Devanagari
हिरण्यगर्भो वेदानां मन्त्राणां प्रणवस्त्रिवृत् ।
अक्षराणामकारोऽस्मि पदानिच्छन्दसामहम् ॥ १२ ॥
Verse text
hiraṇyagarbho vedānāṁ
mantrāṇāṁ praṇavas tri-vṛt
akṣarāṇām a-kāro ’smi
padāni cchandasām aham
Synonyms
hiraṇya-garbhaḥ
—
Lord Brahmā
;
vedānām
—
of the Vedas
;
mantrāṇām
—
of mantras
;
praṇavaḥ
—
the oṁkāra
;
tri-vṛt
—
consisting of three letters
;
akṣarāṇām
—
of letters
;
a-kāraḥ
—
the first letter, a
;
asmi
—
I am
;
padāni
—
the three-line Gāyatrī mantra
;
chandasām
—
among sacred meters
;
aham
—
I am.
Translation
Among the Vedas I am their original teacher, Lord Brahmā, and of all mantras I am the three-lettered oṁkāra. Among letters I am the first letter, “a,” and among sacred meters I am the Gāyatrī mantra.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Among the teachers of the Vedas, I am their original teacher, Brahmā, and of all mantras I am the three-lettered oṁkāra. Among letters I am the first letter, “a,” and among sacred meters I am the Gāyatrī meter.
Among the teachers of the Vedas (vedānām), I am Brahmā. Padāni means the Gāyatrī meter, with three padas of eight syllables each.