Shloka 56
Sāṅkhya: Categories of the Absolute Truth and the Unfolding of Creation
Tattva-vicāra
निर्बिभेद विराजस्त्वग्रोमश्मश्रवादयस्तत: । तत ओषधयश्चासन् शिश्नं निर्बिभिदे तत: ॥ ५६ ॥
nirbibheda virājas tvag- roma-śmaśrv-ādayas tataḥ tata oṣadhayaś cāsan śiśnaṁ nirbibhide tataḥ
Rồi virāṭ-puruṣa hiển lộ làn da; từ đó phát sinh lông tóc, ria mép, râu và các thứ tương tự. Sau đó mọi loài thảo dược và cây thuốc được biểu hiện, và kế tiếp cơ quan sinh dục của Ngài cũng hiện ra.
The skin is the site of the touch sensation. The demigods who control the production of herbs and medicinal drugs are the deities presiding over the tactile sense.
FAQs
In this verse, plants and herbs (oṣadhayaḥ) are said to arise in the course of the universal form’s differentiation—after the manifestation of skin and bodily hair—showing an ordered progression of creation.
Śukadeva explains the Virāṭ-based creation sequence to give Parīkṣit a clear, devotional understanding of how the Lord’s material energy unfolds in stages, as taught in Kapila’s Sāṅkhya.
It encourages humility and God-consciousness: our body and the natural world (including plants) are parts of an ordered cosmic manifestation, meant to be respected and used in the Lord’s service rather than exploited.