Srimad Bhagavatam — Tritiya Skandha, Shloka 65
Sāṅkhya: Categories of the Absolute Truth and the Unfolding of Creation
Tattva-vicāra
त्वचं रोमभिरोषध्यो नोदतिष्ठत्तदा विराट् । रेतसा शिश्नमापस्तु नोदतिष्ठत्तदा विराट् ॥ ६५ ॥
tvacaṁ romabhir oṣadhyo nodatiṣṭhat tadā virāṭ retasā śiśnam āpas tu nodatiṣṭhat tadā virāṭ
The predominating deities of the skin, herbs and seasoning plants entered the skin of the virāṭ-puruṣa with the hair of the body, but the Cosmic Being refused to get up even then. The god predominating over water entered His organ of generation with the faculty of procreation, but the virāṭ-puruṣa still would not rise.
FAQs
In this verse, herbs and plants are said to arise from the hairs (roma) of the Virāṭ, the Universal Form, as part of the staged manifestation of the cosmos.
The verse describes correspondences in cosmic creation: the generative organ and semen manifest, and from semen the waters arise—showing how elements unfold from the Virāṭ in Sāṅkhya-style cosmology.
It cultivates reverence: seeing nature (plants, water, the body) as connected to the Lord’s universal manifestation encourages gratitude, purity, and responsible living aligned with dharma.