SB 5.17.1 · Srimad Bhagavatam

Devanagari

श्रीशुक उवाच तत्र भगवत: साक्षाद्यज्ञलिङ्गस्य विष्णोर्विक्रमतो वामपादाङ्गुष्ठनखनिर्भिन्नोर्ध्वाण्डकटाहविवरेणान्त:प्रविष्टा या बाह्यजलधारा तच्चरणपङ्कजावनेजनारुणकिञ्जल्कोपरञ्जिताखिलजगदघमलापहोपस्पर्शनामला साक्षाद्भ‍गवत्पदीत्यनुपलक्षितवचोऽभिधीयमानातिमहता कालेन युगसहस्रोपलक्षणेन दिवो मूर्धन्यवततार यत्तद्विष्णुपदमाहु: ॥ १ ॥

Verse text

śrī-śuka uvāca tatra bhagavataḥ sākṣād yajṣa-liṅgasya viṣṇor vikramato vāma-pādāṅguṣṭha-nakha-nirbhinnordhvāṇḍa-kaṭāha-vivareṇāntaḥ-praviṣṭā yā bāhya-jala-dhārā tac-caraṇa-paṅkajāvanejanāruṇa-kiṣjalkoparaṣjitākhila-jagad-agha-malāpahopasparśanāmalā sākṣād bhagavat-padīty anupalakṣita-vaco ’bhidhīyamānāti-mahatā kālena yuga-sahasropalakṣaṇena divo mūrdhany avatatāra yat tad viṣṇu-padam āhuḥ.

Synonyms

śrī — śukaḥ uvāca — Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said ; tatra — at that time ; bhagavataḥ — of the incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead ; sākṣāt — directly ; yajṣa — liṅgasya — the enjoyer of the results of all sacrifices ; viṣṇoḥ — of Lord Viṣṇu ; vikramataḥ — while taking His second step ; vāma — pāda — of His left leg ; aṅguṣṭha — of the big toe ; nakha — by the nail ; nirbhinna — pierced ; ūrdhva — upper ; aṇḍa — kaṭāha — the covering of the universe (consisting of seven layers — earth, water, fire, etc.) ; vivareṇa — through the hole ; antaḥ — praviṣṭā — having entered the universe ; yā — which ; bāhya — jala — dhārā — the flow of water from the Causal Ocean outside the universe ; tat — of Him ; caraṇa — paṅkaja — of the lotus feet ; avanejana — by the washing ; aruṇa — kiṣjalka — by reddish powder ; uparaṣjitā — being colored ; akhila — jagat — of the whole world ; agha — mala — the sinful activities ; apahā — destroys ; upasparśana — the touching of which ; amalā — completely pure ; sākṣāt — directly ; bhagavat — padī — emanating from the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead ; iti — thus ; anupalakṣita — described ; vacaḥ — by the name ; abhidhīyamānā — being called ; ati — mahatā kālena — after a long time ; yuga — sahasra — upalakṣaṇena — consisting of one thousand millenniums ; divaḥ — of the sky ; mūrdhani — on the head (Dhruvaloka) ; avatatāra — descended ; yat — which ; tat — that ; viṣṇu — padam — the lotus feet of Lord Viṣṇu ; āhuḥ — they call .

Translation

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: My dear King, Lord Viṣṇu, the enjoyer of all sacrifices, appeared as Vāmanadeva in the sacrificial arena of Bali Mahārāja. Then He extended His left foot to the end of the universe and pierced a hole in its covering with the nail of His big toe. Through the hole, the pure water of the Causal Ocean entered this universe as the Ganges River. Having washed the lotus feet of the Lord, which are covered with reddish powder, the water of the Ganges acquired a very beautiful pink color. Every living being can immediately purify his mind of material contamination by touching the transcendental water of the Ganges, yet its waters remain ever pure. Because the Ganges directly touches the lotus feet of the Lord before descending within this universe, she is known as Viṣṇupadī. Later she received other names like Jāhnavī and Bhāgīrathī. After one thousand millenniums, the water of the Ganges descended to Dhruvaloka, the topmost planet in this universe. Therefore all learned sages and scholars proclaim Dhruvaloka to be Viṣṇupada [“situated on Lord Viṣṇu’s lotus feet”].

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

When the Lord appeared as Vāmana and stepped over the earth with his right foot, the water which entered from outside, by piercing the covering of the universe with the big toe of his left foot, tinted red from the color of Lord’s feet and the kuṁkuma coming from the water that washed his lotus feet, which purifies by its touch all sins of the world but remains pure, not known by any other name, was called Bhagavat-padī, “water coming from the foot of the Lord.” After a long time, a thousand yugas, the river descended to Dhruva-loka, which then became known as Viṣṇu-pada, the abode of Viṣṇu. The Seventeenth Chapter describes the descent of Gaṅgā to earth, the happiness of Bhauma-svarga and the service of Saṅkarṣaṇa and Rudra. After describing the splendor of the mountains surrounding Sumeru like filaments, Śuka now describes the very long stream of the Gaṅgā, the crest jewel of all splendors, by relating how Gaṅgā made her appearance. At the time of Vāmana avatāra (tatra), by stepping over the earth with his right foot (vikramataḥ) and from throwing his left foot in the air, he cause all places up to the top of the universe to tremble, up to the layer of prakṛti (where the guṇas are pacified), as related by Brahmā: trisāmyasadanād urukampayānam. (SB 2.7.4) Thus the spiritual steam of water of the Kāraṇa Ocean, outside of the eight layers of the universe, descended to Dhruva-loka (divaḥ mūrdhani). The water was colored red from the kuṁkuma and the red color of the Lord’s feet, arising from the water used to wash the Lord’s feet. The touch of this water destroys the contamination of sin, but the water remains free of contamination (amalā). It was called by the name Bhagavatpadī, because at that time it was not known by other names (vaco anupalakṣaṇam) such as Bhāgīrathī or Jāhnavī. It then fell on Dhruva-loka which (yat) became known as Viṣṇu-pada

Purport

In this verse, Śukadeva Gosvāmī describes the glories of the Ganges River. The water of the Ganges is called patita-pāvanī, the deliverer of all sinful living beings. It is a proven fact that a person who regularly bathes in the Ganges is purified both externally and internally. Externally his body becomes immune to all kinds of disease, and internally he gradually develops a devotional attitude toward the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Throughout India, many thousands of people live on the banks of the Ganges, and by regularly bathing in her waters, they are undoubtedly being purified both spiritually and materially. Many sages, including Śaṅkarācārya, have composed prayers in praise of the Ganges, and the land of India itself has become glorious because such rivers as the Ganges, Yamunā, Godāvarī, Kāverī, Kṛṣṇā and Narmadā flow there. Anyone living on the land adjacent to these rivers is naturally advanced in spiritual consciousness. Śrīla Madhvācārya says: vārāhe vāma-pādaṁ tu tad-anyeṣu tu dakṣiṇam pādaṁ kalpeṣu bhagavān ujjahāra trivikramaḥ Standing on His right foot and extending His left to the edge of the universe, Lord Vāmana became known as Trivikrama, the incarnation who performed three heroic deeds.