Viśvarūpa of Sūrya
Sūrya Viśvarūpa · viśva-rūpa, “the all-containing form of Bhagavān Sūrya”
The Viśvarūpa of Sūrya is the form of Bhagavān Sūrya in which all the devas, the worlds and all beings abide, each in its own limb of his body. It is given in the Brahma Parva of the Bhavishya Purāṇa, Chapter 133, in the Pratimā Pratishṭhā Kalpa of the Sāmbopākhyāna. There Nārada teaches it to Sāmba, to show how Bhagavān Sūrya is sarvadevamaya, the one who is all the devas. The Purāṇa praises Bhagavān Sūrya here as the Devadeva, in whom Brahmā, Īśvara, Indra and the Rudras all have their place.
The Purāṇa names the chapter as the Viśvarūpa-varṇana in the Pratimā Pratishṭhā Kalpa of the Sāmbopākhyāna, within the Saptamī Kalpa.
Sāmba’s question
Nārada was teaching Sāmba how a pratimā of Bhagavān Sūrya is made, and he said that the mūrti of Bhagavān Sūrya, who is sarvadevamaya, should be made with śraddhā. Sāmba asked: “Best of munis, tell me what Sūryadeva’s being sarvadevamaya is. Why is he named sarvadevamaya?” Nārada said: “Very well, Sāmba, I shall tell you. Listen with care.”
Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapter 133
The form, limb by limb
Nārada named each limb in this order:
| Who or what | Where in Bhagavān Sūrya |
|---|---|
| Budha and Candra | his eyes |
| Īśvara | his forehead |
| Brahmā | his head |
| Bṛhaspati | his skull |
| The eleven Rudras | his throat |
| The nakshatras and grahas | his teeth |
| Dharma and Adharma | his lips |
| Sarasvatī, who is all the śāstras | his tongue |
| The directions and intermediate directions | his ears |
| Brahmā, honoured by the devatās, and Indra | his jaws |
| The twelve Ādityas | the space between his brows |
| The ṛshis | the pores of his hair |
| The oceans | his belly |
| Yakshas, kinnaras, gandharvas, piśācas, rākshasas and dānavas | the region of his heart |
| The rivers | his arms |
| The nāgas | his armpits |
| Meru | the middle of his back |
| Kuja | the region between his breasts |
| Yama Dharmarāja, his son | his navel |
| Pṛthivī and the rest | his waist |
| All creation | his liṅga |
| The Aśvinīdevatās | his knees |
| The mountains | his thighs |
| The seven Pātāla lokas | between his nails |
| Bhūloka with its oceans | the middle of his feet |
| Kālāgnirudra | the tips of his teeth |
| The vāyus | his formless limbs |
So Bhagavān Sūrya is sarvadevamaya and sarvadevātmaka, the ātmā of all the devas. In his formless limbs are the vāyus, and by that vāyu, the active form of Bhagavān Sūrya, the whole creation of what moves and what stands is pervaded.
Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapter 133
The fruit of this knowledge
Nārada said that Bhagavān Sūrya is ever intent on showing grace to all beings. To know all this is parama jñāna, and this itself will be the parama pada for Sāmba. Then Nārada went on to teach how the pratimā of Bhagavān Sūrya is installed, as Brahmā explained it long ago.
Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapter 133
Sources
- Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapter 133