SB 5.22.17 — FolioCorpus

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.22.17

तत उत्तरस्माद‍ृषय एकादशलक्षयोजनान्तर उपलभ्यन्ते य एव लोकानां शमनुभावयन्तो भगवतो विष्णोर्यत्परमं पदं प्रदक्षिणं प्रक्रमन्ति ॥ १७ ॥

tata uttarasmād ṛṣaya ekādaśa-lakṣa-yojanāntara upalabhyante ya eva lokānāṁ śam anubhāvayanto bhagavato viṣṇor yat paramaṁ padaṁ pradakṣiṇaṁ prakramanti.

[tata uttarasmaad rishaya ekaadasha-laksha-yojanaantara upalabhyante ya eva lokaanaam sham anubhaavayanto bhagavato vishnor yat paramam padam pradakshinam prakramanti.]

Word-for-word

tataḥ — the planet Saturn uttarasmāt — above ṛṣayaḥ — great saintly sages ekādaśa-lakṣa-yojana-antare — at a distance of 1,100,000 yojanas upalabhyante — are situated ye — all of them eva — indeed lokānām — for all the inhabitants of the universe śam — the good fortune anubhāvayantaḥ — always thinking of bhagavataḥ — of the Supreme Personality of Godhead viṣṇoḥ — Lord Viṣṇu yat — which paramam padam — the supreme abode pradakṣiṇam — placing on the right prakramanti — circumambulate.

Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)

tata uttarasmād ṛṣaya ekādaśa-lakṣa-yojanāntara upalabhyante ya eva lokānāṁ śam anubhāvayanto bhagavato viṣṇor yat paramaṁ padaṁ pradakṣiṇaṁ prakramanti.

tataḥ

the planet Saturn

uttarasmāt

above

ṛṣayaḥ

great saintly sages

ekādaśa-lakṣa-yojana-antare

at a distance of 1,100,000 yojanas

upalabhyante

are situated

all of them

eva

indeed

lokānām

for all the inhabitants of the universe

śam

the good fortune

anubhāvayantaḥ

always thinking of

bhagavataḥ

of the Supreme Personality of Godhead

viṣṇoḥ

Lord Viṣṇu

yat

which

paramam padam

the supreme abode

pradakṣiṇam

placing on the right

prakramanti

circumambulate.

Situated 8,800,000 miles above Saturn, or 20,800,000 miles above earth, are the seven saintly sages, who are always thinking of the well-being of the inhabitants of the universe. They circumambulate the supreme abode of Lord Viṣṇu, known as Dhruvaloka, the polestar.

Purport

Śrīla Madhvācārya quotes the following verse from the Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa:

jñānānandātmano viṣṇuḥ śiśumāra-vapuṣy atha ūrdhva-lokeṣu sa vyāpta ādityādyās tad-āśritā

“Lord Viṣṇu, who is the source of knowledge and transcendental bliss, has assumed the form of Śiśumāra in the seventh heaven, which is situated in the topmost level of the universe. All the other planets, beginning with the sun, exist under the shelter of this Śiśumāra planetary system.”

Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Fifth Canto, Twenty-second Chapter, of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “The Orbits of the Planets.”

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda

Gauḍīya Ācāryas

Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya

Translation

Situated above Saturn by 1,110,000 yojanas are the sages. Thinking of the welfare of the people, they rotate clockwise around Dhruvaloka, the abode of Viṣṇu. The sages are 2,600,000 yojanas above the earth. They rotate around Dhruvaloka. Thus ends the commentary on Twenty-second Chapter of the Fifth Canto of the Bhāgavatam for the pleasure of the devotees, in accordance with the previous ācāryas. Chapter Twenty-three The Form of the Dolphin

Personal Guidance

Far above Saturn the seven sages constantly think of the well-being of the universe and circumambulate the Lord's abode. The truly elevated do not climb to escape; they remain in service while circling the Lord. Greatness orbits, it does not flee.

Reflection Questions

When I imagine spiritual elevation, do I imagine escape or deeper orbit around the Lord?
How can my own life become more of a circumambulation than a getaway?

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io