Upanishads · Kṛṣṇa 2.3
॥
Devanāgarī
तस्मात् दश प्रजापतयो मरीच्याद्याः स्थाणुदक्षकर्दमप्रियव्रतोत्तानपादादयोऽप्यजायन्त । तेभ्यः सर्वाणि भूतानि च
Transliteration (IAST)
tasmāt daśa prajāpatayo marīcyādyāḥ sthāṇudakṣakardamapriyavratottānapādādayo'pyajāyanta | tebhyaḥ sarvāṇi bhūtāni ca
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
तस्मात् दश प्रजापतयः मरीचि-आद्याःtasmāt daśa prajāpatayaḥ marīci-ādyāḥfrom him, the ten prajāpatis, Marīci and the rest
स्थाणु-दक्ष-कर्दम-sthāṇu-dakṣa-kardama-Sthāṇu, Dakṣa, Kardama
प्रियव्रत-उत्तानपाद-आदयःpriyavrata-uttānapāda-ādayaḥPriyavrata, Uttānapāda, and the rest
तेभ्यः सर्वाणि भूतानि चtebhyaḥ sarvāṇi bhūtāni cafrom them, all beings
Translation
"From him, the ten prajāpatis were born — Marīci and the rest, Sthāṇu, Dakṣa, Kardama, Priyavrata, Uttānapāda, and the rest; from them, all beings."
Version
394c35eeac29 · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The prajāpatis, "lords of offspring," are named — the ten progenitors from whom the lineages descend. It is worth noting that among them are mentioned Priyavrata and Uttānapāda: these are sons of Manu, and they are not sages but kings. This detail is telling and worth voicing.
In these genealogies, power and wisdom go side by side: in one list stand the sage Marīci and the king Uttānapāda, father of Dhruva. That is, tradition does not separate the learned caste from the ruling one and does not consider the first higher in essence. The Vaiṣṇava side holds this relation, and it was discussed when reading the Jābāla-darśana (7.9), where the Gītā's genealogy was cited: Vivasvān, Manu, Ikṣvāku — that is, the sun, the progenitor, and a king.
Let us add that the Gītā says this directly: rājarṣayo viduḥ, "royal sages knew it" (4.2). A consideration follows from this and is worth keeping. A teaching preserved only by hermits becomes detached from life and turns into a pastime. A teaching held by rulers is tested by deeds daily.
Hence it is spoken in the Gītā to a warrior before battle, not to a sage in the forest; and everything said there is tested at once, not set aside.