Shloka 7
The Universal Form (Virāṭ-Puruṣa): The Lord’s Entry into the Elements, the Devas, and the Origin of Varṇāśrama
स वै विश्वसृजां गर्भो देवकर्मात्मशक्तिमान् । विबभाजात्मनात्मानमेकधा दशधा त्रिधा ॥ ७ ॥
sa vai viśva-sṛjāṁ garbho deva-karmātma-śaktimān vibabhājātmanātmānam ekadhā daśadhā tridhā
Ngài chính là mầm thai của các đấng kiến tạo vũ trụ, đầy đủ năng lực cho công việc của chư thiên; Ngài tự mình phân chia chính mình thành một, mười và ba phần.
Consciousness is the sign of the living entity, or the soul. The existence of the soul is manifest in the form of consciousness, called jñāna-śakti. The total consciousness is that of the gigantic virāṭ-rūpa, and the same consciousness is exhibited in individual persons. The activity of consciousness is performed through the air of life, which is of ten divisions. The airs of life are called prāṇa, apāna, udāna, vyāna and samāna and are also differently qualified as nāga, kūrma, kṛkara, devadatta and dhanañjaya. The consciousness of the soul becomes polluted by the material atmosphere, and thus various activities are exhibited in the false ego of bodily identification. These various activities are described in Bhagavad-gītā (2.41) as bahu-śākhā hy anantāś ca buddhayo ’vyavasāyinām. The conditioned soul is bewildered into various activities for want of pure consciousness. In pure consciousness the activity is one. The consciousness of the individual soul becomes one with the supreme consciousness when there is complete synthesis between the two.
FAQs
This verse states that the Supreme Lord is the garbha (womb/source) of all universal creators, and that creation proceeds through His own divine potency and self-expansion.
It indicates the Lord’s self-manifestation in different modes of expansion—one (unity of the Supreme), tenfold (various organizing principles or categories of manifestation), and threefold (commonly understood as triadic divisions such as the guṇas or primary cosmic functions), emphasizing that all arise from Him.
Seeing one divine source behind many forms cultivates humility and devotion, reduces ego-driven “doership,” and encourages offering one’s actions to the Supreme as part of a higher order.