FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.5.8

यैस्तत्त्वभेदैरधिलोकनाथो लोकानलोकान् सह लोकपालान् । अचीक्लृपद्यत्र हि सर्वसत्त्व- निकायभेदोऽधिकृत: प्रतीत: ॥ ८ ॥
yais tattva-bhedair adhiloka-nātho
[yais tattva-bhedair adhiloka-naatho]
lokān alokān saha lokapālān
[lokaan alokaan saha lokapaalaan]
acīkḷpad yatra hi sarva-sattva-
[acheeklripad yatra hi sarva-sattva-]
nikāya-bhedo ’dhikṛtaḥ pratītaḥ
[nikaaya-bhedo ’dhikritah prateetah]
yaiḥ — by whom tattva — truth bhedaiḥ — by differentiation adhiloka-nāthaḥ — the King of the kings lokān — planets alokān — planets of the lower region saha — along with loka-pālān — respective kings acīkḷpat — planned yatra — wherein hi — certainly sarva — all sattva — existence nikāya — living entities bhedaḥ — difference adhikṛtaḥ — occupied pratītaḥ — it so appears.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
yais tattva-bhedair adhiloka-nātho
yaiḥ
by whom
tattva
truth
bhedaiḥ
by differentiation
adhiloka-nāthaḥ
the King of the kings
lokān alokān saha lokapālān
lokān
planets
alokān
planets of the lower region
saha
along with
loka-pālān
respective kings
acīkḷpad yatra hi sarva-sattva-
acīkḷpat
planned
yatra
wherein
hi
certainly
sarva
all
sattva
existence
nikāya-bhedo ’dhikṛtaḥ pratītaḥ
nikāya
living entities
bhedaḥ
difference
adhikṛtaḥ
occupied
pratītaḥ
it so appears.
The Supreme King of all kings has created different planets and places of habitation where living entities are situated in terms of the modes of nature and work, and He has created their different kings and rulers.

Lord Kṛṣṇa is the chief King of all kings, and He has created different planets for all kinds of living entities. Even on this planet there are different places for inhabitation by different types of men. There are places like deserts, ice lands, and valleys in mountainous countries, and in each of them there are different kinds of men born of different modes of nature according to their past deeds. There are people in the Arabian deserts and in the valleys of the Himalayan Mountains, and the inhabitants of these two places differ from one another, just as the inhabitants of the ice lands also differ from them. Similarly, there are also different planets. The planets below the earth down to the Pātāla planet are full of various kinds of living beings; no planet is vacant, as wrongly imagined by the modern so-called scientist. In Bhagavad-gītā we find it said by the Lord that the living entities are sarva-gata, or present in every sphere of life. So there is no doubt that on other planets there are also inhabitants like us, sometimes with greater intelligence and greater opulence. The living conditions for those of greater intelligence are more luxurious than on this earth. There are also planets where no sunlight reaches, and there are living entities who must live there due to their past deeds. All such plans for living conditions are made by the Supreme Lord, and Vidura requested Maitreya to describe this for the sake of further enlightenment.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Please describe how the lord of all planets produces the various planets and their protectors by means of various elements, and as well how he produces the area beyond the Lokāloka mountain range, and describe the types of living bodies assigned to the jīva according to qualification which are seen. Describe how the Lord made the planets such as Pātala out of earth and other elements, which are based on the Vairāja form, [Note: Vairāja is a form of Brahmā consisting of all the planets and elements.] in which the different types of bodies of living beings, accepted according to qualification of bhakti, jñāna, yoga or karma, are known (pratītaḥ).
The scale of the creation in this verse is not given to overwhelm us but to right-size us. Most of our anxiety shrinks when our self-importance shrinks. The pivot here is modes of nature.
Reflection Questions
  • How does it change your day to remember the universe was not built around your preferences?
  • What would humility actually look like for you in your work this week?
📝 My note

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