Text 3] The Sigumara Planetary System 361

The orbits of the planets resemble the bodies in which all living en-
tities are seated because they are both machines controlled by the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. As Krsna says in Bhagavad-gita
(18.61):

isvarah sarva-bhitanam
hrd-dese ’rjuna tisthati

bhrdmayan sarva-bhitani
yantrariidhani mayaya

“The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone’s heart, O Arjuna, and is
directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a
machine, made of the material energy.”’ The machine given by material
nature—whether the machine of the body or the machine of the orbit, or
kala-cakra—works according to the orders given by the Supreme Per-
sonality of Godhead. The Supreme Personality of Godhead and material
nature work together to maintain this great universe, and not only this
universe but also the millions of other universes beyond this one.

The question of how the planets and stars are floating is also answered
in this verse. It is not because of the laws of gravity. Rather, the planets
and stars are enabled to float by manipulations of the air. It is due to such
manipulations that big, heavy clouds float and big eagles fly in the sky.
Modern airplanes like the 747 jet aircraft work in a similar way: by con-
trolling the air, they float high in the sky, resisting the tendency to fall to
earth. Such adjustments of the air are all made possible by the coopera-
tion of the principles of purusa (male) and prakrti (female). By the
cooperation of material nature, which is considered to be prakrti, and the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is considered the purusa, all the
affairs of the universe are going on nicely in their proper order. Prakrti,
material nature, is also described in the Brahma-samhita (5.44) as
follows:

srsti-sthiti- pralaya-sadhana-saktir eka
chayeva yasya bhuvanani bibharti durga

icchdnuriipam api yasya ca cestate sa
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami
