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{{Hinduism}}{{Short description|Sanskrit term}}
{{About|a Sanskrit word|the legendary realm in Slavonic mythology|Vyraj|the actor|Viraj (actor)}}
'''Viraj''' ({{Langx|sa|विराज|translit=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.<ref>[[Rig Veda]] X.90.5</ref>

== Hinduism ==
Viraja is born from [[Purusha]] and Purusha in turn is born from Viraja. In the [[Atharvaveda]], Viraja is a cow or with [[Prana]], the life-breath. In the [[Mahabharata]] Viraja is the name of the primeval being, [[Purusha]], identified with [[Vishnu]] and [[Shiva]](Lord Ayyappa). [[Manu Smriti]] 1.32 states that [[Brahman]] divided his body into two, one male and the other female, from the female was born Viraja who produced [[Svayambhuva Manu]] who created the ten [[Prajapati]]s. 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.<ref>{{cite book|title=Hinduism:An Alphabetical Guide|author=Rashan Dalal|publisher=Penguin Books|page=457|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=DH0vmD8ghdMC&q=Viraj&pg=PA457|isbn=9780143414216|year=2010}}</ref>

Viraja is identified by [[Atharvaveda]] – 4.11.7 with [[Indra]], [[Agni]], [[Prajapati]] and Parameshtin (A.V.iv.11.7); with ''[[Devata]]'', ''[[Vishnu]]'', ''[[Savitr]]'', ''[[Rudra]]'', ''[[Brahmacharya|Brahmachari]]'', ''[[Water]]'' and the ''[[Ontological|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).<ref>{{cite book|title=ancient Indian kingship from the religious point of view|author=J.Gonda|publisher=Brill Archive|pages=115–119|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=rj0VAAAAIAAJ&q=Viraj&pg=PA117|year=1966}}</ref>

The following four verses of Taittiriyopanishad-bhasyavartikam methodically describe Viraja:

:*Verse 158 – God, cause of the regions of the universe etc., whose body consists of five elements, kindled by delusion “I am (this) All” thus has become Viraja.
:*Verse 159 – Earlier than this (Viraja) is ''[[Sutram]]'', for, if this one exists, (then also) Viraja (exists). (This is so) on account of another sruti and according to the indirect evidence (of the sruti-quotation, which reads:) "Understanding".
:*Verse 160 – Setting aside (the words) "consisting of food", etc., ''Sutram'' is meant here on account of the expression: food, life (etc.,) and by virtue of reference to meditation.
:*Verse 161 – ''Sutram'' preceded the origin of the product because it does not differ from being (sat) no more than clay. When it has produced the product, the cause becomes the product as it were.

Viraja, as [[Devata|Deva]], as the first-born Fire, the first embodied being (Shiva Purana V.i.8.22), is reminiscence of the [[Purusha]] ([[Rig Veda]] X.90), in elder [[Upanishads]] this name appears thrice – once in the [[Brihadaranyaka Upanishad]] passage IV.ii.3 as "the human form that is in the left eye", and twice in the [[Chandogya Upanishad]] in passages I.xiii.2 as the ''stobha'' called ''Vak'' (''Vairaj Sama'') and IV.iii.8 as the food and as the eater of food, Viraja is food - ''virad annam bhogyatvad eva'' (BUBh 4.2.3). Viraja is originated from ''Sutram'' (159,BUBhV p. 431,st18/9) also called ''Sutratman'' in [[Vedantasara (of Sadananda)|Vedantasara]], basically of feminine gender, its masculine gender is also found in Brahma Purana I.53, its coming forth is due to delusion. Viraja is said to be food, the essence of food, identical to the pinda, food and the eater of food, to be the eldest of beings as food, to pervade all products as their material cause, to be Prajapati. Viraja is said to be released by virtue of her own nature, originated from Brahman from Viraja, Purusa or Manu. In [[Vedantasara (of Sadananda)|Vedantasara]] it is [[Vaisvanara]] and is said to be ''Caitanyam'' (intelligence) identified by ''[[Sarira (Vedanta)|Sthulasariram]]'', ''[[Panchakosha|Annamayakosha]]'' and ''Jagrad'' on one hand and on the other it is [[Hiranyagarbha]] or [[Prana]], the intelligence conditioned by ''[[Sarira (Vedanta)|Suksamasariram]]'' consisting of ''[[Panchakosha|Vijnanamayakosha]]'', ''[[Panchakosha|Manomayakosha]]'' and ''[[Panchakosha|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.<ref>{{cite book|title=Taittiriyopanishad-bhasyavartikam|publisher=Brill Archive|page=81|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WAYVAAAAIAAJ&q=Viraj&pg=PA81|year=1971}}</ref>

The gods obtained ''virajam'' (brilliance) from [[Agni]] by means of consecration, Viraja is the year consisting of twelve months, the fire to be piled is the year, the bricks that are piled are the days and the nights, and Viraja consists of six seasons, and has thirty syllables([[Yajur Veda]] v.6.7).<ref>{{cite book|title=The Yajur Veda Taittiriya Sanhita|publisher=Kessinger Publishing|page=405|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i4ze18PJL0YC&q=Viraj&pg=PA405|isbn=9781419188961|date=June 2004}}</ref> In the brahmanas, Sri and Viraja, are identified with food (S.B.11.4.3.18), in the [[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)<ref>{{cite book|title=Aspects of Early Vishnuism|author=Jan Gonda|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|page=187|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b8urRsuUJ9oC&q=Viraj&pg=PA187|isbn=9788120810877|year=1969}}</ref>
In the [[Aitareya Upanishad]] Viraja is the intermediary between the [[Ātman (Hinduism)|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.<ref>{{cite book|title=The constructive survey of Upanishadic philosophy|author=Ramachandra Dattatrya Ranade|publisher=Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan|place=Mumbai|page=18,101|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7BQYAAAAIAAJ|year=1926}}</ref>

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.<ref>[[Bhagavad Gita]] XI.7 and XI.13</ref> [[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.''<ref>{{cite book|title=The Brhadaranyaka Upanishad (Commentary by Sankaracarya)|publisher=Advaita Ashrama|page=20}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Vyraj]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Indian philosophy|state=collapsed}}

[[Category:Vedanta]]

Virāja - Revision history

Olympiados at 15:08, 5 April 2025