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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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Canto 5 · Chapter 22: The Orbits of the Planets
5.22.105.22.12

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.22.11

Sthāna· The universe in order
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 5.22.2inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

तत उपरिष्टात्‌द्वि्लक्षयोजनतो नक्षत्राणि मेरुं दक्षिणेनैव कालायन ईश्वरयोजितानि सहाभिजिताष्टाविंशति: ॥ ११ ॥

tata upariṣṭād dvi-lakṣa-yojanato nakṣatrāṇi meruṁ dakṣiṇenaiva kālāyana īśvara-yojitāni sahābhijitāṣṭā-viṁśatiḥ.

Translation

There are many stars located 200,000 yojanas [1,600,000 miles] above the moon. By the supreme will of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, they are fixed to the wheel of time, and thus they rotate with Mount Sumeru on their right, their motion being different from that of the sun. There are twenty-eight important stars, headed by Abhijit.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Stars Move by the Supreme Will

  1. 1

    By the will of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the stars are fixed to the wheel of time. Their motion is different from that of the sun.

  2. 2

    They rotate with Mount Sumeru on their right. There are twenty-eight important stars, headed by Abhijit.

  3. 3

    The purport places these stars 1,600,000 miles above the sun and 4,000,000 miles above the earth.

Key points from the purport
  • The stars referred to herein are 1,600,000 miles above the sun, and thus they are 4,000,000 miles above the earth.

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 22: The Orbits of the Planets

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

The demigod Sūrya is always in touch with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa. Residing in outer space, which is in the middle of the universe, between Bhūloka and Bhuvarloka, the sun rotates through the time circle of the zodiac, represented by twelve rāśis, or signs, and assumes different names according to the sign he is in.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 5.22
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tataḥfrom that region of the moon
  2. upariṣṭātabove
  3. dvi-lakṣa-yojanataḥ200,000 yojanas
  4. nakṣatrāṇimany stars
  5. merumSumeru Mountain
  6. dakṣiṇena evato the right side
  7. kāla-ayanein the wheel of time
  8. īśvara-yojitāniattached by the Supreme Personality of Godhead
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

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

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does this description help you reflect on the supreme will behind the stars’ movements?

Practice

Pause today and recall that this verse describes the stars as moving by the will of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Live this todayThe Stars Move by the Supreme WillThis 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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