276 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 5, Ch. 20
stiryam a@tmdnam—the Supersoul, represented by the sun-god; ya-
Jante—they worship.
TRANSLATION

The seven islands [varsas] are named according to the names of
those seven sons—Siva, Yavasa, Subhadra, Santa, Ksema, Amrta
and Abhaya. In those seven tracts of land, there are seven moun-
tains and seven rivers. The mountains are named Manikita, Vajra-
kita, Indrasena, Jyotisman, Suparna, Hiranyasthiva and
Meghamiala, and the rivers are named Aruna, Nrmna, Angirasi,
Savitri, Suptabhata, Rtambhara and Satyambhara. One can im-
mediately be free from material contamination by touching or
bathing in those rivers, and the four castes of people who live in
Plaksadvipa—the Harnsas, Patangas, Urdhvayanas and Satyangas—
purify themselves in that way. The inhabitants of Plaksadvipa live
for one thousand years. They are beautiful like the demigods, and
they also beget children like the demigods. By completely per-
forming the ritualistic ceremonies mentioned in the Vedas and by
worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead as represented by
the sun-god, they attain the sun, which is a heavenly planet.

PURPORT

According to general understanding, there are originally three
deities—Lord Brahma, Lord Visnu and Lord Siva—and people with a
poor fund of knowledge consider Lord Visnu no better than Lord
Brahma or Lord Siva. This conclusion, however, is invalid. As stated in
the Vedas, istapirtam bahudha jayamanam visvam bibharti bhuvanasya
nabhih tad evagnis tad vayus tat stiryas tad u candramaéh agnih sarva-
daivatah. This means that the Supreme Lord, who accepts and enjoys the
results of Vedic ritualistic ceremonies (technically called istdpurta), who
maintains the entire creation, who supplies the necessities of all living
entities (eko bahtinam yo vidadhati kaman) and who is the central point
of all creation, is Lord Visnu. Lord Visnu expands as the demigods
known as Agni, Vayu, Sarya and Candra, who are simply parts and par-
cels of His body. Lord Krsna says in Srimad Bhagavad-gita (9.23):

ye py anya-devata-bhakta
yajante sraddhaydnvitah
