Shloka 56

Devanagari script

निर्बिभेद विराजस्त्वग्रोमश्मश्रवादयस्तत: । तत ओषधयश्चासन् शिश्नं निर्बिभिदे तत: ॥ ५६ ॥

Transliteration

nirbibheda virājas tvag- roma-śmaśrv-ādayas tataḥ tata oṣadhayaś cāsan śiśnaṁ nirbibhide tataḥ

Translation

Then the virāṭ-puruṣa manifested His skin, and from it appeared hair, mustache, beard, and the like. After this, all herbs and medicinal plants became manifest, and then His genitals also appeared.

Synonyms

• nirbibheda: split; pierced
• nirbibheda: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: nir√bhid (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), Parasmaipada, 3rd person, Singular

• virājaḥ: of Virāj (the cosmic person)
• virājaḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: virāj (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive (6th), Singular; ‘of Virāṭ/Virāj’

• tvak: skin
• tvak: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvac (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st), Singular

• roma: hair (body hair)
• roma: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: roman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st), Singular

• śmaśru: beard
• śmaśru: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śmaśru (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st), Singular

• ādayaḥ: etcetera; and the rest
• ādayaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st), Plural; ‘and so on’ (collective)

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb ‘then/from that’

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb ‘then’

• oṣadhayaḥ: plants; herbs
• oṣadhayaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: oṣadhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1st), Plural

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; conjunction (समुच्चय)

• āsan: were
• āsan: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (धातु)
• Form: Imperfect (लङ्), Parasmaipada, 3rd person, Plural (बहुवचन)

• śiśnam: genital organ
• śiśnam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiśna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st) or Accusative (2nd), Singular; here as Nominative subject of nirbibhide

• nirbibhide: split open
• nirbibhide: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: nir√bhid (धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), Ātmanepada, 3rd person, Singular

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb ‘then/from that’

Purport

The skin is the site of the touch sensation. The demigods who control the production of herbs and medicinal drugs are the deities presiding over the tactile sense.

Characters & Entities

• Virāṭ (Universal Form)

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about the appearance of plants and herbs in creation?

In this verse, plants and herbs (oṣadhayaḥ) are said to arise in the course of the universal form’s differentiation—after the manifestation of skin and bodily hair—showing an ordered progression of creation.

Why is Śukadeva Gosvāmī describing the Virāṭ form to King Parīkṣit in Canto 3?

Śukadeva explains the Virāṭ-based creation sequence to give Parīkṣit a clear, devotional understanding of how the Lord’s material energy unfolds in stages, as taught in Kapila’s Sāṅkhya.

Practical application of this creation teaching in modern life?

It encourages humility and God-consciousness: our body and the natural world (including plants) are parts of an ordered cosmic manifestation, meant to be respected and used in the Lord’s service rather than exploited.