Srimad Bhagavatam — Panchama Skandha, Shloka 3
Dhruva-loka as the Cosmic Pivot and the Śiśumāra-cakra
Viṣṇu’s Astral Form
यथा मेढीस्तम्भ आक्रमणपशव: संयोजितास्त्रिभिस्त्रिभि: सवनैर्यथास्थानं मण्डलानि चरन्त्येवं भगणा ग्रहादय एतस्मिन्नन्तर्बहिर्योगेन कालचक्र आयोजिता ध्रुवमेवावलम्ब्य वायुनोदीर्यमाणा आकल्पान्तं परिचङ्क्रमन्ति नभसि यथा मेघा: श्येनादयो वायुवशा: कर्मसारथय: परिवर्तन्ते एवं ज्योतिर्गणा: प्रकृतिपुरुषसंयोगानुगृहीता: कर्मनिर्मितगतयो भुवि न पतन्ति ॥ ३ ॥
yathā meḍhīstambha ākramaṇa-paśavaḥ saṁyojitās tribhis tribhiḥ savanair yathā-sthānaṁ maṇḍalāni caranty evaṁ bhagaṇā grahādaya etasminn antar-bahir-yogena kāla-cakra āyojitā dhruvam evāvalambya vāyunodīryamāṇā ākalpāntaṁ paricaṅ kramanti nabhasi yathā meghāḥ śyenādayo vāyu-vaśāḥ karma-sārathayaḥ parivartante evaṁ jyotirgaṇāḥ prakṛti-puruṣa-saṁyogānugṛhītāḥ karma-nirmita-gatayo bhuvi na patanti.
Seperti lembu yang diikat pada tiang pusat untuk mengirik padi lalu berjalan mengelilinginya dalam lingkaran masing-masing—ada yang dekat, ada yang di tengah, ada yang di luar—demikian pula planet-planet dan ribuan bintang beredar pada orbitnya, ada yang lebih tinggi dan ada yang lebih rendah, dengan bersandar pada Dhruvaloka. Diikat oleh Bhagavān pada mesin alam materi sesuai hasil karma mereka, dan didorong oleh angin, mereka akan terus berputar hingga akhir ciptaan. Mereka melayang di angkasa luas bagaikan awan sarat air, atau seperti elang śyena yang, karena buah perbuatan lampau, terbang tinggi tanpa jatuh ke bumi.
According to the description of this verse, the hundreds and thousands of stars and the great planets such as the sun, the moon, Venus, Mercury, Mars and Jupiter are not clustered together because of the law of gravity or any similar idea of the modern scientists. These planets and stars are all servants of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda or Kṛṣṇa, and according to His order they sit in their chariots and travel in their respective orbits. The orbits in which they move are compared to machines given by material nature to the operating deities of the stars and planets, who carry out the orders of the Supreme Personality of Godhead by revolving around Dhruvaloka, which is occupied by the great devotee Mahārāja Dhruva. This is confirmed in the Brahma-saṁhitā (5.52) as follows:
FAQs
This verse explains that planets, stars, and constellations move in fixed circular paths because they are arranged and regulated by the wheel of time, with their motion sustained and propelled according to cosmic laws.
He presents Dhruva (the Pole Star) as the stable support-point around which the luminaries are understood to revolve, emphasizing order, regulation, and divine arrangement in the cosmos.
Just as celestial bodies follow courses shaped by karma under higher regulation, a devotee learns to respect divine order, act responsibly, and seek shelter in the Supreme—cultivating steadiness like Dhruva amid life’s movements.