Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 5.20.30

tad-dvīpa-madhye mānasottara-nāmaika evārvācīna-parācīna-varshayor maryādācalo 'yuta-yojanocchrāyāyāmo yatra tu catasrishu dikshu catvāri purāni loka-pālānām indrādīnām yad-uparishtāt sūrya-rathasya merum paribhramatah samvatsarātmakam cakram devānām aho-rātrābhyām paribhramati

SYNONYMS

tat-dvīpa-madhye — within that island; mānasottara — Mānasottara; nāma — named; ekah — one; eva — indeed; arvācīna — on this side; parācīna — and beyond, or outside; varshayoh — of tracts of land; maryādā — indicating the boundary; acalah — a great mountain; ayuta — ten thousand; yojana — eight miles; ucchrāya-āyāmah — whose height and width; yatra — where; tu — but; catasrishu — in the four; dikshu — directions; catvāri — four; purāni — cities; loka-pālānām — of the directors of planetary systems; indra-ādīnām — headed by Indra; yat — of which; uparishtāt — on the top; sūrya-rathasya — of the chariot of the sun-god; merum — Meru Mountain; paribhramatah — while circumambulating; samvatsara-ātmakam — consisting of one samvatsara; cakram — wheel or orbit; devānām — of the demigods; ahah-rātrābhyām — by the day and night; paribhramati — moves around.

TRANSLATION

In the middle of that island is a great mountain named Mānasottara, which forms the boundary between the inner side and the outer side of the island. Its breadth and height are 10,000 yojanas [80,000 miles]. On that mountain, in the four directions, are the residential quarters of demigods such as Indra. In the chariot of the sun-god, the sun travels on the top of the mountain in an orbit called the Samvatsara, encircling Mount Meru. The sun's path on the northern side is called Uttarāyana, and its path on the southern side is called Dakshināyana. One side represents a day for the demigods, and the other represents their night.

PURPORT

The movement of the sun is confirmed in the Brahma-samhitā (5.52): yasyājñāya bhramati sambhrita-kāla-cakrah. The sun orbits around Mount Sumeru, for six months on the northern side and for six months on the southern. This adds up to the duration of a day and night of the demigods in the upper planetary systems.

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