Saptangga
Saptāṅga (IAST)Translation: "seven-limbed"
From Mandukya Upanishad (Verses 3, 4)
Mundaka and Mandukya Upanishads (Swami Sharvananda)
Sanskrit: सप्ताङग
Transliteration: Saptāṅga
Translation: "seven-limbed"
Commentary: "It is described elsewhere in the Śruti that the head of Vaiśvānara is the heaven, the sun His eyes, the air His breath, the sky His body, water His lower organ, and the earth His feet. So these are the seven limbs of the Viśva referred to here."
The Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad (Swami Krishnananda)
Sanskrit: सप्ताङग
Transliteration: Saptāṅga
Translation: "seven-limbed"
Commentary: "The Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad has a beautiful Mantra to which reference is made by the word, Saptāṅga (seven-limbed):
Agnir Mūrdha, Cakṣuṣī Candra-Sūryau, Diśah Śrotre, Vāk Vivṛitāsca Vedāh; Vāyuh Prānah, Hṛdayam Viśvamasya, Pādbhyām Pṛthvī; Eṣa Sarva-Bhūtāntarātmā.
This is the all-pervading Paramātman, residing in all beings: Eṣa Sarva-Bhūtāntarātmā. Who is this Being? Agnir Mūrdha: The shining regions of the heaven may be regarded as His head. The topmost region of creation is His crown. Cakṣuṣī Candra-Sūryau: His eyes are the sun and the moon. Diśah Śrotre: The quarters of the heavens are His ears, through which He hears. Vāk Vivṛitāsca Vedāh: The Vedas are His speech. Vāyuh Prānah: His breath is all this air of the cosmos: Hṛdayam Viśvamasya: The whole universe is His heart. Pādbhyām Pṛthvī: The earthly region may be regarded as His feet. This is the Universal Ātman, from the point of view of the waking consciousness. This is the Virāt, or the Universal Person, who is sung in the Puruṣa-Sūkta of the Veda. This is the Virāt whom Arjuna saw, as described in the eleventh chapter of the Bhagavad-Gītā. This is the Virāt who was exhibited in the Kaurava court, by Sri Kṛṣṇa, when He went for peace-making. This is the Virāt which Yaśoda saw in the mouth of the baby Kṛṣṇa. This is the Cosmic Man, Nahapuruṣa, Puruṣottama, Virāt-Puruṣa. He is also called Vaiśvānara, from the term Viśvā-Nara. Viśva is the cosmos; Nara is man. He is called Vaiśvānara, because He is the Cosmic Man, the only Man in the whole cosmos. There is only one Man, and He is this. We are reminded here of the opinion of saint Mīrā who is reported to have said that there is only one Puruṣa: There are not many men in this world. There is only one Man, and this is the Man: He is Vaiśvānara."
References:
- Sharvananda, Swami (1920). Mundaka and Mandukya Upanishads: With Sanskrit Text; Paraphrase with Word-For-Word Literal Translation, English, Rendering and Comments. Mylapore, Madras: Sri Ramakrishna Math
- Krishnananda, Swami (1996). The Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad. Retrieved from https://www.swami-krishnananda.org/mand_0.html. p. 44-45.
