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Study a Verse

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

5.21.5 5.21.7

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.21.6

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

यावद्दक्षिणायनमहानि वर्धन्ते यावदुदगयनं रात्रय: ॥ ६ ॥

yāvad dakṣiṇāyanam ahāni vardhante yāvad udagayanaṁ rātrayaḥ.

Translation

Until the sun travels to the south the days grow longer, and until it travels to the north the nights grow longer.

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.

Northward and Southward Travel Mark Changes

1
The days grow longer until the sun travels to the south.
2
The nights grow longer until the sun travels to the north.
3
The verse connects the lengthening of days and nights with the sun’s southward and northward travel.

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:

Similarly, when the sun travels south of the equator, the exact opposite is true — the duration of the day decreases, and the duration of night increases. When the sun enters Karkaṭa-rāśi (Cancer) and then travels to Siṁha-rāśi (Leo) and so on through Dhanuḥ-rāśi (Sagittarius), its course is called Dakṣiṇāyana, the southern way, and when the sun enters Makara-rāśi (Capricorn) and thereafter travels through Kumbharāśi (Aquarius) and so on through Mithuna-rāśi (Gemini), its course is called Uttarāyaṇa, the northern way.

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

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

yāvatuntil
dakṣiṇa-ayanamthe sun passes to the southern side
ahānithe days
vardhanteincrease
yāvatuntil
udagayanamthe sun passes to the northern side
rātrayaḥthe nights

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

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

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Can I clearly distinguish which movement marks the lengthening of days and which marks the lengthening of nights?

Practice

Read the verse slowly, then write its two statements side by side.

Live this todayNorthward and Southward Travel Mark ChangesThis 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 5.21.6? 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