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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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Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

How to study this verse, in six steps

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

Read the full guide: how to hear the Bhāgavatam ›

Canto 5 · Chapter 21: The Movements of the Sun

5.20.46 5.21.2

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.21.1

Sthāna· The universe in order

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 5.21.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

श्रीशुक उवाच

एतावानेव भूवलयस्य सन्निवेश: प्रमाणलक्षणतो व्याख्यात: ॥ १ ॥

śrī-śuka uvāca

etāvān eva bhū-valayasya sanniveśaḥ pramāṇa-lakṣaṇato vyākhyātaḥ.

Translation

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: My dear King, I have thus far described the diameter of the universe [fifty crores of yojanas, or four billion miles] and its general characteristics, according to the estimations of learned scholars.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Learning the Universe’s Measurements

1
Śukadeva Gosvāmī summarizes what he has described about the universe’s diameter and general characteristics.
2
The diameter given is fifty crores of yojanas, or four billion miles.
3
These descriptions follow the estimations of learned scholars.

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

Chapter 21: The Movements of the Sun

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

This chapter informs us of the movements of the sun. The sun is not stationary; it is also moving like the other planets.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 5.21

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

śrī-śukaḥ uvācaŚrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said
etāvānso much
evacertainly
bhū-valayasya sanniveśaḥthe arrangement of the whole universe
pramāṇa-lakṣaṇataḥaccording to measurement (fifty crores of yojanas, or four billion miles in width and length) and characteristics
vyākhyātaḥestimated

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
Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership
Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 5.21
In this verse: “king”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How carefully do I listen to the measurements and descriptions presented in the text?

Practice

Write down the universe’s diameter as given here, noting that it follows learned scholars’ estimations.

Live this todayLearning the Universe’s 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.

Ask the BhāgavatamHave a question about SB 5.21.1? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories