Canto 5: The Creative Impetus | Chapter 20: Studying the Structure of the Universe |
Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 5.20.38
etāvān loka-vinyāso māna-lakṣaṇa-saḿsthābhir vicintitaḥ kavibhiḥ sa tu pañcāśat-koṭi-gaṇitasya bhū-golasya turīya-bhāgo 'yaḿ lokālokācalaḥ
SYNONYMS
etāvān — this much; loka-vinyāsaḥ — the placing of the different planets; māna — with measurements; lakṣaṇa — symptoms; saḿsthābhiḥ — as well as with their different situations; vicintitaḥ — established by scientific calculations; kavibhiḥ — by learned scholars; saḥ — that; tu — but; pañcāśat-koṭi — 500,000,000 yojanas; gaṇitasya — which is measured at; bhū-golasya — of the planetary system known as Bhūgolaka; turīya-bhāgaḥ — one fourth; ayam — this; lokāloka-acalaḥ — the mountain known as Lokāloka.
TRANSLATION
Learned scholars who are free from mistakes, illusions and propensities to cheat have thus described the planetary systems and their particular symptoms, measurements and locations. With great deliberation, they have established the truth that the distance between Sumeru and the mountain known as Lokāloka is one fourth of the diameter of the universe — or, in other words, 125,000,000 yojanas [1 billion miles].
PURPORT
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura has given accurate astronomical information about the location of Lokāloka Mountain, the movements of the sun globe and the distance between the sun and the circumference of the universe. However, the technical terms used in the astronomical calculations given by the Jyotir Veda are difficult to translate into English. Therefore to satisfy the reader, we may include the exact Sanskrit statement given by Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, which records exact calculations regarding universal affairs.
sa tu lokālokas tu bhū-golakasya bhū-sambandhāṇḍa-golakasyety arthaḥ; sūryasy eva bhuvo 'py aṇḍa-golakayor madhya-vartitvāt kha-golam iva bhū-golam api pañcāśat-koṭi-yojana-pramāṇaḿ tasya turīya-bhāgaḥ sārdha-dvādaśa-koṭi-yojana-vistārocchrāya ity arthaḥ bhūs tu catus-triḿśal-lakṣonapañcāśat-koṭi-pramāṇā jñeyā; yathā meru-madhyān mānasottara-madhya-paryantaḿ sārdha-sapta-pañcāśal-lakṣottara-koṭi-yojana-pramāṇam; mānasottara-madhyāt svādūdaka-samudra-paryantaḿ ṣaṇ-ṇavati-lakṣa-yojana-pramāṇaḿ tataḥ kāñcanī-bhūmiḥ sārdha-sapta-pañcāśal-lakṣottara-koṭi-yojana-pramāṇā evam ekato meru-lokālokayor antarālam ekādaśa-śal-lakṣādhika-catuṣ-koṭi-parimitam anyato 'pi tathatyeto lokālokāl loka-paryantaḿ sthānaḿ dvāviḿśati-lakṣottarāṣṭa-koṭi-parimitaḿ lokālokād bahir apy ekataḥ etāvad eva anyato 'py etāvad eva yad vakṣyate, yo 'ntar-vistāra etena hy aloka-parimāṇaḿ ca vyākhyātaḿ yad-bahir lokālokācalād ity ekato lokālokaḥ sārdha-dvādaśa-koṭi-yojana-parimāṇaḥ anyato 'pi sa tathety evaḿ catus-triḿśal-lakṣonapañcāśat-koṭi-pramāṇā bhūḥ sābdhi-dvīpa-parvatā jñeyā; ata evāṇḍa-golakāt sarvato dikṣu sapta-daśa-lakṣa-yojanāvakāśe vartamāne sati pṛthivyāḥ śeṣa-nāgena dhāraṇaḿ dig-gajaiś ca niścalī-karaṇaḿ sārthakaḿ bhaved anyathā tu vyākhyāntare pañcāśat-koṭi-pramāṇatvād aṇḍa-golaka-lagnatve tat tat sarvam akiñcit-karaḿ syāt cākṣuṣe manvantare cākasmāt majjanaḿ śrī-varāha-devenotthāpanaḿ ca durghaṭaḿ syād ity adikaḿ vivecanīyam.
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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness