Viṣṇv-ekapūjya-nirṇaya; Gaṅgā-Viṣṇupadī-māhātmya; Kali-yuga doṣa; Puṣkara-dharma of Viṣṇu-smaraṇa
संजानातीत्येव संज्ञामवाप संज्ञेति लोके सूर्य भार्या खगेन्द्र / ब्रह्मण्डस्य ह्यभिमानी तु देवो विराडिति ह्यभिधामाप तेन
saṃjānātītyeva saṃjñāmavāpa saṃjñeti loke sūrya bhāryā khagendra / brahmaṇḍasya hyabhimānī tu devo virāḍiti hyabhidhāmāpa tena
O Khagendra, dahil sa tunay na “pagkaalam” (saṃjānāt), natamo niya ang pangalang Saṃjñā; kaya sa daigdig siya’y tinatawag na Saṃjñā, ang asawa ni Sūrya. At ang diyos na namamahala bilang panloob na pagkakakilanlan ng kosmikong itlog (brahmāṇḍa) ay nagkamit, sa pamamagitan niya, ng pangalang Virāṭ.
Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda)
Concept: Names encode cognition and function; Virāṭ denotes the cosmic ‘I’-principle presiding over the manifested universe.
Vedantic Theme: Virāṭ as the macrocosmic aspect of Īśvara; the relation of individual identification to cosmic identification (abhimāna) as a teaching device.
Application: Use macrocosm–microcosm reflection: observe how ‘I’-sense operates, then contemplate its cosmic counterpart to loosen ego-fixation.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: cosmic totality
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 3.29.26 (Rohiṇī as Nārāyaṇa’s manifestation); Garuda Purana 3.29.28-30 (shift to tīrtha/śakti and mantra-personification)
This verse links Virāṭ to the presiding self-identification (abhimāna) of the brahmāṇḍa, presenting Virāṭ as a cosmic identity through which the universe is apprehended as an embodied whole.
Indirectly, it frames a Purāṇic worldview where cosmic orders and presiding deities structure experience; such cosmology underlies later teachings on how the jīva moves through ordained realms and identities after death.
Use it to cultivate a wider perspective: personal ‘I’-sense is a limited reflection of cosmic ‘abhimāna’; remembering this supports humility, steadier dharma, and less ego-driven action.