SB 5.22.2 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

स होवाच यथा कुलालचक्रेण भ्रमता सह भ्रमतां तदाश्रयाणां पिपीलिकादीनां गतिरन्यैव प्रदेशान्तरेष्वप्युपलभ्यमानत्वादेवं नक्षत्रराशिभिरुपलक्षितेन कालचक्रेण ध्रुवं मेरुं च प्रदक्षिणेन परिधावता सह परिधावमानानां तदाश्रयाणां सूर्यादीनां ग्रहाणां गतिरन्यैव नक्षत्रान्तरे राश्यन्तरे चोपलभ्यमानत्वात् ॥ २ ॥

Verse text

sa hovāca yathā kulāla-cakreṇa bhramatā saha bhramatāṁ tad-āśrayāṇāṁ pipīlikādīnāṁ gatir anyaiva pradeśāntareṣv apy upalabhyamānatvād evaṁ nakṣatra-rāśibhir upalakṣitena kāla-cakreṇa dhruvaṁ meruṁ ca pradakṣiṇena paridhāvatā saha paridhāvamānānāṁ tad-āśrayāṇāṁ sūryādīnāṁ grahāṇāṁ gatir anyaiva nakṣatrāntare rāśy-antare copalabhyamānatvāt.

Synonyms

saḥ — Śukadeva Gosvāmī ; ha — very clearly ; uvāca — answered ; yathā — just as ; kulāla — cakreṇa — a potter’s wheel ; bhramatā — turning around ; saha — with ; bhramatām — of those turning around ; tat — āśrayāṇām — being located on that (wheel) ; pipīlika — ādīnām — of small ants ; gatiḥ — the motion ; anyā — other ; eva — certainly ; pradeśa — antareṣu — in different locations ; api — also ; upalabhyamānatvāt — due to being experienced ; evam — similarly ; nakṣatra — rāśibhiḥ — by the stars and signs ; upalakṣitena — being seen ; kāla — cakreṇa — with the great wheel of time ; dhruvam — the star known as Dhruvaloka ; merum — the mountain known as Sumeru ; ca — and ; pradakṣiṇena — on the right ; paridhāvatā — going around ; saha — with ; paridhāvamānānām — of those going around ; tat — āśrayāṇām — whose shelter is that wheel of time ; sūrya — ādīnām — headed by the sun ; grahāṇām — of the planets ; gatiḥ — the motion ; anyā — other ; eva — certainly ; nakṣatra — antare — in different stars ; rāśi — antare — in different signs ; ca — and ; upalabhyamānatvāt — due to being observed .

Translation

Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī clearly answered: When a potter’s wheel is moving and small ants located on that big wheel are moving with it, one can see that their motion is different from that of the wheel because they appear sometimes on one part of the wheel and sometimes on another. Similarly, the signs and constellations, with Sumeru and Dhruvaloka on their right, move with the wheel of time, and the antlike sun and other planets move with them. The sun and planets, however, are seen in different signs and constellations at different times. This indicates that their motion is different from that of the zodiac and the wheel of time itself.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Śukadeva said: Just as the motion of ants on a potter’s wheel moving in the opposite direction from the rotation of the wheel is different from that of the wheel, because they can be observed moving from place to place on the wheel, the motion of the planets and sun moving with the wheel of time which is moving clockwise around Meru and Dhruva as seen by the stars is different from the movement of the wheel of time, since they can be observed moving in different constellations and zodiac signs (in the opposite direction). Śukadeva clarifies his statement. They are moving in the opposite direction from the wheel (bhramatā saha bhramatām). There is no contradiction since there are two separate movements: the movement of the wheel and the individual movement.