daṇḍa-nītis tathaiva ca
ānvīkṣikī trayī vārtā
daṇḍa-nītis tathaiva ca
evaṁ vyāhṛtayaś cāsan
praṇavo hy asya dahrataḥ
Logic, Vedic knowledge, occupational livelihood and law enforcement arose from his four mouths. Bhūh, bhuvaḥ, svaḥ and bhūr-bhuvaḥ-svaḥ arose from his four mouths. Oṁ arose from his heart.
Logic and the other types of knowledge arose from the eastern and other mouths in succession. The first four items starting with logic (ānvīkṣikī) represent mokṣa, dharma, kāma and artha. Vyāhṛtayaḥ means the individual words bhur, bhuvaḥ and svah and their combination bhur bhuvaḥ svaḥ. These four arose from his four mouths. Thus Āśvalāyana-sūtra says evaṁ vyāhṛtayaḥ proktā vyastāḥ samastā api: vyāhṛti means the individual components and the combination. Or the fourth item can be mahaḥ. Bhūr bhuvaḥ svar iti vā etās tisro vyahṛtayas tāsāṁ uha smaitāṁ caturthīm māhācamasya pravedayate mahas iti: Bhūr, bhuvaḥ and svaḥ are the three vyahṛtis and Māhācamasya taught a fourth called mahaḥ. (Taittiriya upaniṣad 1.5.1) Hṛtsvataḥ means the space in the heart. An alternative reading is dahrataḥ with the same meaning.
|| 3.12.45 ||
tasyoṣṇig āsīl lomabhyo
gāyatrī ca tvaco vibhoḥ
triṣṭum māṁsāt snuto ’nuṣṭub
jagaty asthnaḥ prajāpateḥ
Uṣṇik (28 syllables) arose from Brahmā’s body hairs. Gāyatrī (24 syllables) arose from his skin. Triṣṭup (44 syllables) arose from his muscles. Anuṣṭup (32 syllables) arose from his veins. Jagatī (48 syllables) arose from Brahmā’s bones.
This verse describes the origin of the Vedic meters. Snutaḥ means the veins which spread out all over the body. Śruti says anuṣṭup snāvān: the anuṣṭup meter arose from the veins.
|| 3.12.46 ||
majjāyāḥ paṅktir utpannā
bṛhatī prāṇato ’bhavat
|
