SánscritoIASTSignificado
आद्यम्ādyamprimordial; first; eternal
पुरुषम्puruṣamthe Person; Purusha; the Supreme Being
ईशानम्īśānamthe Lord; the Ruler
पुरुहूतम्puruhūtamthe much-invoked; the one many call upon
पुरुष्टुतम्puruṣṭutamthe much-praised; the one glorified by many
ऋतम्ṛtamthe Truth; the true one; Truth itself, righteous
एकाक्षरम्eka-akṣaramthe one imperishable; the sole unchanging one; the one unchanging (syllable)
ब्रह्मbrahmaBrahman; Spirit; the Absolute
व्यक्ताव्यक्तम्vyakta-avyaktamthe manifest and unmanifest
सनातनम्sanātanamthe eternal; the everlasting
असत्asatnon-being; the unmanifest
चcaand
सत्satbeing; the manifest; the existent
चcaand
एवevaindeed
चcaand
यत्yatwho; that
विश्वम्viśvamthe universe; all that exists
सदसतःsat-asataḥof being and non-being
परम्paramabove; transcendent
परावराणाम्para-avarāṇāmof the higher and the lower; of the great and the small
स्रष्टारम्sraṣṭāramthe Creator; the Maker
पुराणम्purāṇamthe ancient; the primeval
परम्paramthe supreme
अव्ययम्avyayamthe inexhaustible; the imperishable; the unchanging
मङ्गल्यम्maṅgalyamthe auspicious; the source of blessing; the bringer of good
मङ्गलम्maṅgalamauspiciousness itself; the propitious; the blessed
विष्णुम्viṣṇumVishnu
वरेण्यम्vareṇyamworthy of worship; the excellent; the chosen one
अनघम्anaghamthe sinless; the faultless
शुचिम्śucimthe pure; the unstained
नमस्कृत्यnamaskṛtyahaving bowed; having paid homage
हृषीकेशम्hṛṣīkeśamHrishikesha (Lord of the senses)
चराचरगुरुम्cara-acara-gurumthe teacher/lord of all that moves and does not move
हरिम्harimHari
महर्षेःmahā-ṛṣeḥthe great sage
पूजितस्यpūjitasyathe honored; the venerated
इहihahere; in this world
सर्वलोकेsarva-lokein the whole world; in all worlds
महात्मनःmahā-ātmanaḥgreat of soul
प्रवक्ष्यामिpravakṣyāmiI shall tell; I shall expound; I shall proclaim
मतम्matamthe teaching; the thought; the view
कृत्स्नम्kṛtsnamfully; wholly; entirely
व्यासस्यvyāsasyaof Vyasa
अमिततेजसःamita-tejasaḥimmeasurably powerful; whose might and splendor are boundless
आद्यंādyaṃoriginal form «ādyaṃ», added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
ईशानंīśānaṃoriginal form «īśānaṃ», added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
पुरुहूतंpuruhūtaṃoriginal form «puruhūtaṃ», added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
एकाक्षरंekākṣaraṃoriginal form «ekākṣaraṃ», added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
व्यक्ताव्यक्तंvyaktāvyaktaṃoriginal form «vyaktāvyaktaṃ», added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
असच्asacoriginal form «asac», added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
सच्sacoriginal form «sac», added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
चैवcaivaoriginal form «caiva», added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
यद्yadoriginal form «yad», added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
विश्वंviśvaṃoriginal form «viśvaṃ», added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
सदसतःsadasataḥoriginal form «sadasataḥ», added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
परावराणांparāvarāṇāṃoriginal form «parāvarāṇāṃ», added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
स्रष्टारंsraṣṭāraṃoriginal form «sraṣṭāraṃ», added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
पुराणंpurāṇaṃoriginal form «purāṇaṃ», added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
मङ्गल्यंmaṅgalyaṃoriginal form «maṅgalyaṃ», added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
मङ्गलंmaṅgalaṃoriginal form «maṅgalaṃ», added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
विष्णुंviṣṇuṃoriginal form «viṣṇuṃ», added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
अनघंanaghaṃoriginal form «anaghaṃ», added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
हृषीकेशंhṛṣīkeśaṃoriginal form «hṛṣīkeśaṃ», added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
चराचरगुरुंcarācaraguruṃoriginal form «carācaraguruṃ», added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
महर्षेःmaharṣeḥoriginal form «maharṣeḥ», added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
पूजितस्येहpūjitasyehaoriginal form «pūjitasyeha», added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
सर्वलोकेsarvalokeoriginal form «sarvaloke», added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
महात्मनःmahātmanaḥoriginal form «mahātmanaḥ», added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
मतंmataṃoriginal form «mataṃ», added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
कृत्स्नंkṛtsnaṃoriginal form «kṛtsnaṃ», added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
व्यासस्यामिततेजसःvyāsasyāmitatejasaḥoriginal form «vyāsasyāmitatejasaḥ», added for full coverage of the word-by-word block
This is the opening invocation (maṅgalācaraṇa): before beginning the narrative, Suta bows before the Supreme — and in doing so sets the meaning for the whole of the Mahabharata. Note the essential point: the Absolute is named here directly and personally. He is “the Person” (puruṣa), “the Lord” (īśāna), “the Creator” (sraṣṭā), and is named outright as Vishnu, Hrishikesha, Hari. Though the same verses call Him “Brahman,” “Truth,” “the one imperishable,” this is not a formless, impersonal ground: Brahman is the radiance and an aspect of the Personality of Godhead Himself. Here lies the heart of right understanding: Truth is one, but its highest stage is not emptiness but the Lord Hari. He is at once “manifest and unmanifest,” “being and non-being” — and yet “transcends” (param) both: the Lord pervades the world and infinitely surpasses it. The name “Hrishikesha” (Lord of the senses) and “teacher of all that lives” point to the path: true knowledge means engaging one’s senses in His service, which is bhakti. Thus from its very first lines the epic stands revealed as hari-kathā — worship of Vishnu and a narrative about Him; and here too is rejected the reading by which the “imperishable Brahman” would be an impersonal void — it is the Lord Hari Himself, personal.