Srimad Bhagavatam — Shashtha Skandha, Shloka 5
Prāyaścitta, the ‘Elephant Bath’ Problem, and the Opening of Ajāmila-Upākhyāna
प्रियव्रतोत्तानपदोर्वंशस्तच्चरितानि च । द्वीपवर्षसमुद्राद्रिनद्युद्यानवनस्पतीन् ॥ ४ ॥ धरामण्डलसंस्थानं भागलक्षणमानत: । ज्योतिषां विवराणां च यथेदमसृजद्विभु: ॥ ५ ॥
priyavratottānapador vaṁśas tac-caritāni ca dvīpa-varṣa-samudrādri- nady-udyāna-vanaspatīn
我亲爱的主啊，你已叙述了普利耶弗拉塔王与乌塔那帕达王的世系与事迹。至上人格神（Bhagavān）创造了诸洲诸域、海洋山岳、河流园林与草木；又设立地轮之结构与分区特征、天穹诸光体以及下界诸处——你都依照全能者的创造，清晰地阐明了。
Here the words yathedam asṛjad vibhuḥ clearly indicate that the Supreme, the great, almighty Personality of Godhead, created this entire material world with its different varieties of planets, stars and so forth. Atheists try to conceal the hand of God, which is present in every creation, but they cannot explain how all these creations could come into existence without a competent intelligence and almighty power behind them. Simply to imagine or speculate is a waste of time. In Bhagavad-gītā (10.8) , the Lord says, ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo: “I am the origin of everything.” Mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate: “Whatever exists in the creation emanates from Me.” Iti matvā bhajante māṁ budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ: “When one fully understands that I create everything by My omnipotence, one becomes firmly situated in devotional service and fully surrenders at My lotus feet.” Unfortunately, the unintelligent cannot immediately understand Kṛṣṇa’s supremacy. Nonetheless, if they associate with devotees and read authorized books, they may gradually come to the proper understanding, although this may take many, many births. As Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gītā (7.19) :
FAQs
This verse asks for an account of the earth’s arrangement (divisions, features, measurements) and the paths and interspaces of the luminaries (sun, moon, planets), as they were created by the Supreme Lord.
Parīkṣit requests the dynastic histories connected to Priyavrata and Uttānapāda and, along with them, a broader description of the Lord’s cosmic arrangement—linking sacred genealogy with the Lord’s ordered creation.
It encourages a devotional way of learning: to study history and the world’s order as meaningful, purposeful creation, fostering humility and God-centered understanding rather than mere curiosity.