Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 4.20.22

athāvamrijyāśru-kalā vilokayann

atripta-drig-gocaram āha pūrusham

padā spriśantam kshitim amsa unnate

vinyasta-hastāgram urańga-vidvishah

SYNONYMS

atha — thereupon; avamrijya — wiping; aśru-kalāh — the tears in his eyes; vilokayan — observing; atripta — not satisfied; drik-gocaram — visible to his naked eyes; āha — he said; pūrusham — unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead; padā — with His lotus feet; spriśantam — just touching; kshitim — the ground; amse — on the shoulder; unnate — raised; vinyasta — rested; hasta — of His hand; agram — the front part; urańga-vidvishah — of Garuda, the enemy of the snakes.

TRANSLATION

The Supreme Personality of Godhead stood with His lotus feet almost touching the ground while He rested the front of His hand on the raised shoulder of Garuda, the enemy of the snakes. Mahārāja Prithu, wiping the tears from his eyes, tried to look upon the Lord, but it appeared that the King was not fully satisfied by looking at Him. Thus the King offered the following prayers.

PURPORT

The significant point in this verse is that the Lord was standing above the ground, almost touching it. The residents of the upper planetary systems, beginning from Brahmaloka (the planet where Lord Brahmā lives) down to Svargaloka (the heavenly planet of Indra), are so advanced in spiritual life that when they come to visit this or similar other lower planetary systems, they keep their weightlessness. This means that they can stand without touching the ground. Lord Vishnu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but because He lives in one of the planetary systems within this universe, He sometimes plays as if one of the demigods of this universe. When He first appeared before Prithu Mahārāja, He was not touching the ground of this earth, but when He was fully satisfied with the behavior and character of Mahārāja Prithu, He immediately acted as the Supreme Personality of Godhead Nārāyana from Vaikuntha. Out of affection for Prithu Mahārāja, He touched the earth, but He rested the front of His hand on the raised shoulder of Garuda, His carrier, as if to prevent Himself from falling down, since the Lord is not accustomed to stand on earthly ground. These are all symptoms of His great affection for Prithu Mahārāja. perceiving his fortunate position, Prithu Mahārāja could not fully look upon the Lord due to ecstasy, but still, in a faltering voice, he began to offer prayers.

<<< >>>

Copyright ©r The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness