Devanagari
देवता: प्रभया या या दीव्यन् प्रमुखतोऽसृजत् ।
ते अहार्षुर्देवयन्तो विसृष्टां तां प्रभामह: ॥ २२ ॥
Verse text
devatāḥ prabhayā yā yā
dīvyan pramukhato ’sṛjat
te ahārṣur devayanto
visṛṣṭāṁ tāṁ prabhām ahaḥ
Synonyms
devatāḥ
—
the demigods
;
prabhayā
—
with the glory of light
;
yāḥ yāḥ
—
those who
;
dīvyan
—
shining
;
pramukhataḥ
—
chiefly
;
asṛjat
—
created
;
te
—
they
;
ahārṣuḥ
—
took possession of
;
devayantaḥ
—
being active
;
visṛṣṭām
—
separated
;
tām
—
that
;
prabhām
—
effulgent form
;
ahaḥ
—
daytime .
Translation
He then created the chief demigods, who were shining with the glory of goodness. He dropped before them the effulgent form of daytime, and the demigods sportingly took possession of it.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Shining with his effulgence, Brahmā then created the chief devatās. The devatās accepted that effulgence which Brahmā gave up, and which became the day, and they played with it.
Brahmā shone with an effulgent body composed of sattva. He created the chief devatās. Yāḥ refers to te. They accepted that effulgent body which he gave up, which took the form of the day. Why? They accepted the day in order to play with it. Just as the night resides with the Yakṣas and Rākṣasas, the day is the abode of the devatās. Jīva Gosvāmī says that div, belonging to the cur class of verbs, means “to wish for.” The devatās wished for or requested the day. Purity, the mentality of sattva appeared in the mind of Brahmā. From that the devatās appeared. That purity became the day. The devatās then accepted the day. That is the sequence.
Purport
Demons were born from the creation of night, and the demigods were born from the creation of day. In other words, demons like the Yakṣas and Rākṣasas are born of the quality of ignorance, and demigods are born of the quality of goodness.