Srimad Bhagavatam — Ashtama Skandha, Shloka 24
Bali Mahārāja Upholds Truth; Vāmana Reveals the Universal Form and Takes the Two Steps
सन्ध्यां विभोर्वाससि गुह्य ऐक्षत् प्रजापतीञ्जघने आत्ममुख्यान् । नाभ्यां नभ: कुक्षिषु सप्तसिन्धू- नुरुक्रमस्योरसि चर्क्षमालाम् ॥ २४ ॥
sandhyāṁ vibhor vāsasi guhya aikṣat prajāpatīñ jaghane ātma-mukhyān nābhyāṁ nabhaḥ kukṣiṣu sapta-sindhūn urukramasyorasi carkṣa-mālām
Bali Mahārāja saw, beneath the garments of the wondrous-acting Lord, the evening twilight. In the Lord’s hidden parts he beheld the Prajāpatis; in the region of the hips he saw himself with his intimate associates. In the navel he saw the sky, around the waist the seven oceans, and upon the Lord’s chest the clusters of stars.
FAQs
This verse states that various cosmic features are seen as parts of the Lord’s universal form—twilight in His garments, Prajāpatis at His hips, the sky from His navel, the seven oceans in His abdomen, and the stars as a garland on His chest.
Guhya is a celestial being mentioned in this section as an observer of the Lord’s universal form; he is described as beholding how cosmic and divine orders (Prajāpatis, heavens, oceans, stars) are situated within the Lord.
It encourages seeing the universe as sacred and dependent on the Supreme—cultivating reverence, reducing ego, and strengthening bhakti by remembering that all cosmic order rests within the Lord.