Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 5.21.15
Sthāna· The universe in orderSeven Horses Bear Names of Vedic Meters
“My dear King, the carriage of the sun-god’s chariot is estimated to be 3,600,000 yojanas [28,800,000 miles] long and one-fourth as wide [900,000 yojanas, or 7,200,000 miles]. The chariot’s horses, which are named after Gāyatrī and other Vedic meters, are harnessed by Aruṇadeva to a yoke that is also 900,000 yojanas wide. This chariot continuously carries the sun-god.”
What the purport teaches
- The carriage is 3,600,000 yojanas long and 900,000 yojanas wide. Aruṇadeva harnesses the horses to a yoke that is also 900,000 yojanas wide.
- The Viṣṇu Purāṇa names the seven horses Gāyatrī, Bṛhati, Uṣṇik, Jagatī, Triṣṭup, Anuṣṭup and Paṅkti.
- These names are names of Vedic meters. The seven horses carry the chariot, which continuously carries the sun-god.
Try this today
Read the seven horses’ names aloud once, remembering that each is also the name of a Vedic meter.
Ask yourself
What helps you remember the connection between the horses and the Vedic meters?
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.