Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvitiya Skandha, Shloka 29
The First Step in God Realization: The Glory of Hearing and the Virāṭ-Rūpa Meditation
इन्द्रादयो बाहव आहुरुस्रा: कर्णौ दिश:श्रोत्रममुष्य शब्द: । नासत्यदस्रौ परमस्य नासे घ्राणोऽस्य गन्धो मुखमग्निरिद्ध: ॥ २९ ॥
indrādayo bāhava āhur usrāḥ karṇau diśaḥ śrotram amuṣya śabdaḥ nāsatya-dasrau paramasya nāse ghrāṇo ’sya gandho mukham agnir iddhaḥ
Ses bras sont les demi-dieux menés par Indra ; les dix directions sont Ses oreilles, et le son matériel est Son ouïe. Ses narines sont les deux Aśvinī-kumāras, et le parfum matériel est Son odorat. Sa bouche est le feu flamboyant.
The description of the gigantic form of the Personality of Godhead made in the Eleventh Chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā is further explained here in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The description in the Bhagavad-gītā (11.30) runs as follows: “O Viṣṇu, I see You devouring all people in Your blazing mouths and covering all the universe by Your immeasurable rays. Scorching the worlds, You are manifest.” In that way, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the postgraduate study for the student of the Bhagavad-gītā. Both of them are the science of Kṛṣṇa, the Absolute Truth, and so they are interdependent.
FAQs
This verse explains meditation on the Lord’s universal form by mapping cosmic functions and deities to His body—directions as His ears, sound as His hearing, the Aśvinī-kumāras as His nostrils, and fire as His mouth.
He teaches Parīkṣit Mahārāja a structured way to contemplate the Supreme through the visible universe, showing that demigods and elements function as empowered limbs within the Lord’s cosmic manifestation.
See nature and daily experiences (sound, direction, fire, fragrance) as reminders of the Divine presence, cultivating reverence, gratitude, and steady God-centered awareness.