Srimadbhagavatham skandha5 chapters 16 to 26

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Chapters 16 to 26- The

description of the gross manifestation of the Lord as the Universe.

 

Parikshith

wanted to know about the sThoolaroopa of

Bhagavan in detail. Suka started the

description of the universe which is the sthoola roopa of the Lord.

 

According

to the modern theory also there was only one land space in the beginning which

divided and drifted apart and became continents. In srimadhbhagavatha also we have

the same concept. The Jambudhvipa which was the original land is Asia. There are nine regions called varhsas extending over 9000 yojanas having the

mountain ranges as their boundaries.

 

Jambudhvipa (Asia)

 

Kuruvarsha HiraNyaka

Ramyaka Ilavartha BadraSva Harivarsha

| | | | | |

Mangolia Manchuria

Russia Himalayan china

Arabia

Tibet

| | | | | |

Varaha

Koorma Mathsya Siva

Hayagreeva Narasimha

 

Kethumaala Kimpurusha Bhaaratha

Varsha

| | |

Persia,

 

Turkey Himalayan India

| region

| |

Kamadeva Rama Naranarayana

Thus

in the nine varshas the Lord exists in different forms.

 

When

the Lord pierced the cosmic shell with His feet in Thrivikramvathara the

aavarana jala, from the Sudddha samudhra flowed to Vishnupadha the abode of

Dhruva who washes his hands in it and then through saptharshimandala the waters

descended to the top of the Mount

Meru, the abode of

Brahma. Here it came to be known as aakaasaganaga which Bhageeratha brought

down to earth,..

 

The

river flows in four streams, through the four varshas and falls into the four

seas. Sitha flows through BadhraSva and falls into the salt ocean in the East,

Chaksha through Kethumala into Western ocean, Bhadhra through Kuru into

Northern ocean and alaknanda flows through the Bharatha varsha and falls into

the southern ocean.

 

Among

these , Bharathavarsha is the karmakshethra while the others are bhoga

kshethras. Here jivasborn in deva , maanusha and aasura yonis, could attain

mukthi progressively according to their

karma by following the varnasrama dharma and by propitiating the Lord.

 

At

the outer boundary of the dhveepas are the regions of Indra in the east, of

yama in the south, of varuna int ehwest and of surya in the north.

 

Dhruva

, the pole star is the pole of the zodiac . The kala chakra wheel of Time

revolves round the mount

Meru and on the axle of dhruva

star. The sun and the moon move amongst the stars and the constellations called

rasis. Sun moves in front and behind the Sun with equal gait moves Sukra,

Venus. Budha , mercury exists 2lakhs yojanaas away from Sukra. Sukra icauses

rain and buDha usually beneficial causes athivaatha, strong winds and

anaavrshti drought when it moves away from the Sun. The planet Mars, Kuja, is

beyond by 2 lakh yojanas and when not vakra, that is in retrogation, it stays

three pakshas in a constellation. Mars is usually amangala and causes sorrow. 2

lakh yojanas after him is guru, Jupiter who stays in a rasi for a year and does

good for braahmanas.. Away by 2lakhs yojanas is Saturn who stays thirty months

in one rasi and completes a round over all rasis in 30 years. Saturn generally

creates unrest.

 

Beyond

that 11lakh yojanas away is the sapthrshi mandala which rotates around

vishnupadha, that is the region of Dhruva, which is 13 lakhs yojanas away.

 

Then

Suka elaborated on the regions in the nether world. Below the region of the Sun

is the anthariksha , the space between heaven and earth where vidhyadharas,

siddhas and charanas inhabit. Below the earth are the seven nether regions,

athala, vithala, suthala. Thalaathala, mahaathala .rasaathala and paathaala.

Various asuras and serpents abide in these regions and suthala is where Mahabali

resides with the Lord as his gate keeper.

 

Below

pathaala is the region of Anantha or Sankarshna, one of the four vyuha forms of

the Lord and he is personified as the thousand hooded serpent Adhisesha the

earth rests lime mustard seed on one of his hoods.

 

Then

Parishith wanted to know about the purgatories and Suka told him that they are

situated in a region in the south at a lower level from the earth and above the

water level. Twentyone purgatories are listed and among them seven are for

heinous sins.

 

Suka oncluded the narration with the sloka

 

Sruthvaa sThoolama thaThaa sookshmam

roopam bhagavatho yathiH

 

sThoole nirjitham aathmaanam

SanaiH sookshmam Dhiyaanayeth

 

On

hearing the gross and the subtle manifestation of the Lord Hari , the

aspirant conquering himself with the

gross should bring himself slowly towards the subtle manifestation of the Lord.

That is, the body and the senses should be controlled first by understanding

that all that we see are the manifestations of the Lord and one should then try

to see Him as the indweller of all.

 

The end of skandha 5