Devanagari
स लोकत्रयान्ते परित ईश्वरेण विहितो यस्मात्सूर्यादीनां ध्रुवापवर्गाणां ज्योतिर्गणानां गभस्तयोऽर्वाचीनांस्त्रींल्लोकानावितन्वाना न कदाचित्पराचीना भवितुमुत्सहन्ते तावदुन्नहनायाम: ॥ ३७ ॥
Verse text
sa loka-trayānte parita īśvareṇa vihito yasmāt sūryādīnāṁ dhruvāpavargāṇāṁ jyotir-gaṇānāṁ gabhastayo ’rvācīnāṁs trīḻ lokān āvitanvānā na kadācit parācīnā bhavitum utsahante tāvad unnahanāyāmaḥ.
Synonyms
saḥ
—
that mountain
;
loka
—
traya — ante — at the end of the three lokas (Bhūrloka, Bhuvarloka and Svarloka)
;
paritaḥ
—
all around
;
īśvareṇa
—
by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa
;
vihitaḥ
—
created
;
yasmāt
—
from which
;
sūrya
—
ādīnām — of the sun planet
;
dhruva
—
apavargāṇām — up to Dhruvaloka and other, inferior luminaries
;
jyotiḥ
—
gaṇānām — of all the luminaries
;
gabhastayaḥ
—
the rays
;
arvācīnān
—
on this side
;
trīn
—
the three
;
lokān
—
planetary systems
;
āvitanvānāḥ
—
spreading throughout
;
na
—
not
;
kadācit
—
at any time
;
parācīnāḥ
—
beyond the jurisdiction of that mountain
;
bhavitum
—
to be
;
utsahante
—
are able
;
tāvat
—
that much
;
unnahana
—
āyāmaḥ — the measure of the height of the mountain .
Translation
By the supreme will of Kṛṣṇa, the mountain known as Lokāloka has been installed as the outer border of the three worlds — Bhūrloka, Bhuvarloka and Svarloka — to control the rays of the sun throughout the universe. All the luminaries, from the sun up to Dhruvaloka, distribute their rays throughout the three worlds, but only within the boundary formed by this mountain. Because it is extremely high, extending even higher than Dhruvaloka, it blocks the rays of the luminaries, which therefore can never extend beyond it.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
That mountain has been created by the Lord in all eight directions extending up to the end of the three worlds in height. The rays of the sun, of other planets up to Dhruvaloka, and of the stars spread throughout the three worlds, but cannot spread beyond the mountain. That is the height of the mountain.
The mountain extends up to the end of bhūr, bhuva and svaḥ in eight directions. How high and wide is it? From the obstruction it creates (yasmāt), the rays of the sun and other planets up to Dhruvaloka spread light everywhere, but cannot go beyond the mountain. That is its height and breadth. [Note: Dhruvaloka is 3,900,000 yojanas above the earth. It is above Svarga and below Maharloka. Maharloka is 13,900,000 yojanas above the earth. The breath or width is said to be the same in the commentary by using the dual case. However from the commentary of the next verse and verse 42 say that the width of Lokāloka is 82,200,000 yojanas. Perhaps there is a mistake and the meaning is” the extent of the height is up to Dhruvaloka.” ] Because it extends as high as Dhruvaloka, it defines the limit of the three worlds.
Purport
When we speak of
loka-traya,
we refer to the three primary planetary systems — Bhūḥ, Bhuvaḥ and Svaḥ — into which the universe is divided. Surrounding these planetary systems are the eight directions, namely east, west, north, south, northeast, southeast, northwest and southwest. Lokāloka Mountain has been established as the outer boundary of all the
lokas
to distribute the rays of the sun and other luminaries equally throughout the universe.
This vivid description of how the rays of the sun are distributed throughout the different planetary systems of the universe is very scientific. Śukadeva Gosvāmī described these universal affairs to Mahārāja Parīkṣit as he had heard about them from his predecessor. He explained these facts five thousand years ago, but the knowledge existed long, long before because Śukadeva Gosvāmī received it through disciplic succession. Because this knowledge is accepted through the disciplic succession, it is perfect. The history of modern scientific knowledge, on the contrary, does not go back more than a few hundred years. Therefore, even if modern scientists do not accept the other factual presentations of
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,
how can they deny the perfect astronomical calculations that existed long before they could imagine such things? There is so much information to gather from
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Modern scientists, however, have no information of other planetary systems and, indeed, are hardly conversant with the planet on which we are now living.