyakta to manifest forms, from subtle constituents to embodied beings, and from cosmic differentiation to the regular activities of the Dehin, gives the first chapter its distinctive character: it is not simply an account of how the world was created, but an attempt to explain why the differentiated world possesses structure, regularity, classification and continuity.

Text of Manusmriti: मनुस्मृति — अध्याय १, श्लोक १–३०

१.१

मनुम् एकाग्रम् आसीनम् अभिगम्य महर्षयः।
प्रतिपूज्य यथान्यायम् इदं वचनम् अब्रुवन्॥

१.२

भगवन्, सर्ववर्णानां यथावद् अनुपूर्वशः।
अन्तरप्रभवानां च धर्मान् नो वक्तुम् अर्हसि॥

१.३

त्वम् एको ह्यस्य सर्वस्य विधानस्य स्वयंभुवः।
अचिन्त्यस्याप्रमेयस्य कार्यतत्त्वार्थवित् प्रभो॥

१.४

स तैः पृष्टस्तथा सम्यग् अमितौजा महात्मभिः।
प्रत्युवाच अर्च्य तान् सर्वान् महर्षीन्, “श्रूयताम्” इति॥

१.५

आसीत् इदं तमोभूतम् अप्रज्ञातम् अलक्षणम्।
अप्रतर्क्यम् अविज्ञेयं प्रसुप्तम् इव सर्वतः॥

१.६

ततः स्वयंभूर्भगवान् अव्यक्तो व्यञ्जयन् इदम्।
महाभूतादि-वृत्तौजाः प्रादुरासीत् तमोनुदः॥

१.७

योऽसावतीन्द्रियग्राह्यः सूक्ष्मोऽव्यक्तः सनातनः।
सर्वभूतमयोऽचिन्त्यः स एव स्वयमुद्बभौ॥

१.८

सोऽभिध्याय शरीरात् स्वात् सिसृक्षुर्विविधाः प्रजाः।
अप एव ससर्जादौ तासु वीर्यम् अवासृजत्॥

१.९

तद् अण्डम् अभवद् हैमं सहस्रांशुसमप्रभम्।
तस्मिञ् जज्ञे स्वयं ब्रह्मा सर्वलोकपितामहः॥

१.१०

आपो नरा इति प्रोक्ता आपो वै नरसूनवः।
ता यद् अस्यायनं पूर्वं तेन नारायणः स्मृतः॥

१.११

यत्तत् कारणम् अव्यक्तं नित्यं सदसदात्मकम्।
तद् विसृष्टः स पुरुषो लोके ब्रह्मेति कीर्त्यते॥

१.१२

तस्मिन् अण्डे स भगवान् उषित्वा परिवत्सरम्।
स्वयम् एव आत्मनो ध्यानात् तद् अण्डम् अकरोद् द्विधा॥

१.१३

ताभ्यां स शकलाभ्यां च दिवं भूमिं च निर्ममे।
मध्ये व्योम दिशश्चाष्टाव् अपां स्थानं च शाश्वतम्॥

१.१४

उद्बबर्ह आत्मनश्चैव मनः सदसदात्मकम्।
मनसश्चाप्यहंकारम् अभिमन्तारम् ईश्वरम्॥

१.१५

महान्तम् एव च आत्मानं सर्वाणि त्रिगुणानि च।
विषयाणां ग्रहीतॄणि शनैः पञ्चेन्द्रियाणि च॥

१.१६

तेषां तु अवयवान् सूक्ष्मान् षण्णाम् अपि अमितौजसाम्।
संनिवेश्य आत्ममात्रासु सर्वभूतानि निर्ममे॥

१.१७

यन् मूर्त्यवयवाः सूक्ष्माः तानीमान्याश्रयन्ति षट्।
तस्माच् शरीरम् इत्याहुस् तस्य मूर्तिं मनीषिणः॥

१.१८

तदाविशन्ति भूतानि महान्ति सह कर्मभिः।
मनश्चावयवैः सूक्ष्मैः सर्वभूतकृदव्ययम्॥

१.१९

तेषाम् इदं तु सप्तानां पुरुषाणां महौजसाम्।
सूक्ष्माभ्यो मूर्तिमात्राभ्यः संभवत्य् अव्ययाद् व्ययम्॥

१.२०

आद्याद्यस्य गुणं त्वेषाम् अवाप्नोति परः परः।
यो यो यावतिथश्चैषां स स तावद्गुणः स्मृतः॥

१.२१

सर्वेषां तु स नामानि कर्माणि च पृथक् पृथक्।
वेदशब्देभ्य एवादौ पृथक्संस्थाश्च निर्ममे॥

१.२२

कर्मात्मनां च देवानां सोऽसृजत् प्राणिनां प्रभुः।
साध्यानां च गणं सूक्ष्मं यज्ञं चैव सनातनम्॥

१.२३

अग्निवायुरविभ्यस्तु त्रयं ब्रह्म सनातनम्।
दुदोह यज्ञसिद्ध्यर्थम् ऋग्यजुःसामलक्षणम्॥

१.२४

कालं कालविभक्तीश्च नक्षत्राणि ग्रहांस् तथा।
सरितः सागराञ् शैलान् समानि विषमाणि च॥

१.२५

तपो वाचं रतिं चैव कामं च क्रोधम् एव च।
सृष्टिं ससर्ज चैवेमां स्रष्टुम् इच्छन् इमाः प्रजाः॥

१.२६

कर्मणां च विवेकार्थं धर्माधर्मौ व्यवेचयत्।
द्वन्द्वैर् अयोजयच्चेमाः सुखदुःखादिभिः प्रजाः॥

१.२७

अण्व्यो मात्रा विनाशिन्यो दशार्धानां तु याः स्मृताः।
ताभिः सार्धम् इदं सर्वं संभवत्य् अनुपूर्वशः॥

१.२८

यं तु कर्मणि यस्मिन् स न्ययुङ्क्त प्रथमं प्रभुः।
स तद् एव स्वयं भेजे सृज्यमानः पुनः पुनः॥

१.२९

हिंस्राहिंस्रे मृदुक्रूरे धर्माधर्मावृतानृते।
यद् यस्य सोऽदधात् सर्गे तत्तस्य स्वयमाविशत्॥

१.३०

यथा ऋतुलिङ्गान्य् ऋतवः स्वयम् एव ऋतुपर्यये।
स्वानि स्वान्य् अभिपद्यन्ते तथा कर्माणि देहिनः॥

English Translation: Manusmṛti Chapter 1, verses 1–30

The great Ṛṣis, having approached Manu, who was seated with a concentrated and tranquil mind, duly honoured him according to established order and spoke these words. (1.1)

“O Bhagavan, you are worthy to explain to us, in due sequence and according to the proper order, the Dharma of all the Varṇas, and also the Dharma of those who arise through their intermixture.” (1.2)

“You alone, O Lord, are the knower of the principles and purposes of the entire ordinance of the Svayambhū, the Self-existent—of that which is inconceivable, immeasurable, and beyond ordinary comprehension.” (1.3)

Thus questioned by those great Ṛṣis, the mighty Manu, possessing immeasurable spiritual power, replied to all those great sages whom he had duly honoured: “Listen.” (1.4)

“This universe was then enveloped in Tamas, darkness; it was unperceived, without distinctive characteristics, beyond reasoning and unknowable, appearing on every side as though completely asleep.” (1.5)

“Then the blessed Svayambhū, the unmanifest Avyakta, manifested this universe. Possessing immense power and bringing forth the Mahābhūtas and their subsequent activities, he appeared, dispelling the darkness.” (1.6)

“He who cannot be grasped by the senses, who is subtle, unmanifest, and eternal, who pervades all beings, and who is beyond thought—He alone manifested Himself spontaneously.” (1.7)

“Desiring to create the manifold Prajās, He first contemplated within Himself and created the Āpas, the waters; into them He cast the seed of creation, the Vīrya, the generative power.” (1.8)

“The waters then became a golden Aṇḍa, a cosmic egg, radiant like a thousand-rayed sun. Within that egg was born Brahmā, the Self-born, the Pitamaha, the progenitor of all the worlds.” (1.9)

“The waters are called Nara, for they are said to be the offspring of Nara. Since they were formerly the resting-place, Ayana, of Him, He is therefore remembered as Nārāyaṇa.” (1.10)

“That which is the unmanifest Kāraṇa, the eternal cause, possessing the nature of both Sat and Asat, being and non-being—that Puruṣa, having been manifested from it, is proclaimed in the world as Brahman (ब्रह्मा).” (1.11)

“Having dwelt within that cosmic Aṇḍa for a complete year, the Bhagavan, through contemplation of His own Self, divided that egg into two parts.” (1.12)

“From those two halves He fashioned Dyu, Heaven, and Bhūmi, Earth; between them He created Vyoma, the intermediate space, together with the eight directions and the eternal abode of the waters.” (1.13)

“He brought forth from Himself Manas, the mind, whose nature consists of Sat and Asat; and from Manas He brought forth Ahaṃkāra, the principle of self-identification, the governing Īśvara.” (1.14)

“He also brought forth Mahat, the Great Principle or cosmic intelligence, together with all the Trigunas, the three Guṇas; and, gradually, the five Indriyas, the sense faculties that apprehend the objects of perception.” (1.15)

“Having combined the subtle constituents, the sixfold components of immeasurable power, within the subtle Ātmamātrās, He created all beings.” (1.16)

“The wise declare that the subtle constituents of form rest upon these six principles; therefore the embodied form arising from them is called Śarīra, the body.” (1.17)

“Into this body enter the great Bhūtas, together with their respective Karmas, and also Manas, constituted of subtle components. Thus enters that imperishable principle which is the creator of all beings.” (1.18)

“From these seven mighty Puruṣas, arising from the subtle constituents of form, the imperishable gives rise to the perishable—the manifest world of embodied existence.” (1.19)

“Each succeeding one of these receives the quality of the one preceding it; and whatever number or degree each possesses, that corresponding number or degree of Guṇa is remembered as belonging to it.” (1.20)

“For all beings He separately established their Nāma, names, their Karma, functions or actions, and their distinct modes of existence, all from the words and designations of the Veda.” (1.21)

“The Lord of creatures also created the Devas, whose nature is connected with Karma, together with the subtle host of the Sādhyas, and the eternal Yajña, sacrifice.” (1.22)

“From Agni, Vāyu, and Ravi, the Sun, He drew forth the eternal triad of Brahman, characterised by the Ṛk, Yajus and Sāman, for the accomplishment of Yajña.” (1.23)

“He established Kāla, Time, together with its divisions; the Nakṣatras, lunar constellations; the Grahās, celestial bodies; the rivers, oceans and mountains; and the things that are uniform as well as those that are diverse.” (1.24)

“Desiring to create these Prajās, He created Tapas, austerity; Vāc, speech; Rati, delight or attachment; Kāma, desire; and Krodha, anger, and brought forth this entire creation.” (1.25)

“For the discernment of Karma, He distinguished Dharma and Adharma, righteousness and unrighteousness; and He joined these creatures to pairs of opposites, such as Sukha and Duḥkha, pleasure and pain.” (1.26)

“The subtle Mātrās, minute and perishable, which are remembered as five in number, together with the appropriate combinations of these, progressively give rise to this entire creation.” (1.27)

“Whatever particular Karma the Lord first assigned to each being, that very function it performed for itself, repeatedly, as it was brought forth again and again.” (1.28)

“Whether fierce or harmless, gentle or cruel, righteous or unrighteous, truthful or untruthful—whatever characteristic He assigned to each being at creation, that characteristic entered into that being itself.” (1.29)

“Just as the Ṛtus, the seasons, each assume their respective characteristics in the succession of the seasons, so the embodied beings, the Dehins, repeatedly assume and perform their respective Karmas.” (1.30)

The Thematic Study of Manusmṛti 1.1–1.30

From the Unmanifest to the Ordered World

The opening verses begin with Manu seated in contemplation and the great Ṛṣis approaching him for instruction concerning Dharma. This establishes the fundamental subject of the work: how an ordered human existence is to be understood in relation to the larger order of the cosmos. Manu is not introduced merely as a legislator. He is presented as the authoritative expositor of a pre-existing Dharma, whose foundation lies in the structure of creation itself.

The cosmological account begins with Tamas, an undifferentiated darkness in which there is no perceptible distinction, characteristic, or ordinary field of knowledge. The terms Avyakta, Ajñāta, Alakṣaṇa, Apratarkya and Avijñeya describe a condition in which the categories by which manifested existence is normally understood have not yet become operative. Creation therefore begins not with an already differentiated material universe but with the transition from the unmanifest to manifestation.

Svayambhū and the Principle of Manifestation

The appearance of Svayambhū (स्वयंभू:), the Self-existent, introduces the principle responsible for the transition from the unmanifest state to the manifest cosmos. The text does not describe creation as an arbitrary event. The creator first contemplates, and manifestation follows from that act of conscious ordering. This gives the creation account an important intellectual characteristic: the cosmos is associated with order, intelligibility, and differentiation, rather than with mere emergence without structure.

The primordial Āpas, or waters, and the subsequent formation of the Hiraṇyagarbha, the golden cosmic Aṇḍa, provide the generative imagery through which this transition is expressed. The Aṇḍa is not simply an object within the universe; it represents the enclosed totality from which differentiated cosmic existence emerges.

The Cosmic Architecture

The division of the cosmic Aṇḍa establishes the principal spatial structure of existence: Dyu, Bhūmi, Vyoma, the directions and the domain of the waters. The universe is consequently represented as an organised spatial system. Heaven and Earth are distinguished; an intermediate region separates them; directions establish orientation; and waters occupy their own cosmic domain.

This is followed by the establishment of Kāla, Nakṣatras, Grahās, rivers, oceans, mountains and the distinction between uniform and diverse forms. The cosmos is therefore characterised not only by space but also by time, periodicity, celestial movement and geographical differentiation.

The Differentiation of Reality

One of the most important themes in verses 14–20 is differentiation. The text moves from Manas to Ahaṃkāra, from Mahat to the Trigunas, and then to the Indriyas and subtle constituents of embodied existence.

This is a movement from increasingly subtle principles toward increasingly differentiated forms. Reality is not presented as an undivided mass. It consists of distinguishable levels and functions. Manas represents mind; Ahaṃkāra represents the principle of self-reference or identification; Mahat represents a great or primordial principle of intelligence; the Guṇas provide differentiated qualities; and the Indriyas establish the faculties through which beings engage with their objects.

The importance of this sequence lies in its attempt to account simultaneously for cosmos, cognition, and embodiment.

From Subtle Constituents to the Body

The text next explains the formation of the Śarīra, the embodied body, through the combination of subtle constituents. The relationship between the subtle and the gross is central to this section. What appears as a physical organism is not treated as an isolated material object but as a composite structure produced through the organisation of more fundamental constituents.

The Mahābhūtas, the subtle elements and the mental principle, consequently participate in a single architecture of embodiment. The human or living body is thus situated within the same cosmic process that produced the larger universe.

The Unity of Cosmology and Biology

The creation of living beings follows from the same ordering principle. The text does not sharply separate cosmology from biology. The universe produces bodies; bodies possess senses and mind; embodied beings possess characteristic activities; and those activities are connected with Karma.

This produces one of the chapter’s fundamental propositions: the order visible in the cosmos is reproduced within embodied existence. The individual is not presented as an isolated unit standing outside nature. The individual participates in the same system of differentiation and causation through which the cosmos itself has been organised.

Name, Function and Classification

Verse 21 introduces another decisive principle: beings receive their Nāma (name), Karma (action or function), and distinct forms of existence. Classification is therefore not accidental. Naming, function, and constitution are presented as corresponding aspects of an ordered creation.

This principle becomes extremely important for the later structure of the Manusmṛti. The social and normative classifications developed in subsequent chapters are grounded, within the text’s own conceptual framework, in the more fundamental proposition that the created world itself is differentiated according to characteristic nature and function.

Yajña and the Reproduction of Cosmic Order

The appearance of Yajña in this cosmological sequence is equally significant. Yajña is not introduced merely as a later ritual institution. It is placed within the architecture of creation itself, alongside the Devas, Sādhyas, and the Vedic forms of Ṛk, Yajus and Sāman.

Thus the ritual order is connected with the cosmic order. The human performance of Yajña becomes intelligible as participation in a larger structure already present in creation. The distinction between cosmic process and human religious action is consequently less rigid than in modern categories of thought.

Time as an Organising Principle

The creation of Kāla and its divisions introduces time as a constitutive feature of the ordered universe. The appearance of Nakṣatras, Grahās and the succession of Ṛtus indicates a cosmos governed by recurrence and regularity.

Time is not merely a neutral background against which events occur. It is part of the structure through which the world becomes ordered and intelligible. The later comparison between seasonal recurrence and the repeated performance of the Karmas of embodied beings reinforces this relationship between cosmic regularity and behavioural regularity.

Dharma and Adharma

The distinction between Dharma and Adharma is introduced at the point where the cosmological account moves toward the regulation of living beings. This is crucial to the architecture of the Manusmṛti. Dharma is not presented simply as a human convention created by society. Within the narrative of Chapter 1, it belongs to the differentiation of the ordered world itself.

The creation of Dharma and Adharma, followed by the attachment of beings to Sukha and Duḥkha, establishes a moral structure within the differentiated universe. Human existence is consequently governed by more than physical causation: it is situated within a normative order.

The World of Opposites

The pairing of Sukha–Duḥkha, Dharma–Adharma, Himsa–Ahimsa, Mṛdu–Krūra, and Ṛta–Anṛta reflects another important theme: manifested existence operates through distinctions and oppositions.

The world described by the text is therefore neither homogeneous nor morally undifferentiated. Difference is built into creation. Beings possess different dispositions, activities, and consequences, and these differences persist through repeated existence.

Karma as Continuity

Verses 28–30 bring the cosmological argument to its first major conclusion through Karma. Whatever function or action is assigned to a being becomes characteristic of that being and is repeatedly enacted.

The analogy of the Ṛtus is especially important. Just as seasons repeatedly manifest their characteristic signs according to their proper succession, embodied beings repeatedly manifest their characteristic Karma. The universe is therefore conceived as a system of continuity, recurrence and patterned activity.

The Fundamental Theme

Taken as a whole, Manusmṛti 1.1–1.30 develops a single broad proposition:

The differentiated world is an ordered whole in which cosmology, time, matter, mind, embodiment, function, morality and action are interconnected manifestations of an underlying order.

The sequence is deliberate:

Avyakta → Svayambhū → Āpas → Hiraṇyagarbha → cosmic differentiation → Mahat → Manas → Ahaṃkāra → Guṇas → Indriyas → subtle constituents → Bhūtas → Śarīra → Prajās → Nāma and Karma → Devas and Yajña → Kāla and cosmic cycles → Dharma and Adharma → Sukha and Duḥkha → recurring Karma.

This makes the first thirty verses foundational to the entire Manusmṛti. They establish the cosmological legitimacy of order before the text proceeds to describe the social, legal, ethical, and ritual forms of Dharma.

Sanskrit–English Vocabulary: Manusmṛti Chapter 1, verses 1–30

Sanskrit	English
मनु (Manu)	Manu
एकाग्र	concentrated; attentive; single-minded
आसीन	seated
महर्षि	great sage
अभिगम्य	approaching; having approached
प्रतिपूज्य	having duly honoured
यथान्यायम्	according to due order; properly
वचन	word; statement; speech
भगवन्	O Lord; revered one
सर्ववर्ण	all social orders / varṇas
यथावत्	properly; exactly; as it ought to be
अनुपूर्वशः	in due succession; in proper sequence
अन्तरप्रभव	arising from within; internally originating
धर्म	law; duty; righteous order
वक्तुम्	to speak; to explain
अर्हसि	you ought; you are able; you should
विधान	ordinance; regulation; prescribed order
स्वयंभू	self-existent; self-born
अचिन्त्य	inconceivable
अप्रमेय	immeasurable; beyond ordinary means of knowledge
कार्य	action; effect; what is to be accomplished
तत्त्व	principle; reality; essential nature
अर्थ	meaning; purpose; significance
महात्मन्	great-souled; noble
प्रत्युवाच	replied; answered
अमितौजस्	of immeasurable power or splendour
महर्षि	great vedic sage
श्रूयताम्	let it be heard; listen
तमस्	darkness
तमोभूत	become darkness; enveloped in darkness
अप्रज्ञात	unknown; not consciously apprehended
अलक्षण	without distinguishing characteristics
अप्रतर्क्य	beyond reasoning; not subject to inference
अविज्ञेय	unknowable; not directly cognisable
प्रसुप्त	asleep; dormant
सर्वतः	everywhere; on all sides
ततः	thereafter; then
अव्यक्त	unmanifest
व्यञ्जयन्	manifesting; making evident
प्रादुरासीत्	appeared; became manifest
तमोनुद	dispeller of darkness
महाभूत	great element; primordial element
वृत्त	activity; operation; functioning
अतीन्द्रिय	beyond the senses
ग्राह्य	apprehensible; capable of being perceived
सूक्ष्म	subtle; minute
सनातन	eternal; ancient; perpetual
सर्वभूतमय	consisting of / pervading all beings
उद्बभौ	arose; manifested itself
अभिध्याय	having contemplated; having meditated upon
शरीर	body
सिसृक्षु	desiring to create
विविध	various; manifold
प्रजा	creature; offspring; created beings
आपस्	waters
ससर्ज	created; sent forth
वीर्य	energy; generative power; potency
अण्ड	cosmic egg; egg
हैम	golden
सहस्रांशु	thousand-rayed; sun
प्रभा	radiance; splendour
ब्रह्मन् / ब्रह्मा	Brahmā; the creator
पितामह	grandfather; progenitor
लोकपितामह	progenitor of the worlds
नर	primordial being; man
नारायण	Nārāyaṇa
अयन	resting place; abode; course
कारण	cause
नित्य	eternal; perpetual
सत्	being; existent
असत्	non-being; non-existent
सदसतात्मक	having being and non-being as its nature
पुरुष	cosmic person; person
ब्रह्म	Brahman; ultimate principle
कीर्त्यते	is called; is renowned as
उषित्वा	having dwelt; having remained
परिवत्सर	a complete year
आत्मन्	self; oneself
ध्यान	meditation; contemplation
द्विधा	into two; in two parts
शकल	fragment; portion; half
द्युस् / दिव्	heaven; sky
भूमि	earth
व्योमन्	space; sky
दिशा	direction
अष्ट	eight
अप् / आपस्	water
स्थान	place; abode
मनस्	mind
सदसदात्मक	constituted of being and non-being
अहंकार	ego; ego-principle; self-consciousness
अभिमन्तृ	one who identifies; appropriating principle
ईश्वर	lord; governing principle
महान् / महत्	great; the cosmic intellect / Mahat
आत्मन्	self; cosmic self
त्रिगुण	three qualities
गुण	quality; constituent attribute
विषय	object of perception; sense-object
ग्रहीतृ	apprehender; perceiver
इन्द्रिय	sense faculty
पञ्चेन्द्रिय	five sense faculties
अवयव	component; constituent part
सूक्ष्म	subtle
षट्	six
अमितौजस्	of immeasurable power
संनिवेश्य	placing; arranging; incorporating
आत्ममात्रा	subtle essence of the self / elemental essence
मूर्ति	form; embodied form
शरीर	body
मनीषिन्	wise person; sage
भूत	being; element; created entity
कर्मन्	action; deed; कर्म
सर्वभूतकृत्	creator of all beings
अव्यय	imperishable
पुरुष	person; cosmic being
मूर्तिमात्रा	subtle constituent of form
संभव	arising; coming into existence
व्यय	perishable; dissolution
आद्य	first; primordial
गुण	quality; characteristic
अवाप्नोति	obtains; acquires
पर	subsequent; higher; later
यावतिथ	corresponding number or degree
नामन्	name
पृथक्	separately; distinctly
कर्मन्	action; function
संस्था	arrangement; constitution; established form
वेदशब्द	Vedic word; Vedic designation
देव	deity; divine being
कर्मात्मन्	whose nature is action; embodied through action
प्रभु	lord; master
साध्य	Sādhya deity; accomplished/divine being
गण	group; class
यज्ञ	sacrifice; ritual offering
सनातन	eternal
अग्नि	fire
वायु	wind; air
रवि	sun
त्रय	triad; threefold
ऋक्	Ṛgvedic verse
यजुः	Yajurvedic formula
सामन्	Sāmavedic chant
यज्ञसिद्धि	accomplishment of sacrifice
काल	time
कालविभक्ति	divisions of time
नक्षत्र	lunar mansion; constellation
ग्रह	planet; celestial body
सरित्	river
सागर	ocean
शैल	mountain
समान	equal; uniform
विषम	unequal; irregular
तपस्	austerity; spiritual discipline
वाच्	speech
रति	pleasure; attachment; delight
काम	desire
क्रोध	anger
सृष्टि	creation
स्रष्टुम्	to create
इच्छा	desire; wish
विवेक	discrimination; distinction
धर्म	righteousness; duty; law
अधर्म	unrighteousness; violation of duty
द्वन्द्व	pair of opposites
सुख	pleasure; happiness
दुःख	pain; suffering
मात्रा	measure; unit; subtle element
अणु	atom; minute particle
विनाशिन्	perishable; subject to destruction
दशार्ध	half of ten; five
सार्धम्	together with
संभवति	comes into being; arises
अनुपूर्वशः	successively; in due order
नियुङ्क्ते	appoints; assigns
प्रथमम्	first; initially
भज्	to partake; to experience; to undergo
सृज्यमान	being created
पुनः पुनः	again and again
हिंस्र	violent; harmful
अहिंस्र	non-violent; harmless
मृदु	gentle; mild
क्रूर	cruel; harsh
आवृत	covered; enveloped
ऋत	truth; cosmic order
अनृत	falsehood; untruth
सर्ग	creation; emanation
ऋतु	season
ऋतुपर्यय	succession of seasons
स्व	own; one’s own
अभिपद्यते	enters; assumes; follows
देहिन्	embodied being; living being

Important Compound Vocabulary

Sanskrit compound	English meaning
सर्ववर्णानाम्	of all varṇas / social orders
अन्तरप्रभवानाम्	of those arising from within/from intermixture
स्वयंभुवः विधानम्	the ordinance of the Self-existent
कार्यतत्त्वार्थवित्	knower of the principle and meaning of action/effect
तमोभूतम्	enveloped in darkness
महाभूतादि	the great elements and their derivatives
अतीन्द्रियग्राह्य	apprehensible only beyond the ordinary senses
सर्वभूतमय	pervading or consisting of all beings
सहस्रांशुसमप्रभ	possessing radiance equal to the thousand-rayed sun
सर्वलोकपितामह	progenitor of all worlds
सदसदात्मक	having being and non-being as its nature
आत्मनो ध्यानात्	through contemplation of himself/the Self
त्रिगुणानि	the three guṇas
पञ्चेन्द्रियाणि	the five sense faculties
सर्वभूतकृत्	creator of all beings
वेदशब्देभ्यः	from the words/designations of the Veda
यज्ञसिद्ध्यर्थम्	for the accomplishment of sacrifice
कालविभक्तयः	divisions of time
धर्माधर्मौ	dharma and adharma; righteousness and unrighteousness
सुखदुःखादिभिः	through pleasure, pain, and other opposites
कर्मणि न्ययुङ्क्त	assigned to a particular action/function
ऋतुपर्यये	in the succession of seasons
स्वानि स्वानि कर्माणि	their respective actions/functions