श्रीशुक उवाच तत्र भगवत: साक्षाद्यज्ञलिङ्गस्य विष्णोर्विक्रमतो वामपादाङ्गुष्ठनखनिर्भिन्नोर्ध्वाण्डकटाहविवरेणान्त:प्रविष्टा या बाह्यजलधारा तच्चरणपङ्कजावनेजनारुणकिञ्जल्कोपरञ्जिताखिलजगदघमलापहोपस्पर्शनामला साक्षाद्भगवत्पदीत्यनुपलक्षितवचोऽभिधीयमानातिमहता कालेन युगसहस्रोपलक्षणेन दिवो मूर्धन्यवततार यत्तद्विष्णुपदमाहु: ॥ १ ॥
sri-suka uvaca tatra bhagavatah saksad yajna-lingasya visnor vikramato vama-padangustha-nakha-nirbhinnordhvanda-kataha-vivarenantah-pravista ya bahya-jala-dhara tac-carana-pankajavanejanaruna-kinjalkoparanjitakhila-jagad-agha-malapahopasparsanamala saksad bhagavat-padity anupalaksita-vaco ’bhidhiyamanati-mahata kalena yuga-sahasropalaksanena divo murdhany avatatara yat tad visnu-padam ahuh.
- sri-sukah uvaca
- Sri Sukadeva Gosvami said
- tatra
- at that time
- bhagavatah
- of the incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- saksat
- directly
- yajna-lingasya
- the enjoyer of the results of all sacrifices
- visnoh
- of Lord Visnu
- vikramatah
- while taking His second step
- vama-pada
- of His left leg
- angustha
- of the big toe
- nakha
- by the nail
- nirbhinna
- pierced
- urdhva
- upper
- anda-kataha
- the covering of the universe (consisting of seven layers — earth, water, fire, etc.)
- vivarena
- through the hole
- antah-pravista
- having entered the universe
- ya
- which
- bahya-jala-dhara
- the flow of water from the Causal Ocean outside the universe
- tat
- of Him
- carana-pankaja
- of the lotus feet
- avanejana
- by the washing
- aruna-kinjalka
- by reddish powder
- uparanjita
- being colored
- akhila-jagat
- of the whole world
- agha-mala
- the sinful activities
- apaha
- destroys
- upasparsana
- the touching of which
- amala
- completely pure
- saksat
- directly
- bhagavat-padi
- emanating from the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- iti
- thus
- anupalaksita
- described
- vacah
- by the name
- abhidhiyamana
- being called
- ati-mahata kalena
- after a long time
- yuga-sahasra-upalaksanena
- consisting of one thousand millenniums
- divah
- of the sky
- murdhani
- on the head (Dhruvaloka)
- avatatara
- descended
- yat
- which
- tat
- that
- visnu-padam
- the lotus feet of Lord Visnu
- ahuh
- they call
Sukadeva Gosvami said: My dear King, Lord Visnu, the enjoyer of all sacrifices, appeared as Vamanadeva in the sacrificial arena of Bali Maharaja. 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 Visnupadi. Later she received other names like Jahnavi and Bhagirathi. After one thousand millenniums, the water of the Ganges descended on Dhruvaloka, the topmost plane in this universe. Therefore all learned sages and scholars proclaim Dhruvaloka to be Visnupada (situated on Lord Visnu’s lotus fee).