Chapter XIV
On the description of the Lokâloka space
1-29. Nârâyana said :– Next to the ocean of pure water, is the mountain, called Lokâloka. It marks the sphere between the two countries Loka and Aloka. O Devarsi! There is a land, all of pure gold (beyond this ocean of pure water) for a space equal to the distance between Mânasottara and Meru. This land is like a mirror; there are no beings here; the reason is, any substance placed on it would at once be converted into gold and nothing can be obtained out of it. O Nârada! No living beings can live there and therefore it is named Lokâloka. This is established always between the Loka and Aloka. The God himself has made this as the boundary of the three Lokas. The rays of the Sun, the Polar Star and all the planets are confined to this sphere; rather passing through its middle, the luminaries shed their lustre on the three Lokas. O Nârada! This great mountain is so lofty and capacious that the rays of the luminaries can never go out of it. The learned men say, that the size, form, and indications of this mountain are such as this is the one-fourth of five hundred times the size of the earth on its summit. The self-born Brahmâ has placed very big elephants on all sides of it. Heartheir names. These are Risabha, Puspachûda, Vâmana, and Aparâjita. These four elephants are said to hold all the Lokas in their respective positions. The Bhagavân Hari gives strength to these elephants and to Indra and others who are reckoned to be His Vibhûtis (powers). He manifesting His S’uddha Sattva and super-extraordinary powers, and united with Animâ, Laghimâ, etc., the eight Siddhis, is reigning there surrounded by His Pâris’adas Visvaksena and others. He is the one God of all; He is without a second. For the welfare of all, He is holding Sudars’ana and His various other weapons; and the powers of His arms are great. He is His own Cause and at all times He pervades all in and through. He is Eternal. This Universe is upheld by His extraordinary power Mâyâ for its preservation. He remains in this form till the end of a Kalpa. The inner width described above, determines the width of Âloka. For it is situated outside the above Loka. Beyond the mountain Lokâloka, is said to lie the pure path leading to Yoges’vara within the egg-shaped ellipsoid formed by the Heaven and Earth. The inner dimension of this ellipsoid is twenty five Koti Yoyanas. When this egg becomes unconscious (lifeless), the Sun enters within it in the form of Vairâja. Hence the Sun is called Mârtanda. He is Hiranyagarbha, when He is born from this Golden Egg. It is this Sun that ordains the quarters, Âkâs’a, Heaven and Earth, etc., in their proper spheres and divisions. This Sun is the Âtmâ of Svarga and Moksa, hell and other lower regions, of the Devas, men, birds, reptiles, trees and all other living beings; and He is the Presiding Deity of their sight. O Nârada! Its width is Pañchâs’at Koti Yoyanas and its height or depth is twenty-five Koti Yoyanas. If as the two halves of a gram are of the same size, so the Earth and Heaven are of equal size. The space enclosed between them is called Antarîksa; the Sun God, the foremost of the planets, being situated in the middle, gives light and illumines and heats the three Lokas. He goes by the path of Uttarâyana and therefore His motion becomes slow (His motion becomes Mandagati). The Sun then getting up higher prolongs the day time. Similarly when the Sun follows the path of Daksinâyana, He gets S’îghra-gati and not going up so high, shortens the day time. Again when He comes at the Equator, He maintains an even position and the day and night become equal. When the Sun is in the signs Aries (Mesa) and Libra (Tulâ), then the day and night become equal. When the Sun traverses the five signs Taurus, Gemini, etc., the day becomes longer and when the Sun traverses the five signs Scorpio and others, the day becomes shorter and the night becomes longer.
Here ends the Fourteenth Chapter of the Eighth Book on the description of the Lokâloka space in the Mahâpurânam S’rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam, of 18,000 verses, by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.
Chapter XV
On the motion of the Sun
1-45. Nârâyana said :– O Nârada! I will now describe the motion of the Sun. Hear. It is of three kinds; S’îghra (perihelionic), Manda (Aphelionic), and even. O Surasattama! Every planet has three positions. The name of the Madhyagati position is Jâradgava, the name of the northern position is Airâvata; and the name of the southern position is Vais’vânara. The asterisms As’vinî Krittikâ and Bharanî are known by the term Nâgavîthî. Rohinî, Ârdrâ, and Mrigas’irâ are named Gaja Vîthî; Pusyâ, As’lesâ, and Punarvasu are named Airavatîvîthî. The three Vîthîs, above-mentioned are called Uttara Mârga. Purvaphalgunî, Uttara Phalgunî and Maghâ are named A’rsabhî Vîthî. Hastâ, Chitrâ and Svâtî are called Govîthî; Jyesthâ, Vis’âkhâ and Anurâdhâ are named Jâradgavî Vîthî. These three Vîthîs are named Madhyamâ Mârga. Mûlâ, Purbâsâdhâ, Uttarâsâdhâ are termed Ajavîthî S’ravanâ, Dhanisthâ and S’atabhisâ are termed Mriga Vîthî. Uttara bhâdrapada, Purvabhâdrapada, and Revatî are called Vais’vânarîvîthî. These three Vîthîs (paths) are called Daksinamârga. During the Uttarâyana time, as the Dhruva attracts the rope of air from both the sides of the Yuga, orbit (or axis), the chariot of the Sun ascends, (i.e., is drawn up by the rope). Thus when the Sun enters within the sphere, the motion of the chariot becomes slower and the day is lengthened and the night is shortened. O Sura Sattama! Know this to be the course of the path of the Sun.
When the cord draws towards the south, the Chariot descends and as the Sun then comes out of the sphere, the motion becomes quick. The day shortens and the night is lengthened. Again when the cord is neither tightened nor is it slackened, rather its motion is exactly mid-way, the Sun also remains in a medium position and his Chariot enters within a sphere of equilibrium and the day and night become equal. When the cord of air, in a state of equilibrium is attracted by the Polar Star, then it is that the Sun and the Solar system revolves; and when the Polar Star slackens its attraction over the cord of air, the Sun coming out of the middle sphere, revolves; and the Solar system also revolves. On the east of Meru is established the city of Indra and the Devas dwell there. It is called therefore Devadhânikâ. On the south of the Meru, is the famous city of Yama, the God of Death, named Samyamanî. On the west of Meru, is the great city of Varuna, named Nimnochanî. On the north of Meru is the city of the Moon, named Vibhâvarî. O Nârada! The Brahmavâdîs say that the Sun first rises in the city of Indra. At noon the Sun goes to Samyamanî; at evening the Sun goes to Nimnochanî and He is said to set. In the night the Sun remains in Vibhâvarî. O Muni! The going of the Sun round Meru is the cause of all the beings getting themselves engaged in their respective duties. The inhabitants of the Meru see the Sun always in the central position. The Sun moves on, eastwards towards the stars, keeping the Meru to his left; but if the Zodiac be taken into account, it would appear that the Meru is left towards the south of the Sun. The rising and the setting of the Sun are always considered in front of Him. O Devarsi! Every point, every quarter, every person, seeing the Sun says that the Sun has risen there; again where he becomes invisible, He is considered to set there. The Sun always exists; so there is no rising nor setting for Him. It is His appearance and disappearance that make men say that the Sun rises or sets. When the Sun is in the Indra’s city, He illumines the three cities, those of Indra, Yama, and the Moon and illumines the north-east and east-west corners. So when He rests in the city of Fire, he illumines north-east, east-west, and south-west, the three corners, and at the same time the cities of Indra and Yama; and so on for the other cities and corners.
O Nârada! The Mont Meru is situated towards the north of all the Dvîpas and Varsas. So whenever any person sees the Sun rise he calls that side “east.” But Meru exists towards the left of the Sun; so it is said. If the Sun travels in 15 (fifteen) Ghatikâs, the distance from Indrapurî to Yamapurî, He is said to travel within that time a distance equal to 2¼ Kotis, 12½ lakhs and 25000 Yojanas (22695000 Yojanas). The thousand-eyed and thousand rayed Sun God is the Manifester of Time. He travels in the aforesaid way the cities of Varuna, Chandra and Indra respectively. He is the diadem of the Svarloka; and the Zodiac is his Âtman. He travels thus, to mark off time to all persons. O Nârada! The Moon and the other planets and stars rise and set in the aforesaid manner. Thus the powerful chariot of the Sun travels in a Muhûrta 142,00000 Yojanas. By the force of Pravaha Vâyu (air), the Sun God, the Incarnate of the Vedas travels round the cities, the Zodiac, in one Samvatsara (year). The wheel of the Sun’s Chariot is one year; twelve months are the spokes; three Châturmâsyas are the nave and the six seasons are the outer ring or circumference of the wheel. The learned men call this chariot as the Samvatsara (one year). The axis or axle points to the Meru on one side and to Mânasottara mountain on the other. The end or circumference of the wheel marks off other divisions of the time as Kalâ, Kâsthâ, Muhûrta, Yâma, Parahara, day and night, and fortnights. The wheel is fixed on the nave. The Sun goes on this wheel, like an oilman’s on his oil-machine, round and round the Mânasottara mountain. The eastern side of the wheel is on that axis and the other part is fixed on the Pole Star. The dimension of the first axis is (15750000 Yoyanas). The second axis measures one-fourth of the above (3937500 Yoyanas). It resembles the axis of an oil-machine. The upper side of that is considered to belong to the Sun. The seat of the Sun on his chariot measures 36 Lakh Yoyanas wide. The Yuga measures in length one fourth of the above dimensions, that of his seat. The Chariot is is moved by seven horses, consisting of the seven Chhandas, Gâyatrî, etc., driven by Aruna. The horses carry the Sun for the happiness of all. Though the charioteer sits in front of the Sun, his face is turned towards the west. He does his work as a charioteer in that state. Sixty thousand Vâlakhilya Risis, of the size of a thumb, chant the sweet Vedic hymns before Him. Other Risis, Apsarâs, Uragas, Grâmanîs, Râksasas, and all the Devas, each divided in groups of seven, worship every month that highly lustrous Sun-god. The earth measures 90152000 Kros’a Yuga Yoyanas (1 Krosa – ¼ Yoyana). The Sun passes over this distance in a moment. He does not take rest in his this work even for a day; no, not even for a moment.
Here ends the Fifteenth Chapter of the Eighth Book on the motion of the Sun in the Mahâpurânam, S’rî Mad Devî Bhâgavatam, of 18000 verses, by Maharsi Veda Vyâsa.