Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 5.20.30
Sthāna· The universe in orderThe Sun’s Course and the Demigods’ Time
“In the middle of that island is a great mountain named Mānasottara, which forms the boundary between the inner side and the outer side of the island. Its breadth and height are 10,000 yojanas [80,000 miles]. On that mountain, in the four directions, are the residential quarters of demigods such as Indra. In the chariot of the sun-god, the sun travels on the top of the mountain in an orbit called the Saṁvatsara, encircling Mount Meru. The sun’s path on the northern side is called Uttarāyaṇa, and its path on the southern side is called Dakṣiṇāyana. One side represents a day for the demigods, and the other represents their night.”
What the purport teaches
- Mānasottara marks the boundary between the island’s inner and outer sides. Its breadth and height are each 10,000 yojanas, and demigods such as Indra have residences in its four directions.
- The sun travels around Mount Meru in an orbit called Saṁvatsara. The northern path is Uttarāyaṇa, and the southern path is Dakṣiṇāyana.
- The purport explains that the sun spends six months on the northern side and six months on the southern. Together, these form one day and night for the demigods in the upper planetary systems.
Try this today
Write down Uttarāyaṇa and Dakṣiṇāyana, noting the direction and six-month duration of each.
Ask yourself
How does this description broaden your understanding of a day and night?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points, practice and question are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport. Read the full purport to go deeper.