आद्यः प्रजापतिः पूर्वं स्वयंभूरिति विश्रुतः । प्राक्तनानां स्वकार्याणामभावादप्यकारणः ॥ ७ ॥
ādyaḥ prajāpatiḥ pūrvaṁ svayaṁbhūriti viśrutaḥ | prāktanānāṁ svakāryāṇāmabhāvādapyakāraṇaḥ || 7 ||
Translation
The first Prajāpati, of old famed as the Self-born, is without cause, since there are no former deeds of his own.
Word by word
- ādyaḥ
- the first
- prajāpatiḥ
- Prajāpati
- pūrvaṁ
- of old
- svayaṁbhūr
- (svayaṃbhūḥ) the Self-born
- iti
- as
- viśrutaḥ
- famed
- prāktanānāṁ
- former
- sva
- of his own
- kāryāṇām
- deeds
- abhāvād
- (abhāvāt) since there are no
- api
- too
- akāraṇaḥ
- without cause
Meaning
Another commentary: the first lord of creatures, famed of old as Svayambhū, Brahmā, is without a cause, since he has no deeds of a former birth. This picks up the last sarga's argument (3.13.42-43): a cause would be past karma; Brahmā has none.