The Vedic Cosmology of the 5th Canto (5th Canto #16)
The view we have of the universe around us is very influential in our concept of identity. That's why the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam spends so many chapters explaining the structure of the universe.
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The Vedic Cosmology of the 5th Canto
The first part of the Fifth Canto describes the descendants of Mahārāja Priyavrata (who ruled during the first Manvantara), including the description of the activities of Mahārāja Āgnīdhra, the pastimes of Lord Ṛṣabhadeva, the fall of King Bharata, and so on.
The second part enters into details about Vedic cosmology, including the structure of Bhū-mandala, the orbit of the sun, the heavenly and hellish planets, and so on. One could question why such a description of the universe is necessary, since the main purpose of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is to discuss spiritual topics, but the truth is that this description is far more important than it may look at first
The view we have of the universe around us is very influential in our concept of identity. If I believe the universe is an empty wasteland governed by mechanical physical laws, where things happen by chance, I will be much more inclined to believe that there is no God, life comes from matter, and life serves no purpose apart from immediate gratification.
Kṛṣṇa describes this mentality in the Bhagavad-gītā (16.8-9):
“They say that this world is unreal, with no foundation, no God in control. They say it is produced of sex desire and has no cause other than lust. Following such conclusions, the demoniac, who are lost to themselves and who have no intelligence, engage in unbeneficial, horrible works meant to destroy the world.”
Because nowadays, atheists are in control of most of the educational system, they teach a view of the universe that fosters atheism. The Vedas, on the other hand, offer a model of the universe that nurtures our self-realization.
The main purpose of the cosmological model described in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam is to help us see the universe and everything that exists around us as a manifestation of Kṛṣṇa’s potencies, a wonderful creation that sprouts from just a small fraction of His power. When we see the universe as Kṛṣṇa’s creation, and a place where He performs His pastimes, instead of a place for our enjoyment, we start seeing the spiritual nature behind the material illusion.
Because everything comes from Kṛṣṇa, ultimately, nothing is material. When we see everything in connection with Kṛṣṇa, and we use everything in His service, this hidden spiritual nature is manifested to our eyes.
The difficulty in the description of the universe given in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam is that it is very hard to understand and relate to our practical reality. At first, it appears to be a primitive description of a flat earth, with surreal lands inhabited by mythic creatures. However, when it is studied in detail, it reveals a complex model that gives us a much more complete view of the universe than what is described in modern science.
Starting from the conclusion
The Vedic cosmological model of the Puranas is centered on the description of Bhū-Mandala, a gigantic series of concentric islands and oceans, organized like a lotus flower and situated close to the vertical center of the universe. The difficulty with that model is that it doesn’t reflect what we see when we look to the sky. If our planet is part of a gigantic structure composed of massive islands surrounded by oceans, why can’t we detect it? Why do all the means we have to collect information about our cosmic surroundings show only a lonely planet, surrounded by the vastness of space?
The first point to understand about the structure of Bhū-Mandala is that it is the way demigods see the universe. Different beings, with different sets of senses, see reality in different ways. The concept of reality of an ant and that of a human being are radically different. Similarly, demigods can see reality on a much higher level than we do.
A second point is that the universe described in the Vedas is multidimensional. Our perception of reality depends on our level of consciousness. Just as demigods can’t perceive great sages like the four Kumāras unless they become visible to them, we can’t perceive the demigods or their abodes unless they become visible to us. Even the asuras are normally not visible to us, since they also possess subtle bodies, similar to the demigods in nature.
Bhū-Mandala corresponds to the intermediate planetary system. Below are the subterranean realms of the asuras, and above are the abodes of the demigods, followed by the planetary systems inhabited by great sages. Somehow, the demigods see Bhū-Mandala as a continuous structure and have access to the different tracts of land that compose it, but in our gross reality, the different abodes that compose Bhū-Mandala appear as different planets, to which we don’t have access. We can’t even directly understand how these different planets appear in our gross reality, since in our age, we have access to only our own planet, which is part of the southern section of Jambūdvīpa, the central island.
In our gross reality, the universe appears to be almost empty, and everything is extremely far away. From the higher-dimensional perspective of the demigods, however, the different planets that compose the intermediate planetary system form a cosmic lotus, with the higher planetary systems orbiting around it like a giant chandelier. From the point of view of blind physical laws, it doesn’t make much sense, but from the perspective of an all-powerful God with an artistic sense, it’s perfectly plausible.
At the time Śrīla Prabhupāda was commenting on the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, the meaning of the description of Bhū-Mandala in the Fifth Canto was a mystery. Prabhupāda asked his disciples to try to locate Indian astronomers who could help him to explain and build a model of the structure for a Vedic planetarium, but none of the Vedic astrologers of the time were able to give any practical help.
Later on, Prabhupāda gave the keys for understanding the description in a letter containing his final conclusions on the structure of the Vedic Universe, and practical instructions to build a visual model of the Vedic universe for the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium in Mayapur (Svarūpa Dāmodara, April 27, 1976):
“My final decision is that the universe is just like a tree, with root upwards. Just as a tree has branches and leaves so the universe is also composed of planets which are fixed up in the tree like the leaves, flowers, fruits, etc. of the tree. The pivot is the pole star, and the whole tree is rotating on this pivot. Mount Sumeru is the center, trunk, and is like a steep hill, like the alps mountains which also have very high peaks. I have seen in Switzerland one mountain peak which was so high that is penetrated through the clouds. The tree is turning and therefore, all the branches and leaves turn with the tree. The planets have their fixed orbits, but still they are turning with the turning of the great tree. There are pathways leading from one planet to another made of gold, copper, etc., and these are like the branches. Distances are also described in the 5th Canto just how far one planet is from another.
We can see that at night, how the whole planetary system is turning around, the pole star being the pivot. Each planet has its orbit fixed but the sun is moving up and down, north and south. It is not that we shall accept the theory that the sun is fixed up and the others are all going around the sun. That is not correct. Even the 7th star is rotating once around the pole star in each 24 hours. The whole universe is just like a big tree, that is a fact. I do not think that the modern astronomers have any such idea that the whole universe is like a big tree. The planets which are full of living entities are one after another, one above the other. The relative positions of the planets is fixed up but the whole thing is turning. The sun is going north and south, it has its own orbit below the moon. So now you all Ph.D.’s must carefully study the details of the 5th Canto and make a working model of the universe. If we can explain the passing seasons, eclipses, phases of the moon, passing of day and night, etc. then it will be very powerful propaganda.”
Here, Prabhupāda gives the keys for understanding the whole cosmological model of the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, finding the answers to the questions that baffled Vedic astronomers for centuries. The conclusions given by Prabhupāda in this letter can be summarized as follows:
a) The universe has the form of an inverted tree, just as Kṛṣṇa describes in the Bhagavad-gītā, with Brahmaloka situated at the root and the other planetary systems below it, forming the trunk, branches, twigs, leaves, etc. of this universal tree. This describes the basic organization of the planetary systems, forming a tree-like structure. Dhruvaloka is central in this model, serving as the central pivot.
b) This analogy of the universe as a tree, or as a chandelier, helps us to understand another important feature of the Vedic universe: the whole structure of stars, planets, and other visible objects rotates. In modern astronomy, it is believed that the entire galaxy slowly rotates around its center. In the Vedic model, however, the whole structure rotates at enormous speeds, with the entire structure rotating around the central axis of Dhruvaloka once every 24 hours. This rotation is the detail that explains the passage of days and nights in the model. This detail, indicated by Prabhupāda, is what makes the model functional.
c) In modern astronomy, it is believed that the Earth rotates around the sun because the sun is much more massive than the Earth and the other planets. In the Vedic model, however, our planet is stationary, and the sun rotates. The reason is that our planet is part of the structure of Bhū-mandala, which is much larger than the sun.
d) The rotation of the sun around Bhū-mandala corresponds to the passages of the seasons, while the daily rotation of the whole structure around Dhruvaloka explains the passage of the days and nights. Śukadeva Goswami describes this model in chapter 5.21 of the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, but the explanation is very hard to follow. Maharaja Parīkṣit himself asks for clarification on SB 5.22.1.
e) Mount Sumeru, at the center of Bhū-mandala, is right at the center of the tree, aligned with the pivot of Dhruvaloka. It is surrounded by many other mountains described in chapter 5.16, as well as other structures of Bhū-mandala. Our planet is a little to the south of this structure, as part of Bhārata-varṣa.
f) Prabhupāda mentions that “The tree is turning and therefore, all the branches and leaves turn with the tree. The planets have their fixed orbits, but still they are turning with the turning of the great tree.” This is a very delicate part of the model.
In SB 5.21.8-9, Śukadeva Goswami mentions that “Although the sun moves counterclockwise, facing the constellations, with Sumeru Mountain on its left, it also moves clockwise and appears to have the mountain on its right because it is influenced by the dakṣiṇāvarta wind.”
How can the sun move in two directions at the same time, moving simultaneously clockwise and counterclockwise?
This is exactly the point that confuses Maharaja Parīkṣit and leads him to enquire on SB 5.22.1. What at first sounds absurd is precisely the passage that reveals the delicate point made by Prabhupāda: The sun moves simultaneously in two directions, creating both the transitions of day and night and the cycles of the seasons. In the annual orbit around Mount Sumeru, the sun moves counterclockwise, with Sumeru Mountain on its left. This movement is perceived on our planet as the sun moving up and down in the sky with the passage of the seasons.
In the other movement, the sun moves clockwise, together with the rest of the universal tree around Dhruvaloka, with Mount Sumeru on its right. This movement is much faster, taking just 24 hours to be completed, and is perceived on our planet as the passage of days and nights.
The same dual movement is found in the other planets. They have their independent orbits in relation to each other, but at the same time, they move all together once per day around Dhruvaloka, following the movement of the whole sky. Prabhupāda reinforces this by saying that “We can see that at night, how the whole planetary system is turning around, the pole star being the pivot. Each planet has its orbit fixed, but the sun is moving up and down, north and south.”
g) All the parts of the universe, and even Bhū-mandala itself, are composed of different planets. However, these planets are connected by interplanetary pathways that allow inhabitants who are sufficiently advanced to go from one planet to the other, giving the idea of the structure forming a continuous area as described in the Fifth Canto. Bhū-Mandala is compared to a lotus, where the different varṣas correspond to different petals of the flower. Prabhupāda concludes that these are different planets, but they are connected to each other. Other inhabitants of Bhū-mandala, as well as advanced human beings from previous ages, used to be able to move freely from one varṣa to another of Bhū-mandala, and sometimes even to other planetary systems, but because we lack the qualification and the appropriate set of senses, we can’t even perceive these other abodes. We end up thus with the impression we are alone in the universe, as believed by many, since we can’t see or contact anyone else.
h) In the Vedic model, all planets are inhabited. Even the other planets of our solar system, including the sun and the moon, are celestial abodes, inhabited by advanced civilizations. However, even if we go there, we see only rocks and dust, since we lack the qualification to see and experience their refined reality. This is the point behind the failure in the space programs of different countries in detecting life outside of our planet. They are using the wrong process, relying on sensors and machines, instead of the elevation of their consciousness. Without following the proper process, even if we somehow break free of the gravity of our planet and reach other planets and stars, we continue imprisoned in our gross reality and can’t see anything apart from dust and rocks.
A Description of Jambūdvīpa
The discussion about the structure of the universe in the Fifth Canto starts in chapter 5.16, with a description of the island of Jambūdvīpa, which forms the central, and most densely inhabited part of Bhū-mandala. Many saintly kings mentioned in the previous passages of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam ruled over these tracts of land (as well as the other parts of Bhū-mandala), and some details about the structure were already discussed, such as Priyavrata using his chariot to divide the planetary system into the seven islands and their corresponding oceans.
“King Parīkṣit said to Śukadeva Gosvāmī: O brāhmaṇa, you have already informed me that the radius of Bhū-mandala extends as far as the sun spreads its light and heat and as far as the moon and all the stars can be seen.” (SB 5.16.1)
As it will be explained in more detail in chapter 5.21, the sun has its orbit set around Mount Sumeru, and its light is spread over a great distance, covering all the seven islands, from Jambūdvīpa to Puṣkara-dvīpa.
At the end of the structure, the huge Loka-loka mountains establish the boundary between the area illuminated by the sun and the dark outskirts of Bhū-mandala, called Aloka-varsa, which is described as being completely dark and uninhabited.
Prabhupāda adds a series of important points in his purport:
“In the Gāyatrī mantra, we chant om bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ. The word bhūr refers to Bhū-mandala. Tat savitur vareṇyam: the sunshine spreads throughout Bhū-mandala. Therefore the sun is worshipable. The stars, which are known as nakṣatra, are not different suns, as modern astronomers suppose. From Bhagavad-gītā (10.21) we understand that the stars are similar to the moon (nakṣatrāṇām ahaṁ śaśī). Like the moon, the stars reflect the sunshine. Apart from our modern distinguished estimations of where the planetary systems are located, we can understand that the sky and its various planets were studied long, long before Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam was compiled.”
a) The model of Bhū-mandala is not just to satisfy our curiosity about our cosmic surroundings: it helps us to see the universe as a manifestation of the Lord. When we chant the Gāyatrī mantra, for example, we meditate on how the sun spread it light through the three planetary systems: bhūr (Bhū-mandala, the intermediate planetary system), bhuvaḥ (Bhuvarloka, the subtle realm that starts in the upper atmosphere), and svaḥ (Svargaloka, the celestial planetary system). The lower planetary systems inhabited by nāgas and asuras are subterranean and receive no sunlight, while the upper planetary systems of Maharloka, Janaloka, Tapoloka, and Satyaloka are too distant for the light of the sun to reach. These planetary systems, however, are self-illuminated and do not depend on it.
b) Different from what is believed in modern astronomy, there is just one sun per material universe in the Vedic model. Just as the moon, the stars shine by primarily reflecting light from the sun. In another passage (SB 5.20.13), Prabhupāda adds that they also emit some light due to the presence of a celestial type of kuśa grass that emits mild, pleasing flames. This is a point that explains some of the differences between the two models.
Because the stars emit much less light in the Vedic model, they are considered to be much closer to Earth than believed in modern cosmology. They are still extremely far from Earth, but not on the scale of millions of light-years as believed in modern calculations. The belief that all stars emit light due to nuclear fusion, like the sun, leads modern researchers to conclude that the universe is much larger.
“My dear Lord, the rolling wheels of Mahārāja Priyavrata’s chariot created seven ditches, in which the seven oceans came into existence. Because of these seven oceans, Bhū-mandala is divided into seven islands. You have given a very general description of their measurement, names and characteristics. Now I wish to know of them in detail. Kindly fulfill my desire.” (SB 5.16.2)
Previously, in the first chapter of the Fifth Canto, texts 5.1.30 to 33, preliminary details about the structure of Bhū-mandala were given:
a) In the Vedic model, our planet is part of the huge structure of Bhū-mandala and is thus fixed in place. Instead, the sun moves around the whole structure, encircling Mount Sumeru. Priyavrata became somewhat dissatisfied with this orbit and created a second sun that moved on the opposite side.
b) By driving his mystic, interplanetary chariot behind the sun, he divided the planetary system into the seven great islands and oceans. The names of the islands are Jambūdvīpa, Plakṣadvīpa, Śālmalīdvīpa, Kuśadvīpa, Krauñcadvīpa, Śākadvīpa, and Puṣkaradvīpa, and each island is twice as broad as the one preceding it. This can be understood in the sense of different types of planets, containing different types of oceans, being formed in the early universe. According to the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, Priyavrata ruled in the first Manvantara, very early in the history of our universe.
When we take into consideration Sridhara’s factor of two, the date for the beginning of the current day of Brahma, and the start of the current cycle of creation is 4.562 billion years ago. Each Manvantara lasts for 306.72 million years, which puts the beginning of the reign of Priyavrata at about 4.5 billion years ago.
In this context, it is interesting to note that in modern astrophysics, it is believed that the planets of our solar system were formed about 4.567 billion years ago, within the first 100 million years after the sun was formed, which corresponds precisely to the period of the first Manvantara, very close to the period Priyavrata reigned. Coincidence?
c) Each island is surrounded by a corresponding ocean, equal in breadth to the island it surrounds. We can observe that on our planet, the continents are surrounded by the ocean. In geology, it is believed that they were even closer in the past. Other planets spread around the universe may be similar in geography, but contain other types of oceans.
d) Priyavrata ruled the whole Bhū-mandala, giving the rule of each of the seven islands to one of his seven sons, led by Āgnīdhra. The narration of the Fifth Canto then follows the descendants of Āgnīdhra, who ruled Jambūdvīpa, the central island.
Now, Maharaja Parīkṣit wants to know more about the whole structure of Bhū-mandala, and Śukadeva Goswami will describe it on the rest of the Fifth Canto, starting with Jambūdvīpa.
Why is Vedic Cosmology important?
“When the mind is fixed upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His external feature made of the material modes of nature — the gross universal form — it is brought to the platform of pure goodness. In that transcendental position, one can understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vāsudeva, who in His subtler form is self-effulgent and beyond the modes of nature. O my lord, please describe vividly how that form, which covers the entire universe, is perceived.” (SB 5.16.3)
As Prabhupāda explains in his purport, ultimately, nothing is material. Everything is an expansion of the energy of the Lord, and what makes us see it as material is simply the covering of Māyā, which makes us see this universe as an object of our enjoyment. When we learn the art of seeing everything as connected with Kṛṣṇa and meant to be used in His service, this bewildering covering of Māyā is removed, and we can see the spiritual reality behind it.
Still, one could argue that instead of discussing the structure of the universe, it would be better to discuss about Kṛṣṇa directly. To deflect this argument, Prabhupāda explains that Maharaja Parīkṣit had no need for geographical knowledge of the universe. Previously (in the Second Canto), Śukadeva Goswami had already described the universal form of the Lord, which frames the universe as an expansion of His energy. From that description, Maharaja Parīkṣit had already become fully Kṛṣṇa conscious. Why then was he asking for a description of the universe?
The answer is that this is not just geographical knowledge: it is spiritual and transcendental. Because Parīkṣit was so fully absorbed in Kṛṣṇa Consciousness, he could see the universe as an expansion of the energy of the Lord, and could thus see the description of the universe as fully connected with Him. If we study the description with the right attitude, we can also learn how to see it in the same light, which will help us to improve our Kṛṣṇa Consciousness. As soon as the covering of Māyā is removed, we become fully happy and free from anxiety.
The modern description of the universe is very negative for our spiritual development. It teaches us to see the universe as something inert, which in turn leads us to develop an attitude of enjoyment or even exploitation. As long as we see it in this way, it becomes very difficult to see it as connected with Kṛṣṇa. This is one of the reasons Prabhupāda insisted on the construction of the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium, a place where people could learn about the Vedic model. Prabhupāda saw it as instrumental in bringing people to Kṛṣṇa Consciousness.
As long as we maintain ourselves in a platform of Kṛṣṇa Consciousness, we can see everything as connected with Kṛṣṇa and engage everything in His service.
The inconceivable material creation
“The great ṛṣi Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: My dear King, there is no limit to the expansion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s material energy. This material world is a transformation of the material qualities [sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa], yet no one could possibly explain it perfectly, even in a lifetime as long as that of Brahmā. No one in the material world is perfect, and an imperfect person could not describe this material universe accurately, even after continued speculation. O King, I shall nevertheless try to explain to you the principal regions, such as Bhūloka, with their names, forms, measurements and various symptoms.” (SB 5.16.4)
Prabhupāda mentions that the material world is only one-fourth of Kṛṣṇa’s creation. This comes from a passage of the Chāndogya Upaniṣad (3.12.6): “Such is His greatness, but the Lord (Puruṣa) is greater still. He is greater than everything that has been described. All material universes and all living beings are just His one foot. The other three feet form the immortal and eternal spiritual world.”
However, even though comparatively smaller and less complex, the material creation is still impossible to fully understand. Even Brahmā, who is the creator of this particular universe, can’t fully understand it, and this is just one in millions of other universes.
Modern astronomers conclude that each star is like a separate sun, and one could, based on this, conclude that each star has its own solar system, and each of these solar systems forms a separate universe, each one with its own Brahma. Prabhupāda, however, disagrees with this conclusion. All the stars and other structures we see in the sky are all part of this particular universe. Outside of it (and not observable to us), there are millions of other complete universes.
According to the description of the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, the size of Bhū-mandala appears to be on the scale of our solar system (as far as the light of the sun can be seen). The size of Svargaloka appears to be on the scale of our local neighborhood of stars, up to the polestar, since it is described that Śiśumāra (the divine dolphin, based on the path of the Milky Way we see in the sky at night) goes all the way to Dhruvaloka (the Polestar).
After Dhruvaloka, in increasing distances, there are the higher planetary systems of Maharloka, Janaloka, Tapoloka, and Satyaloka, followed by the coverings of the universe, which, in this line of thought, would include everything else that is observable (distant galaxies, etc). This fits the description that we can’t see anything outside of our own universe. Inconceivable as it may seem, it appears thus that the scale increases exponentially as we move from one planetary system to the next, reaching mind-blowing proportions when we think about the seven coverings of the universe, one ten times thicker than the previous.
In any case, even if you disagree, we both have to admit that the universe is more complex than we can conceive. How could we fully understand it? We can’t even fully understand our own bodies, what to say about the complete material creation. As Prabhupāda explains, “Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī admitted that to give full details of this expansive material universe would be impossible, but nevertheless he wanted to give the King as much knowledge as he had received through the paramparā system.”
As in other topics, it is not possible to fully understand the material creation; the main point in the model described in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam is to teach us how to see it in connection with Kṛṣṇa.
Bhū-mandala as a lotus flower
“The planetary system known as Bhū-mandala resembles a lotus flower, and its seven islands resemble the whorl of that flower. The length and breadth of the island known as Jambūdvīpa, which is situated in the middle of the whorl, are one million yojanas [eight million miles]. Jambūdvīpa is round like the leaf of a lotus flower.” (SB 5.16.5)
To understand the description of Bhū-mandala given by Śukadeva Goswami, it is essential to keep in mind the image of a lotus flower. The center of the lotus flower, the pericarp, is a golden, cone-like structure that stands above the surrounding parts. Immediately outside this central pod is a dense ring of fine, filament-like elements (stamens) that appear to support it. We then have the petals, which do not form a single rim. They are disposed into multiple layers, with each layer overlapping the next.
Each of the seven islands of Bhū-mandala is divided into different varṣas, or tracts of land separated by great mountains, just as the central island of Jambūdvīpa is separated into nine varṣas. Each of these varṣas corresponds to one of the lotus petals in the analogy.
How is it possible that Bhū-mandala, a planetary system, can look like a lotus? In the Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa compares the material world with a reflected tree on the waters of a lake. The original tree is the spiritual world, while the material creation is a reflection of it. Just as Goloka Vṛndāvana has the form of a lotus flower, Bhū-mandala, which is the central feature of the material universe, also has the form of a lotus flower, with the pericarp represented by Mount Sumeru, the gigantic golden mountain in the form of an inverted cone in the center of Jambūdvīpa. This is just another display of Kṛṣṇa’s inconceivable potencies.
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