Bhagavatapurana 5.17

English (machine translation) 5.17

Language: English

5.17.1

Śrī Śuka said: / There, when the Lord Viṣṇu, the personification of sacrifice, took his strides, the stream of external water entered through the breach in the upper shell of the universe made by the nail of his left big toe; stained by the reddish pollen washed from his lotus feet, capable of removing the impurity of all sins in the universe, purifying by its touch, and spoken of by the unparalleled name Bhagavatpadī, it descended after an exceedingly long time, designated as a thousand yugas, onto the crown of heaven, which they call the abode of Viṣṇu.

5.17.2

Where indeed the son of Uttānapāda, devoted to heroic vows and a supreme devotee, thinking, 'This is the water that washed the lotus feet of our family deity,' even now bears it with supreme reverence on his head, his heart thoroughly softened at every moment by the yoga of devotion to the Lord growing within him, with a stream of pure tears slipping from the buds of his half-closed eyes overcome by yearning, revealing a thrill of horripilation all over his body.

5.17.3

Next, the seven sages, knowing its power and thinking, 'Surely this alone is the ultimate perfection of asceticism—namely, unceasing yoga of devotion to the Lord, the Self of all, Vāsudeva,' having disregarded all other goals and paths as seekers of liberation would disregard liberation itself when it has arrived, even today bear it with great reverence in their matted hair.

5.17.4

Then, descending along the path of the gods crowded with many thousands of crores of celestial aerial vehicles, it encompasses the lunar orb and falls into the abode of Brahmā.

5.17.5

Dividing there into four streams and flowing in the four directions under four names—Sītā, Alakanandā, Cakṣu, and Bhadrā—it enters the lord of rivers and streams, the ocean.

5.17.6

The Sītā, however, flowing down from the abode of Brahmā across the peaks of the Kesarācala and other mountains, falls onto the summit of Gandhamādana and, traversing Bhadrāśvavarṣa, enters the salt ocean in the eastern quarter.

5.17.7

Likewise, rushing down from the summit of Mālyavat, flowing thence with unabated speed across Ketumāla, the Cakṣu enters the ocean, the lord of rivers, in the western quarter.

5.17.8

And the Bhadrā, falling from the northern summit of Meru, leaping from mountain peak to mountain peak and flowing down from the peak of Śṛṅgavat, skirts Uttarakuru and enters the sea in the northern quarter.

5.17.9

Similarly, the Alakanandā, flowing south from the abode of Brahmā, crosses many mountain peaks, cascades with violent speed from Hemakūṭa to the lower Hemakūṭa hills, and traverses Bhāratavarṣa to enter the ocean in the southern direction; for a man who goes to bathe in it, the fruit of the horse sacrifice, the royal consecration, and other rites is easily attained at every step.

5.17.10

And there are many other rivers and streams in each realm, daughters of Meru and other mountains by the hundreds.

5.17.11

Even among these, Bhāratavarṣa alone is the field of ritual action; the other eight realms they describe as earthly heavenly realms, places of enjoyment for those entitled to heaven who possess remnants of merit.

5.17.12

In these realms, the lifespan of humans is ten thousand human years; they are like gods, with the strength of ten thousand elephants, with bodies firm as a thunderbolt, full of strength, youth, and delight; their wives conceive a single embryo during the year that marks the cessation of great sexual enjoyment; and there the passage of time is always like the Tretā age.

5.17.13

There, indeed, the lords of the gods, worshipfully honored by their respective hosts of leaders, wander at their pleasure, their minds and eyes captivated by the playful glances, loving sports, and smiles full of desire of the exquisite celestial damsels engaged in water sports and other varied amusements—in the valleys of the boundary mountains, with delightful forests, hermitages, and residences adorned with flowering trees and creepers whose branches are bent low under the splendour of blossoms, clusters of flowers, fruits, and fresh shoots of every season, and likewise in crystal-clear pools resonant with flocks of bees and echoing with the calls of royal swans, water hens, kāraṇḍava ducks, cranes, and cakravāka birds, all rejoicing in the fragrance of blooming, varied, freshly opened lotuses.

5.17.14

Even today, in all nine tracts of land (varṣas), the Lord Nārāyaṇa, the Supreme Person, remains personally present for the grace of the people through manifestations of His own essential nature.

5.17.15

In Ilāvṛta, however, the Lord Bhava is the only male. No other man enters there, knowing the cause of Bhavānī's curse—that whoever enters shall turn into a woman; I shall explain that later.

5.17.16

Surrounded by ten million female attendants of Bhavānī, Bhava worships the Supreme Person of fourfold form, meditating intensely in inner absorption on His fourth form, which presides over the mode of darkness and is His own origin, named Saṅkarṣaṇa, while reciting this praise:

5.17.17

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Translations (1)

The Srimad Bhagavatam — S. Subba Rau 1928, English

Linked texts (1)

Bhāgavatapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit