388 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 5, Ch. 24

kesvarah—the master of gold; sva-pdrsada—by his own associates;
bhita-gana—who are ghostly living beings; avrtah—surrounded; pra-
Japati-sarga—of the creation of Lord Brahma; upabrmhandya—to in-
crease the population; bhavah—Lord Siva; bhavanya saha—with his
wife, Bhavani; mithuni-bhitah—being united in sex; dste—remains;
yatah—from that planet (Vitala); pravrtta—being emanated; sarit-pra-
vard—the great river; hataki—Hataki; naéma— named; bhavayoh
viryena—due to the semina and ovum of Lord Siva and Bhavani;
yatra—where; citra-bhanuh—the fire-god; matarisvand—by the wind;
samidhyamanah—being brightly inflamed; ojasé—with great strength;
pibati—drinks; tat—that; nisthyitam—spit out with a hissing sound;
hataka-dkhyam—named Hataka; suvarnam—gold; bhiisanena—by
different types of ornaments; asura-indra—of the great asuras;
avarodhesu—in the homes; purusdh—the males; saha—with;
purusibhih—their wives and women; dhdarayanti—wear.

TRANSLATION

The next planet below Atala is Vitala, wherein Lord Siva, who is
known as the master of gold mines, lives with his personal associ-
ates, the ghosts and similar living entities. Lord Siva, as the pro-
genitor, engages in sex with Bhavani, the progenitress, to produce
living entities, and from the mixture of their vital fluid the river
named Hataki is generated. When fire, being made to blaze by the
wind, drinks of this river and then sizzles and spits it out, it pro-
duces gold called Hataka. The demons who live on that planet with
their wives decorate themselves with various ornaments made

from that gold, and thus they live there very happily.

PURPORT

It appears that when Bhava and Bhavani, Lord Siva and his wife, unite
sexually, the emulsification of their secretions creates a chemical which
when heated by fire can produce gold. It is said that the alchemists of the
medieval age tried to prepare gold from base metal, and Srila Sanatana
Cosvami also states that when bell metal is treated with mercury, it can
produce gold. Srila Sanatana Gosvami mentions this in regard to the
