Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvitiya Skandha, Shloka 29
Daśa-lakṣaṇam: The Ten Topics, Virāṭ-Puruṣa Sense-Manifestation, and the Supreme Shelter (Āśraya)
आदित्सोरन्नपानानामासन् कुक्ष्यन्त्रनाडय: । नद्य: समुद्राश्च तयोस्तुष्टि: पुष्टिस्तदाश्रये ॥ २९ ॥
āditsor anna-pānānām āsan kukṣy-antra-nāḍayaḥ nadyaḥ samudrāś ca tayos tuṣṭiḥ puṣṭis tad-āśraye
Cuando surgió el deseo de comer y beber, se manifestaron el abdomen, los intestinos y los conductos; los ríos y los mares se volvieron el sostén de su saciedad y nutrición.
The controlling deities of the intestines are the rivers, and those of the arteries, the seas. Fulfillment of the belly with food and drink is the cause of sustenance, and the metabolism of the food and drink replaces the waste of the bodily energies. Therefore, the body’s health is dependent on healthy actions of the intestines and the arteries. The rivers and the seas, being the controlling deities of the two, keep the intestines and the arteries in healthy order.
FAQs
This verse explains that rivers and oceans manifest in relation to the cosmic body (Virāṭ), arising along with the channels that carry food and drink, and that nourishment and satisfaction are grounded in these waters.
Śukadeva teaches Parīkṣit a devotional vision of creation—seeing the universe as connected to the Lord’s cosmic form—so the listener’s mind becomes fixed on the Supreme rather than on separate material elements.
It encourages seeing nature (water, food systems, rivers, oceans) as sacred and dependent on the Divine, cultivating gratitude, restraint, and devotional remembrance while using necessities like food and water.