SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM: CANTO 5

S'rî S'uka said: 'Beyond them [the sages] one finds 1.3 million yojanas further up [astronomy: at 26 thousand lightyears from the earth] that supreme abode, praised in the Rig veda mantras, which is of Vishnu, the source of life of all entities that live from now up to the end of creation. There indeed remains the great devotee Dhruva, the son of Uttânapâda whose greatness of following devoted I already described; and around it, keeping it to the right do Agni, the fire-god, Indra the king of heaven, the founding father the Prajâpati and Kas'yapa as well as Dharmarâja, in their concern of time always full of respect keep to their image [see 4-8].

S'ukadeva Gosvâmî continued: My dear King, 1.300.000 yojanas [10.400.000 miles] above the planets of the seven sages is the place that learned scholars describe as the abode of Lord Vishnu. There the son of Mahârâja Uttânapâda, the great devotee Mahârâja Dhruva, still resides as the life source of all the living entities who live until the end of the creation. Agni, Indra, Prajâpati, Kas'yapa and Dharma all assemble there to offer him honor and respectful obeisances. They circumambulate him with their right sides toward him. I have already described the glorious activities of Mahârâja Dhruva [in the Fourth Canto of S'rîmad-Bhâgavatam]. (Vedabase)

Text 2

To all the restless luminaries such as the planets and the stars is that place indeed there as the, by the Controller established, incandescent radiating pivot of which the inconceivable, all-powerful force by the factor of time is known as the cause of their revolving.

Established by the supreme will of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the polestar, which is the planet of Mahârâja Dhruva, constantly shines as the central pivot for all the stars and planets. The unsleeping, invisible, most powerful time factor causes these luminaries to revolve around the polestar without cessation. (Vedabase)

Text 3

Like three bulls that for threshing rice are yoked to a central pole, do the luminaries keep their proper places moving in their orbits fixed on inner and outer circles of the wheel of time, the same way as the planets around the sun keep their positions. Holding on to Dhruvaloka till the end of creation, they revolve as driven by the wind in the sky, just like heavy clouds and big birds that controlled by the air move their bodies around according their previous positions. So do the luminaries which, by the combined effort of material nature and the Original Person, consequential act to their previous existence, never collide with the earth.

When bulls are yoked together and tied to a central post to thresh rice, they tread around that pivot without deviating from their proper positions--one bull being closest to the post, another in the middle, and a third on the outside. Similarly, all the planets and all the hundreds and thousands of stars revolve around the polestar, the planet of Mahârâja Dhruva, in their respective orbits, some higher and some lower. Fastened by the Supreme Personality of Godhead to the machine of material nature according to the results of their fruitive acts, they are driven around the polestar by the wind and will continue to be so until the end of creation. These planets float in the air within the vast sky, just as clouds with hundreds of tons of water float in the air or as the great s'yena eagles, due to the results of past activities, fly high in the sky and have no chance of falling to the ground. (Vedabase)

Text 4

Some imagine this great wheel of planets and stars to be a s'is'umâra [a dolphin] and do, concentrated in yoga, describe it as [the visible of] the Supreme Lord Vâsudeva.

This great machine, consisting of the stars and planets, resembles the form of a s'is'umâra [dolphin] in the water. It is sometimes considered an incarnation of Krishna, Vâsudeva. Great yogîs meditate upon Vâsudeva in this form because it is actually visible. (Vedabase)

Text 5

With, situated at the end of its tail, Dhruvaloka and with its head bend downwards, it has its body coiled up. The Prajâpati, Agni, Indra and Dharma are found on the tail with also Dhâtâ and Vidhâtâ at its base; the seven sages are situated on its hip; coiling to the right there are as its separate parts the constellations of the fourteen stars [from Abhijit to Punarvasu] that mark the northern course and to the left in the north there are the same number of them [from Pushyâ to Uttarâshâdhâ], that for sure make it on both sides appear like the coiled body of a dolphin. On its back are of course seen the first three stars [Mûlâ, Pûrvasâdhâ and Uttarâshâdhâ] and on the belly one sees the celestial Ganges [the band of stars of the complete body of the S'is'umâra star cluster we know as our Milky Way].

This form of the s'is'umâra has its head downward and its body coiled. On the end of its tail is the planet of Dhruva, on the body of its tail are the planets of the demigods Prajâpati, Agni, Indra and Dharma, and at the base of its tail are the planets of the demigods Dhâtâ and Vidhâtâ. Where the hips might be on the s'is'umâra are the seven saintly sages like Vasishthha and Angira. The coiled body of the S'is'umâra-cakra turns toward its right side, on which the fourteen constellations from Abhijit to Punarvasu are located. On its left side are the fourteen stars from Pushyâ to Uttarâshâdhâ. Thus its body is balanced because its sides are occupied by an equal number of stars. On the back of the s'is'umâra is the group of stars known as Ajavîthî, and on its abdomen is the Ganges that flows in the sky [the Milky Way]. (Vedabase)

Text 6

Punarvasu and Pushyâ make up for the loins right and left, Ârdrâ and As'leshâ also to the right and left are his flippers, Abhijit and Uttarâshâdhâ are the left and right nostril with next in order of following S'ravanâ and Pûrvâshâdhâ for the eyes left and right; Dhanishthhâ and Mûlâ make up for the right and left ear and the eight stars such as Maghâ marking the southern course are to be seen as the left ribs while the same number of stars like Mrigas'îrshâ that mark the northern course are there as the ribs positioned in reverse order to the right. S'atabhishâ and Jyeshthhâ should be seen in the position of the right and left shoulder.

On the right and left sides of where the loins might be on the S'is'umâra-cakra are the stars named Punarvasu and Pushyâ. Ârdrâ and As'leshâ are on its right and left feet, Abhijit and Uttarâshâdhâ are on its right and left nostrils, S'ravanâ and Pûrvâshâdhâ are at its right and left eyes, and Dhanishthhâ and Mûlâ are on its right and left ears. The eight stars from Maghâ to Anurâdhâ, which mark the southern course, are on the ribs of the left of its body, and the eight stars from Mrigas'îrshâ to Pûrvabhâdra, which mark the northern course, are on the ribs on the right side. S'atabhishâ and Jyeshthhâ are on the right and left shoulders. (Vedabase)

Text 7

On the upper chin there is Agasti and on the lower one there is Yamarâja. To the mouth there is Mars, to the genitals there is Saturn, Jupiter is there to the back of the neck, the sun is there for the chest, within the heart is Lord Nârâyana found and in the mind the moon. On the navel there is Venus, on the two sides of the breast reside the As'vins, Mercury is there to the in- and outward breath, Râhu is the neck and the comets are found all over its body with the numerous stars as the pores.

On the upper chin of the s'is'umâra is Agasti; on its lower chin, Yamarâja; on its mouth, Mars; on its genitals, Saturn; on the back of its neck, Jupiter; on its chest, the sun; and within the core of its heart, Nârâyana. Within its mind is the moon; on its navel, Venus; and on its breasts, the As'vinî-kumâras. Within its life air, which is known as prânâpâna, is Mercury, on its neck is Râhu, all over its body are comets, and in its pores are the numerous stars. (Vedabase)

Text 8

This [form of S'is'umâra] indeed is for sure the form of the Supreme Lord, of Lord Vishnu who consists of all the demigods; observing it each morning, noon and evening one should in worship meditate controlling one's words as follows: 'Our obeisances unto this resting place of all the luminous worlds, unto the master of the demigods, the great Personality in the form of Time, upon whom we meditate' [namo jyotih-lokâya kâlâyanâya animishâm pataye mahâ-purushâya abhidhîmahîti]

My dear King, the body of the s'is'umâra, as thus described, should be considered the external form of Lord Vishnu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Morning, noon and evening, one should silently observe the form of the Lord as the S'is'umâra-cakra and worship Him with this mantra: "O Lord who has assumed the form of time! O resting place of all the planets moving in different orbits! O master of all demigods, O Supreme Person, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You and meditate upon You." (Vedabase)

Text 9

Those who, of that leader of the demigods consisting of all the planets and stars, that destroyer of sin, do the mantra above, three times offering their respects and three times meditating, will very quickly find all the sins annihilated they are into at the time.

The body of the Supreme Lord, Vishnu, which forms the S'is'umâra-cakra, is the resting place of all the demigods and all the stars and planets. One who chants this mantra to worship that Supreme Person three times a day--morning, noon and evening--will surely be freed from all sinful reactions. If one simply offers his obeisances to this form or remembers this form three times a day, all his recent sinful activities will be destroyed. (Vedabase)