FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.5.40-41

తత్కట్యాం చాతలం క్లృప్తమూరుభ్యాం వితలం విభో: । జానుభ్యాం సుతలం శుద్ధం జఙ్ఘాభ్యాం తు తలాతలమ్ ॥ ౪౦ ॥ మహాతలం తు గుల్ఫాభ్యాం ప్రపదాభ్యాం రసాతలమ్ । పాతాలం పాదతలత ఇతి లోకమయ: పుమాన్ ॥ ౪౧ ॥
tat-kaṭyāṁ cātalaṁ kḷptam
[tat-katyaam chaatalam klriptam]
ūrubhyāṁ vitalaṁ vibhoḥ
[oorubhyaam vitalam vibhoh]
jānubhyāṁ sutalaṁ śuddhaṁ
[jaanubhyaam sutalam shuddham]
jaṅghābhyāṁ tu talātalam
[janghaabhyaam tu talaatalam]
mahātalaṁ tu gulphābhyāṁ
[mahaatalam tu gulphaabhyaam]
prapadābhyāṁ rasātalam
[prapadaabhyaam rasaatalam]
pātālaṁ pāda-talata
[paataalam paada-talata]
iti lokamayaḥ pumān
[iti lokamayah pumaan]
tat — in His kaṭyām — waist ca — also atalam — the first planetary system below the earth kḷptam — situated ūrubhyām — on the thighs vitalam — the second planetary system below vibhoḥ — of the Lord jānubhyām — on the ankles sutalam — the third planetary system below śuddham — purified jaṅghābhyām — on the joints tu — but talātalam — the fourth planetary system below mahātalam — the fifth planetary system below tu — but gulphābhyām — situated on the calves prapadābhyām — on the upper or front portion of the feet rasātalam — the sixth planetary system below pātālam — the seventh planetary system below pāda-talataḥ — on the bottom or soles of the feet iti — thus loka-mayaḥ — full of planetary systems pumān — the Lord.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
tat-kaṭyāṁ cātalaṁ kḷptam
tat
in His
kaṭyām
waist
ca
also
atalam
the first planetary system below the earth
kḷptam
situated
ūrubhyāṁ vitalaṁ vibhoḥ
ūrubhyām
on the thighs
vitalam
the second planetary system below
vibhoḥ
of the Lord
jānubhyāṁ sutalaṁ śuddhaṁ
jānubhyām
on the ankles
sutalam
the third planetary system below
śuddham
purified
jaṅghābhyāṁ tu talātalam
jaṅghābhyām
on the joints
tu
but
talātalam
the fourth planetary system below
mahātalaṁ tu gulphābhyāṁ
mahātalam
the fifth planetary system below
tu
but
gulphābhyām
situated on the calves
prapadābhyāṁ rasātalam
prapadābhyām
on the upper or front portion of the feet
rasātalam
the sixth planetary system below
pātālaṁ pāda-talata
pātālam
the seventh planetary system below
pāda-talataḥ
on the bottom or soles of the feet
iti lokamayaḥ pumān
iti
thus
loka-mayaḥ
full of planetary systems
pumān
the Lord.
My dear son Nārada, know from me that there are seven lower planetary systems out of the total fourteen. The first planetary system, known as Atala, is situated on the waist; the second, Vitala, is situated on the thighs; the third, Sutala, on the knees; the fourth, Talātala, on the shanks; the fifth, Mahātala, on the ankles; the sixth, Rasātala, on the upper portion of the feet; and the seventh, Pātāla, on the soles of the feet. Thus the virāṭ form of the Lord is full of all planetary systems.

Modern enterprisers (the astronauts who travel in space) may take information from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that in space there are fourteen divisions of planetary systems. The situation is calculated from the earthly planetary system, which is called Bhūrloka. Above Bhūrloka is Bhuvarloka, and the topmost planetary system is called Satyaloka. These are the upper seven lokas, or planetary systems. And similarly there are seven lower planetary systems, known as Atala, Vitala, Sutala, Talātala, Mahātala, Rasātala and Pātāla lokas. All these planetary systems are scattered over the complete universe, which occupies an area of two billion times two billion square miles. The modern astronauts can travel only a few thousand miles away from the earth, and therefore their attempt to travel in the sky is something like child’s play on the shore of an expansive ocean. The moon is situated in the third status of the upper planetary system, and in the Fifth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam we shall be able to know the distant situation of the various planets scattered over the vast material sky. There are innumerable universes beyond the one in which we are put, and all these material universes cover only an insignificant portion of the spiritual sky, which is described above as sanātana Brahmaloka. The Supreme Lord very kindly invites the intelligent human beings to return home, back to Godhead, in the following verse of the Bhagavad-gītā (8.16) :

ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvartino ’rjuna mām upetya tu kaunteya punar janma na vidyate

Beginning from Satyaloka, the topmost planet of the universe, situated just below the eternal Brahmaloka, as described above, all the planets are material. And one’s situation in any of the many material planets is still subject to the laws of material nature, namely birth, death, old age and disease. But one can get complete liberation from all the above-mentioned material pangs when one enters into the eternal Brahmaloka sanātana atmosphere, the kingdom of God. Therefore liberation, as contemplated by the speculative philosophers and the mystics, is possible only when one becomes a devotee of the Lord. Anyone who is not a devotee cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Only by attainment of a service attitude in the transcendental position can one enter into the kingdom of Godhead. Therefore the speculative philosophers, as well as the mystics, must first of all be attracted to the devotional cult before they can factually attain liberation.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Atala is the buttocks of the Lord. Vitala is his thighs. Pure Sutala is his knees. Talātala is his shanks. Mahātala is his ankles, Rasātala is the top of his feet, and Pātāla is the soles of his feet.
Commentary

Now the method of meditation on fourteen planets is described. The seven upper planets were already described. The seven lower planets are now described in two verses. Sutalam is considered pure because Prahlāda, Bali and other devotees reside there.

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