Srimad Bhagavatam — Tritiya Skandha, Shloka 66
Sāṅkhya: Categories of the Absolute Truth and the Unfolding of Creation
Tattva-vicāra
गुदं मृत्युरपानेन नोदतिष्ठत्तदा विराट् । हस्ताविन्द्रो बलेनैव नोदतिष्ठत्तदा विराट् ॥ ६६ ॥
gudaṁ mṛtyur apānena nodatiṣṭhat tadā virāṭ hastāv indro balenaiva nodatiṣṭhat tadā virāṭ
Le dieu de la mort entra dans Son anus avec l’apāna-vāyu, mais le Virāṭ‑Puruṣa ne fut pas poussé à l’activité. Indra entra dans Ses mains avec la puissance de saisir et de lâcher, mais le Virāṭ‑Puruṣa ne se leva pas davantage.
FAQs
This verse shows that merely assembling bodily parts, functions, and presiding deities (like Mṛtyu with apāna and Indra with strength) is still insufficient for the Virāṭ to ‘stand up’—life and full activation depend on higher divine arrangement beyond mechanical components.
They represent presiding deities of specific functions: Mṛtyu is linked with evacuation and apāna (downward energy), while Indra presides over the hands and strength—illustrating how cosmic governance animates bodily systems.
It suggests that power, capability, and bodily functions alone don’t create true ‘aliveness’ or fulfillment; spiritual wholeness arises when life is aligned with the Supreme—cultivated through devotion, humility, and purposeful living.