Text 6] Answers by Citing the Lord’s Version 467
TEXT 6
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SEY my ate Ey
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UT age TARAAa
on ° °
faftRegarat TT 7g Fa Fags UG A
sa cintayan dvyaksaramekadambhasy
upasrnod dvir-gaditam vaco vibhuh
sparsesu yat sodasam ekavirmsam
niskincananam nrpa yad dhanam viduh
sah—he; cintayan—while thus thinking; dvi- two; aksaram—syllables;
ekada—once upon a time;ambhasi—in the water; upasmot—heard it nearby;
dvih—twice; gaditam—uttered; vacah—words; vibhuh—the great; sparsesu—
of the sparsa letters; yat— which; sodasam—the sixteenth; ekavirnsam—and
the twenty-first; niskificananaém—of the renounced order of life; nrpa—O
King; yat— what is; dhanam—wealth; viduh—as it is known.
TRANSLATION
While thus engaged in thinking, in the water, Brahmaji heard twice
from nearby two syllables joined together. One of the syllables was taken
from the sixteenth and the other from the twenty-first of the sparsa
alphabets, and both joined to become the wealth of the renounced order
of life.
PURPORT
In Sanskrit language, the consonant alphabets are divided into two
divisions, namely the sparsa-varnas and the talavya-varnas. From ka to ma
the letters are known as the sparsa-varnas, and the sixteenth of the group
is called ta, whereas the twenty-first letter is called pa. So when they are
joined together, the word tapa, or penance, is constructed. This penance is
the beauty and wealth of the brahmanas and the renounced order of life.
According to Bhagavata philosophy, every human being is meant simply
for this tapa and for no other business, because by penance only can one
realize his self; and self-realization, and not sense gratification, is the
