Mantra 1.3

3. (U³) In the region of waking, the Lord causes the Jīva to perceive the external objects. He is represented as seven-limbed, and nineteenfaced and enjoys dense objects, and is called Vaiśvānara or the Imperishable Lord of the dense plane. This is the first foot or aspect of the Lord.—3.

Notes:

[Note.—Jāgaritasthāna—waking-state-place, i.e., the Right eye, where Viśva dwells in the waking state. Jāgarita means eye.]

[Note.—Bahiḥprajñaḥ (Bahiḥprajña)—outside consciousness. The cause or producer of the consciousness of the external objects.]

[Note.—Saptāṅgaḥ (Saptāṅga)—with the seven-limbed, i.e., two feet, four hands, one proboscis.]

[Note.—Mukhaḥ (Mukha)—faces, mouths. Eighteen of these are human faces, and one is that of an elephant.]

[Note.—Sthūlabhuk—external or gross-eater. He enjoys through the senses of the Jīvas all external objects: or eater of many and good experiences.]

[Note.—Vaiśvānaraḥ—Vaiśvānara, the Imperishable Lord of the Physical plane. It is compounded of vaiśva, the enjoyer of the physical plane or viśva; and nara, non-perishable.]

Madhva’s commentary called the Bhāṣya:

As we read in the Mahāyoga:—

The Ancient Supreme Self resides hi the body, in a four-fold aspect. As Vaiśvānara, He dwells in the Right eye, the place of waking consciousness. He has an. Elephant face and causes the perception of external consciousness of the Jīvas, but is unperceived by them. He has eighteen human faces on all sides, but the nineteenth, the middle, is that of an elephant. This Supreme Man has four hands. Its seven limbs are: two feet, four-hands, and one proboscis and hence He is called seven-limbed. Through the senses He experiences all dense objects—all experiences which are auspicious, but none which are painful. The word Viśvānara is thus derived. The dense physical plane is called the viśva, because it is pervaded or apprehended through and through (viś = to enter) by the senses. The word nara means undying, the eternal, from na not, and √ri to be lost, destroyed. The compound word Vaiśvānara therefore literally means the Imperishable Being connected with the dense world. Vināyaka (Gaṇeśa) by meditating on the Viśva obtained the status of the Elephant-headed Deity in the physical plane. Similarly by meditating on the Taijas he obtained the same status in the astral plane. By meditating on the three (Viśva, Taijasa and Prājña) Indra obtained his Indra-hood. By meditating on the four-fold, Rudra obtained from the Sifter of men, the Rudra-hood. Thus Viṣṇu, possessed of these attributes (of conferring Gaṇeśa-hood, etc.) is four-fold, the Higher than the highest.”

[Note.—The word Viśva is derived from the root, √viś to enter. But as roots have various meanings, here we take it to mean “to know.” To this is added the affix “va”; that which is known by all—viśva, i.e., the physical plane, the dense object which all know. The enjoyer of the Viśva is called Vaiśva. The word nara is compounded of two words na=not, ra=destroyed: ra is derived from the root √rīṅ “kṣaye”; with the affix “ḍa”. “vaiśva + na + ra”= Vaiśvānara. The short “a” of Viśva is lengthened before nara by Pāṇini “nare ca saṃjñāyām”.]