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Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

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How to study this verse, in six steps
  1. 1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
  2. 2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
  3. 3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
  4. 4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
  5. 5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
  6. 6Write down what touched you. Note the main points in your own notebook.
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Canto 5 · Chapter 20: Studying the Structure of the Universe
5.20.375.20.39

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.20.38

Sthāna· The universe in order
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 5.20.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

एतावाँल्लोकविन्यासो मानलक्षणसंस्थाभिर्विचिन्तित: कविभि: स तु पञ्चाशत्कोटिगणितस्य भूगोलस्य तुरीयभागोऽयं लोकालोकाचल: ॥ ३८ ॥

etāvāḻ loka-vinyāso māna-lakṣaṇa-saṁsthābhir vicintitaḥ kavibhiḥ sa tu pañcāśat-koṭi-gaṇitasya bhū-golasya turīya-bhāgo ’yaṁ lokālokācalaḥ.

Translation

Learned scholars who are free from mistakes, illusions and propensities to cheat have thus described the planetary systems and their particular symptoms, measurements and locations. With great deliberation, they have established the truth that the distance between Sumeru and the mountain known as Lokāloka is one fourth of the diameter of the universe — or, in other words, 125,000,000 yojanas [1 billion miles].

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Careful Description of Universal Measurements

  1. 1

    Learned scholars free from mistakes, illusion and cheating have described the planetary systems with careful deliberation. Their descriptions include characteristics, measurements and locations.

  2. 2

    The translation gives the distance between Sumeru and Lokāloka as one fourth of the universe’s diameter: 125,000,000 yojanas, or 1 billion miles.

  3. 3

    The purport preserves Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura’s exact Sanskrit calculations. It explains that the technical astronomical terms of the Jyotir Veda are difficult to translate into English.

Key points from the purport
  • Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura has given accurate astronomical information about the location of Lokāloka Mountain, the movements of the sun globe and the distance between the sun and the circumference of the universe.
  • However, the technical terms used in the astronomical calculations given by the Jyotir Veda are difficult to translate into English.
  • Therefore to satisfy the reader, we may include the exact Sanskrit statement given by Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, which records exact calculations regarding universal affairs.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

How it feels

Smallness → Awe and reverence. A vast cosmos changes the reader's perspective.

Chapters 15–25 of Canto 5: The cosmic regions and divine worship. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 20: Studying the Structure of the Universe

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

The distance between the sun and the circumference of Aṇḍa-golaka, the globe of the universe, is estimated to be twenty-five koṭi yojanas (two billion miles). Because the sun enters the universe and divides the sky, it is known as Mārtaṇḍa, and because it is produced from Hiraṇyagarbha, the body of the mahat-tattva, it is also called Hiraṇyagarbha.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 5.20
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. etāvānthis much
  2. loka-vinyāsaḥthe placing of the different planets
  3. mānawith measurements
  4. lakṣaṇasymptoms
  5. saṁsthābhiḥas well as with their different situations
  6. vicintitaḥestablished by scientific calculations
  7. kavibhiḥby learned scholars
  8. saḥthat
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Sthāna · Planetary systems

    How is the universe arranged, and what is our right place in it? · Subject 3 of 10

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 5.20

    In this verse: “illusions”, “illusion”

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

    Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 5.20

    In this verse: “free from”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How can I study patiently when technical terms are difficult to understand?

Practice

Note one measurement from the translation and one difficulty in translation mentioned in the purport.

Live this todayCareful Description of Universal MeasurementsThis verse's lesson: one practice and one question for today

Study points are short summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport on Vedabase.

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