Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 5.17.14

navasv api varsheshu bhagavān nārāyano mahā-purushah purushānām tad-anugrahāyātma-tattva-vyūhenātmanādyāpi sannidhīyate

SYNONYMS

navasu — in the nine; api — certainly; varsheshu — tracts of land known as varshas; bhagavān — the Supreme Personality of Godhead; nārāyanah — Lord Vishnu; mahā-purushah — the Supreme Person; purushānām — unto His various devotees; tat-anugrahāya — to show His mercy; ātma-tattva-vyūhena — by expansions of Himself in the quadruple forms Vāsudeva, Sańkarshana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha; ātmanā — personally; adya api — until now; sannidhīyate — is near the devotees for accepting their services.

TRANSLATION

To show mercy to His devotees in each of these nine tracts of land, the Supreme Personality of Godhead known as Nārāyana expands Himself in His quadruple principles of Vāsudeva, Sańkarshana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha. In this way He remains near His devotees to accept their service.

PURPORT

In this connection, Viśvanātha Cakravartī Thākura informs us that the demigods worship the Supreme Lord in His various Deity forms (arcā-vigraha) because except in the spiritual world, the Supreme Personality of Godhead cannot be directly worshiped in person. In the material world, the Lord is always worshiped as the arcā-vigraha, or Deity in the temple. There is no difference between the arcā-vigraha and the original person, and therefore those who are engaged in worshiping the Deity in the temple in full opulence, even on this planet, should be understood to be directly in touch with the Supreme Personality of Godhead without a doubt. As enjoined in the śāstras, arcye vishnau śilā-dhīr gurushu nara-matih: "No one should treat the Deity in the temple as stone or metal. nor should one think that the spiritual master is an ordinary human being." One should strictly follow this śāstric injunction and worship the Deity, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, without offenses. The spiritual master is the direct representative of the Lord, and no one should consider him an ordinary human being. By avoiding offenses against the Deity and the spiritual master, one can advance in spiritual life, or Krishna consciousness.

In this regard, the following quotation appears in the Laghu-bhāgavatāmrita:

pādme tu parama-vyomnah

pūrvādye dik-catushtaye

vāsudevādayo vyūhaś

catvārah kathitāh kramāt

tathā pāda-vibhūtau ca

nivasanti kramādi me

jalāvriti-stha-vaikuntha-

sthita vedavatī-pure

satyordhve vaishnave loke

nityākhye dvārakā-pure

śuddhodād uttare śveta-

dvīpe cairāvatī-pure

kshīrāmbudhi-sthitānte

kroda-paryańka-dhāmani

sātvatīye kvacit tantre

nava vyūhāh prakīrtitāh

catvāro vāsudevādyā

nārāyana-nrisimhakau

hayagrīvo mahā-krodo

brahmā ceti navoditāh

tatra brahmā tu vijñeyah

pūrvokta-vidhayā harih

"In the Padma Purāna it is said that in the spiritual world the Lord personally expands in all directions and is worshiped as Vāsudeva, Sańkarshana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha. The same God is represented by the Deity in this material world, which is only one quarter of His creation. Vāsudeva, Sańkarshana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha are also present in the four directions of this material world. There is a Vaikunthaloka covered with water in this material world, and on that planet is a place called Vedavatī, where Vāsudeva is located. Another planet known as Vishnuloka is situated above Satyaloka, and there Sańkarshana is present. Similarly, in Dvārakā-purī, Pradyumna is the predominator. On the island known as Śvetadvīpa, there is an ocean of milk, and in the midst of that ocean is a place called Airāvatī-pura, where Aniruddha lies on Ananta. In some of the sātvata-tantras, there is a description of the nine varshas and the predominating Deity worshiped in each: (1) Vāsudeva, (2) Sańkarshana, (3) Pradyumna, (4) Aniruddha, (5) Nārāyana, (6) Nrisimha, (7) Hayagrīva, (8) Mahāvarāha, and (9) Brahmā. "The Lord Brahmā mentioned in this connection is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When there is no fit human being to empower as Lord Brahmā, the Lord Himself takes the position of Lord Brahmā. Tatra brahmā tu vijñeyah pūrvokta-vidhayā harih. That Brahmā mentioned here is Hari Himself.

<<< >>>

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