Is Vedic God mortal?

Question

अथेत्यभ्यमन्थत् स मुखाच्च योनेर्हस्ताभ्यां चाग्निमसृजत । तस्मादेतदुभयमलोमकमन्तरतो ऽलोमका हि योनिरन्तरतस् तद्यदिदमाहुर् अमुं यजामुं यजेत्येकैकं देवम् एतस्यैव सा विसृष्टिर् एष उ ह्येव सर्वे देवा अथ यत्किञ्चेदमार्द्रम् तद्रेतसोऽसृजत तदु सोमः । एतावद्वा इद सर्वमन्नं चैवान्नादश्च सोम एवान्नम् अग्निरन्नादः । सैषा ब्रह्मणोऽतिसृष्टिर् यच्छ्रेयसो देवानसृजताथ यन्मर्त्यः सन्नमृतानसृजत तस्मादतिसृष्टिर् अतिसृष्ट्या हास्यैतस्यां भवति य एवं वेद ॥ ६ ॥

I-iv-6: Then he rubbed back and forth thus, and produced fire from its source, the mouth and the hands. Therefore both these are without hair at the inside. When they talk of particular gods, saying, 'Sacrifice to him', 'sacrifice to the other one', (they are wrong, since) these are all his projection, for he is all the gods. Now all this that is liquid, he produced from the seed. That is Soma. This universe is indeed this much - food and the eater of food. Soma is food, and fire the eater of food. This is super-creation of Viraj that he projected the demigods (devas ), who are even superior to him. Because he although mortal himself, projected the immortals, therefore this is a super-creation. He who knows this as such becomes (a creator) in this super-creation of Viraj.

The above mantra is from Brihadarankya Upanishad. After reading it, several questions came in my mind.

• Is Viraj (one of the name of parabrahma) inferior to devas or demigods?

• How can Viraj, the prabrahma, creator of universe can be immortal? Isn't it can contradicting the other Vedic verses which say that God is mortal?

Rigveda CXXI:2 Giver of vital breath, of power and vigour, he whose commandments all the Gods acknowledge -. The Lord of death, whose shade is life immortal. What God shall we adore with our oblation?

Rigveda 10:90:2 This Puruṣa is all that yet hath been and all that is to be; The Lord of Immortality which waxes greater still by food.

Atharvashiras Upanishad Mantra 3: That which is in the left is Om (God). The Om is Pranava. This is All-Pervading; it is eternal; it is called Tara; this is Sukshama (subtle); the same is Sukla (white). This is Vaidyuta (brilliant); that which is brilliant is the Supreme Brahman.

Answer 1

Viraj is not parabrahman.

ALTHOUGH HIMSELF ETC: Before bringing out the universe (including the gods), Viraj practised meditation and performed the sacrifice in order to make Himself sinless. But the gods, from the very moment of their creation, were sinless. Therefore the creation is nobler than the Creator Himself.

MORTAL: As stated before, a mortal person, through the performance of sacrifices and so forth, becomes Viraj in his next life. The gods are immortal, though in a relative sense.

Commentary based on Sri Sankaracharya of Brhadaranyaka Upanishad I.iv.6 translated by Swami Nikhilananda