Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 5.16.1

rājovāca

uktas tvayā bhū-mandalāyāma-viśesho yāvad ādityas tapati yatra cāsau jyotishām ganaiś candramā vā saha driśyate

SYNONYMS

rājā uvāca — Mahārāja Parīkshit said; uktah — already been said; tvayā — by you; bhū-mandala — of the planetary system known as Bhū-mandala; āyāma-viśeshah — the specific length of the radius; yāvat — as far as; ādityah — the sun; tapati — heats; yatra — wherever; ca — also; asau — that; jyotishām — of the luminaries; ganaih — with hordes; candramā — the moon; vā — either; saha — with; driśyate — is seen.

TRANSLATION

King Parīkshit said to Śukadeva Gosvāmī: O brāhmana, you have already informed me that the radius of Bhū-mandala extends as far as the sun spreads its light and heat and as far as the moon and all the stars can be seen.

PURPORT

In this verse it is stated that the planetary system known as Bhū-mandala extends to the limits of the sunshine. According to modern science, the sunshine reaches earth from a distance of 93,000,000 miles. If we calculate according to this modern information, 93,000,000 miles can be considered the radius of Bhū-mandala. In the Gāyatrī mantra, we chant om bhūr bhuvah svah. The word bhūr refers to Bhū-mandala. Tat savitur varenyam: the sunshine spreads throughout Bhū-mandala. Therefore the sun is worshipable. The stars, which are known as nakshatra, are not different suns, as modern astronomers suppose. From Bhagavad-gītā (10.21) we understand that the stars are similar to the moon (nakshatrānām aham śaśī). Like the moon, the stars reflect the sunshine. Apart from our modern distinguished estimations of where the planetary systems are located, we can understand that the sky and its various planets were studied long, long before Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam was compiled. Śukadeva Gosvāmī explained the location of the planets, and this indicates that the information was known long, long before Śukadeva Gosvāmī related it to Mahārāja Parīkshit. The location of the various planetary systems was not unknown to the sages who flourished in the Vedic age.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness