Srimad Bhagavatam — Tritiya Skandha, Shloka 51
Sāṅkhya: Categories of the Absolute Truth and the Unfolding of Creation
Tattva-vicāra
ततस्तेनानुविद्धेभ्यो युक्तेभ्योऽण्डमचेतनम् । उत्थितं पुरुषो यस्मादुदतिष्ठदसौ विराट् ॥ ५१ ॥
tatas tenānuviddhebhyo yuktebhyo ’ṇḍam acetanam utthitaṁ puruṣo yasmād udatiṣṭhad asau virāṭ
फिर भगवान् की उपस्थिति से प्रेरित और परस्पर संयुक्त उन सात तत्त्वों से एक अचेतन अण्ड उत्पन्न हुआ; उसी से वह प्रसिद्ध विराट् पुरुष प्रकट हुआ।
In sex life, the combination of matter from the parents, which involves emulsification and secretion, creates the situation whereby a soul is received within matter, and the combination of matter gradually develops into a complete body. The same principle exists in the universal creation: the ingredients are present, but only when the Lord enters into the material elements is matter actually agitated. That is the cause of creation. We can see this in our ordinary experience. Although we may have clay, water and fire, the elements take the shape of a brick only when we labor to combine them. Without the living energy, there is no possibility that matter can take shape. Similarly, this material world does not develop unless agitated by the Supreme Lord as the virāṭ-puruṣa. Yasmād udatiṣṭhad asau virāṭ: by His agitation, space was created, and the universal form of the Lord also manifested therein.
FAQs
This verse says the universe, like an inert cosmic egg, becomes active only when infused by the Lord and when the elements are properly combined; then the Virāṭ (universal form) manifests.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī speaks this verse to Mahārāja Parīkṣit while explaining Kapila’s Sāṅkhya teachings on creation and the unfolding of the elements.
It teaches that matter and arrangements alone remain lifeless without divine consciousness; real vitality and purpose come when one aligns life with the Supreme through devotion and right understanding.