क एष योऽसावहमब्जपृष्ठ एतत्कुतो वाब्जमनन्यदप्सु । अस्ति ह्यधस्तादिह किञ्चनैत- दधिष्ठितं यत्र सता नु भाव्यम् ॥ १८ ॥
ka esa yo ’sav aham abja-prstha etat kuto vabjam ananyad apsu asti hy adhastad iha kincanaitad adhisthitam yatra sata nu bhavyam
- kah
- who
- esah
- this
- yah asau aham
- that I am
- abja-prsthe
- on top of the lotus
- etat
- this
- kutah
- wherefrom
- va
- either
- abjam
- lotus flower
- ananyat
- otherwise
- apsu
- in the water
- asti
- there is
- hi
- certainly
- adhastat
- from below
- iha
- in this
- kincana
- anything
- etat
- this
- adhisthitam
- situated
- yatra
- wherein
- sata
- automatically
- nu
- or not
- bhavyam
- must be.
Lord Brahma, in his ignorance, contemplated: Who am I that am situated on the top of this lotus? Wherefrom has it sprouted? There must be something downwards, and that from which this lotus has grown must be within the water.