Adityanam aham vishnu jyotisham ravir amsuman, maricir marutam asmi nakshatranam aham shashi
Among the Adityas I am Vishnu; among luminaries I am the radiant sun; among the Maruts I am Marichi; among the stars I am the moon. The Lord identifies Himself with the most glorious representative of each cosmic category — the teaching is that wherever excellence and splendour exist, God is present there.
- •The Lord manifests as the most excellent expression in every category
- •Recognising divine splendour in nature is a form of worship
- •The sun and moon are cosmic expressions of divine radiance
Nabhah-sprisham diptam aneka-varnam vyattananam dipta-vishala-netram, drishtva hi tvam pravyathitantar-atma dhritim na vindami shamam ca vishno
O Vishnu, seeing You touching the sky, blazing in many colors, with mouths opened wide and large blazing eyes, my inner self trembles with fear and I find neither courage nor peace.
- •Even the devoted soul trembles before infinite power
- •Spiritual experience can be overwhelming
- •Fear and peace are both valid responses to the divine
Lelihyase grasamānah samantāl lokān samagrān vadanair jvaladbbhih, tejobhir āpūrya jagat samagraṁ bhāsas tavograḥ pratapanti vishṇo
You lick Your lips and are devouring all the worlds on every side with Your blazing mouths. O Vishnu, filling the entire universe with Your radiance, Your fierce rays are scorching everything.
- •God is the great devourer at the end of time
- •Divine radiance both sustains and consumes
- •The ferocity of cosmic dissolution is beyond imagination