44
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 2, Ch. 1]
the seer. The transcendental Lord, in any conception of His form, is never a part of the material creation. He keeps His identity as Supreme Spirit in all circumstances and is never affected by the three material qualities, for everything material is contaminated. The Lord always exists by His internal energy.
The universe is divided into fourteen planetary systems. Seven planetary systems, called Bhūr, Bhuvar, Svar, Mahar, Jana, Tapas, and Satya, are upward planetary systems, one above the other. There are also seven planetary systems downward, known as Tala, Atala, Vitala, Rasātala, Talātala, Mahātala and Pātāla, gradually, one below the other. In this verse, the description begins from the bottom because it is in the line of devotion that the Lord's bodily description should be begun from His feet. Śukadeva Gosvāmī is a recognized devotee of the Lord, and he is exactly correct in the description.
TEXT 27
द्वे जानुनी सुतलं विश्वमूर्ते- 
    रूरुद्वयं वितलं चातलं च । 
    महीतलं तज्जघनं महीपते 
    नभस्तलं नाभिसरो गृणन्ति ॥२७॥
dve jānunī sutalam viśva-mūrter 
    ūrudvayam vitalam cātalam ca 
    mahītalam taj-jaghanam mahīpate 
    nabhastalam nābhisaro gṛṇanti
dve—two; jānunī—leg joints; sutalam—the planetary system named Sutala; viśva-mūrteḥ—of the universal form; ūrudvayam—two thighs; vitalam—the planetary system named Vitala; ca—also; atalam—the planets named Atala; ca—and; mahītalam—the planetary system named Mahītala; tat—of their; jaghanam—lower portion of the thighs; mahīpate—king; nabhastalam—outer space; nābhisaraḥ—depression of the navel; gṛṇanti—they take it so.
TRANSLATION
The joints of the legs of the universal form are the planetary system of the name Sutala, and the lower portions of the thighs are the Vitala and