Virat Purusha or Virata In Hinduism is the first born living
being with a physical body and conscious self together, divided himself into the
original pair of man (Manu) and Woman (Shatarupa) or male and female.
The earliest description of Virata is found in Purusha
Sukta, which is the 19th hymn of the tenth mandala (tenth book0 of
Rig Veda. This hymn comes in other Vedas also with different number f verses
and with some variations in the text also. It describes the emergence of Virata
from the conscious being (Purusha) having thousands of heads, thousands of eyes
and thousands of feet (and hands) (Sahasrasisha Purusha saharaksho sahasrapat).
The sukta tells that whatever has been in existence and whatever will be, all
is purusha only. Everything in the world, including sentient creatures and
insentient matter (sasanasane), is the manifestation of one foot (pada) or a
quarter, that means minor part, of the purusha and with its three feet or three
fourth, that means major, part, it rose up (urdhva udait) in the immortal
heaven (tripadasyamrtam divi). From such purusha Virat was born (Tato
viradajyata – Rig Veda 10/90/5, Yajur Veda 31/5), and from Virat emerged the
purusha being who isolated it (atyaricyata) from species to species.
Being the original progenitor incarnate of the creatures of
the world, Brihadaranyaka Upanishad calls him Prajapati (lord of the progeny),
who was alone in the beginning and desired the company of another. With this
volition he divided himself into a pair of man (Manu) and woman (Shatarupa),
who gave birth to mankind. However, it did not stop here only. In fact,
Prajapati Virata desired to be many and his wish so inspired the male and
female pair that they changed their form into cow and bull, mare and horse, so
on from species to species and gave birth to various species of creatures.
(Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1/4/1-4). It may also mean that Virata created from
him male and female pairs of different species who regenerated further.
Manusmriti has put the same incident or process in a
slightly different manner. It tells about the formation of the Golden Egg from
the seed put by Lord Narayana in the first created water. When the egg broke,
Brahma, the creator, himself emerged in the form of Hiranyagarbha (121st
sukta of the tenth mandala of Rig Veda is in eulogy of Hiranyagarbha). He
divided his body into a man and woman. Man was Brahma himself and gave birth to
Virat. After practicing penance Virata created Manu, who brought forth human
beings and other creatures (Manusmriti 1/8-9, 32-34).
Adi Shankaracharya has identified Virata with the
Vaishvanara form of Brahma or atma (self), described in Mandukya Upanishad as
Jagaritasthana (awakened), the universal self having seven parts of the
universe as the parts of his body (Mandukya Upanishad 3 and commentary of
Shankaracharya on it).
Chandogya Upanishad (5/18/2) has described these parts of
the physical body of Vaishvanara atma, from the sky to the earth.
According to Adi Shankaracharya, Brahman exists in three
forms as
Attributeless (nirguna), non-dual (advaita), Para Brahma who
is beyond the reach of mind and intellect, let alone the senses.
Omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent Ishwara (God), having
infinite attributes who exists with maya as the subtle form of the universe
like in a dream or the sprouting of the seed.
Vaishvanara or Virata who exists with maya manifested in the
form of the universe, like the awakened state of jiva (living being). Thus, the
universe or the physical world is the physical body of Vaishvanara himself, who
is alive and is called Virata.