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Srimad Bhagvata Mahapurana: Book 2: Chapter 10: Verses 16-28
The ten characteristic features of the Bhagavata
Just as the attendants of a king follow him, even so the senses in all living beings are active when this Praha is active but cease to be active the moment this Prana becomes inactive. With the free movement of the Prana the Cosmic Being was overcome with hunger and thirst; and the moment He felt inclined to eat and drink a mouth appeared in Him in the first instance. From the mouth came out the palate, in which the sense of taste was produced; and thence were evolved the different kinds of tastes, which are experienced by the sense of taste (as well as the deity presiding over the same). When the Cosmic Being felt inclined to speak, there emanated from His mouth the god of fire (the deity presiding over the organ of speech), the organ of speech itself and the act of speaking, which depends both on the organ of speech and the deity presiding over the same. Till then the Cosmic Being remained under water controlling His breath for a pretty long time. When, however, His breath sought an outlet and pressed forward, a pair of nostrils appeared in Him. And as He felt inclined to perceive smell, there appeared in His nose the olfactory sense as well as the wind-god (the deity presiding over the sense of smell), the bearer of smell. When there was darkness all about Him and He felt inclined to see Himself and other things, there appeared in Him a pair of eyes, the sun-god (the deity presiding over the sense of sight) and the sense of sight; and thence followed the perception of colour (the object of sight). On the Vedas proceeding to awaken Him (through hymns of praise addressed to Him) and on the Cosmic Being feeling inclined to hear them, there appeared in Him a pair of ears, the Digdevatas (the deities presiding over the four quarters as well as the auditory sense) as well as the auditory sense itself; and thence followed the perception of sound (the object of the auditory sense). When, again, the Cosmic Being felt inclined to experience the softness or hardness, lightness or heaviness and warmth or coolness of objects, there appeared in Him the skin (the seat of the tactile sense) and on the skin there arose the hair (the sense perceiving touch as well as the itching sensation), the trees (the deities presiding over the hair) as well as the wind-god (the deity presiding over the tactile sense). Nay, He was also covered all over His skin, within as well as without, by the tactile sense, when followed the perception of touch (the object of the tactile sense). As soon as the Cosmic Being felt inclined to perform various acts a pair of hands grew out of Him. In these hands there appeared the faculty of grasping things and even so Indra (the deity presiding over this faculty) as well as the act of grasping, which depends both on the faculty of grasping and the deity presiding over it. Even as the Cosmic Being felt inclined to walk according to His will a pair of feet grew out of Him and along with them appeared Lord Visnu (the deity presiding over the feet) Himself as well as the faculty of locomotion, with the help of which people procure the materials for sacrifice. When the Cosmic Being craved for offspring, sexual enjoyment and immortality (heavenly bliss procurable through a pious married life) a penis grew out of Him and even so there appeared in Him the faculty of copulation, the god Prajapati (the deity presiding over this faculty) and the pleasure arising from sexual commerce, which depends both on the faculty of coition and the deity presiding over the same. On the Cosmic Being feeling the urge to void excrement there appeared in Him the anus and thereafter the faculty of defecation and then the god Mitra (the deity presiding over the organ of evacuation) as well as the act of defecation, which depends both on the faculty of evacuation and the deity presiding over it. When the Cosmic Being felt inclined to pass from one body to another and leave the former with that end in view, there appeared in Him the navel and in the navel sprang up the vital air called 'Apana' and then the god of death (the deity presiding over the 'Apana' air); and then came about the dissociation of Prana form Apana, i. e., death, which depends on both the 'Apana' air and the deity presiding over the same.
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