māyāmayaṁ sad-upalakṣita-sanniveśaṁ

māyāmayaṁ sad-upalakṣita-sanniveśaṁ

dṛṣṭvā mahā-puruṣam āpa mudaṁ viriñcaḥ

By that method, on seeing the Lord with thousands of faces, feet, heads, hands, thighs, noses, ears, eyes, ornaments, weapons, endowed with spiritual śakti, with perfect arrangement of limbs with auspicious signs, Brahmā derived great bliss.

By that method Brahmā saw the maha-puruṣa, a form of knowledge and bliss, since it was made of eternal energy arising from his svarūpa (māyā-mayam), endowed with unlimited faces, etc. Śruti says ato māyāmayaṁ viṣṇuṁ pravadanti manīṣiṇaḥ: the wise say that Viṣṇu is called māyāmayam. Or māyāmayam can mean “one who destroys the disease of avidyā in the jīva.” The arrangement of the Lord’s limbs (sanniveśam) was marked by auspicious signs (sat-upalakṣita). Or his limbs such as feet were represented by Pātāla and other planets (sat), since the cause and effect are one. Seeing that vairāja form which was spiritual, he became blissful.

|| 7.9.37 ||

tasmai bhavān haya-śiras tanuvaṁ hi bibhrad

veda-druhāv atibalau madhu-kaiṭabhākhyau

hatvānayac chruti-gaṇāṁś ca rajas tamaś ca

sattvaṁ tava priyatamāṁ tanum āmananti

Assuming the form of Hayagrīva and killing the strong demons Madhu and Kaiṭabha, filled with passion and ignorance, you offered Brahmā the Vedas. The sages praise that dearest form of sattva.

You should appear again and protect your devotee. Taking the form of Hayagrīva, you killed the demons Madhu and Kaiṭabha, filled with rajas and tamas, and offered (anayat) the Vedas to Brahmā. You kill them because you are sattva. Though sattva guṇa is not dear to the Lord since the Lord is indifferent to all guṇas, since it is seen that sattva is not unfavorable to the Lord’s form of śuddha-sattva, it is said here to be dearest to the Lord, though actually it is not dearest to him. To show favor to persons in sattva-guṇa, such regard is given. Therefore to protect the righteous and punish the sinful is only the nature of the guṇas. It does not show the quality of inequality in you.

|| 7.9.38||