Vyasadev
Praneetha
The Mad Bhagavatam
Canto 5
Chapter 22: The movement of the Planets and their Considered Effects
In this chapter the orbits of the planets are described. According to the movements of the moon and other planets, all the inhabitants of the universe are prone to auspicious and inauspicious situations. This is referred to as the influence of the stars.
The sun-god, who controls the affairs of the entire universe, especially in regard to heat, light, seasonal changes and so on, is considered an expansion of Nārāyaṇa. He represents the three Vedas — Ṛg, Yajur and Sāma — and therefore he is known as Trayīmaya, the form of Lord Nārāyaṇa. Sometimes the sun-god is also called Sūrya Nārāyaṇa. The sun-god has expanded himself in twelve divisions, and thus he controls the six seasonal changes and causes winter, summer, rain and so on. Yogīs and karmīs following the varṇāśrama institution, who practice haṭha or aṣṭāńga-yoga or who perform agnihotra sacrifices, worship Sūrya Nārāyaṇa for their own benefit. The demigod Sūrya is always in touch with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa. Residing in outer space, which is in the middle of the universe, between Bhūloka and Bhuvarloka, the sun rotates through the time circle of the zodiac, represented by twelve rāśis, or signs, and assumes different names according to the sign he is in. For the moon, every month is divided into two fortnights. Similarly, according to solar calculations, a month is equal to the time the sun spends in one constellation; two months constitute one season, and there are twelve months in a year. The entire area of the sky is divided into two halves, each representing an ayana, the course traversed by the sun within a period of six months. The sun travels sometimes slowly, sometimes swiftly and sometimes at a moderate speed. In this way it travels within the three worlds, consisting of the heavenly planets, the earthly planets and outer space. These orbits are referred to by great learned scholars by the names Saḿvatsara, Parivatsara, Iḍāvatsara, Anuvatsara and Vatsara.
The moon is situated 100,000 yojanas above the rays of the sunshine. Day and night on the heavenly planets and Pitṛloka are calculated according to its waning and waxing. Above the moon by a distance of 200,000 yojanas are some stars, and above these stars is Śukra-graha (Venus), whose influence is always auspicious for the inhabitants of the entire universe. Above Śukra-graha by 200,000 yojanas is Budha-graha (Mercury), whose influence is sometimes auspicious and sometimes inauspicious. Next, above Budha-graha by 200,000 yojanas, is Ańgāraka (Mars), which almost always has an unfavorable influence. Above Ańgāraka by another 200,000 yojanas is the planet called Bṛhaspati-graha (Jupiter), which is always very favorable for qualified brāhmaṇas. Above Bṛhaspati-graha is the planet Śanaiścara (Saturn), which is very inauspicious, and above Saturn is a group of seven stars occupied by great saintly persons who are always thinking of the welfare of the entire universe. These seven stars circumambulate Dhruvaloka, which is the residence of Lord Viṣṇu within this universe.
5.22.1
rājovāca
yad etad bhagavata ādityasya meruḿ dhruvaḿ ca pradakṣiṇena parikrāmato rāśīnām abhimukhaḿ pracalitaḿ cāpradakṣiṇaḿ bhagavatopavarṇitam amuṣya vayaḿ katham anumimīmahīti
(1) The king said: 'Your lordship described how the most powerful god of the sun moves around Mount Meru and Dhruvaloka leaving them to his right side, ànd that he, with the different signs of the zodiac right in front of him, leaves them to his left. What should we think about that?'
5.22.2
sa hovāca
yathā kulāla-cakreṇa bhramatā saha bhramatāḿ tad-āśrayāṇāḿ pipīlikādīnāḿ gatir anyaiva pradeśāntareṣv apy upalabhyamānatvād evaḿ nakṣatra-rāśibhir upalakṣitena kāla-cakreṇa dhruvaḿ meruḿ ca pradakṣiṇena paridhāvatā saha paridhāvamānānāḿ tad-āśrayāṇāḿ sūryādīnāḿ grahāṇāḿ gatir anyaiva nakṣatrāntare rāśy-antare copalabhyamānatvāt
(2) To that he [S'uka] clearly stated: 'Just as what one sees with the movements of small ants spinning around on a potter's wheel, who because of their changing positions experience a different orientation, such a difference can also be observed with the movement [of the sun and the planets] in relation to Meru and Dhruvaloka [the central heap of stars and the galaxy center]. With the stars moving around [that center], the two are located at their right side, but because of the individual movements of the planets lead by the sun upon that rotating wheel of time, the sun and planets that are observed in different mansions and constellations are evidently of another progress.
5.22.3
sa eṣa bhagavān ādi-puruṣa eva sākṣān nārāyaṇo lokānāḿ svastaya ātmānaḿ trayīmayaḿ karma-viśuddhi-nimittaḿ kavibhir api ca vedena vijijñāsyamāno dvādaśadhā vibhajya ṣaṭsu vasantādiṣv ṛtuṣu yathopa-joṣam ṛtu-guṇān vidadhāti
(3) He [that solar lead of time], this supremely powerful Original Person who is Nârâyana Himself, the Supersoul of the three Vedic principles who is there for the benefit and karmic purification of all the worlds, is the cause sought by all saintly and Vedic knowing. He divides the year, as He thinks fit, in its twelve parts and arranges the six seasons beginning with spring with their different qualities.
5.22.4
tam etam iha puruṣās trayyā vidyayā varṇāśramācārānupathā uccāvacaiḥ karmabhir āmnātair yoga-vitānaiś ca śraddhayā yajanto 'ñjasā śreyaḥ samadhigacchanti
(4) The people here who, in respect of the threefold of Vedic knowledge follow the higher or more earthly standards of the status orientations [of varna and âs'rama], attain without difficulty the ultimate benefit of life when they worship Him full of faith with ritual activities and grow in the science of uniting their consciousness [in yoga].
5.22.5
atha sa eṣa ātmā lokānāḿ dyāv-āpṛthivyor antareṇa nabho-valayasya kālacakra-gato dvādaśa māsān bhuńkte rāśi-saḿjñān saḿvatsarāvayavān māsaḥ pakṣa-dvayaḿ divā naktaḿ ceti sapādarkṣa-dvayam upadiśanti yāvatā ṣaṣṭham aḿśaḿ bhuñjīta sa vai ṛtur ity upadiśyate saḿvatsarāvayavaḥ
(5) He now, the Soul of all the worlds, who [in the form of the sun] has entered the wheel of time in a position between heaven and earth, passes through the twelve divisions of the year consisting of the months that are named after the signs of the zodiac. The scholars teach that they [according to the moon] are divided in bright and dark halves or [fifteen day] fortnights and that, following their instruction, the six portions of its orbit called ritu or season calculated to the stars each cover two and a quarter constellations [thus one speaks of twelve or more constellations].
5.22.6
(6) They also say that the period of time the sun moves through [the visible] half of outer space is called an ayana.
5.22.7
atha ca yāvan nabho-maṇḍalaḿ saha dyāv-āpṛthivyor maṇḍalābhyāḿ kārtsnyena sa ha bhuñjīta taḿ kālaḿ saḿvatsaraḿ parivatsaram iḍāvatsaram anuvatsaraḿ vatsaram iti bhānor māndya-śaighrya-sama-gatibhiḥ samāmananti
(7) The time that the passage of the sun takes moving through both the spheres above and below, speeding slow, fast or moderate, is in the descriptions of the scholars, discussed as a samvatsara [a solar year], a parivatsara [one twelfth of a revolution of Jupiter], an idâvatsara [a day of the gods consisting of 360 solar days] an anuvatsara [a lunar year comprising twelve lunations] and a vatsara [a year to the ecliptic in terms of the 27 lunar mansions or nakshatras, see also 3.11: 14].
5.22.8
evaḿ candramā arka-gabhastibhya upariṣṭāl lakṣa-yojanata upalabhyamāno 'rkasya saḿvatsara-bhuktiḿ pakṣābhyāḿ māsa-bhuktiḿ sapādarkṣābhyāḿ dinenaiva pakṣa-bhuktim agracārī drutatara-gamano bhuńkte
(8) By the sunlit moon that is situated a hundred thousand yojanas [astronomy: ± 385.000 km] above [the earth] and is moving much faster [than the sun], in the course of a month [two 'fifteen day periods'] a distance is covered which takes the sun a whole year, is in two and a quarter day a distance described which takes the sun a month and is in one day a part of the sky traversed which by the sun is covered in fourteen days.
5.22.9
atha cāpūryamāṇābhiś ca kalābhir amarāṇāḿ kṣīyamāṇābhiś ca kalābhiḥ pitṝṇām aho-rātrāṇi pūrva-pakṣāpara-pakṣābhyāḿ vitanvānaḥ sarva-jīva-nivaha-prāṇo jīvaś caikam ekaḿ nakṣatraḿ triḿśatā muhūrtair bhuńkte
(9) The moon, changing its phases, waxes to the [full] part of the moon that is of the demigods and wanes to the [dark] part of the moon that is of the forefathers. In [about] thirty muhûrtas [a full day] per nakshatra one after the other passing the lunar mansions, it with its waxing and waning constitutes the division of the days [of the gods] and the nights [of the forefathers] of the sum total of all living entities. Thus it is considered the jîva or essence of their life.
5.22.10
ya eṣa ṣoḍaśa-kalaḥ puruṣo bhagavān manomayo 'nnamayo 'mṛtamayo deva-pitṛ-manuṣya-bhūta-paśu-pakṣi-sarīsṛpa-vīrudhāḿ prāṇāpy āyana-śīlatvāt sarvamaya iti varṇayanti
(10) This moon with all its sixteen aspects [concerning the senses, their objects and the mind] is by the scholars described as the Supreme Person, the predominating deity of the mind, the power source of all food who represents all the delight in life. He is considered the refreshing, all-pervading life breath [prâna] of all the gods, ancestors, human beings and all other living entities like the mammals, the birds, the reptiles and the plants.
.22.11
tata upariṣṭād dvi-lakṣa-yojanato nakṣatrāṇi meruḿ dakṣiṇenaiva kālāyana īśvara-yojitāni sahābhijitāṣṭā-viḿśatiḥ
(11) [More than] two hundred thousand yojanas behind [the moon], there are [spinning] with Meru to the right, to the many stars that by the Supreme Controller were attached to the wheel of time, the twenty-eight lunar mansions including Abhijit.
5.22.12
tata upariṣṭād uśanā dvi-lakṣa-yojanata upalabhyate purataḥ paścāt sahaiva vārkasya śaighrya-māndya-sāmyābhir gatibhir arkavac carati lokānāḿ nityadānukūla eva prāyeṇa varṣayaḿś cāreṇānumīyate sa vṛṣṭi-viṣṭambha-grahopaśamanaḥ
(12) At a distance of two hundred thousand yojanas there about [about the star center or the sun; astronomy: at a distance of 107 million km] there is Us'anâ [Venus], the planet that can be seen going in front, behind and rotating along with the sun just as fast, slow or with a moderate speed. It is of all the planets the one considered to exert as good as always a favorable influence in the form of rainfall, it by its movements neutralizes the influence of planets that obstruct rainfall.
5.22.13
uśanasā budho vyākhyātas tata upariṣṭād dvi-lakṣa-yojanato budhaḥ soma-suta upalabhyamānaḥ prāyeṇa śubha-kṛd yadārkād vyatiricyeta tadātivātābhra-prāyānāvṛṣṭy-ādi-bhayam āśaḿsate
(13) Another two hundred thousand yojanas behind Venus [astronomy: 57.9 million km from the sun], so is explained, Budha [Mercury] is situated, the son of the moon. It is as good as always working auspiciously, but during the time it is not moving along with the sun, there is almost always an increase of fearful conditions like draughts, a closed sky and stormy conditions.
5.22.14
ata ūrdhvam ańgārako 'pi yojana-lakṣa-dvitaya upalabhyamānas tribhis tribhiḥ pakṣair ekaikaśo rāśīn dvādaśānubhuńkte yadi na vakreṇābhivartate prāyeṇāśubha-graho 'gha-śaḿsaḥ
(14) At two hundred thousand yojanas outside of our orbit one also finds Angâraka [Mars, astronomy: at about 228 million km from the sun]. If it doesn't make a curve it passes by three fortnights each, one after another the twelve signs of the zodiac. It is as good as always an unfavorable planet causing trouble.
5.22.15
tata upariṣṭād dvi-lakṣa-yojanāntara-gatā bhagavān bṛhaspatir ekaikasmin rāśau parivatsaraḿ parivatsaraḿ carati yadi na vakraḥ syāt prāyeṇānukūlo brāhmaṇa-kulasya
(15) Two hundred thousand yojanas outside of Mars [astronomy: 778.3 million km from the sun] one finds the most powerful planet of Brihaspati [Jupiter] which, if it doesn't run a curve, takes a year [a parivatsara] to move through a single constellation. It almost always turns out to work in favor of the family of the brahmins.
5.22.16
tata upariṣṭād yojana-lakṣa-dvayāt pratīyamānaḥ śanaiścara ekaikasmin rāśau triḿśan māsān vilambamānaḥ sarvān evānuparyeti tāvadbhir anuvatsaraiḥ prāyeṇa hi sarveṣām aśāntikaraḥ
(16) Two hundred thousand yojanas behind it is situated S'anais'cara [Saturn, astronomy: 1.43 billion km from the sun], that takes a period of thirty months to travel through a single sign of the zodiac. Being that slow it takes an equal number of years [30 anuvatsaras] to cover all of them. It means almost always a lot of trouble to all.
5.22.17
tata uttarasmād ṛṣaya ekādaśa-lakṣa-yojanāntara upalabhyante ya eva lokānāḿ śam anubhāvayanto bhagavato viṣṇor yat paramaḿ padaḿ pradakṣiṇaḿ prakramanti
(17) At 1.1 million yojanas beyond that planet are situated the [seven] great sages [represented by the seven stars of the Great Bear, Ursa Major] who always consider the good fortune of the inhabitants of all the worlds. They clockwise circumambulate the transcendental abode of the Supreme Lord Vishnu [the center of the stars].'
the following verse from the Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa:
jñānānandātmano viṣṇuḥ
Lord Viṣṇu, who is the source of knowledge and transcendental bliss, has assumed the form of Śiśumāra in the seventh heaven, which is situated in the topmost level of the universe. All the other planets, beginning with the sun, exist under the shelter of this Śiśumāra planetary system.
Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Fifth Canto, Twenty-second Chapter of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled "The Orbits of the Planets."
Canto 5
Chapter 23: Description of the Stars of S'is'umâra, our Coiling Galaxy
This chapter describes how all the planetary systems take shelter of the polestar, Dhruvaloka. It also describes the totality of these planetary systems to be Śiśumāra, another expansion of the external body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Dhruvaloka, the abode of Lord Viṣṇu within this universe, is situated 1,300,000 yojanas from the seven stars. In the planetary system of Dhruvaloka are the planets of the fire-god, Indra, Prajāpati, Kaśyapa and Dharma, all of whom are very respectful to the great devotee Dhruva, who lives on the polestar. Like bulls yoked to a central pivot, all the planetary systems revolve around Dhruvaloka, impelled by eternal time. Those who worship the virāṭ-puruṣa, the universal form of the Lord, conceive of this entire rotating system of planets as an animal known as śiśumāra. This imaginary śiśumāra is another form of the Lord. The head of the śiśumāra form is downward, and its body appears like that of a coiled snake. On the end of its tail is Dhruvaloka, on the body of the tail are Prajāpati, Agni, Indra and Dharma, and on the root of the tail are Dhātā and Vidhātā. On its waist are the seven great sages. The entire body of the śiśumāra faces toward its right and appears like a coil of stars. On the right side of this coil are the fourteen prominent stars from Abhijit to Punarvasu, and on the left side are the fourteen prominent stars from Puṣyā to Uttarāṣāḍhā. The stars known as Punarvasu and Puṣyā are on the right and left hips of the śiśumāra, and the stars known as Ārdrā and Aśleṣā are on the right and left feet of the śiśumāra. Other stars are also fixed on different sides of the Śiśumāra planetary system according to the calculations of Vedic astronomers. To concentrate their minds, yogīs worship the Śiśumāra planetary system, which is technically known as the kuṇḍalini-cakra.
5.23.1
atha tasmāt paratas trayodaśa-lakṣa-yojanāntarato yat tad viṣṇoḥ paramaḿ padam abhivadanti yatra ha mahā-bhāgavato dhruva auttānapādir agninendreṇa prajāpatinā kaśyapena dharmeṇa ca samakāla-yugbhiḥ sabahu-mānaḿ dakṣiṇataḥ kriyamāṇa idānīm api kalpa-jīvinām ājīvya upāste tasyehānubhāva upavarṇitaḥ
(1) S'rî S'uka said: '1.3 Million yojanas above them [the stars of the sages] one finds that supreme abode of Lord Vishnu which is praised in the mantras of the Rig Veda. It is the source of life of all entities that live from this moment till the end of creation. There the great devotee Dhruva, the son of Uttânapâda resides even today. His glory of obedient devotion I've described already. Agni, the fire god, Indra the king of heaven, the founding father who is the Prajâpati, Kas'yapa as also Dharmarâja, in unison full of respect move around that place keeping it to their right [see 4.9].
5.23.2
sa hi sarveṣāḿ jyotir-gaṇānāḿ graha-nakṣatrādīnām animiṣeṇāvyakta-raḿhasā bhagavatā kālena bhrāmyamāṇānāḿ sthāṇur ivāvaṣṭambha īśvareṇa vihitaḥ śaśvad avabhāsate
(2) For all the restless luminaries such as the planets and the stars that place constitutes the incandescent radiating pivot that is established by the Lord. The inconceivable, all-powerful force of Time is considered the cause of their revolving.
5.23.3
yathā meḍhīstambha ākramaṇa-paśavaḥ saḿyojitās tribhis tribhiḥ savanair yathā-sthānaḿ maṇḍalāni caranty evaḿ bhagaṇā grahādaya etasminn antar-bahir-yogena kāla-cakra āyojitā dhruvam evāvalambya vāyunodīryamāṇā ākalpāntaḿ paricań kramanti nabhasi yathā meghāḥ śyenādayo vāyu-vaśāḥ karma-sārathayaḥ parivartante evaḿ jyotirgaṇāḥ prakṛti-puruṣa-saḿyogānugṛhītāḥ karma-nirmita-gatayo bhuvi na patanti
(3) The luminaries keep their positions, just like three bulls that for threshing rice are yoked to a central pole [at fixed distances]. Moving in their orbits they have a fixed position relative to the inner and outer rims of the wheel of time, the same way as the planets around the sun keep their positions. Holding on to Dhruvaloka till the end of creation, they revolve in the sky as if they're driven by the wind, just like heavy clouds and big birds do who controlled by the air move their bodies around in respect of their previous positions. Thus the luminaries behave consequently, by the combined effort of material nature and the Original Person, the way they always have and never collide with the earth.
According to the description of this verse, the hundreds and thousands of stars and the great planets such as the sun, the moon, Venus, Mercury, Mars and Jupiter are not clustered together because of the law of gravity or any similar idea of the modern scientists. These planets and stars are all servants of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda or Kṛṣṇa, and according to His order they sit in their chariots and travel in their respective orbits. The orbits in which they move are compared to machines given by material nature to the operating deities of the stars and planets, who carry out the orders of the Supreme Personality of Godhead by revolving around Dhruvaloka, which is occupied by the great devotee Mahārāja Dhruva. This is confirmed in the Brahma-saḿhitā (5.52) as follows:
yac-cakṣur eṣa savitā sakala-grahāṇāḿ
"I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, under whose control even the sun, which is considered to be the eye of the Lord, rotates within the fixed orbit of eternal time. The sun is the king of all planetary systems and has unlimited potency in heat and light." This verse from Brahma-saḿhitā confirms that even the largest and most powerful planet, the sun, rotates within a fixed orbit, or kāla-cakra, in obedience to the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This has nothing to do with gravity or any other imaginary laws created by the material scientists.
Material scientists want to avoid the ruling government of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and therefore they imagine different conditions under which they suppose the planets move. The only condition, however, is the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. All the various predominating deities of the planets are persons, and the Supreme Personality of Godhead is also a person. The Supreme Personality orders the subordinate persons, the demigods of various names, to carry out His supreme will. This fact is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (9.10), wherein Kṛṣṇa says:
mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ
hetunānena kaunteya
jagad viparivartate
"This material nature is working under My direction, O son of Kuntī, and it is producing all moving and unmoving beings. By its rule this manifestation is created and annihilated again and again."
The orbits of the planets resemble the bodies in which all living entities are seated because they are both machines controlled by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gītā (18.61):
hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati
yantrārūḍhāni māyayā
"The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone's heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy." The machine given by material nature — whether the machine of the body or the machine of the orbit, or kāla-cakra — works according to the orders given by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Supreme Personality of Godhead and material nature work together to maintain this great universe, and not only this universe but also the millions of other universes beyond this one.
The question of how the planets and stars are floating is also answered in this verse. It is not because of the laws of gravity. Rather, the planets and stars are enabled to float by manipulations of the air. It is due to such manipulations that big, heavy clouds float and big eagles fly in the sky. Modern airplanes like the 747 jet aircraft work in a similar way: by controlling the air, they float high in the sky, resisting the tendency to fall to earth. Such adjustments of the air are all made possible by the cooperation of the principles of puruṣa (male) and prakṛti (female). By the cooperation of material nature, which is considered to be prakṛti, and the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is considered the puruṣa, all the affairs of the universe are going on nicely in their proper order. prakṛti, material nature, is also described in the Brahma-saḿhitā (5.44) as follows:
"The external potency, māyā, who is of the nature of the shadow of the cit [spiritual] potency, is worshiped by all people as Durgā, the creating, preserving and destroying agency of this mundane world. I adore the primeval Lord Govinda, in accordance with whose will Durgā conducts herself." Material nature, the external energy of the Supreme Lord, is also known as Durgā, or the female energy that protects the great fort of this universe. The word Durgā also means fort. This universe is just like a great fort in which all the conditioned souls are kept, and they cannot leave it unless they are liberated by the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
5.23.4
kecanaitaj jyotir-anīkaḿ śiśumāra-saḿsthānena bhagavato vāsudevasya yoga-dhāraṇāyām anuvarṇayanti
(4) Some imagine this great army of luminaries to be a s'is'umâra [a dolphin] and describe it, concentrated in yoga, as [that what can be seen of] the Supreme Lord Vâsudeva [see also a picture of the celestial sky as factually seen in a telescope].
.23.5
yasya pucchāgre 'vākśirasaḥ kuṇḍalī-bhūta-dehasya dhruva upakalpitas tasya lāńgūle prajāpatir agnir indro dharma iti puccha-mūle dhātā vidhātā ca kaṭyāḿ saptarṣayaḥ; tasya dakṣiṇāvarta-kuṇḍalī-bhūta-śarīrasya yāny udagayanāni dakṣiṇa-pārśve tu nakṣatrāṇy upakalpayanti dakṣiṇāyanāni tu savye; yathā śiśumārasya kuṇḍalā-bhoga-sanniveśasya pārśvayor ubhayor apy avayavāḥ samasańkhyā bhavanti; pṛṣṭhe tv ajavīthī ākāśa-gańgā codarataḥ
(5) With its tail pointing to the end of the row of fixed stars in the sky [dhruva] and with its head bent downwards, it has its body coiled. The [planets of] Prajâpati, Agni, Indra and Dharma are found on the tail with [those of the demigods] Dhâtâ and Vidhâtâ at its base. The seven sages are situated on its hip. With its body coiling to the right there are as its separate body parts at its northern side the constellations of the fourteen stars [from Abhijit to Punarvasu] that mark the northern course [of the sun] and to the south there are the same number of them [from Pushyâ to Uttarâshâdhâ] marking the southern course. Together the both sides appear like the coiled body of a dolphin. On its back one sees the stars called Ajavîthî [*] and on the belly one sees the 'celestial Ganges' [the series of stars along the full body of the S'is'umâra we know as our Milky Way].
5.23.6
punarvasu-puṣyau dakṣiṇa-vāmayoḥ śroṇyor ārdrāśleṣe ca dakṣiṇa-vāmayoḥ paścimayoḥ pādayor abhijid-uttarāṣāḍhe dakṣiṇa-vāmayor nāsikayor yathā-sańkhyaḿ śravaṇa-pūrvāṣāḍhe dakṣiṇa-vāmayor locanayor dhaniṣṭhā mūlaḿ ca dakṣiṇa-vāmayoḥ karṇayor maghādīny aṣṭa nakṣatrāṇi dakṣiṇāyanāni vāma-pārśva-vańkriṣu yuñjīta tathaiva mṛga-śīrṣādīny udagayanāni dakṣiṇa-pārśva-vańkriṣu prātilomyena prayuñjīta śatabhiṣā-jyeṣṭhe skandhayor dakṣiṇa-vāmayor nyaset
(6) Punarvasu and Pushyâ constitute the loins right and left. Ârdrâ and As'leshâ as well to the right and left are his flippers. Abhijit and Uttarâshâdhâ are the left and right nostril with following next in due order S'ravanâ and Pûrvâshâdhâ for its eyes left and right. Dhanishthhâ and Mûlâ are the right and left ear and the eight stars such as Maghâ marking the southern course are to be seen as the left ribs while the same number of stars like Mrigas'îrshâ that mark the northern course are there as the ribs positioned at the other side to the right. S'atabhishâ and Jyeshthhâ should be seen as the position of the right and left shoulder.
5.23.7
uttarā-hanāv agastir adharā-hanau yamo mukheṣu cāńgārakaḥ śanaiścara upasthe bṛhaspatiḥ kakudi vakṣasy ādityo hṛdaye nārāyaṇo manasi candro nābhyām uśanā stanayor aśvinau budhaḥ prāṇāpānayo rāhur gale ketavaḥ sarvāńgeṣu romasu sarve tārā-gaṇāḥ
(7) On its upper chin there is Agasti [Agastya] and on its lower one there is Yamarâja. As its mouth there is Mars, as its genitals there is Saturn, Jupiter is found at the back of the neck, the sun is found at the chest. In its heart Lord Nârâyana is found while the moon serves as its mind. As the navel there is Venus, the two sides of the breast is where the As'vins reside, Mercury is there as the in- and outward going breath, Râhu is the neck and the comets are found all over its body with the numerous stars as its pores.
On the upper chin of the śiśumāra is Agasti; on its lower chin, Yamarāja; on its mouth, Mars; on its genitals, Saturn; on the back of its neck, Jupiter; on its chest, the sun; and within the core of its heart, Nārāyaṇa. Within its mind is the moon; on its navel, Venus; and on its breasts, the Aśvinī-kumāras. Within its life air, which is known as prāṇāpāna, is Mercury, on its neck is Rāhu, all over its body are comets, and in its pores are the numerous stars.
5.23.8
etad u haiva bhagavato viṣṇoḥ sarva-devatāmayaḿ rūpam aharahaḥ sandhyāyāḿ prayato vāgyato nirīkṣamāṇa upatiṣṭheta namo jyotir-lokāya kālāyanāyānimiṣāḿ pataye mahā-puruṣāyābhidhīmahīti
(8) This [form of S'is'umâra] certainly is the form of the Supreme Lord, of Lord Vishnu who consists of all the demigods. With that form before one's eyes one should each morning, noon and evening in all modesty meditate upon the following words: 'Our obeisances unto this resting place of all the luminous worlds, unto the master of the demigods, the Supreme Personality in the form of Time upon whom we meditate' [namo jyotih-lokâya kâlâyanâya animishâm pataye mahâ-purushâya abhidhîmahîti, see also 2.2: 24].
5.23.9
graharkṣatārāmayam ādhidaivikaḿ
namasyataḥ smarato vā tri-kālaḿ
(9) Those who in respect of that leader of the demigods consisting of all the planets and stars, that destroyer of sin, practice the mantra as mentioned above by three times a day offering their respects this way or by three times a day meditating as such [in silence], will by that respect [for our sweet Lord in the form of] time very soon find all their sins annihilated.'
N.B: See also the pages on galactic time further explaining on this subject.
*: Ajavîthî refers to the stars of the heavenly course of the sun, the moon and the planets through Mûlâ, Pûrvashâdhâ and Uttarâshâdhâ.
Summarizing the entire description of the planetary systems of the universe, Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says that one who is able to meditate upon this arrangement as the virāṭ-rūpa, or viśva-rūpa, the external body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and worship Him three times a day by meditation will always be free from all sinful reactions. Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura estimates that Dhruvaloka, the polestar, is 3,800,000 yojanas above the sun. Above Dhruvaloka by 10,000,000 yojanas is Maharloka, above Maharloka by 20,000,000 yojanas is Janaloka, above Janaloka by 80,000,000 yojanas is Tapoloka, and above Tapoloka by 120,000,000 yojanas is Satyaloka. Thus the distance from the sun to Satyaloka is 233,800,000 yojanas, or 1,870,400,000 miles. The Vaikuṇṭha planets begin 26,200,000 yojanas (209,600,000 miles) above Satyaloka. Thus the Viṣṇu Purāṇa describes that the covering of the universe is 260,000,000 yojanas (2,080,000,000 miles) away from the sun. The distance from the sun to the earth is lower planetary systems called Atala, Vitala, Sutala, Talātala, Mahātala, Rasātala and Pātāla. Below these lower planets by 30,000 yojanas, Śeṣa Nāga is lying on the Garbhodaka Ocean. That ocean is 249,800,000 yojanas deep. Thus the total diameter of the universe is approximately 500,000,000 yojanas, or 4,000,000,000 miles.
Canto 5
Chapter 24: The Nether Worlds
This chapter describes the planet Rāhu, which is 10,000 yojanas (80,000 miles) below the sun, and it also describes Atala and the other lower planetary systems. Rāhu is situated below the sun and moon. It is between these two planets and the earth. When Rāhu conceals the sun and moon, eclipses occur, either total or partial, depending on whether Rāhu moves in a straight or curving way.
Below Rāhu by another 1,000,000 yojanas are the planets of the Siddhas, Cāraṇas and Vidyādharas, and below these are planets such as Yakṣaloka and Rakṣaloka. Below these planets is the earth, and 70,000 yojanas below the earth are the lower planetary systems — Atala, Vitala, Sutala, Talātala, Mahātala, Rasātala and Pātāla. Demons and Rakṣasas live in these lower planetary systems with their wives and children, always engaged in sense gratification and not fearing their next births. The sunshine does not reach these planets, but they are illuminated by jewels fixed upon the hoods of snakes. Because of these shining gems there is practically no darkness. Those living in these planets do not become old or diseased, and they are not afraid of death from any cause but the time factor, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
In the planet Atala, the yawning of a demon has produced three kinds of women, called svairiṇī (independent), kāmiṇī (lusty) and puḿścalī (very easily subdued by men). Below Atala is the planet Vitala, wherein Lord Śiva and his wife Gaurī reside. Because of their presence, a kind of gold is produced called hāṭaka. Below Vitala is the planet Sutala, the abode of Bali Mahārāja, the most fortunate king. Bali Mahārāja was favored by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vāmanadeva, because of his intense devotional service. The Lord went to the sacrificial arena of Bali Mahārāja and begged him for three paces of land, and on this plea the Lord took from him all his possessions. When Bali Mahārāja agreed to all this, the Lord was very pleased, and therefore the Lord serves as his doorkeeper. The description of Bali Mahārāja appears in the Eighth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
When the Supreme Personality of Godhead offers a devotee material happiness, this is not His real favor. The demigods, who are very puffed up by their material opulence, pray to the Lord only for material happiness, not knowing anything better. Devotees like Prahlāda Mahārāja, however, do not want material happiness. Not to speak of material happiness, they do not want even liberation from material bondage, although one can achieve this liberation simply by chanting the holy name of the Lord, even with improper pronunciation.
Below Sutala is the planet Talātala, the abode of the demon Maya. This demon is always materially happy because he is favored by Lord Śiva, but he cannot achieve spiritual happiness at any time. Below Talātala is the planet Mahātala, where there are many snakes with hundreds and thousands of hoods. Below Mahātala is Rasātala, and below that is Pātāla, where the serpent Vasukī lives with his associates.
5.24.1
adhastāt savitur yojanāyute svarbhānur nakṣatravac caratīty eke yo 'sāv amaratvaḿ grahatvaḿ cālabhata bhagavad-anukampayā svayam asurāpasadaḥ saiḿhikeyo hy atad-arhas tasya tāta janma karmāṇi copariṣṭād vakṣyāmaḥ
(1) S'rî S'uka said: 'Some people defend that countless yojanas ['ten thousand'] below the sun [the demon] Râhu is found who rotates in the sky just like the stars. O King, I will expound later on the birth and activities of this lowest of the ignorant ones, [Râhu] the son of Simhikâ, who personally by the grace of the Supreme Lord achieved this status of immortality in occupying the position of a leading planet, while he never qualified for the position [see also 6.6: 37 and 8.9: 23-26].
Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: My dear King, some historians, the speakers of the Purāṇas, say that 10,000 yojanas [80,000 miles] below the sun is the planet known as Rāhu, which moves like one of the stars. The presiding deity of that planet, who is the son of Siḿhikā, is the most abominable of all asuras, but although he is completely unfit to assume the position of a demigod or planetary deity, he has achieved that position by the grace of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Later I shall speak further about him.
5.24.2
yad adas taraṇer maṇḍalaḿ pratapatas tad vistarato yojanāyutam ācakṣate dvādaśa-sahasraḿ somasya trayodaśa-sahasraḿ rāhor yaḥ parvaṇi tad-vyavadhāna-kṛd vairānubandhaḥ sūryā-candramasāv abhidhāvati
(2) They declare that the sun has a width of ten thousand yojanas, that the moon is twenty thousand yojanas wide, that Râhu is thirteen thousand yojanas large [compare 5.21: 15] and that it occasionally, with inimical intentions overruling the influence of the sun god and the moon god, obstructs the distribution of the rays of the moon and the sun.
As stated herein, the sun extends for 10,000 yojanas, and the moon extends for twice that, or 20,000 yojanas. The word dvādaśa should be understood to mean twice as much as ten, or twenty. In the opinion of Vijayadhvaja, the extent of Rāhu should be twice that of the moon, or text of the Bhāgavatam, Vijayadhvaja cites the following quotation concerning Rāhu; rāhu-soma-ravīṇāḿ tu maṇḍalā dvi-guṇoktitām. This means that Rāhu is twice as large as the moon, which is twice as large as the sun. This is the conclusion of the commentator Vijayadhvaja.
5.24.3
tan niśamyobhayatrāpi bhagavatā rakṣaṇāya prayuktaḿ sudarśanaḿ nāma bhāgavataḿ dayitam astraḿ tat tejasā durviṣahaḿ muhuḥ parivartamānam abhyavasthito muhūrtam udvijamānaś cakita-hṛdaya ārād eva nivartate tad uparāgam iti vadanti lokāḥ
(3) The Supreme Lord who is there for the protection of both [these divinities] operates by the supreme presence of the wheel of Time [the Sudars'ana Cakra]. This disc is deemed the most dear, most devoted and favorite weapon that by its power and unbearable heat makes Râhu, with a mind full of fear and a bewildered heart, flee far away from that position wherein he resides for almost an hour and which by the people is called an eclipse.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu, is always the protector of His devotees, who are also known as demigods. The controlling demigods are most obedient to Lord Viṣṇu, although they also want material sense enjoyment, and that is why they are called demigods, or almost godly. Although Rāhu attempts to attack both the sun and the moon, they are protected by Lord Viṣṇu. Being very afraid of Lord Viṣṇu's cakra, Rāhu cannot stay in front of the sun or moon for more than a muhūrta (forty-eight minutes). The phenomenon that occurs when Rāhu blocks the light of the sun or moon is called an eclipse. The attempt of the scientists of this earth to go to the moon is as demoniac as Rāhu's attack. Of course. their attempts will be failures because no one can enter the moon or sun so easily. Like the attack of Rāhu, such attempts will certainly be failures.
5.24.4
(4) At an equal distance beneath it [compare 5.22: 8] there are the residential places of the perfected ones, the venerable ones of the Veda and the ones founded in knowledge [the Siddhas, Câranas and Vidyâdharas].
5.24.5
tato 'dhastād yakṣa-rakṣaḥ-piśāca-preta-bhūta-gaṇānāḿ vihārājiram antarikṣaḿ yāvad vāyuḥ pravāti yāvan meghā upalabhyante
(5) Below of them there are the places of sense gratification of the mad, the possessed, the demoniac and more of such beings [the Yakshas, Râkshasas and Pis'âcas], that stretch out as far as the wind blows the clouds that one sees in the sky.
5.24.6
tato 'dhastāc chata-yojanāntara iyaḿ pṛthivī yāvad dhaḿsa-bhāsa-śyena-suparṇādayaḥ patattri-pravarā utpatantīti
(6) Beneath the atmosphere that is a hundred yojanas thick and reaches as high as swans, vultures, eagles and other birds of size can fly, there is this earth [according to modern measurements the normal, increasingly thinner atmosphere reaches up to a 100 km above the earth].
5.24.7
upavarṇitaḿ bhūmer yathā-sanniveśāvasthānam avaner apy adhastāt sapta bhū-vivarā ekaikaśo yojanāyutāntareṇāyāma-vistāreṇopakḷptā atalaḿ vitalaḿ sutalaḿ talātalaḿ mahātalaḿ rasātalaḿ pātālam iti
(7) Formerly I discussed the planet earth and the division of its different realms [see 2.1: 26-27]. Below the earth are situated seven other planets of the same width and length named Atala, Vitala, Sutala, Talâtala, Mahâtala, Rasâtala and Pâtâla [the nether worlds], that one behind the other are positioned [up to the edge of the universe] with intervals of ten thousand yojanas.
5.24.8
eteṣu hi bila-svargeṣu svargād apy adhika-kāma-bhogaiśvaryānanda-bhūti-vibhūtibhiḥ susamṛddha-bhavanodyānākrīḍa-vihāreṣu daitya-dānava-kādraveyā nitya-pramuditānurakta-kalatrāpatya-bandhu-suhṛd-anucarā gṛha-pataya īśvarād apy apratihata-kāmā māyā-vinodā nivasanti
(8) In these worldly holes ambitious for heaven there is a greater lust experience and enrapture about wealth than in the higher worlds. Equiped with all thinkable luxuries the houses and gardens offer to the demons, ghosts and snakes living there a better opportunity for sense gratification. Always overjoyed in the attachment to their wives, children, family, friends and followers, the masters of the households who live in an illusory heaven, are even better capable of an unimpeded fulfillment of their desires than the godly ones who are of self control.
According to the statements of Prahlāda Mahārāja, material enjoyment is māyā-sukha, illusory enjoyment. A Vaiṣṇava is full of anxieties for the deliverance of all living entities from such false enjoyment. Prahlāda Mahārāja says, māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān: [SB 7.9.43] these fools (vimūḍhas) are engaged in material happiness, which is surely temporary. Whether in the heavenly planets, the lower planets or the earthly planets, people are engrossed in temporary, material happiness, forgetting that in due course of time they have to change their bodies according to the material laws and suffer the repetition of birth, death, old age and disease. Not caring what will happen in the next birth, gross materialists are simply busy enjoying during the present short span of life. A Vaiṣṇava is always anxious to give all such bewildered materialists the real happiness of spiritual bliss.
5.24.9
yeṣu mahārāja mayena māyāvinā vinirmitāḥ puro nānā-maṇi-pravara-praveka-viracita-vicitra-bhavana-prākāra-gopura-sabhā-caitya-catvarāyatanādibhir nāgāsura-mithuna-pārāvata-śuka-sārikākīrṇa-kṛtrima-bhūmibhir vivareśvara-gṛhottamaiḥ samalańkṛtāś cakāsati
(9) Maya [the architect of the Daityas] my dear King, has there, with faithless trickery and a plethora of rich ornamentation, built cities surrounded by walls with gates full of excellently constructed, wonderful houses, offices, halls, schools and public facilities. The leaders and landowners of those artificial worlds shining brightly with their decorations, occupy the best houses there which are crowded by snakelike, godless couples and pigeons, parrots and mynas [eastern starlings].
5.24.10
udyānāni cātitarāḿ mana-indriyānandibhiḥ kusuma-phala-stabaka-subhaga-kisalayāvanata-rucira-viṭapa-viṭapināḿ latāńgālińgitānāḿ śrībhiḥ samithuna-vividha-vihańgama-jalāśayānām amala-jala-pūrṇānāḿ jhaṣakulollańghana-kṣubhita-nīra-nīraja-kumuda-kuva-laya-kahlāra-nīlotpala-lohita-śatapatrādi-vaneṣu kṛta-niketanānām eka-vihārākula-madhura-vividha-svanādibhir indriyotsavair amara-loka-śriyam atiśayitāni
(10) The gardens and parks that are most appealing to the mind and senses, pleasure with their masses of flowers and fruits hanging from the branches of the trees which, embraced by creepers, nicely bend low being pulled by gravity. The sensual enjoyment is invoked by a magnificence which surpasses the beauty of the residential places of the godly: the variety of birds that in pairs frequent the ponds filled with sparkling clear water restless with jumping fish, the lotus flowers in those waters, the lilies, the kuvalaya and kahlâra flowers, the blue and red lotuses, giant lotuses with thousands of petals and the uninterrupted joyous sound of all the kinds of sweetly vibrating birds who built their nests in the forests.
5.24.11
(11) There one assuredly is of no concern about the divisions of time relative to the changes of night and day [as observed with sundials and lunar phases].
5.24.12
(12) All darkness there is driven away by the best of gems situated on the hoods of the great serpents living there.
5.24.13
na vā eteṣu vasatāḿ divyauṣadhi-rasa-rasāyanānna-pāna-snānādibhir ādhayo vyādhayo valī-palita-jarādayaś ca deha-vaivarṇya-daurgandhya-sveda-klama-glānir iti vayo 'vasthāś ca bhavanti
(13) Nor do the residents who eat, drink and bathe there with miraculous [curative] herbs, juices and elixirs, worry about diseases, mental troubles, attaining old age, having wrinkles, gray hair, etc. or about the miseries of losing strength with a fading luster, bad smelling perspiration, fatigue or a lack of energy.
5.24.14
na hi teṣāḿ kalyāṇānāḿ prabhavati kutaścana mṛtyur vinā bhagavat-tejasaś cakrāpadeśāt
(14) No other cause of death than the almighty wheel of Time in the form of His disc weapon is capable of influencing them in any way.
This is the defect of material existence. Everything in the subterranean heavens is very nicely arranged. There are well situated residential quarters, there is a pleasing atmosphere, and there are no bodily inconveniences or mental anxieties, but nevertheless those who live there have to take another birth according to karma. Persons whose minds are dull cannot understand this defect of a materialistic civilization aiming at material comforts. One may make his living conditions very pleasing for the senses, but despite all favorable conditions, one must in due course of time meet death. The members of a demoniac civilization endeavor to make their living conditions very comfortable, but they cannot check death. The influence of the Sudarśana cakra will not allow their so-called material happiness to endure.
5.24.15
yasmin praviṣṭe 'sura-vadhūnāḿ prāyaḥ puḿsavanāni bhayād eva sravanti patanti ca
(15) It is practically always out of fear for the Lord His cakra order [the compelling natural order of time] that the wives of the godless ones lose their fetuses in miscarriages.
5.24.16
athātale maya-putro 'suro balo nivasati yena ha vā iha sṛṣṭāḥ ṣaṇ-ṇavatir māyāḥ kāścanādyāpi māyāvino dhārayanti yasya ca jṛmbhamāṇasya mukhatas trayaḥ strī-gaṇā udapadyanta svairiṇyaḥ kāminyaḥ puḿścalya iti yā vai bilāyanaḿ praviṣṭaḿ puruṣaḿ rasena hāṭakākhyena sādhayitvā sva-vilāsāvalokanānurāga-smita-saḿlāpopagūhanādibhiḥ svairaḿ kila ramayanti yasminn upayukte puruṣa īśvaro 'haḿ siddho 'ham ity ayuta-mahā-gaja-balam ātmānam abhimanyamānaḥ katthate madāndha iva
(16) Now then, in the world of Atala, Bala the godless son of Maya resides who propagated ninety-six types of trickery, some of which even today are used by expert cheaters. From his yawning mouth the svairinî [class exclusive], kâminî [class indifferent] and pums'calî [promiscuous] types of women sprouted who desirous with glances, smiles, talks, embraces and the juice of an intoxicating herb called hâthaka [cannabis indica], for their sexual pleasure warm up any man who entered the nether worlds. One says that a man under the influence of this herb full of pride and conceited thinks of himself as 'I am the ruler' and 'I am as strong as a thousand elephants'.
My dear King, now I shall describe to you the lower planetary systems, one by one, beginning from Atala. In Atala there is a demon, the son of Maya Dānava named Bala, who created ninety-six kinds of mystic power. Some so-called yogīs and svāmīs take advantage of this mystic power to cheat people even today. Simply by yawning, the demon Bala created three kinds of women, known as svairiṇī, kāmiṇī and puḿścalī. The svairiṇīs like to marry men from their own group, the kāmiṇīs marry men from any group, and the puḿścalīs change husbands one after another. If a man enters the planet of Atala, these women immediately capture him and induce him to drink an intoxicating beverage made with a drug known as hāṭaka [cannabis indica]. This intoxicant endows the man with great sexual prowess, of which the women take advantage for enjoyment. A woman will enchant him with attractive glances, intimate words, smiles of love and then embraces. In this way she induces him to enjoy sex with her to her full satisfaction. Because of his increased sexual power, the man thinks himself stronger than ten thousand elephants and considers himself most perfect. Indeed, illusioned and intoxicated by false pride, he thinks himself God, ignoring impending death.
5.24.17
tato 'dhastād vitale haro bhagavān hāṭakeśvaraḥ sva-pārṣada-bhūta-gaṇāvṛtaḥ prajāpati-sargopabṛḿhaṇāya bhavo bhavānyā saha mithunī-bhūta āste yataḥ pravṛttā sarit-pravarā hāṭakī nāma bhavayor vīryeṇa yatra citrabhānur mātariśvanā samidhyamāna ojasā pibati tan niṣṭhyūtaḿ hāṭakākhyaḿ suvarṇaḿ bhūṣaṇenāsurendrāvarodheṣu puruṣāḥ saha puruṣībhir dhārayanti
(17) One world lower, in Vitala, Lord S'iva surrounded by his ghostly associates resides as Hâthakes'vara, the master of gold, in sexual union with his wife Bhavânî in order to increase the population of Brahmâ's creation. From the fluids of their union the great river named the Hâthakî flows, drinking of which the fire god, by the wind being brightly inflamed with great strength, hissing spits out the gold called Hâthaka of use for the ornaments worn by the men and women populating the homes of the great Asuras.
5.24.18
tato 'dhastāt sutale udāra-śravāḥ puṇya-śloko virocanātmajo balir bhagavatā mahendrasya priyaḿ cikīrṣamāṇenāditer labdha-kāyo bhūtvā vaṭu-vāmana-rūpeṇa parākṣipta-loka-trayo bhagavad-anukampayaiva punaḥ praveśita indrādiṣv avidyamānayā susamṛddhayā śriyābhijuṣṭaḥ sva-dharmeṇārādhayaḿs tam eva bhagavantam ārādhanīyam apagata-sādhvasa āste 'dhunāpi
(18) Beneath that world on Sutala one finds the greatly celebrated, most pious and spiritually advanced son of Virocana, Bali Mahârâja. To please king Indra, the Supreme Lord taking birth from Aditi assumed the body of a vâmana, a dwarf. It was by the causeless mercy of the Supreme Lord who wrested away from him the three worlds, that even today he in his devotional service remains fearless unto Him, the most venerable Supreme Personality. He was blessed with the good fortune of regaining an opulence not even known to the gods of Indra's heaven.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is described as Uttamaśloka, "He who is worshiped by the best of selected Sanskrit verses," and His devotees such as Bali Mahārāja are also worshiped by puṇya-śloka, verses that increase one's piety. Bali Mahārāja offered everything to the Lord — his wealth, his kingdom and even his own body (sarvātma-nivedane baliḥ). The Lord appeared before Bali Mahārāja as a brāhmaṇa beggar, and Bali Mahārāja gave Him everything he had. However, Bali Mahārāja did not become poor; by donating all his possessions to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he became a successful devotee and got everything back again with the blessings of the Lord. Similarly, those who give contributions to expand the activities of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement and to accomplish its objectives will never be losers; they will get their wealth back with the blessings of Lord Kṛṣṇa. On the other side, those who collect contributions on behalf of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness should be very careful not to use even a farthing of the collection for any purpose other than the transcendental loving service of the Lord.
5.24.19
no evaitat sākṣātkāro bhūmi-dānasya yat tad bhagavaty aśeṣa-jīva-nikāyānāḿ jīva-bhūtātma-bhūte paramātmani vāsudeve tīrthatame pātra upapanne parayā śraddhayā paramādara-samāhita-manasā sampratipāditasya sākṣād apavarga-dvārasya yad bila-nilayaiśvaryam
(19) This was certainly not the direct result of donating with faith, great respect and an attentive mind his lands. Approaching the topmost one, the Supreme Lord who is the most worthy recipient and best place of pilgrimage, who is the life, heart and Supersoul of the countless living beings Lord Vâsudeva, gave him direct access to the liberation that resulted in the opulence of the nether imitation of heaven.
My dear King, Bali Mahārāja donated all his possessions to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vāmanadeva, but one should certainly not conclude that he achieved his great worldly opulence in bila-svarga as a result of his charitable disposition. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the source of life for all living entities, lives within everyone as the friendly Supersoul, and under His direction a living entity enjoys or suffers in the material world. Greatly appreciating the transcendental qualities of the Lord, Bali Mahārāja offered everything at His lotus feet. His purpose, however, was not to gain anything material, but to become a pure devotee. For a pure devotee, the door of liberation is automatically opened. One should not think that Bali Mahārāja was given so much material opulence merely because of his charity. When one becomes a pure devotee in love, he may also be blessed with a good material position by the will of the Supreme Lord. However, one should not mistakenly think that the material opulence of a devotee is the result of his devotional service. The real result of devotional service is the awakening of pure love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, which continues under all circumstances.
5.24.20
yasya ha vāva kṣuta-patana-praskhalanādiṣu vivaśaḥ sakṛn nāmābhigṛṇan puruṣaḥ karma-bandhanam añjasā vidhunoti yasya haiva pratibādhanaḿ mumukṣavo 'nyathaivopalabhante
(20) The person who helplessly, starved, fallen down or stumbling utters His name but once will be completely freed from the bond of fruitive labor, the karma that in all other cases constitutes an inevitable stumbling block for anyone who tries to find liberation.
A devotee never accepts mukti, even if Kṛṣṇa offers it. Mukti, freedom from all sinful reactions, is obtained even by nāmābhāsa, or a glimpse of the light of the holy name before its full light is perfectly visible.
The nāmābhāsa stage is between that of nāma-aparādha, or chanting of the holy name with offenses, and pure chanting. There are three stages in chanting the holy name of the Lord. In the first stage, one commits ten kinds of offenses while chanting. In the next stage, nāmābhāsa, the offenses have almost stopped, and one is coming to the platform of pure chanting. In the third stage, when one chants the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra without offenses, his dormant love for Kṛṣṇa immediately awakens. This is the perfection.
5.24.21
tad bhaktānām ātmavatāḿ sarveṣām ātmany ātmada ātmatayaiva
(21) He, giving Himself without reservation to great devotees and self-realized persons, is the Supreme Soul of all, the Paramâtmâ.
5.24.22
na vai bhagavān nūnam amuṣyānujagrāha yad uta punar ātmānusmṛti-moṣaṇaḿ māyāmaya-bhogaiśvaryam evātanuteti
(22) It is thus not because of the material opulence which certainly extends with Him, that the Supreme Personality especially unto Bali showed His favor. He was as graceful because [of fighting] mâyâ, the material bewilderment that steals away the remembrance of the Soul.
There are two kinds of opulence. One, which results from one's karma, is material, whereas the other is spiritual. A surrendered soul who fully depends upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead does not want material opulence for sense gratification. Therefore when a pure devotee is seen to possess exalted material opulence, it is not due to his karma. Rather, it is due to his bhakti. In other words, he is in that position because the Supreme Lord wants him to execute service to Him very easily and opulently. The special mercy of the Lord for the neophyte devotee is that he becomes materially poor. This is the Lord's mercy because if a neophyte devotee becomes materially opulent, he forgets the service of the Lord. However, if an advanced devotee is favored by the Lord with opulence, it is not material opulence but a spiritual opportunity. Material opulence offered to the demigods causes forgetfulness of the Lord, but opulence was given to Bali Mahārāja for continuing service to the Lord, which was free from any touch of māyā.
5.24.23
yat tad bhagavatānadhigatānyopāyena yācñā-cchalenāpahṛta-sva-śarīrāvaśeṣita-loka-trayo varuṇa-pāśaiś ca sampratimukto giri-daryāḿ cāpaviddha iti hovāca
(23) To the occasion of what was done by the difficult by other means to perceive Supreme Lord - viz. His seizing the three worlds by means of the trick of begging [three steps of land] so that Bali was left with nothing but his body which bound with the ropes of Varuna was detained in a mountain cave - Bali then said:
5.24.24
nūnaḿ batāyaḿ bhagavān artheṣu na niṣṇāto yo 'sāv indro yasya sacivo mantrāya vṛta ekāntato bṛhaspatis tam atihāya svayam upendreṇātmānam ayācatātmanaś cāśiṣo no eva tad-dāsyam ati-gambhīra-vayasaḥ kālasya manvantara-parivṛttaḿ kiyal loka-trayam idam
(24) 'How regrettable it is indeed that this very learned and to his self-interest most experienced Indra of Heaven who chose Brihaspati for his prime minister and one preceptor, ignored him with the Lord in the form of Upendra [Lord Vâmana] begging for my blessings [in the form of three steps of land]. I who with neglect for the certainty of the actual blessings of serving the ever lasting reality of Him, desired for himself the three worlds the value of which is lost in a manvantara [an age of Manu]!
Bali Mahārāja was so powerful that he fought with Indra and took possession of the three worlds. Indra was certainly very advanced in knowledge, but instead of asking Vāmanadeva for engagement in His service, he used the Lord to beg for material possessions that would lie finished at the end of one age of Manu. An age of Manu, which is the duration of Manu's life, is calculated to last seventy-two yugas. One yuga consists of 4,300,000 years, and therefore the duration of Manu's life is 309,600,000 years. The demigods possess their material opulence only until the end of the life of Manu. Time is insurmountable. The time one is allotted, even if it be millions of years, is quickly gone. The demigods own their material possessions only within the limits of time. Therefore Bali Mahārāja lamented that although Indra was very learned, he did not know how to use his intelligence properly, for instead of asking Vāmanadeva to allow him to engage in His service, Indra used Him to beg Bali Mahārāja for material wealth. Although Indra was learned and his prime minister, Bṛhaspati, was also learned, neither of them begged to be able to render loving service to Lord Vāmanadeva. Therefore Bali Mahārāja lamented for Indra.
5.24.25
yasyānudāsyam evāsmat-pitāmahaḥ kila vavre na tu sva-pitryaḿ yad utākutobhayaḿ padaḿ dīyamānaḿ bhagavataḥ param iti bhagavatoparate khalu sva-pitari
(25) When his father was killed by the Supreme Lord [Nrisimhadev] our grandfather [Prahlâda] asked for nothing but the permission to serve Him and not for the inheritance offered to him of the position of his father who feared no one [the kingdom of Hiranyakas'ipu].
5.24.26
tasya mahānubhāvasyānupatham amṛjita-kaṣāyaḥ ko vāsmad-vidhaḥ parihīṇa-bhagavad-anugraha upajigamiṣatīti
(26) What materially contaminated person deprived of the Supreme Lord His mercy can hope to follow the path of that great believer?'
It is said that for spiritual realization one must follow great personalities like Lord Brahmā, Devarṣi Nārada, Lord Śiva and Prahlāda Mahārāja. The path of bhakti is not at all difficult if we follow in the footsteps of previous ācāryas and authorities, but those who are too materially contaminated by the modes of material nature cannot follow them. Although Bali Mahārāja was actually following the path of his grandfather, because of his great humility he thought that he was not. It is characteristic of advanced Vaiṣṇavas following the principles of bhakti that they think themselves ordinary human beings. This is not an artificial exhibition of humility; a Vaiṣṇava sincerely thinks this way and therefore never admits his exalted position.
5.24.27
tasyānucaritam upariṣṭād vistariṣyate yasya bhagavān svayam akhila-jagad-gurur nārāyaṇo dvāri gadā-pāṇir avatiṣṭhate nija-janānukampita-hṛdayo yenāńguṣṭhena padā daśa-kandharo yojanāyutāyutaḿ dig-vijaya uccāṭitaḥ
(27) Later on I will in the story about him [in canto eight] explain how the Supreme Lord [Vâmanadeva] as the master of the three worlds, as Nârâyana in person, with an always graceful heart towards His devotees stands at Bali's gate with the club in His hand, He who with the big toe of His foot kicked the ten headed demon [known as Râvana] a hundred million yojanas away when he wanted to conquer the world.
5.24.28
tato 'dhastāt talātale mayo nāma dānavendras tri-purādhipatir bhagavatā purāriṇā tri-lokī-śaḿ cikīrṣuṇā nirdagdha-sva-pura-trayas tat-prasādāl labdha-pado māyāvinām ācāryo mahādevena parirakṣito vigata-sudarśana-bhayo mahīyate
(28) Below Sutala in the world of Talâtala the dânava [demon] king named Maya rules. His cities were burned by the almighty Tripurâri [S'iva], the lord of the three cities, who desired the welfare of the three worlds. But he as the master and teacher of all sorcery by his grace obtained a kingdom. Thus being protected by Mahâdeva [the great god who is S'iva] he thinks he has nothing to fear from the Sudars'ana Cakra [the presence of the Lord in the form of Time] which [with clocks and calendars] is worshiped [in all worlds].
5.24.29
tato 'dhastān mahātale kādraveyāṇāḿ sarpāṇāḿ naika-śirasāḿ krodhavaśo nāma gaṇaḥ kuhaka-takṣaka-kāliya-suṣeṇādi-pradhānā mahā-bhogavantaḥ patattri-rājādhipateḥ puruṣa-vāhād anavaratam udvijamānāḥ sva-kalatrāpatya-suhṛt-kuṭumba-sańgena kvacit pramattā viharanti
(29) Beneath that world there is the world of Mahâtala which belongs to the descendants of Kadrû who have a reputation as a bunch of ever angry, many hooded, cruel snake types, as there are the notorious Kuhaka, Takshaka, Kâlya and Sushena. Addicted to sensual pleasures, they are constantly afraid of the king of all birds [Garuda], the carrier of the Original Personality, who sometimes infuriates them when they are sporting together with their wives, children, friends and relatives.
5.24.30
tato 'dhastād rasātale daiteyā dānavāḥ paṇayo nāma nivāta-kavacāḥ kāleyā hiraṇya-puravāsina iti vibudha-pratyanīkā utpattyā mahaujaso mahā-sāhasino bhagavataḥ sakala-lokānubhāvasya harer eva tejasā pratihata-balāvalepā bileśayā iva vasanti ye vai saramayendra-dūtyā vāgbhir mantra-varṇābhir indrād bibhyati
(30) Situated below that world again there is Rasâtala, the world of the Daityas and Dânavas [the evil minded sons of Diti and Danu] named the Panis [who are divided in] the Nivâta-kavacas, the Kâleyas and the Hiranya-puravâsîs. They are the very cruel and greatly powerful natural enemies of the demigods and are, despite of their strength and pride, inevitably defeated by the might of [the disc weapon of] the Supreme Lord Hari who is so full of mercy for all the worlds. Living like the snakes they are afraid of the [threatening] Vedic mantras uttered by [the bitch] Saramayâ that once was sent there by the King of Heaven Indra.
5.24.31
tato 'dhastāt pātāle nāga-loka-patayo vāsuki-pramukhāḥ śańkha-kulika-mahāśańkha-śveta-dhanañjaya-dhṛtarāṣṭra-śańkhacūḍa-kambalāśvatara-devadattādayo mahā-bhogino mahāmarṣā nivasanti yeṣām u ha vai pañca-sapta-daśa-śata-sahasra-śīrṣāṇāḿ phaṇāsu viracitā mahā-maṇayo rociṣṇavaḥ pātāla-vivara-timira-nikaraḿ sva-rociṣā vidhamanti
ankhacûda
(31) Below that world there is Pâtâla, the world of the master snakes. Lead by Vâsuki there are S'ankha, Kulika, Mahâs'ankha, S'veta, Dhanañjaya, Dhritarâshthra, S', Kambala, As'vatara, Devadatta and so on. Most addicted to material happiness they all live with the shortest temper. They have five, seven, ten, a hundred or a thousand hoods, with on their crests fixed the most valuable gems the effulgence of which disperses the vast darkness of the caves of Pâtâla.'
(My humble salutations to the lotus feet of Swamyjis, Philosophers, Scholars and Knowledge Seekers for the collection)
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