Adhyaya 21

Verse 1

श्रीशुक उवाच एतावानेव भूवलयस्य सन्निवेश: प्रमाणलक्षणतो व्याख्यात: ॥ १ ॥

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: My dear King, thus far I have explained the arrangement of Bhū-maṇḍala, along with the universe’s diameter and its general features, according to the measurements of learned scholars.

Verse 2

एतेन हि दिवो मण्डलमानं तद्विद उपदिशन्ति यथा द्विदलयोर्निष्पावादीनां ते अन्तरेणान्तरिक्षं तदुभयसन्धितम् ॥ २ ॥

As a grain of wheat, when split in two, allows one to infer the measure of the upper part by knowing the lower, so do the learned in sacred cosmography teach: by knowing the measurements of the lower region, one may understand the measurements of the upper region of the universe. The sky between the earthly sphere and the heavenly sphere is called antarikṣa, outer space, adjoining the summit of the earth-sphere and the base of the heaven-sphere.

Verse 3

यन्मध्यगतो भगवांस्तपतपतिस्तपन आतपेन त्रिलोकीं प्रतपत्यवभासयत्यात्मभासा स एष उदगयनदक्षिणायनवैषुवतसंज्ञाभिर्मान्द्यशैघ्य्रसमानाभिर्गतिभिरारोहणावरोहणसमानस्थानेषु यथासवनमभिपद्यमानो मकरादिषु राशिष्वहोरात्राणि दीर्घह्रस्वसमानानि विधत्ते ॥ ३ ॥

In the midst of that antarikṣa shines the glorious Sun, sovereign among the heat-giving luminaries. By its own radiance it warms and illumines the three worlds and upholds the order of the cosmos. In obedience to the Supreme Lord’s ordinance, as it journeys northward, southward, or along the equator, it is said to move slowly, swiftly, or with measured pace. According to its rising, descending, or equinoctial passage—and its contact with the zodiacal signs beginning with Makara (Capricorn)—it ordains days and nights as long, short, or equal.

Verse 4

यदा मेषतुलयोर्वर्तते तदाहोरात्राणि समानानि भवन्ति यदा वृषभादिषु पञ्चसु च राशिषु चरति तदाहान्येव वर्धन्ते ह्रसति च मासि मास्येकैका घटिका रात्रिषु ॥ ४ ॥

When the sun passes through Meṣa (Aries) and Tulā (Libra), day and night are equal. When it moves through the five signs beginning with Vṛṣabha (Taurus), the days increase, and the nights diminish month by month by one ghaṭikā (half an hour), until in Tulā day and night again become equal.

Verse 5

यदा वृश्चिकादिषु पञ्चसु वर्तते तदाहोरात्राणि विपर्ययाणि भवन्ति ॥ ५ ॥

When the sun passes through the five signs beginning with Vṛścika (Scorpio), the pattern of day and night is reversed: the days diminish and the nights increase, and thereafter the balance gradually returns.

Verse 6

यावद्दक्षिणायनमहानि वर्धन्ते यावदुदगयनं रात्रय: ॥ ६ ॥

So long as the sun proceeds along dakṣiṇāyana, its southern course, the days grow longer; and so long as it proceeds along udagayana, its northern course, the nights grow longer.

Verse 7

एवं नव कोटय एकपञ्चाशल्लक्षाणि योजनानां मानसोत्तरगिरिपरिवर्तनस्योपदिशन्ति तस्मिन्नैन्द्रीं पुरीं पूर्वस्मान्मेरोर्देवधानीं नाम दक्षिणतो याम्यां संयमनीं नाम पश्चाद्वारुणीं निम्‍लोचनीं नाम उत्तरत: सौम्यां विभावरीं नाम तासूदयमध्याह्नास्तमयनिशीथानीति भूतानां प्रवृत्तिनिवृत्तिनिमित्तानि समयविशेषेण मेरोश्चतुर्दिशम् ॥ ७ ॥

Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: O King, the learned declare that the sun circles Mānasottara Mountain on all sides along a path measuring 9,51,00,000 yojanas. Upon Mānasottara, east of Mount Sumeru lies Devadhānī, the city of Indra; to the south is Saṁyamanī, the city of Yamarāja; to the west is Nimlocanī, the city of Varuṇa; and to the north is Vibhāvarī, the city of the moon-god. According to appointed times, sunrise, midday, sunset, and midnight occur in those places, thus causing all beings to begin and to cease their various duties.

Verse 8

तत्रत्यानां दिवसमध्यङ्गत एव सदाऽऽदित्यस्तपति सव्येनाचलं दक्षिणेन करोति ॥ ८ ॥ यत्रोदेति तस्य ह समानसूत्रनिपाते निम्‍लोचति यत्र क्‍वचन स्यन्देनाभितपति तस्य हैष समानसूत्रनिपाते प्रस्वापयति तत्र गतं न पश्यन्ति ये तं समनुपश्येरन् ॥ ९ ॥

The beings who dwell on Mount Sumeru are always heated as if at midday, for the sun ever stands above their heads. Though the sun moves counterclockwise facing the constellations, keeping Sumeru on its left, by the influence of the dakṣiṇāvarta wind it also appears to move clockwise, as if the mountain were on its right. Where the sun is seen to rise, in the land diametrically opposite it is seen to set; and opposite the point of midday is midnight. Likewise, those at the place of sunset, if they go to the opposite region, do not behold the sun in that same condition.

Verse 9

तत्रत्यानां दिवसमध्यङ्गत एव सदाऽऽदित्यस्तपति सव्येनाचलं दक्षिणेन करोति ॥ ८ ॥ यत्रोदेति तस्य ह समानसूत्रनिपाते निम्‍लोचति यत्र क्‍वचन स्यन्देनाभितपति तस्य हैष समानसूत्रनिपाते प्रस्वापयति तत्र गतं न पश्यन्ति ये तं समनुपश्येरन् ॥ ९ ॥

The beings who dwell on Mount Sumeru are always heated as if at midday, for the sun ever stands above their heads. Though the sun moves counterclockwise facing the constellations, keeping Sumeru on its left, by the influence of the dakṣiṇāvarta wind it also appears to move clockwise, as if the mountain were on its right. Where the sun is seen to rise, in the land diametrically opposite it is seen to set; and opposite the point of midday is midnight. Likewise, those at the place of sunset, if they go to the opposite region, do not behold the sun in that same condition.

Verse 10

यदा चैन्द्य्रा: पुर्या: प्रचलते पञ्चदशघटिकाभिर्याम्यां सपादकोटिद्वयं योजनानां सार्धद्वादशलक्षाणि साधिकानि चोपयाति ॥ १० ॥

When the sun moves from Devadhānī, Indra’s abode, to Saṁyamanī, the abode of Yamarāja, it covers 23,775,000 yojanas in fifteen ghaṭikās (six hours).

Verse 11

एवं ततो वारुणीं सौम्यामैन्द्रीं च पुनस्तथान्ये च ग्रहा: सोमादयो नक्षत्रै: सह ज्योतिश्चक्रे समभ्युद्यन्ति सह वा निम्‍लोचन्ति ॥ ११ ॥

Thus the sun travels from Saṁyamanī to Nimlocanī, Varuṇa’s abode; from there to Vibhāvarī, the abode of the moon-god; and from there it returns again to Devadhānī, Indra’s abode. In the same manner, the moon and the other planets and stars, together with the constellations, appear within the luminous wheel of the heavens, then set and again become unseen.

Verse 12

एवं मुहूर्तेन चतुस्त्रिंशल्लक्षयोजनान्यष्टशताधिकानि सौरो रथस्त्रयीमयोऽसौ चतसृषु परिवर्तते पुरीषु ॥ १२ ॥

Thus, within a single muhūrta, the sun-god’s chariot—trayīmaya, worshiped by the Vedic utterance “oṁ bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ”—moves through the four abodes mentioned above, traveling at a speed of 3,400,800 yojanas.

Verse 13

यस्यैकं चक्रं द्वादशारं षण्नेमि त्रिणाभि संवत्सरात्मकं समामनन्ति तस्याक्षो मेरोर्मूर्धनि कृतो मानसोत्तरे कृतेतरभागो यत्र प्रोतं रविरथचक्रं तैलयन्त्रचक्रवद् भ्रमन्मानसोत्तरगिरौ परिभ्रमति ॥ १३ ॥

The sun-god’s chariot has but one wheel, called Saṁvatsara, the year. Its twelve spokes are the twelve months, its rim is divided into the six seasons, and its hub is threefold, the three cātur-māsya periods. One end of the axle rests on the summit of Mount Sumeru and the other on Mānasottara Mountain; fixed to the axle’s outer end, the wheel turns ceaselessly on Mānasottara like the wheel of an oil-press.

Verse 14

तस्मिन्नक्षे कृतमूलो द्वितीयोऽक्षस्तुर्यमानेन सम्मितस्तैलयन्त्राक्षवद् ध्रुवे कृतोपरिभाग: ॥ १४ ॥

Fixed to that first axle is a second axle, one-fourth its length. Like the axle of an oil-press, the upper end of this second axle is bound to Dhruvaloka by a rope of wind.

Verse 15

रथनीडस्तु षट्‌त्रिंशल्लक्षयोजनायतस्तत्तुरीयभागविशालस्तावान् रविरथयुगो यत्र हयाश्छन्दोनामान: सप्तारुणयोजिता वहन्ति देवमादित्यम् ॥ १५ ॥

O King, the carriage of the sun-god’s chariot is said to be 3,600,000 yojanas long and one-fourth as wide; the yoke is of the same width. Seven horses, named for Vedic meters such as Gāyatrī, are harnessed by Aruṇadeva, and they ceaselessly bear Aditya-deva onward.

Verse 16

पुरस्तात्सवितुररुण: पश्चाच्च नियुक्त: सौत्ये कर्मणि किलास्ते ॥ १६ ॥

Though Aruṇadeva sits before the sun-god, engaged in driving the chariot and restraining the horses, he nevertheless gazes backward, toward the sun-god Himself.

Verse 17

तथा वालिखिल्या ऋषयोऽङ्गुष्ठपर्वमात्रा: षष्टिसहस्राणि पुरत: सूर्यं सूक्तवाकाय नियुक्ता: संस्तुवन्ति ॥ १७ ॥

Likewise, there are sixty thousand saintly sages called the Vālikhilyas, each no larger than a thumb-joint; stationed before Sūryadeva, they glorify him with eloquent hymns of praise.

Verse 18

तथान्ये च ऋषयो गन्धर्वाप्सरसो नागा ग्रामण्यो यातुधाना देवा इत्येकैकशो गणा: सप्त चतुर्दश मासि मासि भगवन्तं सूर्यमात्मानं नानानामानं पृथङ्‌नानानामान: पृथक्‌कर्मभिर्द्वन्द्वश उपासते ॥ १८ ॥

Similarly, other ṛṣis, Gandharvas, Apsarās, Nāgas, Yakṣas, Rākṣasas, and demigods—arranged in pairs within their groups—assume different names each month and, through varied ritual duties, continually worship the Supreme Lord as Sūryadeva, the mighty deva of many names.

Verse 19

लक्षोत्तरं सार्धनवकोटियोजनपरिमण्डलं भूवलयस्य क्षणेन सगव्यूत्युत्तरं द्विसहस्रयोजनानि स भुङ्क्ते ॥ १९ ॥

O King, in his orbit through Bhū-maṇḍala the sun-god traverses 95,100,000 yojanas in a single moment; his speed is 2,000 yojanas and two krośas per moment.