The Universal Form (Virāṭ-Puruṣa): The Lord’s Entry into the Elements, the Devas, and the Origin of Varṇāśrama
निर्भिन्नान्यस्य चर्माणि लोकपालोऽनिलोऽविशत् । प्राणेनांशेन संस्पर्शं येनासौ प्रतिपद्यते ॥ १६ ॥
nirbhinnāny asya carmāṇi loka-pālo ’nilo ’viśat prāṇenāṁśena saṁsparśaṁ yenāsau pratipadyate
Khi làn da của thân thể vũ trụ hiện ra tách biệt, Anila—thần chủ của gió—đi vào với một phần năng lực xúc chạm. Nhờ sức prāṇa ấy, chúng sinh đạt tri thức về sự tiếp xúc.
In Canto 3, Chapter 6, the Bhagavatam explains that when the universal form’s skin becomes manifest, Anila (Vāyu) enters it, and through prāṇa the capacity for touch (saṁsparśa) arises.
Anila is Vāyu, the presiding deity of wind. He enters the skin of the virāṭ-puruṣa because prāṇa (vital air) is the divine principle that enables the embodied being to experience touch and contact.
It encourages mindful awareness of prāṇa—through regulated breathing and sense-control—so that sensory contact is experienced with clarity rather than impulsive attachment.