Bhagavata Purana — Skandha 5 — Chapter 23
SB 5 23.1
_* श्री-शुक उवाच अथ तस्मात् परतस् त्रयोदश-लक्ष-योजनान्तरतो यत् तद् विष्णोः परमं पदम् अभिवदन्ति यत्र ह महा-भागवतो ध्रुव औत्तानपादिर् अग्निनेन्द्रेण प्रजापतिना कश्यपेन धर्मेण च समकाल-युग्भिः सबहु-मानं दक्षिणतः क्रियमाण इदानीम् अपि कल्प-जीविनाम् आजीव्य उपास्ते तस्येहानुभाव उपवर्णितः
_* śrī-śuka uvāca atha tasmāt paratas trayodaśa-lakṣa-yojanāntarato yat tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṃ padam abhivadanti yatra ha mahā-bhāgavato dhruva auttānapādir agninendreṇa prajāpatinā kaśyapena dharmeṇa ca samakāla-yugbhiḥ sabahu-mānaṃ dakṣiṇataḥ kriyamāṇa idānīm api kalpa-jīvinām ājīvya upāste tasyehānubhāva upavarṇitaḥ
Śrī Śuka said: Now, beyond that, at a distance of thirteen hundred thousand yojanas, is what they call the supreme abode of Viṣṇu, where the great devotee Dhruva, son of Uttānapāda, still now abides — the support of those who live for a kalpa — honoured and kept to their right by Agni, Indra, Prajāpati, Kaśyapa and Dharma, who are joined with him at the same time. His majesty has been described here (already).
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
SB 5 23.2
_* स हि सर्वेषां ज्योतिर्-गणानां ग्रह-नक्षत्रादीनाम् अनिमिषेणाव्यक्त-रंहसा भगवता कालेन भ्राम्यमाणानां स्थाणुर् इवावष्टम्भ ईश्वरेण विहितः शश्वद् अवभासते
_* sa hi sarveṣāṃ jyotir-gaṇānāṃ graha-nakṣatrādīnām animiṣeṇāvyakta-raṃhasā bhagavatā kālena bhrāmyamāṇānāṃ sthāṇur ivāvaṣṭambha īśvareṇa vihitaḥ śaśvad avabhāsate
For he, appointed by the Lord as a fixed post, as it were, a support for all the hosts of luminaries — the planets, the lunar mansions and the rest — which are being whirled by the unblinking Lord Time of imperceptible speed, shines forth perpetually.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
SB 5 23.3
_* यथा मेढीस्तम्भ आक्रमण-पशवः संयोजितास् त्रिभिस् त्रिभिः सवनैर् यथा-स्थानं मण्डलानि चरन्त्य् एवं भगणा ग्रहादय एतस्मिन्न् अन्तर्-बहिर्-योगेन काल-चक्र आयोजिता ध्रुवम् एवावलम्ब्य वायुनोदीर्यमाणा आकल्पान्तं परिचङ् क्रमन्ति नभसि यथा मेघाः श्येनादयो वायु-वशाः कर्म-सारथयः परिवर्तन्ते एवं ज्योतिर्गणाः प्रकृति-पुरुष-संयोगानुगृहीताः कर्म-निर्मित-गतयो भुवि न पतन्ति
_* yathā meḍhīstambha ākramaṇa-paśavaḥ saṃyojitās tribhis tribhiḥ savanair yathā-sthānaṃ maṇḍalāni caranty evaṃ bhagaṇā grahādaya etasminn antar-bahir-yogena kāla-cakra āyojitā dhruvam evāvalambya vāyunodīryamāṇā ākalpāntaṃ paricaṅ kramanti nabhasi yathā meghāḥ śyenādayo vāyu-vaśāḥ karma-sārathayaḥ parivartante evaṃ jyotirgaṇāḥ prakṛti-puruṣa-saṃyogānugṛhītāḥ karma-nirmita-gatayo bhuvi na patanti
Just as draught animals yoked to a central threshing post move in circles, each in its place, by three and three tethers, so the constellations, the planets and the rest, fastened by inner and outer connection to this wheel of time, taking hold of Dhruva alone and being driven by the wind, go on circling until the end of the kalpa. As clouds and hawks and the like, subject to the wind, revolve in the sky with (their own) actions as charioteer, so the hosts of luminaries, favoured by the conjunction of prakṛti and puruṣa, their courses fashioned by karma, do not fall to the earth.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
SB 5 23.4
_* केचनैतज् ज्योतिर्-अनीकं शिशुमार-संस्थानेन भगवतो वासुदेवस्य योग-धारणायाम् अनुवर्णयन्ति
_* kecanaitaj jyotir-anīkaṃ śiśumāra-saṃsthānena bhagavato vāsudevasya yoga-dhāraṇāyām anuvarṇayanti
Some describe this array of luminaries, in the form of a porpoise, as (an object) in the yogic concentration on the Lord Vāsudeva.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
SB 5 23.5
_* यस्य पुच्छाग्रे ऽवाक्शिरसः कुण्डली-भूत-देहस्य ध्रुव उपकल्पितस् तस्य लाङ्गूले प्रजापतिर् अग्निर् इन्द्रो धर्म इति पुच्छ-मूले धाता विधाता च कट्यां सप्तर्षयः तस्य दक्षिणावर्त-कुण्डली-भूत-शरीरस्य यान्य् उदगयनानि दक्षिण-पार्श्वे तु नक्षत्राण्य् उपकल्पयन्ति दक्षिणायनानि तु सव्ये यथा शिशुमारस्य कुण्डला-भोग-सन्निवेशस्य पार्श्वयोर् उभयोर् अप्य् अवयवाः समसङ्ख्या भवन्ति पृष्ठे त्व् अजवीथी आकाश-गङ्गा चोदरतः
_* yasya pucchāgre 'vākśirasaḥ kuṇḍalī-bhūta-dehasya dhruva upakalpitas tasya lāṅgūle prajāpatir agnir indro dharma iti puccha-mūle dhātā vidhātā ca kaṭyāṃ 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 samasaṅkhyā bhavanti pṛṣṭhe tv ajavīthī ākāśa-gaṅgā codarataḥ
Dhruva is placed at the tip of the tail of this (porpoise), whose head is turned downward and whose body is coiled. On its tail are Prajāpati, Agni, Indra and Dharma; at the root of the tail are Dhātā and Vidhātā; at its hips are the seven seers. On the right side of this body, coiled clockwise, they place the lunar mansions of the northern course, and on the left those of the southern course — just as in a porpoise whose body is arranged in a coiled bend, the limbs on both sides are equal in number. On its back is the Ajavīthī, and on its belly the celestial Ganges.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
SB 5 23.6
_* पुनर्वसु-पुष्यौ दक्षिण-वामयोः श्रोण्योर् आर्द्राश्लेषे च दक्षिण-वामयोः पश्चिमयोः पादयोर् अभिजिद्-उत्तराषाढे दक्षिण-वामयोर् नासिकयोर् यथा-सङ्ख्यं श्रवण-पूर्वाषाढे दक्षिण-वामयोर् लोचनयोर् धनिष्ठा मूलं च दक्षिण-वामयोः कर्णयोर् मघादीन्य् अष्ट नक्षत्राणि दक्षिणायनानि वाम-पार्श्व-वङ्क्रिषु युञ्जीत तथैव मृग-शीर्षादीन्य् उदगयनानि दक्षिण-पार्श्व-वङ्क्रिषु प्रातिलोम्येन प्रयुञ्जीत शतभिषा-ज्येष्ठे स्कन्धयोर् दक्षिण-वामयोर् न्यसेत्
_* punarvasu-puṣyau dakṣiṇa-vāmayoḥ śroṇyor ārdrāśleṣe ca dakṣiṇa-vāmayoḥ paścimayoḥ pādayor abhijid-uttarāṣāḍhe dakṣiṇa-vāmayor nāsikayor yathā-saṅkhyaṃ śravaṇa-pūrvāṣāḍhe dakṣiṇa-vāmayor locanayor dhaniṣṭhā mūlaṃ ca dakṣiṇa-vāmayoḥ karṇayor maghādīny aṣṭa nakṣatrāṇi dakṣiṇāyanāni vāma-pārśva-vaṅkriṣu yuñjīta tathaiva mṛga-śīrṣādīny udagayanāni dakṣiṇa-pārśva-vaṅkriṣu prātilomyena prayuñjīta śatabhiṣā-jyeṣṭhe skandhayor dakṣiṇa-vāmayor nyaset
One should place Punarvasu and Puṣya on the right and left hips; Ārdrā and Āśleṣā on the right and left hind feet; Abhijit and Uttarāṣāḍhā on the right and left nostrils respectively; Śravaṇa and Pūrvāṣāḍhā on the right and left eyes; Dhaniṣṭhā and Mūlā on the right and left ears; the eight mansions beginning with Maghā, those of the southern course, on the ribs of the left side; and likewise those beginning with Mṛgaśīrṣa, of the northern course, on the ribs of the right side in reverse order; and one should set Śatabhiṣā and Jyeṣṭhā on the right and left shoulders.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
SB 5 23.7
_* उत्तरा-हनाव् अगस्तिर् अधरा-हनौ यमो मुखेषु चाङ्गारकः शनैश्चर उपस्थे बृहस्पतिः ककुदि वक्षस्य् आदित्यो हृदये नारायणो मनसि चन्द्रो नाभ्याम् उशना स्तनयोर् अश्विनौ बुधः प्राणापानयो राहुर् गले केतवः सर्वाङ्गेषु रोमसु सर्वे तारा-गणाः
_* uttarā-hanāv agastir adharā-hanau yamo mukheṣu cāṅgārakaḥ śanaiścara upasthe bṛhaspatiḥ kakudi vakṣasy ādityo hṛdaye nārāyaṇo manasi candro nābhyām uśanā stanayor aśvinau budhaḥ prāṇāpānayo rāhur gale ketavaḥ sarvāṅgeṣu romasu sarve tārā-gaṇāḥ
Agasti is on the upper jaw, Yama on the lower jaw, Aṅgāraka on the mouth, Śanaiścara on the genitals, Bṛhaspati on the hump, the sun on the chest, Nārāyaṇa in the heart, the moon in the mind, Uśanas at the navel, the Aśvins at the two breasts, Budha in the in-breath and out-breath, Rāhu in the throat, the comets in all the limbs, and all the hosts of stars in the hairs.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
SB 5 23.8
_* एतद् उ हैव भगवतो विष्णोः सर्व-देवतामयं रूपम् अहरहः सन्ध्यायां प्रयतो वाग्यतो निरीक्षमाण उपतिष्ठेत नमो ज्योतिर्-लोकाय कालायनायानिमिषां पतये महा-पुरुषायाभिधीमहीति
_* etad u haiva bhagavato viṣṇoḥ sarva-devatāmayaṃ rūpam aharahaḥ sandhyāyāṃ prayato vāgyato nirīkṣamāṇa upatiṣṭheta namo jyotir-lokāya kālāyanāyānimiṣāṃ pataye mahā-puruṣāyābhidhīmahīti
This indeed is the form of the Lord Viṣṇu, consisting of all the gods; day after day, at the junctures (of the day), purified and restrained in speech, one should gaze upon it and worship it (saying): "Homage to the world of light, to the abode of time; we meditate upon the lord of the unblinking ones, the Great Person."
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition
SB 5 23.9
_* ग्रहर्क्षतारामयम् आधिदैविकं पापापहं मन्त्र-कृतां त्रि-कालम् नमस्यतः स्मरतो वा त्रि-कालं नश्येत तत्-कालजम् आशु पापम्
_* graharkṣatārāmayam ādhidaivikaṃ pāpāpahaṃ mantra-kṛtāṃ tri-kālam namasyataḥ smarato vā tri-kālaṃ naśyeta tat-kālajam āśu pāpam
For one who bows to, or recalls, at the three junctures of the day this (form) made of planets, lunar mansions and stars, belonging to the divine sphere, remover of sin, (the object) of those who make mantras, the sin born in that time is quickly destroyed.
AI translation rendered from the Sanskrit, not a published edition — the model flagged this verse as uncertain