The Bhagavata Purana 2

by Bibek Debroy

  The rishi 288 continued, ‘Beyond this 289 and surrounding it, there is a mountain named Lokaloka. This divides the region that is illuminated by the sun from the region that is not illuminated by the sun. This land is as extensive as that between Manasottara and Meru. Beyond this is a region made out of gold, like the surface of a mirror. If something is dropped into it, it can never be regained. Therefore, all living entities avoid this place. This mountain is known as Lokaloka because it is between the region that is illuminated by the sun and the region that is not illuminated by the sun. 290 The lord has fashioned this beyond the three worlds. Such is the height of the mountain that the rays of the sun, Dhruva and minor stellar bodies can illuminate the worlds on one of its sides, but are unable to penetrate to the other side. Wise people have thought about the placing of the worlds, their dimensions and attributes. The size of the globe has been computed as five crore yojanas. One-fourth of this is the expanse from Meru to Mount Lokaloka. For the welfare of all the worlds, the one who created himself, the preceptor of the entire universe, 291 instated four lords of elephants in the four directions atop it. 292 They are Rishabha, Pushkarachuda, Vamana and Aparajita. The illustrious and supreme one is the great being. He is the lord of all great powers and he is the one who is inside atmans. He is pure sattva and possesses dharma, knowledge, opulence and the eight great siddhis. He manifests himself as Vishvaksena and other forms. He is surrounded by his own prominent attendants. His powerful arms are ornamented with many kinds of weapons. For extending his powers to the elephants and the guardians of the worlds and for the benefit of the worlds that exist all around it, he manifests his form on that great mountain. Using the yoga of his maya, the illustrious one will assume this form till the end of the kalpa. He has fashioned this form for the sake of the maintenance and progress of the many kinds of worlds. The side that is to one side of Mount Lokaloka, right up to the end, has been said to be the expanse of Aloka. 293 It is said that pure lords of yoga are the only ones who can travel to these parts. The sun is in the middle of the egg, in between the earth and the vault of the sky. The distance between the sun and the circumference of the universe is twenty-five crore yojanas. Since the sun was inside this inanimate egg, it is referred to as Martanda. 294 Since it was born from the golden egg, it is known as Hiranyagarbha. 295 Indeed, it is the sun that divides the directions, the sky, the firmament, the earth, heaven, the worlds of emancipation, hell and all the nether regions like rasatala. The sun is in the atmans of the gods, inferior species, humans, reptiles, herbs and plants and all categories of living beings. It is the lord of sight.’

  Chapter 5(21)

  Shri-Shuka said, ‘Thus, the dimensions of the terrestrial sphere, attributes and placement have been described. The dimensions of the heavenly sphere are described with reference to this. It is in two halves, 296 like the two parts of a bean and the intervening space, which joins the two, is known as antariksha. In the midst of these, is the illustrious sun god, the lord of bodies that heat the three worlds. It heats and lights them with its rays. Its slow, swift and equal movements, positions of rising, setting and staying in the middle, occur according to the seasons and are known by names like uttarayana, dakshinayana and vaishuvata. 297 As it passes through Makara 298 and the other rashis, 299 day and night become longer or shorter, or are equal. When it passes through Mesha and Tula, 300 day and night are equal. When it passes through Vrisha and the five other rashis, every month, day increases by one ghatika and night decreases by the same amount. 301 When it passes through Vrishchika and the other five, day and night move in the opposite direction. Days increase until dakshinayana and nights increase until uttarayana. It is said that in revolving around Mount Manasottara, the sun traverses nine crore and fifty-one lakh yojanas. Indra’s city is to the east of Meru and is known as Devadhani, Yama’s city is to the south and is named Samyamini, Varuna’s city is to the west and is known as Nimlochani, while Soma’s city is to the north and is named Vibhavari. When the sun passes through these four directions of Meru, it is sunrise, midday, sunset and midnight. These indicate the times for living beings to begin and cease activities. For those who reside there, 302 it is always midday and the sun heats, to the left of the mountain and to the right. 303 The sun sets at a point that is diametrically opposite the point at which it rises. When it heats people and makes them perspire, at a diametrically opposite point, it makes them sleep. When it has set, those people are no longer able to see it. When it travels from Indra’s city to that of Yama, it traverses two and a quarter crore, twelve lakh and a half and twenty-five thousand yojanas 304 in fifteen ghatikas. 305 In this way, it goes to Varuna’s city, Soma’s city and back to Indra’s city. Planets, the moon, nakshatras and other stellar bodies also rise and set together. The chariot of the sun, which is full of the three Vedas, passes through the four cities. In one muhurta, it traverses thirty-four lakh and eight hundred yojanas. It is said that the chariot has one wheel, which is the year, twelve spokes, six segments of the rim and three naves. 306 At one end, the axle is fixed on the summit of Meru and at the other end, on Manasottara. Thus fixed, like the wheel of an oil press, it revolves around Mount Manasottara. Just like an oil press, a second axle, which is one-fourth the size of the first, is attached to the first axle. The upper end of this axle is attached to Dhruva. The seat of the chariot is thirty-six lakh yojanas in size and its width is one-fourth that. Yoked by Aruna, 307 the sun’s chariot is yoked to seven horses that bear along the god Aditya and have the names of chhandas. 308 Since he is engaged in the task of a charioteer, Aruna sits in front of the sun god, but his face is turned towards the rear. 309 The valakhilya rishis 310 are the size of a thumb. Sixty thousand of these are engaged in front of the sun and praise him with their words, chanting hymns. Other rishis, gandharvas, apsaras, nagas, yakshas, yatudhanas and many other categories of gods possess many kinds of names and are divided into fourteen, or seven pairs. Under these different names, from one month to another month, they perform their duties in pairs, worshipping the illustrious sun god, who is a form of the atman. 311 The circumference of the terrestrial sphere is nine crore and fifty-one lakh yojanas. In a kshana, the sun traverses two thousand yojanas and one gavyuti.’ 312

  Chapter 5(22)

  The king asked, ‘O illustrious one! When the illustrious sun god revolves facing the rashis, you have described that he keeps Meru and Dhruva on his left, but it appears as if they are on his right. How will we interpret this statement?’

  He 313 replied, ‘When a potter’s wheel rotates, the motions of ants and other things that are on it are experienced to be different, because they are on different parts of the wheel. Similarly, when the wheel of time, consisting of the nakshatras and the rashis, revolves, Meru and Dhruva are on the right, but the progress of the sun, the planets and other things that are based on it are different, since these are observed in different nakshatras and rashis. He 314 is the illustrious original being, Narayana, himself. He consists of the three Vedas and the wise inquire about him. For the welfare of the worlds and the purification of rites, he divided himself into twelve and arranged vasanta and the other seasons, along with the qualities of these seasons. In this world, men who follow the three Vedas and the conduct and path of the varnas and ashramas, faithfully worship him with superior and inferior rituals passed down through yoga. They obtain what is beneficial. He is the atman of the worlds. He is in the the sky, in between earth and the vault of heaven. Following the wheel of time, he enjoys the twelve months named after the rashis. This is the form of the year. The learned say that a month consists of two pakshas, a day and a night, which 315 is the period required to cross two and a quarter rashis. It is also instructed that a season is the time required by the sun to traverse one-sixth of a year. The period taken by the sun to traverse half of space is said to be ayana. The sun travels at a fast, slow or moderate speed. The time taken to orbit the sky, the earth and the vault of heaven is known as samvatsara, parivatsara, idavatsara, anuvatsara and vatsa
ra. In this way, the moon is seen to be located a hundred thousand yojanas above the sun’s rays. Its speed is faster than that of the sun and it moves on ahead. In two fortnights, it covers what the sun traverses in a month and in one day, it covers what the sun takes a fortnight to traverse. When the kalas of the moon increase, it is day for the immortals and night for the ancestors. When the kalas of the moon decrease, it is day for the ancestors and night for the immortals. Thus, in the first paksha and the next paksha, the moon distributes the breath of life for all living creatures and is known as life itself. One after another, it is in conjunction with a nakshatra for thirty muhurtas. This illustrious one possesses sixteen kalas and is the divinity for the mind, food and amrita. He is spoken of as the breath of life for gods, ancestors, humans, bhutas, animals, birds, reptiles and herbs and plants and as the one who pervades everything. In the wheel of time, the lord has fixed twenty-eight nakshatras, along with Abhijit, 316 three lakh yojanas above the moon. They revolve with Meru on the right. Ushana 317 is observed two lakh yojanas above this. It has a slow, fast or moderate motion and is seen to be ahead of, behind, or along with the sun. It moves like the sun, always favourable to the worlds and generally bringing rain. As it moves, it is seen to counter planets that obstruct rain. 318 The orbit of Budha 319 is described as being two lakh yojanas above that of Ushana. Budha is Soma’s son and is generally perceived to be favourable. However, if it does not move along with the sun, there are always storms, clouds, droughts and other such reasons for fear. Angaraka 320 is seen to be two lakh yojanas above Budha. Unless it moves in a retrograde way, it progressively passes through each rashi in three pakshas and traverses all twelve. In general, it is an inauspicious planet, causing calamities. Two lakh yojanas above Angaraka is the auspicious Brihaspati. 321 Unless it moves in a retrograde way, it passes through each rashi in a samvatsara. It is generally favourable to those from the brahmana lineage. Shanaishchara 322 is seen to be two lakh yojanas above Brihaspati. It remains in a single rashi for thirty months and thus requires many anuvatsaras to cover all of them. 323 It generally causes troubles for everyone. Eleven lakh yojanas above Shanaishchara are seen to be the rishis. 324 They always think of tranquility for the worlds and revolve around Vishnu’s supreme abode, keeping it to the right.’

  Chapter 5(23)

  Shri-Shuka said, ‘Thirteen lakh yojanas above the rishis is Vishnu’s supreme abode. The great devotee of the illustrious one, Dhruva, Uttanapada’s son, is said to reside there. His devotion has already been described earlier. Agni, Indra, Prajapati Kashyapa and Dharma simultaneously go around him, showing him great reverence and keeping him to their right. He is worshipped even now, because he sustains the lives of those who will live till the end of the kalpa. He shines constantly. The force of the unmanifest and illustrious one has earmarked him like a stable pillar and all the large number of stellar bodies, planets and nakshatras incessantly use him as a pivot, thus ordained by the lord. Bulls used in threshing corn are yoked to the pivotal post in the middle, using three kinds of ropes—short, medium and long. In their respective places, they walk around in three circles. Similarly, stellar bodies and the planets are fixed to the wheel of time in inner and outer circles. Using Dhruva as the pivot and impelled by the force of the wind, they revolve until the end of the kalpa, like clouds and hawks in the sky, propelled by the wind. The charioteers of the large number of stellar bodies are their past karmas, revolving because of the union between Purusha and Prakriti. It is because of their past good karmas that they do not fall down on the ground. Some imagine this large number of stellar bodies to be in the form of a dolphin. 325 It is described as being supported by the illustrious Vasudeva’s yoga. The body of the dolphin is coiled, with the head downwards, and Dhruva is at the tip of the tail. Prajapati, Agni, Indra and Dharma are imagined to be at the tip of the tail. Dhatri, Vidhatri and the saptarshis are on the hip. The body is coiled from left to right. On the right side are located the nakshatras that mark the northern course, while on the left side are the nakshatras that mark dakshinayana. 326 It is as if the coiled body of the porpoise has an equal number of limbs on either side. Ajavithi is on the back and Akasha-Ganga is on the stomach. 327 Punarvasu and Pushya are on the right and left hips. Ardra and Ashlesha are on the right and left feet, to the rear. Abhijit and Uttarashadha are numbered on the right and left nostrils. Shravana and Purvashadha are numbered on the right and left eyes. Dhanishtha and Mula are on the right and left ears. The eight nakshatras that mark the progress of dakshinayana, Magha and the others, are on the ribs to the left. 328 The eight nakshatras that mark the progress of uttarayana, Mrigashirsha and the others, are on the ribs to the right, but in the reverse direction. 329 The others, Shatabhisha and Jyeshtha, are on the right and left shoulders. Agasti 330 is on the upper jaw and Yama is on the lower jaw. Angaraka is on the mouth, Shanaishchara is on the genitals, Brihaspati is on the hump, the sun is on the chest, Narayana is in the heart, the moon is in the mind, Ushana 331 is in the navel, the Ashvins are on the nipples, Budha is in the prana and apana breath, 332 Rahu is on the throat, Ketu is in all the limbs and the large number of stars are all in the body hair. This is the form of the illustrious Vishnu and all the gods are in him. Every day, at the time of sandhya, 333 one should control oneself and watch this form, meditating and worshipping it. “We bow down before the one in whom the stellar bodies rest. He is the wheel of time. He is the lord of the gods. He is the great being. We meditate on him.” This adhidaivika form consists of the planets, nakshatras and stars. If this mantra is chanted thrice, 334 all sins are cleansed. If one bows down, remembers it and chants it thrice, all sins are swiftly and instantly destroyed.’

  Chapter 5(24)

  Shri-Shuka said, ‘Those who are learned say that, ten thousand yojanas below the sun, Svarbhanu revolves like a nakshatra. O son! He was himself a wicked asura, Simhika’s son, and certainly did not deserve it. However, through the favours of the illustrious one, he obtained the immortal status of a planet. I will tell you about his birth and deeds later. 335 The sun’s globe radiates heat and is said to extend for ten thousand yojanas, while that of the moon is for twelve thousand yojanas. Rahu’s extends for thirteen thousand yojanas. Because they created an obstruction for him, 336 he is bound in enmity towards Surya and Chandra and rushes after them on the night of the new moon and the full moon. When he hears about this, to save them from the fear, the illustrious one deploys the beloved weapon that devotees know as Sudarshana. As it revolves around them, 337 its incessant energy is impossible to withstand and he can only tolerate it for a muhurta. Anxious in his heart, he then withdraws some distance away. People speak of this as an eclipse. The same distance below 338 are the abodes of the Siddhas, charanas and vidyadharas. 339 Below this are the worlds where yakshas, rakshasas, pishachas and large numbers of bhutas find pleasure. This space extends as long as clouds are seen and as long as winds blow. The earth is one hundred yojanas below this and its upper limits are as far as the best among birds, swans, eagles and hawks can fly. The location of the earth and the different divisions of the earth has already been described.

  ‘Below this are the seven nether regions, each progressively ten thousand yojanas below the preceding one. They are atala, vitala, sutala, talatala, mahatala, rasatala and patala and their length and breadth are similar. 340 These are heavens of the nether regions. Even more than heaven, there are objects for gratifying the senses, affluence, bliss, prosperity and power. There are excellent houses, groves and pleasure grounds. Daityas, danavas and Kadru’s progeny 341 reside there, always happy because of the attachment of wives, offspring, relatives, well-wishers and followers. The heads of the households are more powerful than the gods. Their pursuit of the senses is unobstructed. They happily reside in this maya. O great king! Using his maya, Maya constructed many kinds of cities there. The wonderful and excellent houses were constructed with the best of jewels. There are walls, gates, assembly halls, chaityas, 342 quadrangles and mansions. There are couples of
nagas and asuras. The place is full of pigeons, parrots and sarikas. The lords of these regions crowd the artificial grounds. The decorated and excellent houses are radiant. The gardens bring great pleasure to the mind and the senses. There are flowers, bunches of fruit and beautiful new sprouts on the branches of the trees in the groves, embraced by handsome creepers. Couples of beautiful birds frequent the waterbodies, full of sparkling water. Fish leap around and agitate the water. There are lilies, lotuses, white lotuses, blue lotuses, red lotuses and lotuses with a hundred petals, and birds have made their homes in their midst. They find uninterrupted pleasure there and there are the sounds of many kinds of melodious calling that cause delight to the senses. The beauty surpasses that of the world of the immortals. No fear caused by the division of time is discerned there and there is no night or day. Giant serpents reside there and the gems on their hoods dispel all the darkness. Because of the divine herbs, juices, medicines, drinking, eating and bathing, the residents do not suffer from any mental or physicial disease. There are no wrinkles, grey hair or old age. The physical complexion does not fade. There is no bad odour, perspiration, fatigue, lack of energy, or any misery caused by old age. The worlds are auspicious and fortunate, without fear of death. The only fear is from the illustrious one’s chakra. When it penetrates there, the pregnant wives of the asuras have miscarriages and abortions because of their fear. Maya’s son, Bala, resides in the region of atala. Indeed, it is said that he created ninety-six kinds of maya. Even today, magicians practise some of those. When he yawned, three types of women were created from his mouth—svairinis, kaminis and pumshchalis. 343 If a man enters the nether regions, they offer him a juice extracted from a herb known as Hataka and this makes him capable, so that they can gratify their own desires. They pursue their urges and seduce him with loving glances, smiles, conversation and embraces. Because of that juice and the enjoyment, a man feels that he is like a god. He takes himself to be extremely powerful, endowed with the strength of ten thousand mighty elephants. Blinded by intoxication, he praises himself. Below this 344 is vitala. The illustrious Hara, Hatakeshvara, resides there, surrounded by his own companions, the large number of bhutas. With the object of increasing the number of Prajapatis, Bhava is united there with Bhavani and from him flows the supreme river known as Hataki, which possesses both their energies. The fire, fanned by the wind, drinks the strength of that river and spits out the gold that is known as Hataka. In the homes of the Indras among asuras, men and women wear ornaments that are made out of this. Below this 345 is sutala. Great in his fame and chanted about in shlokas, Virochana’s son, Bali, resides there. The illustrious one wished to bring pleasure to the great Indra, Aditi’s son. Therefore, he approached Bali in the form of a brahmachari who was a dwarf and thus robbed him of the three worlds. It was through the favours of the illustrious one that he was then allowed to enter this place, possessing a great prosperity and beauty that Indra and the others do not have. Even now, he follows his own dharma and worships the illustrious one, with all his hardships removed. He did not obtain this because he directly donated land to the illustrious one, who is the infinite refuge for all living beings. His atman is in the atmans of all living beings. He is Vasudeva, the paramatman, the supreme tirtha and refuge. He 346 resorted to him with great devotion and great affection, concentrated in his mind. That is the reason he obtained this direct gate to emancipation and this world and residence, full of prosperity. If a man suffers from hunger, stumbles and falls down, helpless, if he chants his name, his bonds of karma are severed and his sins are instantly washed away. Those who desire emancipation cannot obtain it through any other means. His atman is in all atmans. He is the supreme atman. It is in this way that his devotees realize the atman. 347 The illustrious one did not really bestow any favours on him by giving him this prosperity and objects of pleasure, which are full of maya, and unsatisfactory, but conferred on him constant remembrance of his name. The illustrious one perceived that there was no other means, except deceit, to take away the three worlds, which are his own body. Therefore, it is said that he bound him in Varuna’s noose and confined him in a cave in a mountain. He 348 exclaimed, “Indeed, Indra is said to be learned and experienced, surrounded by advisers who offer him counsel, like Brihaspati, appointed to advise him in private. However, he does not know what is good for him. He ignored Upendra and did not seek service to him as a benediction. Time has a long duration. What is the point of being surrounded by the three worlds, which will end at the end of a manvantara? Indeed, our grandfather 349 valued service to him. He did not accept his father’s ancestral kingdom, which was free from fear, after his own father 350 had been killed by the illustrious one. Though that status was offered to him, he only accepted service to the illustrious one. He was great in his sentiments. A person like me is contaminated by desires and cannot follow his path, even if I wish to. Bereft of the favours of the illustrious one, what can those like us do?” His 351 conduct will be narrated later. The illustrious Narayana is the preceptor of all the worlds. With compassion towards his devotees, he is himself stationed there, at the gate. 352 With a desire to conquer the world, the one with the ten shoulders came there and was flung ten crore yojanas away, with a flick from the toe of his foot. 353 Below this 354 is talatala. The Indra among danavas, named Maya, the lord of Tripura, resides there. With a desire to bring welfare to the three worlds, the illustrious Isha, 355 the enemy of these cities, burnt them down. With his own city destroyed, he obtained this world through his grace. 356 He is the preceptor of all kinds of maya. Protected in his greatness by Mahadeva, he has no fear from the Sudarshana. Below this 357 is mahatala, inhabited by the serpents who are Kadru’s descendants. They have many hoods and are known as Krodhavashas. 358 They are gigantic in size and the foremost ones are Kuhaka, Takshaka, Kaliya, Sushena and others. They are constantly afraid of the lord of birds, who bears the great being. They find pleasure there, with their wives, offspring, well-wishers and relatives, often intoxicated. Below this 359 is rasatala. Daityas and danavas reside there. Their names are Panis, Nivatakavachas and Kaleyas. They inhabit a golden city. From the time of their births, these enemies of the gods are extremely energetic and extremely brave. Hari brings benefit to all the worlds. They dwell in that world and their strength and insolence is only contained through his energy. When Indra sent Sarama as a messenger, the words of that mantra caused them to be afraid of Indra. 360 Below this 361 is Patala, the world of the nagas. With Vasuki as the foremost, the leaders like Shankha, Kulika, Mahashankha, Shveta, Dhananjaya, Dhritarashtra, Shankhachuda, Kambala, Ashvatara, Devadatta and the others reside there. They are gigantic in size and extremely intolerant. They possess five, seven, ten, one hundred and one thousand hoods on their heads and the great jewels on these filled the world of Patala with radiance. With their own illumination, they disperse all the darkness.’