Eighth Skandha · Chapter 14
Sourceनारायण उवाच ततः परस्तादचलो लोकालोकेति नामकः । अन्तराले च लोकालोकयोर्यः परिकल्पितः ॥ १ ॥ यावदस्ति च देवर्षे ह्यन्तरं मानसोत्तरात् । सुमेरोस्तावती शुद्धा काञ्चनी भूमिरस्ति हि ॥ २ ॥ दर्पणोदरतुल्या सा सर्वप्राणिविवर्जिता । यस्यां पदार्थः प्रहितो न किञ्चित्प्रत्युदीयते ॥ ३ ॥ अतः सर्वप्राणिसङ्घरहिता सा च नारद । लोकालोक इति व्याख्या यदत्र परिकल्पिता ॥ ४ ॥ लोकालोकान्तरे चास्य वर्तते सर्वदा स्थितिः । ईश्वरेण स लोकानां त्रयाणामन्तगः कृतः ॥ ५ ॥ सूर्यादीनां ध्रुवान्तानां रश्मयो यद्वशादिह । अर्वाचीनाश्च त्रीँल्लोकानातन्वानाः कदापि हि ॥ ६ ॥ पराचीनत्वभाजो हि न भवन्ति च नारद । तावदुन्नहनायामः पर्वतेन्द्रो महोदयः ॥ ७ ॥ एतावाँल्लोकविन्यासोऽयं संस्थामानलक्षणैः । कविभिः स तु पञ्चाशत्कोटिभिर्गणितस्य च ॥ ८ ॥ भूगोलस्य चतुर्थांशो लोकालोकाचलो मुने । तस्योपरि चतुर्दिक्षु ब्रह्मणा चात्मयोनिना ॥ ९ ॥ निवेशिता दिग्गजा ये तन्नामानि निबोधत । ऋषभः पुष्पचूडोऽथ वामनोऽथापराजितः ॥ १० ॥ एते समस्तलोकस्य स्थितिहेतव ईरिताः । तेषां च स्वविभूतीनां बहुवीर्योपबृंहणम् ॥ ११ ॥ विशुद्धसत्त्वं चैश्वर्यं वर्धयन्भगवान् हरिः । आस्ते सिद्ध्यष्टकोपेतो विष्वक्सेनादिसंवृतः ॥ १२ ॥ निजायुधैः परिवृतो भुजदण्डैः समन्ततः । आस्ते सकललोकस्य स्वस्तये परमेश्वरः ॥ १३ ॥ आकल्पमेवं वेषं स गतो विष्णुः सनातनः । स्वमायारचितस्यास्य गोपीथायात्मसाधनः ॥ १४ ॥ योऽन्तर्विस्तार एतेन ह्यलोकपरिमाणकम् । व्याख्यातं यद्बहिर्लोकालोकाचल इतीरणात् ॥ १५ ॥ ततः परस्ताद्योगेशगतिं शुद्धा वदन्ति हि । अण्डमध्यगतः सूर्यो द्यावाभूम्योर्यदन्तरम् ॥ १६ ॥ सूर्याण्डगोलयोर्मध्ये कोट्यः स्युः पञ्चविंशतिः । मृतेऽण्ड एष एतस्मिञ्जातो मार्तण्डशब्दभाक् ॥ १७ ॥ हिरण्यगर्भ इति यद्धिरण्याण्डसमुद्भवः । सूर्येण हि विभज्यन्ते दिशः खं द्यौर्महीभिदा ॥ १८ ॥ स्वर्गापवर्गौ नरका रसौकांसि च सर्वशः । देवतिर्यङ्मनुष्याणां सरीसृपसवीरुधाम् ॥ १९ ॥ सर्वजीवनिकायानां सूर्य आत्मा दृगीश्वरः । एतावान्भूमण्डलस्य सन्निवेश उदाहृतः ॥ २० ॥ एतेन हि दिवो मानं वर्णयन्ति च तद्विदः । द्विदलानां च निष्पावादीनां च दलयोर्यथा ॥ २१ ॥ अन्तरेण तयोरन्तरिक्षं तदुभयसन्धितम् । यन्मध्यगश्च भगवान् भानुर्वै तपतां वरः ॥ २२ ॥ आतपेन त्रिलोकं च प्रतपत्येव भासयन् । उत्तरायणमासाद्य गतिमान्द्यं वितन्वते ॥ २३ ॥ आरोहणस्थानमसौ गत्वाहो दैर्ध्यमाचरेत् । दक्षिणायनमासाद्य गतिशैघ्र्यं वितन्वते ॥ २४ ॥ अवरोहस्थानमसौ गच्छन्ह्रस्वं दिनं चरेत् । विषुवत्संज्ञमासाद्य गतिसाम्यं वितन्वते ॥ २५ ॥ समस्थानमथासाद्य दिनसाम्यं करोति च । यदा च मेषतुलयोः सञ्चरेद्धि दिवाकरः ॥ २६ ॥ समानानि त्वहोरात्राण्यातनोति त्रयीमयः । वृषादिपञ्चसु यदा राशिष्वर्को विरोचते ॥ २७ ॥ तदाहानि च वर्धन्ते रात्रयोऽपि ह्रसन्ति च । वृश्चिकादिषु सूर्यो हि यदा सञ्चरते रविः ॥ २८ ॥ तदापीमान्यहोरात्राणि भवन्ति विपर्ययात् ॥ २९ ॥
nārāyaṇa uvāca tataḥ parastādacalo lokāloketi nāmakaḥ | antarāle ca lokālokayoryaḥ parikalpitaḥ || 1 || yāvadasti ca devarṣe hyantaraṃ mānasottarāt | sumerostāvatī śuddhā kāñcanī bhūmirasti hi || 2 || darpaṇodaratulyā sā sarvaprāṇivivarjitā | yasyāṃ padārthaḥ prahito na kiñcitpratyudīyate || 3 || ataḥ sarvaprāṇisaṅgharahitā sā ca nārada | lokāloka iti vyākhyā yadatra parikalpitā || 4 || lokālokāntare cāsya vartate sarvadā sthitiḥ | īśvareṇa sa lokānāṃ trayāṇāmantagaḥ kṛtaḥ || 5 || sūryādīnāṃ dhruvāntānāṃ raśmayo yadvaśādiha | arvācīnāśca trī~llokānātanvānāḥ kadāpi hi || 6 || parācīnatvabhājo hi na bhavanti ca nārada | tāvadunnahanāyāmaḥ parvatendro mahodayaḥ || 7 || etāvā~llokavinyāso'yaṃ saṃsthāmānalakṣaṇaiḥ | kavibhiḥ sa tu pañcāśatkoṭibhirgaṇitasya ca || 8 || bhūgolasya caturthāṃśo lokālokācalo mune | tasyopari caturdikṣu brahmaṇā cātmayoninā || 9 || niveśitā diggajā ye tannāmāni nibodhata | ṛṣabhaḥ puṣpacūḍo'tha vāmano'thāparājitaḥ || 10 || ete samastalokasya sthitihetava īritāḥ | teṣāṃ ca svavibhūtīnāṃ bahuvīryopabṛṃhaṇam || 11 || viśuddhasattvaṃ caiśvaryaṃ vardhayanbhagavān hariḥ | āste siddhyaṣṭakopeto viṣvaksenādisaṃvṛtaḥ || 12 || nijāyudhaiḥ parivṛto bhujadaṇḍaiḥ samantataḥ | āste sakalalokasya svastaye parameśvaraḥ || 13 || ākalpamevaṃ veṣaṃ sa gato viṣṇuḥ sanātanaḥ | svamāyāracitasyāsya gopīthāyātmasādhanaḥ || 14 || yo'ntarvistāra etena hyalokaparimāṇakam | vyākhyātaṃ yadbahirlokālokācala itīraṇāt || 15 || tataḥ parastādyogeśagatiṃ śuddhā vadanti hi | aṇḍamadhyagataḥ sūryo dyāvābhūmyoryadantaram || 16 || sūryāṇḍagolayormadhye koṭyaḥ syuḥ pañcaviṃśatiḥ | mṛte'ṇḍa eṣa etasmiñjāto mārtaṇḍaśabdabhāk || 17 || hiraṇyagarbha iti yaddhiraṇyāṇḍasamudbhavaḥ | sūryeṇa hi vibhajyante diśaḥ khaṃ dyaurmahībhidā || 18 || svargāpavargau narakā rasaukāṃsi ca sarvaśaḥ | devatiryaṅmanuṣyāṇāṃ sarīsṛpasavīrudhām || 19 || sarvajīvanikāyānāṃ sūrya ātmā dṛgīśvaraḥ | etāvānbhūmaṇḍalasya sanniveśa udāhṛtaḥ || 20 || etena hi divo mānaṃ varṇayanti ca tadvidaḥ | dvidalānāṃ ca niṣpāvādīnāṃ ca dalayoryathā || 21 || antareṇa tayorantarikṣaṃ tadubhayasandhitam | yanmadhyagaśca bhagavān bhānurvai tapatāṃ varaḥ || 22 || ātapena trilokaṃ ca pratapatyeva bhāsayan | uttarāyaṇamāsādya gatimāndyaṃ vitanvate || 23 || ārohaṇasthānamasau gatvāho dairdhyamācaret | dakṣiṇāyanamāsādya gatiśaighryaṃ vitanvate || 24 || avarohasthānamasau gacchanhrasvaṃ dinaṃ caret | viṣuvatsaṃjñamāsādya gatisāmyaṃ vitanvate || 25 || samasthānamathāsādya dinasāmyaṃ karoti ca | yadā ca meṣatulayoḥ sañcareddhi divākaraḥ || 26 || samānāni tvahorātrāṇyātanoti trayīmayaḥ | vṛṣādipañcasu yadā rāśiṣvarko virocate || 27 || tadāhāni ca vardhante rātrayo'pi hrasanti ca | vṛścikādiṣu sūryo hi yadā sañcarate raviḥ || 28 || tadāpīmānyahorātrāṇi bhavanti viparyayāt || 29 ||
English translation
1-29. Narayana said Next to the ocean of pure water, is the mountain, called Lokaloka. It marks the sphere between the two countries Loka and Aloka. O Devarsi! There is a land, all of pure gold (beyond this ocean of pure water) for a space equal to the distance between Manasottara and Meru. This land is like a mirror; there are no beings here; the reason is, any substance placed on it would at once be converted into gold and nothing can be obtained out of it. O Narada! No living beings can live there and therefore it is named Lokaloka. This is established always between the Loka and Aloka. The God himself has made this as the boundary of the three Lokas. The rays of the Sun, the Polar Star and all the planets are confined to this sphere; rather passing through its middle, the luminaries shed their lustre on the three Lokas. O Narada! This great mountain is so lofty and capacious that the rays of the luminaries can never go out of it. The learned men say, that the size, form, and indications of this mountain are such as this is the one-fourth of five hundred times the size of the earth on its summit. The self-born Brahma has placed very big elephants on all sides of it. Hear their names. These are Risabha, Puspachuda, Vamana, and Aparajita. These four elephants are said to hold all the Lokas in their respective positions. The Bhagavan Hari gives strength to these elephants and to Indra and others who are reckoned to be His Vibhutis (powers). He manifesting His S’uddha Sattva and super-extraordinary powers, and united with Anima, Laghima, etc., the eight Siddhis, is reigning there surrounded by His Paris’adas Visvaksena and others. He is the one God of all; He is without a second. For the welfare of all. He is holding Sudars’ana and His various other weapons; and the powers of His arms are great. He is His own Cause and at all times He pervades all in and through. He is Eternal. This Universe is upheld by His extraordinary power Maya for its preservation. He remains in this form till the end of a Kalpa. The inner width described above.
determines the width of Aloka. For it is situated outside the above Loka. Beyond the mountain Lokaloka, is said to lie the pure path leading to YogesVara within the egg-shaped ellipsoid formed by the Heaven and Earth. The inner dimension of this ellipsoid is twenty five Koti Yoyanas. When this egg becomes unconscious (lifeless), the Sun enters within it in the form of Vairaja. Hence the Sun is called Martanda. He is Hiranyagarbha, when He is born from this Golden Egg. It is this Sun that ordains the quarters, Akas’a, Heaven and Earth, etc., in their proper spheres and divisions. This Sun is the Atma of Svarga and Moksa, hell and other lower regions, of the Devas, men, birds, reptiles, trees and all other living beings; and He is the Presiding Deity of their sight. O Narada! Its width is Pahchas’at Koti Yoyanas and its height or depth is twenty-five Koti Yoyanas. If as the two halves of a gram are of the same size, so the Earth and Heaven are of equal size. The space enclosed between them is called Antariksa; the Sun God, the foremost of the planets, being situated in the middle, gives light and illumines and heats the three Lokas. He goes by the path of Uttarayana and therefore His motion becomes slow (His motion becomes Mandagati). The Sun then getting up higher prolongs the day time. Similarly when the Sun follows the path of Daksinayana, He gets S’lghra-gati and not going up so high, shortens the day time. Again when He comes at the Equator, He maintains an even position and the day and night become equal. When the Sun is in the signs Aries (Mesa) and Libra (Tula), then the day and night become equal. When the Sun traverses the five signs Taurus, Gemini, etc., the day becomes longer and when the Sun traverses the five signs Scorpio and others, the day becomes shorter and the night becomes longer.
Here ends the Fourteenth Chapter of the Eighth Book on the description of the Lokaloka space in the Mahapuranam S'ri Mad Devi Bhagavatam, of 18,000 verses, by Maharsi Veda Vyasa.
Complete chapter-aligned witnesses. Sanskrit Wikisource page 23830, revision 73372 (2016-07-03T02:56:57Z). English is Swami Vijñanananda’s complete 1921–23 public-domain translation, controlled against the archival OCR and its chapter page at https://sacred-texts.com/hin/db/bk08ch14.htm. Historic spelling and transliteration are lightly normalized; no verse-by-verse alignment is asserted.