Srimad Bhagavatam — Panchama Skandha, Shloka 11

Rāhu, Eclipses, Antarikṣa, and the Seven Subterranean Heavens

Bila-svarga

Devanagari script

यत्र ह वाव न भयमहोरात्रादिभि: कालविभागैरुपलक्ष्यते ॥ ११ ॥

Transliteration

yatra ha vāva na bhayam aho-rātrādibhiḥ kāla-vibhāgair upalakṣyate.

Translation

Como en esos planetas subterráneos no hay luz del sol, el tiempo no se divide en días y noches; por ello, el temor producido por el paso del tiempo tampoco existe allí.

Synonyms

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: Indeclinable relative adverb (देशवाचक)

• ha: indeed
• ha: Avyaya (अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ha (अव्यय)
• Form: Indeclinable particle (निपात), emphasis

• vāva: certainly
• vāva: Avyaya (अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vāva (अव्यय)
• Form: Indeclinable particle (निपात), emphasis/assurance

• na: not
• na: Avyaya (अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Indeclinable negation particle (निषेध)

• bhayam: fear
• bhayam: Karta (कर्ता) / Subject
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• aho-rātra-ādibhiḥ: by day-night etc.
• aho-rātra-ādibhiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ahas + rātra + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Plural; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (aho-rātra) with ādi ‘etc.’

• kāla-vibhāgaiḥ: by divisions of time
• kāla-vibhāgaiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla + vibhāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Plural; तत्पुरुष (kālasya vibhāgāḥ)

• upalakṣyate: is perceived/recognized
• upalakṣyate: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: upa-√lakṣ (धातु)
• Form: Present tense (लट्), Ātmanepada, 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular; Passive/impersonal sense ‘is perceived/recognized’

FAQs

What does Srimad Bhagavatam say about places where day and night are not perceived?

In Bhagavatam 5.24.11, Śukadeva explains that in that region the usual time divisions like day and night are not perceived, and thus fear is absent.

Why does Śukadeva Gosvāmī mention fearlessness in the context of time divisions?

He links fear with the experience of time’s changes; where day-night style time markers are not recognized, the atmosphere is described as free from fear.

How can this teaching about fear and time be applied in modern life?

It suggests that fear increases when the mind is absorbed in changing time and circumstances; steadiness through spiritual focus reduces fear by rising above constant temporal anxiety.