FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.1.26

पातालमेतस्य हि पादमूलं पठन्ति पार्ष्णिप्रपदे रसातलम् । महातलं विश्वसृजोऽथ गुल्फौ तलातलं वै पुरुषस्य जङ्घे ॥ २६ ॥
pātālam etasya hi pāda-mūlaṁ
[paataalam etasya hi paada-moolam]
paṭhanti pārṣṇi-prapade rasātalam
[pathanti paarshni-prapade rasaatalam]
mahātalaṁ viśva-sṛjo ’tha gulphau
[mahaatalam vishva-srijo ’tha gulphau]
talātalaṁ vai puruṣasya jaṅghe
[talaatalam vai purushasya janghe]
pātālam — the planets at the bottom of the universe etasya — of His hi — exactly pāda-mūlam — soles of the feet paṭhanti — they study it pārṣṇi — the heels prapade — the toes rasātalam — the planets named Rasātala mahātalam — the planets named Mahātala viśva-sṛjaḥ — of the creator of the universe atha — thus gulphau — the ankles talātalam — the planets named Talātala vai — as they are puruṣasya — of the gigantic person jaṅghe — the shanks.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
pātālam etasya hi pāda-mūlaṁ
pātālam
the planets at the bottom of the universe
etasya
of His
hi
exactly
pāda-mūlam
soles of the feet
paṭhanti pārṣṇi-prapade rasātalam
paṭhanti
they study it
pārṣṇi
the heels
prapade
the toes
rasātalam
the planets named Rasātala
mahātalaṁ viśva-sṛjo ’tha gulphau
mahātalam
the planets named Mahātala
viśva-sṛjaḥ
of the creator of the universe
talātalaṁ vai puruṣasya jaṅghe
atha
thus
gulphau
the ankles
talātalam
the planets named Talātala
vai
as they are
puruṣasya
of the gigantic person
jaṅghe
the shanks.
Persons who have realized it have studied that the planets known as Pātāla constitute the bottoms of the feet of the universal Lord, and the heels and the toes are the Rasātala planets. The ankles are the Mahātala planets, and His shanks constitute the Talātala planets.

Outside the bodily existence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the manifested cosmic existence has no reality. Everything and anything of the manifested world rests on Him, as confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā (9.4) , but that does not imply that everything and anything in the vision of a materialist is the Supreme Personality. The conception of the universal form of the Lord gives a chance to the materialist to think of the Supreme Lord, but the materialist must know for certain that his visualization of the world in a spirit of lording over it is not God realization. The materialistic view of exploitation of the material resources is occasioned by the illusion of the external energy of the Lord, and as such if anyone wants to realize the Supreme Truth by conceiving of the universal form of the Lord, he must cultivate the service attitude. Unless the service attitude is revived, the conception of virāṭ realization will have very little effect on the seer. The transcendental Lord, in any conception of His form, is never a part of the material creation. He keeps His identity as Supreme Spirit in all circumstances and is never affected by the three material qualities, for everything material is contaminated. The Lord always exists by His internal energy.

The universe is divided into fourteen planetary systems. Seven planetary systems, called Bhūr, Bhuvar, Svar, Mahar, Janas, Tapas and Satya, are upward planetary systems, one above the other. There are also seven planetary systems downward, known as Atala, Vitala, Sutala, Talātala, Mahātala, Rasātala and Pātāla, gradually, one below the other. In this verse, the description begins from the bottom because it is in the line of devotion that the Lord’s bodily description should begin from His feet. Śukadeva Gosvāmī is a recognized devotee of the Lord, and he is exactly correct in the description.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Pātala are his soles, Rasātala is his heels, Mahātala is his ankles and Talātala is his calves.
Commentary

How should one meditate on the different limbs? Pāda-mūlam is the under side of the foot. Pārṣṇi-prapade is the heel.

The lower planetary systems are described as the soles, heels, ankles, and shanks of the universal form. The point is not geography but vision: training the mind to perceive the whole created order as the Lord's body.
Reflection Questions
  • Do I tend to compartmentalize 'spiritual' from 'creation,' and what does this verse challenge?
  • What in the ordinary, lower, or earthy parts of life am I refusing to relate back to Him?
📝 My note

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