Shloka 26
Kūrma Supports Mandara; Hālahala Appears; Śiva Becomes Nīlakaṇṭha
अग्निर्मुखं तेऽखिलदेवतात्मा क्षितिं विदुर्लोकभवाङ्घ्रिपङ्कजम् । कालं गतिं तेऽखिलदेवतात्मनो दिशश्च कर्णौ रसनं जलेशम् ॥ २६ ॥
agnir mukhaṁ te ’khila-devatātmā kṣitiṁ vidur loka-bhavāṅghri-paṅkajam kālaṁ gatiṁ te ’khila-devatātmano diśaś ca karṇau rasanaṁ jaleśam
हे अखिलदेवतात्मन्, लोकपिता! विद्वान म्हणतात—अग्नी हे आपले मुख, पृथ्वीचा पृष्ठभाग हे आपले कमळचरण; काळ ही आपली गती, दिशा हे आपले कान, आणि जलांचा अधिपती वरुण ही आपली जिव्हा॥२६॥
In the śruti-mantras it is said, agniḥ sarva-devatāḥ: “Fire is the aggregate of all demigods.” Agni is the mouth of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is through Agni, or fire, that the Lord accepts all sacrificial oblations.
FAQs
This verse teaches Virat meditation by mapping the universe onto the Lord’s body—fire as His mouth, earth as His lotus feet, time as His movement, the directions as His ears, and Varuṇa as His tongue—showing everything rests within and functions by Him.
During the crisis arising in the churning episode, the devas take shelter of Vishnu by glorifying His all-pervading supremacy, acknowledging that cosmic powers (like fire, time, directions, and Varuṇa) are His energies and limbs.
Train the mind to see sacred order in daily experience—time, nature, and the elements—as belonging to the Lord; this reduces anxiety and pride, and strengthens gratitude, humility, and steady devotion.