Shloka 18
The Universal Form (Virāṭ-Puruṣa): The Lord’s Entry into the Elements, the Devas, and the Origin of Varṇāśrama
त्वचमस्य विनिर्भिन्नां विविशुर्धिष्ण्यमोषधी: । अंशेन रोमभि: कण्डूं यैरसौ प्रतिपद्यते ॥ १८ ॥
tvacam asya vinirbhinnāṁ viviśur dhiṣṇyam oṣadhīḥ aṁśena romabhiḥ kaṇḍūṁ yair asau pratipadyate
When the skin manifested separately, the presiding deities of the oṣadhis (plants and herbs) entered it in their own stations. By a portion of the bodily hairs, itching and the happiness of touch arise, which living beings experience.
For sense perception there are two principal items, touch and itching, and both of them are controlled by the skin and hairs on the body. According to Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartī, the controlling deity of touch is the air passing within the body, and the controlling deity of the hairs on the body is Oṣadhya. For the skin the object of perception is touch, and for the hairs on the body the object of perception is itching.
FAQs
This verse states that the presiding principle of herbs (oṣadhī) entered the skin of the universal form, and from that skin the body-hairs manifested.
It illustrates how specific bodily features (like hairs arising from skin) correspond to particular sensations and functions within the universal form, showing an ordered, deity-governed creation.
It encourages seeing nature—especially vegetation and healing herbs—as sacred and divinely ordered, cultivating gratitude, reverence for life, and responsible stewardship.