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

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Canto 5 · The Creative Impetus · 26 chapters

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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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Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.20.43

Who is speaking and story frame

अण्डमध्यगत: सूर्यो द्यावाभूम्योर्यदन्तरम् ।

सूर्याण्डगोलयोर्मध्ये कोट्य: स्यु: पञ्चविंशति: ॥ ४३ ॥

aṇḍa-madhya-gataḥ sūryo

dyāv-ābhūmyor yad antaram

sūryāṇḍa-golayor madhye

koṭyaḥ syuḥ pañca-viṁśatiḥ

Translation

The sun is situated [vertically] in the middle of the universe, in the area between Bhūrloka and Bhuvarloka, which is called antarikṣa, outer space. The distance between the sun and the circumference of the universe is twenty-five koṭi yojanas [two billion miles].

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Sun’s Position Within the Universe

  1. 1

    The sun is situated vertically in the middle of the universe. It lies in antarikṣa, the outer space between Bhūrloka and Bhuvarloka.

  2. 2

    The word koṭi means ten million, and a yojana is eight miles. The purport gives the universe’s diameter as fifty koṭi yojanas, or four billion miles.

  3. 3

    Since the sun is in the middle, its distance from the edge of the universe is twenty-five koṭi yojanas, or two billion miles.

Key points from the purport
  • The word koṭi means ten million, and a yojana is eight miles.
  • Therefore, since the sun is in the middle of the universe, the distance between the sun and the edge of the universe is calculated to be twenty-five koṭi yojanas (two billion miles).

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
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. aṇḍa-madhya-gataḥsituated in the center of the universe
  2. sūryaḥthe sun globe
  3. dyāv-ābhūmyoḥthe two planetary systems Bhūrloka and Bhuvarloka
  4. yatwhich
  5. antaramin between
  6. sūryaof the sun
  7. aṇḍa-golayoḥand the globe of the universe
  8. madhyein the middle
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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

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How do the meanings of koṭi and yojana help me follow the measurements given here?

Practice

Draw a simple diagram of the description, labeling the diameter and the distance from the sun to the edge.

Live this todayThe Sun’s Position Within the UniverseThis 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.

Ask the BhāgavatamHave a question about SB 5.20.43? Get an answer from the verses themselves.