Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 5.20.45
Sthāna· The universe in orderThe Sun Reveals the Universe’s Divisions
“O King, the sun-god and the sun planet divide all the directions of the universe. It is only because of the presence of the sun that we can understand what the sky, the higher planets, this world and the lower planets are. It is also only because of the sun that we can understand which places are for material enjoyment, which are for liberation, which are hellish and subterranean.”
What the purport teaches
- The sun-god and the sun planet divide all the directions of the universe.
- Because of the sun’s presence, we can understand the sky, the higher planets, this world and the lower planets.
- The sun also enables us to understand which places are for material enjoyment or liberation, and which are hellish or subterranean.
Try this today
List the different regions and destinations that the verse says we can understand because of the sun.
Ask yourself
How does this verse broaden my understanding of the sun’s role?
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.