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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.
Read the full guide: how to hear the Bhāgavatam ›
Canto 5 · Chapter 22: The Orbits of the Planets
5.22.155.22.17

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.22.16

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 उपरिष्टाद्योजनलक्षद्वयात्प्रतीयमान: शनैश्चर एकैकस्मिन् राशौ त्रिंशन्मासान् विलम्बमान: सर्वानेवानुपर्येति तावद्भ‍िरनुवत्सरै: प्रायेण हि सर्वेषामशान्तिकर: ॥ १६ ॥

tata upariṣṭād yojana-lakṣa-dvayāt pratīyamānaḥ śanaiścara ekaikasmin rāśau triṁśan māsān vilambamānaḥ sarvān evānuparyeti tāvadbhir anuvatsaraiḥ prāyeṇa hi sarveṣām aśāntikaraḥ.

Translation

Situated 1,600,000 miles above Jupiter, or 12,000,000 miles above earth, is the planet Saturn, which passes through one sign of the zodiac in thirty months and covers the entire zodiac circle in thirty Anuvatsaras. This planet is always very inauspicious for the universal situation.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

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

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Saturn’s Slow Passage Is Inauspicious

  1. 1

    Saturn is described as situated 1,600,000 miles above Jupiter, or 12,000,000 miles above earth.

  2. 2

    Saturn passes through one sign of the zodiac in thirty months. It covers the entire zodiac circle in thirty Anuvatsaras.

  3. 3

    The translation describes Saturn as always very inauspicious for the universal situation.

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:

Above Bṛhaspati-graha is the planet Śanaiścara (Saturn), which is very inauspicious, and above Saturn is a group of seven stars occupied by great saintly persons who are always thinking of the welfare of the entire universe. These seven stars circumambulate Dhruvaloka, which is the residence of Lord Viṣṇu within this universe.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 5.22
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tataḥthat (Jupiter)
  2. upariṣṭātabove
  3. yojana-lakṣa-dvayātby a distance of 1,600,000 miles
  4. pratīyamānaḥis situated
  5. śanaiścaraḥthe planet Saturn
  6. eka-ekasminin one after another
  7. rāśauzodiac signs
  8. triṁśat māsānfor a period of thirty months in each
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

What stands out to you about the length of Saturn’s passage through the zodiac?

Practice

Make a two-line note recording Saturn’s time in one zodiac sign and its time around the entire zodiac.

Live this todaySaturn’s Slow Passage Is InauspiciousThis 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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