Which form of Vishnu is referred to by the Sahasra Shirsha purusha prayers as none of the Vishnu forms actually have 1000s of heads?

From HG Sundarshyam Pr:

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
Question from Shri Sundarshan Prabhu. In Srimad Bhagavatam 1.3.4, where it is described that devotees glorify the form of Vishnu who has thousands of legs, thighs, arms and faces. Now, which is the form of Vishnu that is being referred to? Answer, the form of Vishnu, which is glorified as Sahasrashi Irsha Purusha, by the famous Purush Sutta prayers and other similar prayers, is described to be both Mahavishnu and Garbhodaksha Vishnu.
So here, in the purport to this verse, Vishwanath Thakur mentions that this is referring to Garbhodaksha Vishnu. And if we look at the sequence of what comes before and after this verse, this verse says that the devotees with their perfect eyes see this transcendental form, which has thousands of legs, thighs, arms, thousands of heads, ears, eyes, nose, and thousands of helmets and glowing earrings and garlands. So, this description is basically about Sahasrashi Irsha Purusha.
It is more a glorification of that supreme being. Before that, it is talking about the Virata Rupa. And then, just two verses before that, in 1.3.2, it describes that Brahmaji emerges from the lotus flower atop this stem.
And the verse after this, in which Prabhupada mentions clearly this form, the second manifestation of the Purusha, is the source and indestructible seed of multifarious incarnations. So, Prabhupada clearly mentions the second manifestation of the Purusha. The first manifestation is Mahavishnu, second manifestation is Garbhodaksha Vishnu.
Now, elsewhere also, for whenever the word Sahasrashi Irsha Purusha comes up, actually, for example, the CC. So, it is described that this form refers to Garbhodaksha Vishnu. Now, interestingly enough, it is also referred, it is also stated that this form refers to Mahavishnu.
And this reference comes in the Brihad-Bhagavata Amrita primarily, as well as in the Brahma Samyakta commentary of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswathi Thakur. So, there it is described, for example, now in the Chetan Charita Amrita, where the Sahasrashi Irsha Purusha is referred to, it is this, Prabhupada clearly says, this is 5.111, Adi-lila, the glory of Dhyan-Balaram. So, in the reservoir of water first created by the perspiration of Garbhodaksha Vishnu, the Lord lies in the Shesha-Planar expansion of Vishnu, which is described in Srimad-Bhagavatam in the Purva-Vedas as follows.
The Vishnu form called Anantashayana has thousands of hands and legs. So, here it is referring to Garbhodaksha Vishnu. Now, if we go further, we also find that in the, as I said, in the Brihad-Bhagavata Amrita, that this form is described as the adorable form of Brahmaji.
So, now if we look at the Brihad-Bhagavata Amrita commentary by Upananda Prabhu and Brihad-Bhagavata Amrita by Sanatana Goswami itself, there when Indra is glorifying Brahmaji, he is telling that the Mahapurusha, the thousand-headed form of the Lord is always directly visible on Brahma’s planet, personally accepting the countless oblations offered him and thus always giving delight to his devotees. And this form is referred to as Mahapurusha. And he is, the purport described, he is the thousand-headed incarnation, first incarnation Mahavishnu, whose further expansion is Garbhodaksha Vishnu.
And both of these forms are described in the Srimad-Bhagavatam in the first and the second cantos. And then the same verse which is being referred to in the first canto is being referred to one, three, four back along with other verses. So, this may raise a question, is the Saraswati Purusha Mahavishnu or Garbhodaksha Vishnu? There are different references.
So, the essential point is that normally speaking, neither Mahavishnu nor Garbhodaksha Vishnu may manifest a form that has thousands of heads. If we look at the standard depictions that are given of these in Prabhupada’s books and the way we normally see, many of these depictions are under Prabhupada’s guidance. So, they may not necessarily manifest a thousand-headed form.
But in Baldevidya Bhushan’s Govinda Bhashya, which is committed in Vedanta Sutra, in the Vedanta Sutra chapters 3 and 4 talk about sadhana and phala. And there it is described that while meditating on the Lord, one can combine, one can draw for meditation attributes of different manifestations of the Lord. As long as such drawing together doesn’t create a rasa-abhasa and is not pratikul for the meditation.
That’s why we see in many places that when the prayers are being offered to Krishna, there is a reference to Rahu also over there. It’s primarily referring to Krishna, but then Ravana Antaka is also mentioned over there. Because the Lord is one same person and the idea is that he has himself manifested so many past times and his past times are not restricted to this particular form and this particular incarnation.
But he has so many other incarnations also. So, similarly here, although the Lord may not be in a thousand-armed form, but still for the sake of reciprocating rasa with his devotees, he may manifest himself in a thousand-armed form whenever required. And so, for that purpose, sorry, that the devotees can meditate on his greatness by contemplating him on that form of thousand-armed, thousand-headed and other things like that.
And so, because Vishnu generally manifests the greatness of the Lord and normally when the demigods appeal to the Supreme Lord, they are normally asking him for coming to their help because he has the power that they don’t have for fighting with the demons. So, that’s why contemplating on the greatness of God is the way they invoke his, they glorify him and invoke his power to help them. So, for example, many places in the Bhagavatam, when the demigods appeal to the Supreme Lord and Lord may appear as Vishnu, but they will still talk about him as Virat Rupa, the sun and the moon are your eyes and the whole universe is your body.
So, that is not the form that they are beholding right then, but they know that this Lord can manifest this form anytime. And the Bhagavatam also describes that according to whatever consciousness and whatever desire a person has to see the Lord in the particular form, the Lord manifests that particular form. So, while the worshippers are offering these kind of prayers to the Purushas, Mahavishnu and Garbhodaksha Vishnu, they can manifest that kind of form also if it is their will and if that is the way they wish to reciprocate with the worship of their devotees.
So, that’s how, this essentially the Sahasrashisha Purusha, this verse, famous Vedic verse, it essentially focuses on the greatness of God and the greatness of God is manifested by the Vishnu forms and certainly the Purusha incarnations who directly interact with the material world and control, it’s maintaining control of its manifestations, they are manifesting the greatness of God. So, it’s entirely appropriate that these verses be applied to, it can be applied to the various Purusha manifestations. So, neither of them specifically have that form, but they can, all of them can manifest that form whenever they desire and they essentially have the Vibhuti, the greatness, the Shakti, the Aishwarya, that is what is glorified by this form, by this particular set of verses.
So, to summarize, this verse refers to the Lord having thousand arms and the specific Bhagavatam context indicates that this is referring to Garbhodaksha Vishnu and the same is reiterated in CC, but elsewhere in the Bhagavatam, Ved Bhagavatam and Brahma Samyata, this thousand arm form is also referred to as Mahavishnu. Why the seeming difference? Because either Vishnu form can manifest such a form, they are both forms of greatness and discussed in the Govinda Bhashya how one can contemplate on the Lord by drawing upon his attributes from his various incarnations and manifestations. So, even if Mahavishnu, Garbhodaksha Vishnu, neither are manifesting a thousand arm form, still referring to them that way is a valid Bhakti practice, if it enhances one’s mood of Bhakti.
And lastly is, because the Lord can manifest whichever form the devotee desires to reciprocate with that devotee. So, in Mahavishnu, Garbhodaksha Vishnu can manifest this thousand arm form when they choose to. Thank you.