Devanagari
रथनीडस्तु षट्त्रिंशल्लक्षयोजनायतस्तत्तुरीयभागविशालस्तावान् रविरथयुगो यत्र हयाश्छन्दोनामान: सप्तारुणयोजिता वहन्ति देवमादित्यम् ॥ १५ ॥
Verse text
ratha-nīḍas tu ṣaṭ-triṁśal-lakṣa-yojanāyatas tat-turīya-bhāga-viśālas tāvān ravi-ratha-yugo yatra hayāś chando-nāmānaḥ saptāruṇa-yojitā vahanti devam ādityam.
Synonyms
ratha
—
nīḍaḥ — the interior of the chariot
;
tu
—
but
;
ṣaṭ
—
triṁśat — lakṣa — yojana — āyataḥ — 3,600,000 yojanas long
;
tat
—
turīya — bhāga — one quarter of that measure (900,000 yojanas )
;
viśālaḥ
—
having a width
;
tāvān
—
so much also
;
ravi
—
ratha — yugaḥ — the yoke for the horses
;
yatra
—
where
;
hayāḥ
—
horses
;
chandaḥ
—
nāmānaḥ — having the different names of Vedic meters
;
sapta
—
seven
;
aruṇa
—
yojitāḥ — hooked up by Aruṇadeva
;
vahanti
—
carry
;
devam
—
the demigod
;
ādityam
—
the sun-god .
Translation
My dear King, the carriage of the sun-god’s chariot is estimated to be 3,600,000 yojanas [28,800,000 miles] long and one-fourth as wide [900,000 yojanas, or 7,200,000 miles]. The chariot’s horses, which are named after Gāyatrī and other Vedic meters, are harnessed by Aruṇadeva to a yoke that is also 900,000 yojanas wide. This chariot continuously carries the sun-god.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
O King! The carriage of the sun-god's chariot is estimated to be 3,600,000 yojanas long and one-fourth as wide (900,000 yojanas). The chariot's horses, which are named after Gāyatrī and other Vedic meters, are harnessed by Aruṇadeva to a yoke that is also 900,000 yojanas wide. This chariot continuously carries the sun-god.
Niḍāḥ is the enclosure on the chariot. It is 3600,000 yojanas high and 900,000 wide. The sun god is situated in the enclosure at a place 40,000 yojanas above the wheel. It is yoked by Aruṇa and pulled by horses named after the Vedic meters like Gayatrī.
Purport
In the
Viṣṇu Purāṇa
it is stated:
gāyatrī ca bṛhaty uṣṇig
jagatī triṣṭup eva ca
anuṣṭup paṅktir ity uktāś
chandāṁsi harayo raveḥ
The seven horses yoked to the sun-god’s chariot are named Gāyatrī, Bṛhati, Uṣṇik, Jagatī, Triṣṭup, Anuṣṭup and Paṅkti. These names of various Vedic meters designate the seven horses that carry the sun-god’s chariot.