FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.1.23

अन्यानि चेह द्विजदेवदेवै: कृतानि नानायतनानि विष्णो: । प्रत्यङ्गमुख्याङ्कितमन्दिराणि यद्दर्शनात्कृष्णमनुस्मरन्ति ॥ २३ ॥
anyāni ceha dvija-deva-devaiḥ
[anyaani cheha dvija-deva-devaih]
kṛtāni nānāyatanāni viṣṇoḥ
[kritaani naanaayatanaani vishnoh]
pratyaṅga-mukhyāṅkita-mandirāṇi
[pratyanga-mukhyaankita-mandiraani]
yad-darśanāt kṛṣṇam anusmaranti
[yad-darshanaat krishnam anusmaranti]
anyāni — others ca — also iha — here dvija-deva — by the great sages devaiḥ — and the demigods kṛtāni — established by nānā — various āyatanāni — various forms viṣṇoḥ — of the Supreme Personality of Godhead prati — each and every aṅga — part mukhya — the chief aṅkita — marked mandirāṇi — temples yat — which darśanāt — by seeing from a distance kṛṣṇam — the original Personality of Godhead anusmaranti — constantly remembers.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
anyāni ceha dvija-deva-devaiḥ
anyāni
others
ca
also
iha
here
dvija-deva
by the great sages
devaiḥ
and the demigods
kṛtāni nānāyatanāni viṣṇoḥ
kṛtāni
established by
nānā
various
āyatanāni
various forms
viṣṇoḥ
of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
pratyaṅga-mukhyāṅkita-mandirāṇi
prati
each and every
aṅga
part
mukhya
the chief
aṅkita
marked
mandirāṇi
temples
yad-darśanāt kṛṣṇam anusmaranti
yat
which
darśanāt
by seeing from a distance
kṛṣṇam
the original Personality of Godhead
anusmaranti
constantly remembers.
There were also many other temples of various forms of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Viṣṇu, established by great sages and demigods. These temples were marked with the chief emblems of the Lord, and they reminded one always of the original Personality of Godhead, Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Human society is divided into four social orders of life and four spiritual divisions, applying to each and every individual person. This system is called varṇāśrama-dharma and has already been discussed in many places in this great literature. The sages, or persons who completely devoted themselves to the spiritual upliftment of the entire human society, were known as dvija-deva, the best amongst the twice-born. The denizens of superior planets, from the moon planet and upwards, were known as devas. Both the dvija-devas and the devas always establish temples of Lord Viṣṇu in His various forms, such as Govinda, Madhusūdana, Nṛsiṁha, Mādhava, Keśava, Nārāyaṇa, Padmanābha, Pārtha-sārathi and many others. The Lord expands Himself in innumerable forms, but all of them are nondifferent from one another. Lord Viṣṇu has four hands, and each hand holds a particular item — either a conchshell, wheel, club or lotus flower. Of these four emblems, the cakra, or wheel, is the chief. Lord Kṛṣṇa, being the original Viṣṇu form, has only one emblem, namely the wheel, and therefore He is sometimes called the Cakrī. The Lord’s cakra is the symbol of the power by which the Lord controls the whole manifestation. The tops of Viṣṇu temples are marked with the symbol of the wheel so that people may have the chance to see the symbol from a very long distance and at once remember Lord Kṛṣṇa. The purpose of building very high temples is to give people a chance to see them from a distant place. This system is carried on in India whenever a new temple is constructed, and it appears that it is coming down from a time before recorded history. The foolish propaganda by atheists that temples were constructed only in later days is refuted here because Vidura visited these temples at least five thousand years ago, and the temples of Viṣṇu were in existence long, long before Vidura visited them. The great sages and demigods never established statues of men or demigods, but they established temples of Viṣṇu for the benefit of common men, to raise them to the platform of God consciousness.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
He also served other holy places of Viṣṇu built by Ṛṣabha and other great men, and temples marked with Viṣṇu’s cakra, by seeing which men remember Kṛṣṇa. He served temples marked with the chief weapon of Viṣṇu, the cakra. Pratyaṅga means “that which is held in each of his hands.”
Temples and their high spires exist so that even a distant glimpse triggers remembrance of Krsna. A devotee builds and visits temples not for the building but to multiply moments of God-consciousness in society.
Reflection Questions
  • When did the sight of a temple last actually remind you of Krsna, rather than fade into scenery?
  • How could you become a 'temple spire' in your own community, visible enough to trigger remembrance in others?
📝 My note

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