Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvitiya Skandha, Shloka 35
The First Step in God Realization: The Glory of Hearing and the Virāṭ-Rūpa Meditation
विज्ञानशक्तिं महिमामनन्ति सर्वात्मनोऽन्त:करणं गिरित्रम् । अश्वाश्वतर्युष्ट्रगजा नखानि सर्वे मृगा: पशव: श्रोणिदेशे ॥ ३५ ॥
vijñāna-śaktiṁ mahim āmananti sarvātmano ’ntaḥ-karaṇaṁ giritram aśvāśvatary-uṣṭra-gajā nakhāni sarve mṛgāḥ paśavaḥ śroṇi-deśe
The learned declare that the mahattattva is the omnipresent Lord’s power of conscious knowing (vijñāna-śakti), and that Giritra, Rudradeva, is His ego. The horse, mule, camel, and elephant are His nails, and the wild beasts and all quadrupeds abide in the Lord’s belt region.
FAQs
This verse continues the Virāṭ-rūpa meditation by assigning aspects of the cosmos and living beings to the Lord’s universal body, helping the mind become fixed on the Supreme through a structured contemplation.
In the Virāṭ-rūpa mapping, exalted deities are presented as empowered presiding principles within the universal form; here Śiva is identified with the function of the antaḥkaraṇa to show that even the greatest devas operate within the Supreme Lord’s cosmic manifestation.
When the mind feels scattered, contemplate that all powers, beings, and functions belong to the Supreme; it reduces ego-centered thinking and supports steadiness in devotion and daily discipline.