संस्कृतIASTअर्थ
ब्रह्मणःbrahmaṇaḥof Brahman; of the Absolute
चcaand; as well as
तेteto you; for you
पादम्pādama quarter (literally 'a foot', as of the Puruṣa in Ṛg-veda 10.90); one fourth part; the foot
ब्रवाणिbravāṇilet me tell (from √brū — 'to speak'); I shall declare; I shall declare
इतिitithus; how
ब्रवीतुbravītulet him tell; let him instruct
मेmemyself; for me
भगवान्bhagavānvenerable one; esteemed one
इतिitithus; how
तस्मैtasmaito Him; to him
हhaindeed; surely
उवाचuvācahe said; He spoke
प्राचीprācīthe eastern; turned to the east
दिक्dika quarter of the sky; the direction; a region of the sky
कलाkalāa portion (a part, a sixteenth; a small measure of the whole); a part; a particle
प्रतिचीpraticīthe western; turned to the west
दिक्dika quarter of the sky; the direction; a region of the sky
कलाkalāa portion (a part, a sixteenth; a small measure of the whole); a part; a particle
दक्षिणाdakṣiṇāsouthward; by the southern path
दिक्dika quarter of the sky; the direction; a region of the sky
कलाkalāa portion (a part, a sixteenth; a small measure of the whole); a part; a particle
उदीचीudīcīthe northern; turned to the north
दिक्dika quarter of the sky; the direction; a region of the sky
कलाkalāa portion (a part, a sixteenth; a small measure of the whole); a part; a particle
एषःeṣaḥthis; he
वैvaiverily; indeed
सोम्यsomyadear one; noble one
चतुष्कलःcatuṣkalaḥfourfold (catuḥ + kalā — 'of four portions'); consisting of four portions; the quadruple
पादःpādaḥquarter; foot
ब्रह्मणःbrahmaṇaḥof Brahman; of the Absolute
प्रकाशवान्prakāśavānthe Luminous (prakāśa-vat — 'possessing light'); possessed of radiance; the Radiant
नामnāmathe name; appellation
The bull discloses the first of Brahman's four "feet" (pāda): the quarters of space. Space, running out to all four edges, is the first thing on which the eye may school itself in boundlessness: go where you will, the east remains the east, and no road will exhaust it. The name of this quarter is prakāśavān, "Possessing radiance": the quarters are known by light, and the expanse of the world is the first manifest shining of Him who illumines all.
The word pāda — "foot, quarter" — recalls the great hymn to the Puruṣa: "All beings are a quarter of him; three quarters are the immortal in heaven" (Ṛg-veda 10.90.3). The whole unfolded world, with all its quarters of space, is but one foot of the Supreme; the Gītā repeats: "With a single fragment of Myself I pervade and sustain this universe" (BG 10.42). Hence the bull's teaching is not a conclusion but a first step: to show that the visible expanse points beyond itself.
Knowledge is given to a pupil by measure — by quarters, by portions (kalā). So the ladder is built: from the radiance of space to the infinity of the elements, to the light of the luminaries, and to the support of life; the whole will be disclosed only by the ācārya.