śrī-śuka uvāca
tasya mūla-deśe triṁśad-yojana-sahasrāntara āste yā vai kalā bhagavatas tāmasī samākhyātānanta iti sātvatīyā draṣṭṛ-dṛśyayoḥ saḍkarṣaṇam aham ity abhimāna-lakṣaṇaṁ yaṁ saḍkarṣaṇam ity ācakṣate.
Translation
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: 30,000 yojanas the planet Pātāla lives Ananta, an expansion of the Supreme Lord,1 called tamasī. The devotees call him Saḍkarṣaṇa because he draws together (saḍkaṛṣaṇa) the enjoyer and the object to be enjoyed, characterized by the conception of I.
Commentary
yasyedaṁ kṣiti-maṇòalaṁ bhagavato 'nanta-mūrteḥ sahasra-śirasa ekasminn eva śīrṣaṇi dhriyamāṇaṁ siddhārtha iva lakṣyate.
Translation
This universe, situated on one of Lord Ananta's thousands of hoods, appears just like a white mustard seed.
yasya ha vā idaṁ kālenopasañjihīrṣato 'marṣa-viracita-rucira-bhramad-bhruvor antareṇa sāḍkarṣaṇo nāma rudra ekādaśa-vyūhas try-akṣas tri-śikhaṁ śūlam uttambhayann udatiṣṭhat.
Translation
When Ananta desires to destroy the entire creation, from between his two moving eyebrows appears three-eyed Rudra, composed of anger, with eleven expansions, carrying a raised trident.
Commentary
yasyāḍghri-kamala-yugalāruṇa-viśada-nakha-maṇi-ṣaṇòa-maṇòaleṣv ahi-patayaḥ saha sātvatarṣabhair ekānta-bhakti-yogenāvanamantaḥ sva-vadanāni parisphurat-kuṇòala-prabhā-maṇòita-gaṇòa-sthalāny ati-manoharāṇi pramudita-manasaḥ khalu vilokayanti.
Translation
The unalloyed devotees and the leaders of the snakes, offering their obeisances to Ananta with great devotion, joyfully see their faces whose cheeks are attractive with the effulgence of glittering earrings, reflected in the mirror of the gem-like, brilliant pink toe nails of his lotus feet.2
Commentary
yasyaiva hi nāga-rāja-kumārya āśiṣa āśāsānāś cārv-aḍga-valaya-vilasita-viśada-vipula-dhavala-subhaga-rucira-bhuja-rajata-stambheṣv aguru-candana-kuḍkuma-paḍkānulepenāvalimpamānās tad-abhimarśanonmathita-hṛdaya-makara-dhvajāveśa-rucira-lalita-smitās tad-anurāgamada-mudita-mada-vighūrṇitāruṇa-karuṇāvaloka-nayana-vadanāravindaṁ savrīòaṁ kila vilokayanti.
Translation
The young daughters of the snake king, hoping for blessings, smear the silver pillars of his long, gleaming white arms arranged on his beautiful body with a paste made of aguru, sandalwood and kuṁkuma. With attractive smiles arising from hearts disturbed by Cupid due to contact with Anantas limbs, shyly look at his lotus face with its red, compassionate eyes which roll about because of the intoxication of joy caused by attraction to his devotees.
Commentary
sa eva bhagavān ananto 'nanta-guṇārṇava ādi-deva upasaṁhṛtāmarṣa-roṣa-vego lokānāṁ svastaya āste.
Translation
Lord Ananta is an ocean of unlimited spiritual qualities. For the welfare of all living entities within this material world, he resides in his abode, restraining his anger and intolerance until the proper time.
Commentary
dhyāyamānaḥ surāsuroraga-siddha-gandharva-vidyādhara-muni-gaṇair anavarata-mada-mudita-vikṛta-vihvala-locanaḥ sulalita-mukharikāmṛtenāpyāyamānaḥ sva-pārṣada-vibudha-yūtha-patīn aparimlāna-rāga-nava-tulasikāmoda-madhv-āsavena mādyan madhukara-vrāta-madhura-gīta-śriyaṁ vaijayantīṁ svāṁ vanamālāṁ nīla-vāsā eka-kuṇòalo hala-kakudi kṛta-subhaga-sundara-bhujo bhagavān mahendro vāraṇendra iva kāñcanīṁ kakṣām udāra-līlo bibharti.
Translation
The devatās, the demons, the Uragas, the Siddhas, the Gandharvas, the Vidyādharas and sages meditate on this form. His eyes rolling about constantly in exuberant joy, he pleases his associates, the leaders of the devatās, by the sweetness of his graceful words. He has a blue cloth, one earring, a plow on his shoulder, and well-placed arms. He wears a gold strap and a garland made beautiful by the sweet singing of bees intoxicated by the fragrant honey from fresh tulasī with unfading hue. Performing numerous pastimes, he appears like Indras white elephant.
Commentary
ya eṣa evam anuśruto dhyāyamāno mumukṣūṇām anādi-kāla-karma-vāsanā-grathitam avidyāmayaṁ hṛdaya-granthiṁ sattva-rajas-tamomayam antar-hṛdayaṁ gata āśu nirbhinatti tasyānubhāvān bhagavān svāyambhuvo nāradaḥ saha tumburuṇā sabhāyāṁ brahmaṇaḥ saṁślokayām āsa.
Translation
Situated in hearts filled with sattva, rajas and tamas belonging to persons desiring liberation, being the object of their hearing and meditation, Ananta quickly cuts the knot of ignorance tied tightly by impressions of karma arising through endless time. Nārada, the son of Brahmā, glorifies Ananta in Brahmās assembly using his tamburu.
Commentary
utpatti-sthiti-laya-hetavo 'sya kalpāḥ
sattvādyāḥ prakṛti-guṇā yad-īkṣayāsan
yad-rūpaṁ dhruvam akṛtaṁ yad ekam ātman
nānādhāt katham u ha veda tasya vartma
Translation
He is the cause of creation, maintenance and destruction of the universe. By his glance the guṇas of matter become capable of acting. His form is eternal, since it is not created. He is one, but manifested in many forms. How can one understand his nature?
Commentary
mūrtiṁ naḥ puru-kṛpayā babhāra sattvaṁ
saṁśuddhaṁ sad-asad idaṁ vibhāti tatra
yal-līlāṁ mṛga-patir ādade 'navadyām
ādātuṁ svajana-manāṁsy udāra-vīryaḥ
Translation
By his great mercy the Lord has shown his form of pure sattva, within which the universe of cause and effect exists and by which, like a lion, performing numerous heroic deeds, he enacted spotless pastimes to attract the minds of his devotees.
Commentary
yan-nāma śrutam anukīrtayed akasmād
ārto vā yadi patitaḥ pralambhanād vā
hanty aṁhaḥ sapadi nṛṇām aśeṣam anyaṁ
kaṁ śeṣād bhagavata āśrayen mumukṣuḥ
Translation
If a sinful person chants Anantas name after hearing it, or chants suddenly, out of suffering, or in a joking mood, that person becomes purified and destroys unlimited sins of other men. Who else other than Śeṣa is the object of shelter for persons desiring liberation?
Commentary
mūrdhany arpitam aṇuvat sahasra-mūrdhno
bhū-golaṁ sagiri-sarit-samudra-sattvam
ānantyād animita-vikramasya bhūmnaḥ
ko vīryāṇy adhi gaṇayet sahasra-jihvaḥ
Translation
Since the Lord is unlimited, what person, even having a thousand tongues, can count the powers of the great Lord of immeasurable powers, Ananta with a thousand heads, who has placed on just one of his heads the small particle known as the universe with its mountains, rivers oceans and living beings?
Commentary
evam-prabhāvo bhagavān ananto
duranta-vīryoru-guṇānubhāvaḥ
mūle rasāyāḥ sthita ātma-tantro
yo līlayā kṣmāṁ sthitaye bibharti
Translation
The independent Supreme Lord Ananta, possessing unlimited powers and great qualities, situated below the lower planets, easily supports the earth for its continued existence.
Commentary
etā hy eveha nṛbhir upagantavyā gatayo yathā-karma-vinirmitā yathopadeśam anuvarṇitāḥ kāmān kāmayamānaiḥ.
Translation
As I have heard, I have described the destinations that are achieved by men who desire enjoyment, appropriate to their previous.
Commentary
etāvatīr hi rājan puṁsaḥ pravṛtti-lakṣaṇasya dharmasya vipāka-gataya uccāvacā visadṛśā yathā-praśnaṁ vyācakhye kim anyat kathayāma iti.
Translation
O King! As you have asked, I have described the various resultant destinations, high and low, of the human desiring enjoyment in this world. Of what else shall I speak?
Commentary
The Twenty-fifth Chapter describes the qualities of Anantadeva, holder of the earth, the source of Rudra who destroys the universe, situated below Pātālaloka.
Ananta is called tamasī because he is the supervisor of destruction, an activity of tamas, but he is not a form composed of tamas. This would be a contradiction to a later statement in this chapter mūrtiṁ na purukṛpayā vabhāra sattvaṁ saṁśuddham: out of causeless mercy toward his devotees, he exhibits various forms, which are all transcendental. (SB 5.25.10) Sātvatīyāḥ refers to those persons who have faith in the Sātvata-tantra. The Lord is called Saḍkarṣaṇa because he draws the enjoyer and the object of enjoyment (draṣṭṛ-dṛśayoḥ) completely together. This attraction is characterized by the false identity of I am the enjoyer and this is my object of enjoyment. The devotees meditate upon Saḍkarṣaṇa, as the presiding deity of ahaḍkāra in order to become purified of the false conception of I and mine.