Canto 5 - Chapter 17: An account of the descent of the holy Gaṅgā and a song of praise to Lord Saṅkarṣaṇa by the divine Śaṅkara ...

Discourse XVII

An account of the descent of the holy Gaṅgā and a song of praise to Lord Saṅkarṣaṇa by the divine Śaṅkara

Śrī Śuka continued : (Standing) on this terrestrial globe (referred to in the foregoing discourse) when Lord Viṣṇu Himself, appearing in the form of Trivikrama† at the sacrificial performance of Bali, raised His (left) foot (in order to measure the heavenly regions after having measured the earth including the subterranean worlds with His right foot), a stream from the (immaterial) waters existing outside the egg-like cosmos, which rushed inside through a breach made in the upper shell of the cosmic egg as a result of its being pierced by the nail of His left big toe, flowed down to the realm of Dhruva (forming the crest of the starry heavens)—which they call Viṣṇupada (the abode of Lord Viṣṇu)—after a very long (measure of) time covering a thousand revolutions of the four Yugas (Satya, Tretā, Dvāpara and Kali). While washing the lotus-foot of the Lord (on which it fell in the very first instance), it got coloured by its red pollen-like dust and thus acquired the virtue of wiping out by its very touch the dirt of sin of the whole world, itself remaining untouched by the sin, and was (thenceforth) expressly and directly called by the (sacred) appellation of "Bhagavatpadi" (that which proceeds from the foot of the Lord Himself)—to the exclusion of other names (Jāhnavī, Bhāgīrathī etc., suggesting other later and less momentous associations). (1)
In the aforesaid realm indeed that foremost devotee of the Lord, Dhruva (the celebrated son of Uttānapāda), steadfast in his vow (of devotion), bears (sprinkles) on his head even to this day (the water of) the (holy) Bhagavatpadi (later known as the Gaṅgā) with supreme reverence, remembering that it has washed the lotus-foot of his family Deity, his heart deeply saturated with an incessant flow of constantly growing devotion, with tears of pure love escaping from his eyes—resembling a pair of lotus buds—half-closed in a fit of self-forgetfulness induced by ardent longing (for his beloved Lord), and the hair on his body standing on their end. (2)

• The compound epithet अयुतयोजनसाहस्रीम् could be taken on the face of it to mean 'covering an area of a thousand times ten thousand i.e., one crore square Yojanas or eight crore square miles', as almost every renowned commentator of has done. Considering the extent of Mount Meru, which is mentioned in passage 7 above as only 32,000 Yojanas wide, however, this figure strikes us as enormous. Hence, following a learned commentator, we have split the compound as अयुतयोजना चासी साहस्री च and taken साहस्री to mean 'covering an area of four thousand square miles'—सहस्राणि (चतुःसहस्राणि) परिमाणं यस्याः सा. Thus interpreted, the compound will mean 'having an area of ten plus four, i.e., fourteen thousand square Yojanas, which exactly tallies with the figure given in the Viṣṇupurāṇa. In that we come across the following description of the city of Brahmā on the summit of Mount Meru :—

† For an account of the Lord's descent as Vāmana (the divine Dwarf) and His assuming a cosmic form (as Trivikrama) at the sacrificial performance of Bali, the celebrated demon king and a great devotee of the Lord, see Discourses XVIII-XX of Book VIII.

Further on (in the next stages of the descent of this stream) the seven seers (responsible for the maintenance of the world order and having their abode immediately below the realm of Dhruva, where the seven stars of the Ursa major are located), who know the greatness of this (holy) stream, receive (sprinkle) it with great reverence even to the present day on the tuft of their matted locks—in the same way as the seekers of liberation would hail final beatitude coming to them (in a concrete form of its own accord), accounting it the supreme reward of their austerities—having spurned (all) other objects of human pursuit including Self-Realization, simply due to their having achieved the boon of unceasing devotion to Lord Vāsudeva, the Soul of the universe. (3)
Descending thence through the heavens (the passage of the gods), crowded with many billions of aerial cars, the stream washes the lunar sphere and comes down to the city of Brahmā (on the summit of Mount Meru). (4)

Branching forth into four streams there, the Bhagavatpadi flows in four directions under four (different) appellations—Sītā, Alakanandā, Cakṣu and Bhadrā—and (finally) enters the ocean (the lord of streams and rivers). (5)
Passing through the city of Brahmā and gradually descending from the principal summits of one of the many mountains represented (in XVI. 26 above) as so many filaments surrounding the pericarp-like Mount Meru, the Sītā falls on the peaks of Mount Gandhamādana and, coursing through Bhadrāśwavarṣa, enters the salt ocean on the east. (6)
Likewise, reaching Mount Mālyavān and descending from it, the Cakṣu flows with unabated speed in the direction of (the land of) Ketumāla and enters thenocean on the west. (7)
Descending from the summit of Mount Meru in a northerly direction and leaving one mountain-peak after another, the Bhadra flows from the peak of Śṛṅgavān in the direction of the northern Kurus and enters the ocean in the north. (8)
Even so flowing to the south of Brahmā's city (on Mount Meru) and passing through many a mountain-peak, the Alakanandā reaches the mountain-range of Hemakūṭa and, rolling down from Hemakūṭa to the peaks of the Himālaya mountain with a tremendous speed and coursing through Bhāratavarṣa, enters the ocean in the south. And for a man who goes forth to bathe in this river, the reward of Aśwamedha, Rājasūya and other (great) sacrifices becomes easy of access at every step. (9)
There are in every Varṣa (subdivision of Jambūdīpa) hundreds of other rivers, both big and small, having their source in Mount Meru and other mountains. (10)

Of (all) these Varṣas, the learned declare Bhāratavarṣa alone as the land where a man can shape his destinies through actions. They speak of the other eight Varṣas as the places for enjoying the fruit of such merit as still remains to be enjoyed by those who return from heaven (after exhausting the stock of merit which entitled them to a residence in that realm), and designate these as the celestial spots on earth. (11)
The god-like men inhabiting these Varṣas, live to an age of the thousand human years and are endowed with the strength of ten thousand elephants. The couples there are extremely happy with their adamantine frame, (never-failing) strength, (lasting) youth and (abundant) sense-delights, and are possessed of extraordinary venereal capacity; while the wives conceive only once and that too during the closing year of their life, which (also) marks the end of their (period of) sexual enjoyment. The conditions prevailing there are (throughout) the same as obtain in the Tretā age (here). (12)
Here indeed in the precincts of hermitages and the valleys of the principal mountains, forming the boundaries of these Varṣas, with their picturesque woodlands looking (very) graceful on account of trees with their branches and the creepers supported by them bending low under the charming load of bunches of flowers, fruits and tender foliage of all seasons, as well as in the lakes of limpid water, resonant with the noise of swans, waterfowls, Kāraṇḍavas, cranes and ruddy geese—ravished by the fragrance of diverse species of blooming young lotuses—and with the humming of various species of black bees, the lords of gods divert themselves at will with aquatic sports and various other amusements, the chiefs of their respective retinues adoring them with rich presents and their mind and eyes captivated with the dalliance, (winsome) smiles and playful glances, charged with love, of charming celestial ladies. (13)

In all these nine Varṣas Lord Nārāyaṇa, the Supreme Person, remains personally present in His (diverse) manifestations even today in order to shower His grace on His devotees (in the manner to be shown hereafter). (14)
In Ilāvṛta, of course, the only male (available) is Lord Śaṅkara (the Source of this universe); none else who is aware of the circumstances which led to the curse pronounced by (Lord Śiva for the satisfaction of) Goddess Pārvatī (the divine Spouse of Śiva, whose divine sports had been interrupted by the unannounced and hence unwelcome presence of sages in Her pleasance) dare enter this land. How a male attempting to enter it is transformed into a woman I shall narrate later on (in Book IX). (15)

Waited upon by hosts of women, numbering billions and forming the retinue of Goddess Pārvatī, Lord Śiva (the Source of the universe) adores (there) His own Cause, the fourth manifestation, presiding over destruction (the function of Tamoguna) and known by the name of Śaṅkarṣaṇa, of Lord Viṣṇu (the Supreme Person)—appearing in four forms (Vāsudeva, Pradyumna, Aniruddha and Śaṅkarṣaṇa)—realizing His presence in the mind in the form of a conceptual image and muttering the following (prayer). (16)

Lord Śiva prays : "Hail, hail to the infinite Lord Viṣṇu (the Supreme Person), denoted by (the mystical syllable) OM, and manifesting all virtues though (Himself) unmanifest. (17)
O adorable One! I adore You, the supreme Lord, whose lotus-feet afford shelter (to all), the highest Abode of all divine attributes (viz., universal lordship and omnipotence, piety of all kinds, entire glory, all wealth and splendour, omniscience and unattachment to everything)! You have fully revealed before (Your) devotees Your divine form (that protects all created beings) and put an end to their rebirth; while You perpetuate (the bondage of) worldly existence in the case of those who are not devoted to You. (18)
Who that seeks to subdue his senses would not esteem You, whose vision is not at all coloured by the objects of senses (which are products of the Guṇas of Māyā) nor by the activities of the mind—even though You witness all with a view to controlling everything—unlike our vision, who have not been able to curb the vehemence of wrath. (19)
To him who looks upon the body (which has no reality whatsoever) as his own self, You appear through (Your own) Māyā (deluding potency) as though drunk, with Your eyes reddened by the use of spirituous liquor and distillates (toddy etc.). Nay, the wives of the Nāgas (the denizens of Pātāla, the nethermost of the subterranean regions) are unable to worship You through bashfulness, their mind being excited (with love) at the very touch of Your feet. (20)
The sacred texts (of the Vedas) declare You as responsible for the evolution, existence and dissolution of this universe, though beyond these states Yourself, eternal as You are. You never feel (the presence of) the terrestrial globe, lying like a mustard seed somewhere on the (sublime) base of Your thousand hoods. (21)
Your very first manifestation, springing up from the three Guṇas (modes of Prakṛti) was (known as) Mahat-tattva (the principle of cosmic intelligence), which (in the form of Citta or the faculty of ratiocination) is rooted in Sattva and which (when considered from the point of view of the Spirit presiding over it and visualized as one with the Supreme Deity) came to be known as Lord Brahmā. (And) descended from him, I (Rudra) bring forth—through My own glory (in the form of Ahaṅkāra or the Ego), consisting of the three Guṇas (because evolved from the Mahat-tattva, a product of the three Guṇas)—the deities (presiding over the ten Indriyas and the mind) and the mind itself (that are Sāttvika in character), the five gross elements (which are rooted in Tamas, being inert by nature) and the ten Indriyas (which are predominantly Rājasika). (22)
Remaining under the control of the Supreme Person (in You) (and) unified (by the active principle in the shape of the vital airs) like birds held by a string, we all, viz., the Mahat-tattva, the ego, the deities mentioned above, the five gross elements and the Indriyas, evolve this creation by Your grace (alone). (23)
Deluded by the objects of senses (which are the creation of the three Guṇas), this Jīva (that is subject to birth and death) can never know (except by Your grace) the Māyā (the principle of cosmic illusion) which has been conjured up by You and which subjects it to the bondage of Karma (action prompted by interested motives); much less can it know with any amount of ease the means of getting over that Māyā. Moreover, the creation and dissolution (of the universe) are nothing apart from You (inasmuch and both these events take place in You). Therefore, obeisance to You !" (24)

Thus ends the seventeenth discourse, in Book Five of the great and glorious Bhāgavata-Purāṇa, otherwise known as the Paramahamsa-Sarhhitā.