Virāja
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Viraja(Sanskrit:विराज,romanized:Virāja) is a word in theSanskritlanguage, which indicates sovereignty, excellence, or splendour. Viraja is the mythical primeval being associated with creation who is often personified as the secondary creator.[1]
Hinduism
[edit]Viraja is born fromPurushaand Purusha in turn is born from Viraja. In theAtharvaveda,Viraja is a cow or withPrana,the life-breath. In theMahabharataViraja is the name of the primeval being,Purusha,identified withVishnuandShiva(Lord Ayyappa).Manu Smriti1.32 states thatBrahmandivided his body into two, one male and the other female, from the female was born Viraja who producedSvayambhuva Manuwho created the tenPrajapatis.According to theBhavishya Purana– the male wasManuand the female wasShatarupa,creation commenced with the union of Manu and Shatrupa. In theVedanta,Viraja is identified with supreme intellect. Viraja is also the name of a metre.[2]
Viraja is identified byAtharvaveda– 4.11.7 withIndra,Agni,Prajapatiand Parameshtin (A.V.iv.11.7); withDevata,Vishnu,Savitr,Rudra,Brahmachari,Waterand theworld(A.V.viii.5.10), with controlling Indra (A.V.xi.5.16), with the immortal wide spreading ruling power (A.V.vii.84.1), with first and creative principle (A.V.viii.9.7), with the universe (A.V.viii.10.11), as father of Brahman (A.V.viii.9.7), with speech, the earth, the atmosphere, death (A.V.ix.10.24), with the udder of the frame of creation,Brahmanbeing its mouth (A.V.x.7.19) and withDhruva,the point of the heavens directly under the feet (A.V.xii.3.11).[3]
The following four verses of Taittiriyopanishad-bhasyavartikam methodically describe Viraja:
- Verse 158 – God, cause of the regions of the universe etc., whose body consists of five elements, kindled by delusion “I am (this) All” thus has become Viraja.
- Verse 159 – Earlier than this (Viraja) isSutram,for, if this one exists, (then also) Viraja (exists). (This is so) on account of another sruti and according to the indirect evidence (of the sruti-quotation, which reads:) "Understanding".
- Verse 160 – Setting aside (the words) "consisting of food", etc.,Sutramis meant here on account of the expression: food, life (etc.,) and by virtue of reference to meditation.
- Verse 161 –Sutrampreceded the origin of the product because it does not differ from being (sat) no more than clay. When it has produced the product, the cause becomes the product as it were.
Viraja, asDeva,as the first-born Fire, the first embodied being (Shiva Purana V.i.8.22), is reminiscence of thePurusha(Rig VedaX.90), in elderUpanishadsthis name appears thrice – once in theBrihadaranyaka Upanishadpassage IV.ii.3 as "the human form that is in the left eye", and twice in theChandogya Upanishadin passages I.xiii.2 as thestobhacalledVak(Vairaj Sama) and IV.iii.8 as the food and as the eater of food, Viraja is food -virad annam bhogyatvad eva(BUBh 4.2.3). Viraja is originated fromSutram(159,BUBhV p. 431,st18/9) also calledSutratmaninVedantasara,basically of feminine gender, its masculine gender is also found in Brahma Purana I.53, its coming forth is due to delusion. Viraja is said to be food, the essence of food, identical to the pinda, food and the eater of food, to be the eldest of beings as food, to pervade all products as their material cause, to be Prajapati. Viraja is said to be released by virtue of her own nature, originated from Brahman from Viraja, Purusa or Manu. InVedantasarait isVaisvanaraand is said to beCaitanyam(intelligence) identified bySthulasariram,AnnamayakoshaandJagradon one hand and on the other it isHiranyagarbhaorPrana,the intelligence conditioned bySuksamasariramconsisting ofVijnanamayakosha,ManomayakoshaandPranomayakosha,orSvapna;it is explained this way to systematize these notions. Sutram is the three sheaths viz., breath, manas and understanding; food is its sheath and bliss is the sheath of cause which is an adjunct ofHiranyagarbha,the highest cosmic soul, and the origin of Viraja.[4]
The gods obtainedvirajam(brilliance) fromAgniby means of consecration, Viraja is the year consisting of twelve months, the fire to be piled is the year, the bricks that are piled are the days and the nights, and Viraja consists of six seasons, and has thirty syllables(Yajur Vedav.6.7).[5]In the brahmanas, Sri and Viraja, are identified with food (S.B.11.4.3.18), in theAtharva Vedait is extolled as the first and creative principle (A.V.8.9-10), and with Prana (A.V.xi.4.12) and it is identified with earth (S.B.12.6.1.40) (MBh.12.262.41)[6] In theAitareya UpanishadViraja is the intermediary between theAtmanand the world, the creation of the world by the primeval Atman was through the intermediary Viraja. It is the waking state of the Cosmic Self; the Cosmic Self as it passes through its four statesVaisvanara,Taijasa,PrajyaandAtman,comes to be called theViraja,Hiranyagarbha,IsaandBrahmanrespectively.[7]
Viraja or Virat of theBhagavad Gitais the Cosmic Body within which body is concentrated the entire creation consisting of both animate and inanimate beings, and whatever else one desires to see, and whichArjunabeheld with all its manifold divisions.[8]Adi Shankarain his Bhasya on Brihadaranyaka Upanishad I.ii.3 explains thatViraja who was born, himself differentiated or divided himself, his body and organs, in three ways...So this Prana (Viraja), although the self, as it were, of all beings, is specially divided by himself as Death in three ways as fire, air and the sun, without, however, destroying his own form of Viraja.[9]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^Rig VedaX.90.5
- ^Rashan Dalal (2010).Hinduism:An Alphabetical Guide.Penguin Books. p. 457.ISBN9780143414216.
- ^J.Gonda (1966).ancient Indian kingship from the religious point of view.Brill Archive. pp. 115–119.
- ^Taittiriyopanishad-bhasyavartikam.Brill Archive. 1971. p. 81.
- ^The Yajur Veda Taittiriya Sanhita.Kessinger Publishing. June 2004. p. 405.ISBN9781419188961.
- ^Jan Gonda (1969).Aspects of Early Vishnuism.Motilal Banarsidass. p. 187.ISBN9788120810877.
- ^Ramachandra Dattatrya Ranade (1926).The constructive survey of Upanishadic philosophy.Mumbai: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. p. 18,101.
- ^Bhagavad GitaXI.7 and XI.13
- ^The Brhadaranyaka Upanishad (Commentary by Sankaracarya).Advaita Ashrama. p. 20.