Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvitiya Skandha, Shloka 2
Puruṣa-sūkta Logic of the Virāṭ: Cosmic Anatomy, Sacrifice, and the Lord’s Transcendence
सर्वासूनां च वायोश्च तन्नासे परमायणे । अश्विनोरोषधीनां च घ्राणो मोदप्रमोदयो: ॥ २ ॥
sarvāsūnāṁ ca vāyoś ca tan-nāse paramāyaṇe aśvinor oṣadhīnāṁ ca ghrāṇo moda-pramodayoḥ
His two nostrils are the sources of prāṇa-vāyu and of all other airs. From His power of smell arise the Aśvinī-kumāra devas and every kind of healing herb, and from His breathing energies come manifold fragrances.
FAQs
This verse explains that the sense of smell is a potency of the Virāṭ-Puruṣa, and from it manifest the Aśvinī-kumāras, medicinal herbs, and the experiences of pleasure and delight associated with fragrance.
Bhāgavatam uses the Virāṭ-Puruṣa mapping to show that cosmic functions and deities depend on the Supreme Person; the nostrils are described as the ultimate shelter (paramāyaṇa) for prāṇa and Vāyu, emphasizing divine dependence rather than independence.
It encourages seeing even ordinary experiences—like breath, fragrance, and health—as gifts rooted in the Divine, cultivating gratitude, restraint of the senses, and devotion through mindful remembrance of the Lord.