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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
5.22.55.22.7

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.22.6

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

अथ च यावतार्धेन नभोवीथ्यां प्रचरति तं कालमयनमाचक्षते ॥ ६ ॥

atha ca yāvatārdhena nabho-vīthyāṁ pracarati taṁ kālam ayanam ācakṣate.

Translation

Thus the time the sun takes to rotate through half of outer space is called an ayana, or its period of movement [in the north or in the south].

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.

An Ayana Measures Half the Sun’s Course

  1. 1

    The verse names a period of the sun’s movement an ayana.

  2. 2

    An ayana is the time the sun takes to travel through half of outer space.

  3. 3

    This period refers to the sun’s movement in the north or in the south.

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 entire area of the sky is divided into two halves, each representing an ayana, the course traversed by the sun within a period of six months. The sun travels sometimes slowly, sometimes swiftly and sometimes at a moderate speed.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 5.22
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. athanow
  2. caalso
  3. yāvatāby as long as
  4. ardhenahalf
  5. nabhaḥ-vīthyāmin outer space
  6. pracaratithe sun moves
  7. tamthat
  8. kālamtime
  9. ayanamayana
  10. ācakṣateis said
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

Can I explain the meaning of ayana in my own words?

Practice

Write a one-sentence definition of ayana and read it aloud once.

Live this todayAn Ayana Measures Half the Sun’s CourseThis 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 5.22.6? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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