Devanagari
तस्योष्णिगासील्लोमभ्यो गायत्री च त्वचो विभो: ।
त्रिष्टुम्मांसात्स्नुतोऽनुष्टुब्जगत्यस्थ्न: प्रजापते: ॥ ४५ ॥
Verse text
tasyoṣṇig āsīl lomabhyo
gāyatrī ca tvaco vibhoḥ
triṣṭum māṁsāt snuto ’nuṣṭub
jagaty asthnaḥ prajāpateḥ
Synonyms
tasya
—
his
;
uṣṇik
—
one of the Vedic meters
;
āsīt
—
generated
;
lomabhyaḥ
—
from the hairs on the body
;
gāyatrī
—
the principal Vedic hymn
;
ca
—
also
;
tvacaḥ
—
from the skin
;
vibhoḥ
—
of the Lord
;
triṣṭup
—
a particular type of poetic meter
;
māṁsāt
—
from the flesh
;
snutaḥ
—
from the sinews
;
anuṣṭup
—
another type of poetic meter
;
jagatī
—
another type of poetic meter
;
asthnaḥ
—
from the bones
;
prajāpateḥ
—
of the father of the living entities .
Translation
Thereafter the art of literary expression, uṣṇik, was generated from the hairs on the body of the almighty Prajāpati. The principal Vedic hymn, gāyatrī, was generated from the skin, triṣṭup from the flesh, anuṣṭup from the veins, and jagatī from the bones of the lord of the living entities.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Uṣṇik (28 syllables) arose from Brahmā’s body hairs. Gāyatrī (24 syllables) arose from his skin. Triṣṭup (44 syllables) arose from his muscles. Anuṣṭup (32 syllables) arose from his veins. Jagatī (48 syllables) arose from Brahmā’s bones.
This verse describes the origin of the Vedic meters. Snutaḥ means the veins which spread out all over the body. Śruti says anuṣṭup snāvān: the anuṣṭup meter arose from the veins.