Shloka 23
Adhyāya 352: Brāhmaṇa–Nāga Saṃvāda — Uñchavrata-niścaya
Dialogue and the Resolve to Practice Uñchavrata
रुद्र ववाच बहव: पुरुषा ब्रह्मांस्त्वया सृष्टा: स्वयम्भुवा । सृज्यन्ते चापरे ब्रह्मनू स चैक: पुरुषो विराट्
rudra uvāca—bahavaḥ puruṣā brahman tvayā sṛṣṭāḥ svayambhuvā | sṛjyante cāpare brahman sa caikaḥ puruṣo virāṭ |
Rudra sprach: „O Brahman, du bist der Selbstgeborene (Svayambhū). Du hast viele Wesen erschaffen, die ‘puruṣas’ genannt werden, und du bringst weiterhin andere puruṣas hervor. Doch auch Virāṭ ist nur ein einziger puruṣa—worin besteht dann seine besondere Auszeichnung?“
पितामह उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a philosophical inquiry: if many puruṣas are created, what makes Virāṭ unique? It pushes the discussion toward distinguishing the ordinary individual beings from the cosmic, all-encompassing principle (Virāṭ) that functions as the universal aggregate or manifest totality.
Within Bhīṣma’s discourse, a prior dialogue is recalled in which Rudra addresses Brahmā. Rudra challenges Brahmā’s account of creation by asking why the single being called Virāṭ should be considered special when he appears to be just another puruṣa among many.