SB 3.15.2

SB 3.15.2

Devanagari

लोके तेनाहतालोके लोकपाला हतौजस: । न्यवेदयन् विश्वसृजे ध्वान्तव्यतिकरं दिशाम् ॥ २ ॥

Verse text

loke tenāhatāloke loka-pālā hataujasaḥ nyavedayan viśva-sṛje dhvānta-vyatikaraṁ diśām

Synonyms

loke within this universe ; tena by the force of the pregnancy of Diti ; āhata being devoid of ; āloke light ; loka pālāḥ — the demigods of various planets ; hata ojasaḥ — whose prowess was diminished ; nyavedayan asked ; viśva sṛje — Brahmā ; dhvānta vyatikaram — expansion of darkness ; diśām in all directions .

Translation

By the force of the pregnancy of Diti, the light of the sun and moon was impaired in all the planets, and the demigods of various planets, being disturbed by that force, asked the creator of the universe, Brahmā, “What is this expansion of darkness in all directions?”

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

When the light of the planets became dim because of holding those children in her womb, the devatās, who had lost their powers, asked Brahmā about the darkness spreading in all directions. By the power of the offspring in her womb (tena) the planets lost their light. Hatāloke instead of āhatāloke is also seen. Vyatikaram means spread.

Purport

It appears from this verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that the sun is the source of light for all the planets in the universe. The modern scientific theory which states that there are many suns in each universe is not supported by this verse. It is understood that in each universe there is only one sun, which supplies light to all the planets. In Bhagavad-gītā the moon is also stated to be one of the stars. There are many stars, and when we see them glittering at night we can understand that they are reflectors of light; just as moonlight is a reflection of sunlight, other planets also reflect sunlight, and there are many other planets which cannot be seen by our naked eyes. The demoniac influence of the sons in the womb of Diti expanded darkness throughout the universe.