Virāja

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This article is about a Sanskrit word. For the legendary realm in Slavonic mythology, see
Vyraj. For the actor, see Viraj (actor)
.

Viraja (

romanized: Virāja) is a word in the Sanskrit language, 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

Viraja is born from

Svayambhuva Manu who created the ten Prajapatis. According to the Bhavishya Purana – the male was Manu and the female was Shatarupa, creation commenced with the union of Manu and Shatrupa. In the Vedanta, Viraja is identified with supreme intellect. Viraja is also the name of a metre.[2]

Viraja is identified by

world (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, Brahman being its mouth (A.V.x.7.19) and with Dhruva, 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:

Viraja, as

Pranomayakosha, or Svapna; 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 of Hiranyagarbha, the highest cosmic soul, and the origin of Viraja.[4]

The gods obtained virajam (brilliance) from

Atharva Veda it 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 the Aitareya Upanishad Viraja is the intermediary between the Atman and 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 states Vaisvanara, Taijasa, Prajya and Atman, comes to be called the Viraja, Hiranyagarbha, Isa and Brahman respectively.[7]

Viraja or Virat of the Bhagavad Gita is 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 which Arjuna beheld with all its manifold divisions.[8] Adi Shankara in his Bhasya on Brihadaranyaka Upanishad I.ii.3 explains that Viraja 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

  • Vyraj

References

  1. Rig Veda
    X.90.5
  2. ISBN 9780143414216
    .
  3. ^ J.Gonda (1966). ancient Indian kingship from the religious point of view. Brill Archive. pp. 115–119.
  4. ^ Taittiriyopanishad-bhasyavartikam. Brill Archive. 1971. p. 81.
  5. ISBN 9781419188961
    .
  6. ISBN 9788120810877
    .
  7. ^ Ramachandra Dattatrya Ranade (1926). The constructive survey of Upanishadic philosophy. Mumbai: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. p. 18,101.
  8. ^ Bhagavad Gita XI.7 and XI.13
  9. ^ The Brhadaranyaka Upanishad (Commentary by Sankaracarya). Advaita Ashrama. p. 20.
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