How is Aniruddha, fulfiller of all desires of the devotees, whom the sages call the source of the Vedas, who is instigates action of the mind, is śuddha-sattva and is the fourth member of the catur-vyūha? Sātvatām can refer to the Yādavas or can mean devotees. He is called the source of the Vedas because the Vedas appear from his breathing. Evaṁ vā are asya mahato bhūtasya niḥśvasitam etad yad ṛgveda: From the Lord’s breathing arose the Ṛg-veda. (Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad) Manomaya means “he who moves (mayate) the mind.” He is the instigator of mental activities. He is the fourth member (turīya) of the catur-vyūha (tattvam) composed of śudda-sattva. Being bound up during the conflict of arrows is a pastime created by his own will, similar to the pastimes of Rāmacandra. That he is part of the catur-vyūha is show in the answers of Mārkandeya to Vraja in the Viṣnu-dharmottara. bhūyo bhūyas tv asau dṛṣṭo māyā devo jagat-patiḥ kalpa-kṣaye na vijṣātaḥ sa mayā mohitena vai kalpa-kṣaye vyatīte tu tan tu devaṁ pitāmahāt aniruddhāṁ vijānāmi pitaraṁ te jagat-patim The Lord of the universe seen by me again and again at the end of the kalpa was unknown to me, since I was covered by illusion. When the destruction at the end of the kalpa ended, I understood from Brahmā that the lord of the universe is your father, Aniruddha. Viṣṇu-dharmottara 1.79.2-3 When Bhīṣma begins to speak to Duryodhana about the appearance of Kṛṣṇa, he relates how Brahmā came to Gandhamādana and saw in his mind the Lord as Aniruddha. sṛṣṭvā saṅkarṣanaṁ devaṁ svayam ātmānam ātmanā kṛṣṇsattvam ātmanāṣrākṣīḥ pradyumnaṁ hy ātmā-sambhavam pradyumnāc cāniruddhaṁ tu yaḥ vidur viṣṇum avyayam aniruddho ’sṛjan māṁ vai brahmāṇaṁ loka-dhāriṇam vāsudeva-mayaḥ so ’haṁ tvayaivāsmi vinirmitah Having manifested Saṅkarṣaṇa, non-different from himself by his own potency, from himself the Lord manifested Pradyumna, non-different from Kṛṣṇa, by his own potency. From Pradyumna he manifested Aniruddha whom the wise know as indestructible Viṣṇu. Aniruddha created me, Brahmā, the maintainer of the worlds. Aniruddha is non-different from Vāsudeva. Thus I have been created by you. Mahā-bhārata 6.61.65-67