Srimad Bhāgavata Skanda 2 — The Transcendent Triguṇātīta Virāṭ Puruṣa

In the hallowed forest of Naimishāraṇya, as sages gathered in sacred silence, Śrī Sūta narrated the timeless dialogue between Śukacharya and King Parīkṣit—first spoken on the sanctified banks of the Gaṅgā. In response to Nārada’s earnest inquiries, Brahmā unveiled profound truths: that all spiritual disciplines—whether Vedic study, sacrifice, yoga, austerity, or knowledge—ultimately converge upon Lord Nārāyaṇa, the Supreme Refuge.

Though revered as the creator, Brahmā humbly confessed that creation itself unfolds only by the will of the Supreme Lord, who activates the guṇas of Prakṛti, sets Kāla (Time) in motion, governs Karma (action and consequence), and directs Svabhāva (innate nature). The Lord, untouched by material energy, animates inert principles—elements, senses, and mind—through His divine glance, giving rise to both the vast cosmos (Brahmaṇḍa) and the individual beings (Piṇḍaṇḍa).

To illustrate this mystery, Brahmā revealed the Virāt Puruṣa, the Cosmic Person, whose divine body encompasses all worlds and beings. From His limbs arise speech, vitality, nature’s abundance, and the cycles of life. All yajnas and offerings are but expressions of His will. Thus, the Bhāgavata teaches: every act, when offered in surrender to Śrī Hari, becomes sacred.

स्वधिष्ण्यं प्रतपन् प्राणो बहिश्च प्रतपत्यसौ ।
एवं विराजं प्रतपंस्तपत्यन्तर्बहिः पुमान् ॥१६॥

God Brahmā continued, “O Devarishi Narada! Just as the Sun, known also by the name Prāṇa, radiates immense strength and brilliance—illuminating both within and across its vast celestial orbit—so too does the Supreme Lord, the Paramātmā, illuminate the entire universe. In His form as the Virāṭ Puruṣa, He shines inwardly—as the indwelling witness of all beings—and outwardly—as the cosmic presence pervading and sustaining all that exists. His light is the source of all awareness, all vitality, and all splendor in creation.”

सोऽमृतस्याभयस्येशो मर्त्यमन्नं यदत्यगात् ।
महिमैष ततो ब्रह्मन्पुरुषस्य दुरत्ययः ॥ १७॥

“The All-Powerful Lord holds absolute sovereignty over the thoughts, intentions, and actions of all human beings. None can act beyond His will. He alone is the giver of Amṛta—the nectar of immortality—and the bestower of Abhaya, the state of complete fearlessness. These are not mere gifts, but the very aspects of Moksha—liberation from all bondage. His fame is limitless, unrivaled, and beyond the reach of even the greatest beings. No one surpasses Him—He is the ultimate refuge, the Supreme goal, ” said God Brahma.

पादेषु सर्वभूतानि पुंसः स्थितिपदो विदुः ।
अमृतं क्षेममभयं त्रिमूर्ध्नोऽधायि मूर्धसु ॥ १८॥
पादास्त्रयो बहिश्चासन्नप्रजानां य आश्रमाः ।
अन्तस्त्रिलोक्यास्त्वपरो गृहमेधोऽबृहद्व्रतः ॥ १९॥

“The entire universe is but one part of the Supreme Lord. He dwells as Paramātmā within every living being, as the Virāṭ Puruṣa encompassing the cosmos, and as Śrīman Nārāyaṇa, transcendent and eternally existing beyond the created worlds.

All living beings exist within just a single portion of the Virāṭ Puruṣa. Such is the unimaginable vastness and majesty of His form.

Three exalted realms are connected to His head—Jana Loka, where Amṛta, the nectar of immortality, is offered; Tapo Loka, where beings dwell in security and steadfastness; and Satya Loka, the realm of fearlessness and eternal truth.

It is in these higher worlds that the unmarried, the brahmachārīs who practice chastity, the vānaprasthas who have renounced material life, and the saints who live in self-restraint and devotion, take residence.
Those who lead a household life—married and engaged in worldly duties without the vow of chastity—remain in the material realms of Bhūr Loka, Bhuvar Loka, and Suvah Loka.

Though all these worlds—higher and lower—exist within Him, the Lord remains ever unattached. He is beyond time, unaffected by cause and effect, untouched by the transformations of karma, and ever-established in His own Sva–bhāva, the nature of Sat–Cit–Ānanda—eternity, consciousness, and bliss, ” declared God Brahma.

सृती विचक्रमे विष्वङ् साशनानशने उभे ।
यदविद्या च विद्या च पुरुषस्तूभयाश्रयः ॥ २०॥
यस्मादण्डं विराड्जज्ञे भूतेन्द्रियगुणात्मकः ।
तद्द्रव्यमत्यगाद्विश्वं गोभिः सूर्य इवातपन् ॥ २१॥

“The Supreme Lord has established two paths for human beings. One is the selfless path—serving the Lord without expectation—and the other, service with desire for material gains.

Serving the Lord without expectation is known as the path of knowledge (jñāna), where actions become offerings and lead to direct worship of the Lord. This path purifies the self and brings one closer to liberation.

On the other hand, actions performed with expectation give rise to attachment and accumulation of karma. This is the path of ignorance (ajñāna), which binds the soul to the cycle of birth and death.

The Jīvātma, residing within the physical body, is given the freedom to choose between these two paths. Yet, both paths ultimately exist within the Virāṭ Puruṣa, for it is He who has birthed this universe—along with all material elements, living beings, their sense organs, organs of action, memory, consciousness, and intellect.

And yet, He remains untouched by all of it—just as the Sun, though it illuminates the entire world with its rays, remains unaffected and apart. So too, the Lord, who energizes and sustains the whole universe, remains forever separate, independent, and unchanging. He is the prime mover, the source of light and life, yet transcends the very creation He animates, ” declaired God Brahma.

यदास्य नाभ्यान्नलिनादहमासं महात्मनः ।
नाविदं यज्ञसम्भारान्पुरुषावयवादृते ॥ २२॥
तेषु यज्ञस्य पशवः सवनस्पतयः कुशाः ।
इदं च देवयजनं कालश्चोरुगुणान्वितः ॥ २३॥

Continuing, God Brahmā said, “Narada! When I was born from the lotus that sprang from the navel of Lord Padmanābha, the One with divine feet (Śrīpāda), I found nothing in the beginning—none of the materials presently required to perform a Yajña, the sacred sacrifice—except for the limbs of the Virāṭ Puruṣa, the Cosmic Being.

At that time, I contemplated His various limbs as the elements of the sacrifice itself. I saw His limbs as the sacrificial animals, the yajña-sthamba (sacrificial post), the sacred Kuśa grass, the altar, the location, and the auspicious time for the performance of the rite.

वस्तून्योषधयः स्नेहा रसलोहमृदो जलम् ।
ऋचो यजूंषि सामानि चातुर्होत्रं च सत्तम ॥ २४॥
नामधेयानि मन्त्राश्च दक्षिणाश्च व्रतानि च ।
देवतानुक्रमः कल्पः सङ्कल्पस्तन्त्रमेव च ॥ २५॥
गतयो मतयः श्रद्धा प्रायश्चित्तं समर्पणम् ।
पुरुषावयवैरेते सम्भाराः सम्भृता मया ॥ २६॥

“For all other needs—utensils, wheat, rice, grains, ghee, oils, and the six tastes (Madhura—sweet, Āmla—sour, Lavaṇa—salty, Kaṭu—pungent, Tikta—bitter, Kaṣāya—astringent); iron, soil, water; the verses of the Ṛg Veda, Yajur Veda, and Sāma Veda; the four priests to perform the sacrifice; titles and names of sacrifices; special mantras; the Dakṣiṇā—the honorarium for the priests; the names of the deities to whom the offerings are made; the texts and procedures for the rituals; the Sankalpa—the declaration of intent; the Tantra—ritual techniques; speed; intellect; faith; prāyaścitta—atonement for errors; and finally, the spirit of Samarpana—the surrendering back of all offerings to the Lord in gratitude—all these, I drew forth from the limbs of the Virāṭ Puruṣa.”

इति सम्भृतसम्भारः पुरुषावयवैरहम् ।
तमेव पुरुषं यज्ञं तेनैवायजमीश्वरम् ॥ २७॥
ततस्ते भ्रातर इमे प्रजानां पतयो नव ।
अयजन् व्यक्तमव्यक्तं पुरुषं सुसमाहिताः ॥ २८॥
ततश्च मनवः काले ईजिरे ऋषयोऽपरे ।
पितरो विबुधा दैत्या मनुष्याः क्रतुभिर्विभुम् ॥ २९॥

“My dear son, Narada” said Lord Brahma,
“In this way, at the very beginning of creation, I worshipped the Supreme Lord in the form of Yajnesha, the Lord of Sacrifice, by offering back to Him those very elements that had originated from His own divine form.

Subsequently, your nine brothers, the Prajapati, with unwavering focus and intent to propitiate the Lord, worshipped Him in both forms—the explicit, all-pervading form as the Virat Purusha, the vast visible universe, and the subtle, inward form as Purusha, the indwelling Lord residing in the lotus of the heart.

Likewise, on various sacred occasions, the Manus, the Rishis, the Pitrus, the Devas, the Daityas, and human beings have been worshipping the Lord through the performance of Yajnas—sacrifices born of devotion and discipline.

Thus, Manus, the fathers of mankind; great sages; forefathers; learned scholars; Daityas, and all of humanity have followed this eternal path of sacrifice, seeking to please the Supreme Lord, who alone is the true enjoyer and sustainer of all offerings.”

नारायणे भगवति तदिदं विश्वमाहितम् ।
गृहीतमायोरुगुणः सर्गादावगुणः स्वतः ॥ ३०॥
सृजामि तन्नियुक्तोऽहं हरो हरति तद्वशः ।
विश्वं पुरुषरूपेण परिपाति त्रिशक्तिधृक् ॥ ३१॥

“Narada! The entire universe rests upon Lord Sriman Narayana Himself. Though He transcends the three gunas—Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas—of Prakrti, remaining untouched and uninfluenced by them, it was by His own will and through His enormous Maya Shakti that He accepted these guṇas at the very beginning of creation.

By His inspiration alone, I, Brahma, carry out creation of this universe. By His control, Shiva the destroyer, carries out dissolution. And He Himself is the eternal protector of all beings and all realms.

This Supreme Lord, who bears the divine Sripada (the sacred feet served by Sri), has accepted and blessed Mahalakshmi, who precedes and governs the productive principles of Prakrti, including the three guṇas.

All that exists—seen and unseen—moves by His will, rests in His presence, and dissolves into His grace.”

इति तेऽभिहितं तात यथेदमनुपृच्छसि ।
नान्यद्भगवतः किञ्चिद्भाव्यं सदसदात्मकम् ॥३२॥

“My son!” said Lord Brahma, “I have answered all your questions in great detail. But if I must sum it all up—there is nothing in this world, neither in reality nor in illusion, neither as cause nor as effect, that exists apart from the Supreme Lord. Whether in the realm of matter (Prakriti) or spirit (Chetana), He alone pervades all.

Thus, O Nārada, all that exists—matter and spirit, cause and effect, seen and unseen—rests in the Supreme Lord alone. Though He animates creation through the guṇas of Prakṛti, He Himself remains forever untouched, triguṇātīta—the sovereign refuge and eternal source of light and life.

Such is the soul’s cry when wisdom ripens into surrender. In the verses of ✨ Thappunodade Bandeya, composed by Śrī Prasanna Venkata Dāsaru, we do not merely hear a song—we witness a soul laid bare before the Divine. The saint’s plea is not for merit or reward, but for mercy: that the Lord, flawless and vast as the ocean, might descend into the flawed vessel of the devotee and make it whole. This is bhakti in its purest form—not a doctrine to be mastered, but a relationship to be lived. And in that living, the devotee finds refuge, transformation, and the eternal embrace of Śrī Hari.

🎶 Listen to Pt. Bhimsen Joshi’s soul-stirring rendition of Thappunodade Bandeya

tappu nODade bandeyA ennaya tande
Appa TiruVenkatesha, Nirdoshane
tappu nODade bandeyA ||pa||
O Father, you came to me, ignoring my faults.
O Immaculate Lord, Tiru Venkatesha,
You came to me, despite all my mistakes.

A pAda mauLi ennOLu aGa bahaLa
SrIpati kAydeyA udadhiddeyA ||1||
From foot to crown You are pure divinity,
while within me sin abounds.
Yet, O Srīpati, You have sheltered me,
as steadfast and vast as the ocean.

jagadaGaharaneMbo ninnaya birudu|
triguNAtItane rAmane guNadhAmane ||2||
You are hailed as the Destroyer of worldly sins,
the One beyond the three guṇas of Prakṛti.
O Rāma, treasure-house of all virtues,
ever my refuge and strength.

indenna kaluShavAriso BavatArisO|
prasannavenkaTa ramaNA Baya SamanA ||3||
Cleanse me of impurity, lift me from bondage,
deliver me from fear, O Compassionate One.
Prasanna Venkata Ramana, radiant and gracious,
grant me Your mercy and make me whole.

॥ Hari Om ॥