| Canto 5: The Creative Impetus | Chapter 24: The Subterranean Heavenly Planets |
Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 5.24.1
adhastāt savitur yojanāyute svarbhānur nakshatravac caratīty eke yo 'sāv amaratvam grahatvam cālabhata bhagavad-anukampayā svayam asurāpasadah saimhikeyo hy atad-arhas tasya tāta janma karmāni coparishtād vakshyāmah
SYNONYMS
śrī-śukah uvāca — Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said; adhastāt — below; savituh — the sun globe; yojana — a measurement equal to eight miles; ayute — ten thousand; svarbhānuh — the planet known as Rāhu; nakshatra-vat — like one of the stars; carati — is rotating; iti — thus; eke — some who are learned in the Purānas; yah — which; asau — that; amaratvam — a lifetime like those of the demigods; grahatvam — a position as one of the chief planets; ca — and; alabhata — obtained; bhagavat-anukampayā — by the compassion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; svayam — personally; asura-apasadah — the lowest of the asuras; saimhikeyah — being the son of Simhikā; hi — indeed; a-tat-arhah — not qualified for that position; tasya — his; tāta — O my dear King; janma — birth; karmāni — activities; ca — also; uparishtāt — later; vakshyāmah — I shall explain.
TRANSLATION
Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: My dear King, some historians, the speakers of the Purānas, say that 10,000 yojanas [80,000 miles] below the sun is the planet known as Rāhu, which moves like one of the stars. The presiding deity of that planet, who is the son of Simhikā, is the most abominable of all asuras, but although he is completely unfit to assume the position of a demigod or planetary deity, he has achieved that position by the grace of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Later I shall speak further about him.
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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness