Virat p

King Pareekshit knows he has just a week to live, and he does not want to waste the time available to him. So he asks sage Suka how he should spend the little time left for him in the world. How should he meditate? And what should his focus be? Suka says dhyana can be on the sthula or sukshma forms of Godhead. Focusing on the sukshma form is difficult, explained Valayapet Ramachariar in a discourse. So the best way to begin dhyana is to concentrate on the Supreme form of Lord Krishna, that is on Vishnu as Virat Purusha. This is the form in which the entire Universe is held in His body. This is the Viswarupa form which Arjuna was privileged to see on the battlefield. Suka describes parts of the Lord’s body, and talks about how everything that we see as large is a mere part of His body. He begins by talking of the netherworld. Patala constitutes the bottom of the feet of Virat Purusha, rasaatala his heels, mahaatala His ankle, and talaatala His shanks. His knees are Sutala, the thighs are vitala and atala. His hips are maheetala. The sky is His navel.

 Svarga loka is His chest, mahar loka His neck. Satya loka is His head. Indra and the other devas are His arms, the ten directions His ears, the Ashvini kumaras are His ears, the rivers are His veins. Suka says dhyana should begin with concentrating on such a gigantic form of Vishnu. When everything in the Universe is found as a mere part in His body, one gets an idea of His all encompassing nature. The fact that He is the Supreme Brahman gets reinforced in our minds. He is the antaryami of the entire world. In other words, He is the soul, and the Universe the body. Dhyana of course requires control of the senses, for without control of the indriyas, the mind will lose its ability to do dhyana with unwavering attention.