तत्र भगवतः साक्षाद्यज्ञलिङ्गस्य विष्णोर्विक्रमतो वामपादाङ्गुष्ठनखनिर्भिन्नो
र्ध्वाण्डकटाहविवरेणान्तःप्रविष्टा या बाह्यजलधारा तच्चरणपङ्कजावनेजना
रुणकिञ्जल्कोपरञ्जिताखिलजगदघमलापहोपस्पर्शनामला साक्षाद्भगवत्पदीत्य
नुपलक्षितवचोऽभिधीयमानातिमहता कालेन युगसहस्रोपलक्षणेन दिवो
मूर्धन्यवततार यत्तद्विष्णुपदमाहुः ॥१॥
Å›rÄ«-Å›uka uvÄca
tatra bhagavataḥ sÄká¹£Äd yajña-liá¹…gasya viṣṇor vikramato vÄma-pÄdÄá¹…guá¹£á¹ha-nakha-nirbhinnordhvÄṇá¸a-kaá¹Äha-vivareṇÄntaḥ-praviá¹£á¹Ä yÄ bÄhya-jala-dhÄrÄ tac-caraṇa-paá¹…kajÄvanejanÄruṇa-kiñjalkoparañjitÄkhila-jagad-agha-malÄpahopasparÅ›anÄmalÄ sÄká¹£Äd bhagavat-padÄ«ty anupalaká¹£ita-vaco 'bhidhÄ«yamÄnÄti-mahatÄ kÄlena yuga-sahasropalaká¹£aṇena divo mÅ«rdhany avatatÄra yat tad viṣṇu-padam Ähuḥ
Å›rÄ«-Å›ukaḥ uvÄca - ÅšrÄ« Åšukadeva GosvÄmÄ« said; tatra - at that time; bhagavataḥ - of the incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; sÄká¹£Ät - directly; yajña-liá¹…gasya - the enjoyer of the results of all sacrifices; viṣṇoḥ - of Lord Viṣṇu; vikramataḥ - while taking His second step; vÄma-pÄda - of His left leg; aá¹…guá¹£á¹ha - of the big toe; nakha - by the nail; nirbhinna - pierced; Å«rdhva - upper; vivareṇa - through the bole; antaḥ-praviá¹£á¹Ä - having entered the universe; yÄ - which; bÄhya-jala-dhÄrÄ - the flow of water from the Causal Ocean outside the universe; tat - of Him; caraṇa-paá¹…kaja - of the lotus feet; avanejana - by the washing; aruṇa-kiñjalka - by reddish powder; uparañjitÄ - being colored; akhila-jagat - of the whole world; agha-mala - the sinful activities; apahÄ - destroys; upasparÅ›ana - the touching of which; amalÄ - completely pure; sÄká¹£Ät - directly; bhagavat-padÄ« - emanating from the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; iti - thus; anupalaká¹£ita - described; vacaḥ - by the name; abhidhÄ«yamÄnÄ - being called; ati-mahatÄ kÄlena - after a long time; yuga-sahasra-upalaká¹£aṇena - consisting of one thousand millenniums; divaḥ - of the sky; mÅ«rdhani - on the head (Dhruvaloka); avatatÄra - descended; yat - which; tat - that; viṣṇu-padam - the lotus feet of Lord Viṣṇu; Ähuḥ - they call.
Åšukadeva GosvÄmÄ« said: My dear King, Lord Viṣṇu, the enjoyer of all sacrifices, appeared as VÄmanadeva in the sacrificial arena of Bali MahÄrÄja. Then He extended His left foot to the end of the universe and pierced a hole in its covering with the nail of His big toe. Through the hole, the pure water of the Causal Ocean entered this universe as the Ganges River. Having washed the lotus feet of the Lord, which are covered with reddish powder, the water of the Ganges acquired a very beautiful pink color. Every living being can immediately purify his mind of material contamination by touching the transcendental water of the Ganges, yet its waters remain ever pure. Because the Ganges directly touches the lotus feet of the Lord before descending within this universe, she is known as ViṣṇupadÄ«. Later she received other names like JÄhnavÄ« and BhÄgÄ«rathÄ«. After one thousand millenniums, the water of the Ganges descended to Dhruvaloka, the topmost planet in this universe. Therefore all learned sages and scholars proclaim Dhruvaloka to be Viṣṇupada [“situated on Lord Viṣṇu’s lotus feetâ€].
In this verse, Åšukadeva GosvÄmÄ« describes the glories of the Ganges River. The water of the Ganges is called patita-pÄvanÄ«, the deliverer of all sinful living beings. It is a proven fact that a person who regularly bathes in the Ganges is purified both externally and internally. Externally his body becomes immune to all kinds of disease, and internally he gradually develops a devotional attitude toward the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Throughout India, many thousands of people live on the banks of the Ganges, and by regularly bathing in her waters, they are undoubtedly being purified both spiritually and materially. Many sages, including Åšaá¹…karÄcÄrya, have composed prayers in praise of the Ganges, and the land of India itself has become glorious because such rivers as the Ganges, YamunÄ, GodÄvarÄ«, KÄverÄ«, Ká¹›á¹£á¹‡Ä and NarmadÄ flow there. Anyone living on the land adjacent to these rivers is naturally advanced in spiritual consciousness. ÅšrÄ«la MadhvÄcÄrya says:
vÄrÄhe vÄma-pÄdaá¹ tu
tad-anyeṣu tu dakṣiṇam
pÄdaá¹ kalpeá¹£u bhagavÄn
ujjahÄra trivikramaḥ
Standing on His right foot and extending His left to the edge of the universe, Lord VÄmana became known as Trivikrama, the incarnation who performed three heroic deeds.
