Sāṅkhya: Categories of the Absolute Truth and the Unfolding of Creation
Tattva-vicāra
गुदं मृत्युरपानेन नोदतिष्ठत्तदा विराट् । हस्ताविन्द्रो बलेनैव नोदतिष्ठत्तदा विराट् ॥ ६६ ॥
gudaṁ mṛtyur apānena nodatiṣṭhat tadā virāṭ hastāv indro balenaiva nodatiṣṭhat tadā virāṭ
死神携下行气(阿般那风)入于其肛门,然毗罗吒·普鲁沙仍未被激发而行动。因陀罗携执取与放舍之力入于其双手,然毗罗吒·普鲁沙依旧不起。
This verse shows that merely assembling bodily parts, functions, and presiding deities (like Mṛtyu with apāna and Indra with strength) is still insufficient for the Virāṭ to ‘stand up’—life and full activation depend on higher divine arrangement beyond mechanical components.
They represent presiding deities of specific functions: Mṛtyu is linked with evacuation and apāna (downward energy), while Indra presides over the hands and strength—illustrating how cosmic governance animates bodily systems.
It suggests that power, capability, and bodily functions alone don’t create true ‘aliveness’ or fulfillment; spiritual wholeness arises when life is aligned with the Supreme—cultivated through devotion, humility, and purposeful living.