Devanagari
एतद् वै पौरुषं रूपं भू: पादौ द्यौ: शिरो नभ: ।
नाभि: सूर्योऽक्षिणी नासे वायु: कर्णौ दिश: प्रभो: ॥ ६ ॥
प्रजापति: प्रजननमपानो मृत्युरीशितु: ।
तद्बाहवो लोकपाला मनश्चन्द्रो भ्रुवौ यम: ॥ ७ ॥
लज्जोत्तरोऽधरो लोभो दन्ता ज्योत्स्ना स्मयो भ्रम: ।
रोमाणि भूरुहा भूम्नो मेघा: पुरुषमूर्धजा: ॥ ८ ॥
Verse text
etad vai pauruṣaṁ rūpaṁ
bhūḥ pādau dyauḥ śiro nabhaḥ
nābhiḥ sūryo ’kṣiṇī nāse
vāyuḥ karṇau diśaḥ prabhoḥ
prajāpatiḥ prajananam
apāno mṛtyur īśituḥ
tad-bāhavo loka-pālā
manaś candro bhruvau yamaḥ
lajjottaro ’dharo lobho
dantā jyotsnā smayo bhramaḥ
romāṇi bhūruhā bhūmno
meghāḥ puruṣa-mūrdhajāḥ
Synonyms
etat
—
this
;
vai
—
indeed
;
pauruṣam
—
of the Virāṭ-puruṣa
;
rūpam
—
the form
;
bhūḥ
—
the earth
;
pādau
—
His feet
;
dyauḥ
—
heaven
;
śiraḥ
—
His head
;
nabhaḥ
—
the sky
;
nābhiḥ
—
His navel
;
sūryaḥ
—
the sun
;
akṣiṇī
—
His eyes
;
nāse
—
His nostrils
;
vāyuḥ
—
the air
;
karṇau
—
His ears
;
diśaḥ
—
the directions
;
prabhoḥ
—
of the Supreme Lord
;
prajā
—
patiḥ — the demigod of procreation
;
prajananam
—
His genitals
;
apānaḥ
—
His anus
;
mṛtyuḥ
—
death
;
īśituḥ
—
of the absolute controller
;
tat
—
bāhavaḥ — His many arms
;
loka
—
pālāḥ — the presiding demigods of the various planets
;
manaḥ
—
His mind
;
candraḥ
—
the moon
;
bhruvau
—
His eyebrows
;
yamaḥ
—
the god of death
;
lajjā
—
shame
;
uttaraḥ
—
His upper lip
;
adharaḥ
—
His lower lip
;
lobhaḥ
—
greed
;
dantāḥ
—
His teeth
;
jyotsnā
—
the light of the moon
;
smayaḥ
—
His smile
;
bhramaḥ
—
delusion
;
romāṇi
—
the hairs of the body
;
bhū
—
ruhāḥ — the trees
;
bhūmnaḥ
—
of the almighty Lord
;
meghāḥ
—
the clouds
;
puruṣa
—
of the Virāṭ-puruṣa
;
mūrdha
—
jāḥ — the hairs upon the head .
Translation
This is the representation of the Supreme Lord as the universal person, in which the earth is His feet, the sky His navel, the sun His eyes, the wind His nostrils, the demigod of procreation His genitals, death His anus and the moon His mind. The heavenly planets are His head, the directions His ears, and the demigods protecting the various planets His many arms. The god of death is His eyebrows, shame His lower lip, greed His upper lip, delusion His smile, and moonshine His teeth, while the trees are the almighty Puruṣa’s bodily hairs, and the clouds the hair on His head.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
This is the representation of the Supreme Lord as the universal person, in which the earth is his feet, the antarikṣa his navel, the heavenly planets his head, the sun his eyes, the air his nostrils, the directions his ears, the Prajāpati his genitals, death his anus and the moon his mind. The devatās protecting the various planets are his many arms. The god of death is his eyebrows, shame his lower lip, greed his upper lip, delusion his smile, and moon light his teeth. The trees are the Lord's bodily hairs, and the clouds are the hair on his head.
This is a material form of the Lord (pauruṣam rūpam) not his svarūpa. By what vibhūtis are his limbs conceived? This question is answered here. The vibhūti for the feet of the Lord is earth. By earth one imagines his feet. Since they are considered non-different they are equated in the text: the earth is his feet. All statements following are similar. Then by thinking of the feet and other limbs of the universal form one should remember the spiritual limbs of the Lord composed of eternity, knowledge and bliss. My lord supports the earth, his vibhūti, by his two feet. He supports the heaven, his vibhūti, by his head. All things visible to eye and conceived by the mind are also the Lord’s limbs, since they are all his vibhūtis. All conceptions are only conceptions of the Lord. This is what the person discerns. Prajananam means the genital. Apānam is the anus. The upper lip is shame. The lower lip is greed. Delusion (bhramaḥ) is his smile.
Purport
Various aspects of material creation, such as the earth, the sun and the trees, are sustained by various limbs of the universal body of the Lord. Thus they are considered nondifferent from Him, as described in this verse, which is meant for meditation.