← Canto 2: The Cosmic Manifestation

Chapter 9: Answers by Citing the Lord's Version

Verse 13 of 46
SB 2.9.13

भ्राजिष्णुभिर्यः परितो विराजते लसद्विमानावलिभिर्महात्मनाम् विद्योतमानः प्रमदोत्तमाद्युभिः सविद्युदभ्रावलिभिर्यथा नभः

bhrājiṣṇubhir yaḥ parito virājate lasad-vimānāvalibhir mahātmanām vidyotamānaḥ pramadottamādyubhiḥ sa-vidyud abhrāvalibhir yathā nabhaḥ

Synonyms

bhrājiṣṇubhiḥby the glowing; yaḥthe Vaikuṇṭha-lokas; paritaḥsurrounded by; virājatethus situated; lasatbrilliant; vimānaairplanes; avalibhiḥassemblage; mahā-ātmanāmof the great devotees of the Lord; vidyotamānaḥbeautiful like the lightning; pramadaladies; uttamacelestial; adyubhiḥby complexion; sa-vidyutwith electric lightning; abhrāvalibhiḥwith clouds in the sky; yathāas it were; nabhaḥthe sky..

Translation

The Vaikuṇṭha planets are also surrounded by various airplanes, all glowing and brilliantly situated, belonging to the great mahātmās or devotees of the Lord. The ladies also are as beautiful as lightning because of their celestial complexions, and all these combined together appear just like the sky decorated with both clouds and lightning.

Purport

It appears that in the Vaikuṇṭha planets there are airplanes also brilliantly glowing, and they are occupied by the great devotees of the Lord with ladies of celestial beauty as brilliant as lightning. As there are airplanes, so there must be different types of carriages also like the airplanes, but they may not be driven machines, as we have experience in this world. Because everything is of the same nature of eternity, bliss and knowledge, the airplanes and carriages are of the same quality as Brahman. As there is nothing except Brahman, so it should not be misconceived that there is only void and no variegatedness. To think like that is due to a poor fund of knowledge, otherwise no one would have such a misconception of voidness in the Brahman. As there are airplanes, ladies, and gentlemen, so there must be cities and houses and everything else just suitable to the particular planets. One should not carry the ideas of imperfection from this world to the transcendental world without taking into consideration the nature of the atmosphere, as completely free from the influence of time, etc., as described previously.

Verse 13 of 46
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