Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 8.20.23
Sthāna· The universe in orderStudy the Universal Form From His Feet
“Thereafter, Bali Mahārāja, who was occupying the seat of King Indra, could see the lower planetary systems, such as Rasātala, on the soles of the feet of the Lord’s universal form. He saw on the Lord’s feet the surface of the globe, on the surface of His calves all the mountains, on His knees the various birds, and on His thighs the varieties of air.”
What the purport teaches
- The study of the Lord’s gigantic universal form begins from the soles. Bali Mahārāja saw the lower planetary systems, including Rasātala, there.
- He saw the earth on the Lord’s feet and the mountains on His calves. The description proceeds upward, part by part.
- The birds were on the Lord’s knees, and varieties of air were on His thighs. The purport explains that birds fly above mountains, with varieties of air above the birds.
Try this today
Reread the verse slowly, following the description from the Lord’s soles to His thighs.
Ask yourself
What helps you study this vast description patiently, one part at a time?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points, practice and question are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport. Read the full purport to go deeper.