SB 5.22.7 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

अथ च यावन्नभोमण्डलं सह द्यावापृथिव्योर्मण्डलाभ्यां कार्त्स्‍न्येन स ह भुञ्जीत तं कालं संवत्सरं परिवत्सरमिडावत्सरमनुवत्सरं वत्सरमिति भानोर्मान्द्यशैघ्र्यसमगतिभि: समामनन्ति ॥ ७ ॥

Verse text

atha ca yāvan nabho-maṇḍalaṁ saha dyāv-āpṛthivyor maṇḍalābhyāṁ kārtsnyena sa ha bhuṣjīta taṁ kālaṁ saṁvatsaraṁ parivatsaram iḍāvatsaram anuvatsaraṁ vatsaram iti bhānor māndya-śaighrya-sama-gatibhiḥ samāmananti.

Synonyms

atha — now ; ca — also ; yāvat — as long as ; nabhaḥ — maṇḍalam — outer space, between the upper and lower world ; saha — along with ; dyau — of the upper world ; āpṛthivyoḥ — of the lower world ; maṇḍalābhyām — the spheres ; kārtsnyena — entirely ; saḥ — he ; ha — indeed ; bhuṣjīta — may pass through ; tam — that ; kālam — time ; saṁvatsaram — Saṁvatsara ; parivatsaram — Parivatsara ; iḍāvatsaram — Iḍāvatsara ; anuvatsaram — Anuvatsara ; vatsaram — Vatsara ; iti — thus ; bhānoḥ — of the sun ; māndya — slow ; śaighrya — speedy ; sama — and equal ; gatibhiḥ — by the speeds ; samāmananti — the experienced scholars describe .

Translation

The sun-god has three speeds — slow, fast and moderate. The time he takes to travel entirely around the spheres of heaven, earth and space at these three speeds is referred to, by learned scholars, by the five names Saṁvatsara, Parivatsara, Iḍāvatsara, Anuvatsara and Vatsara.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

The time it takes for the sun to pass completely through the antarikṣa along with earth plane and heavenly planes, with slow, quick and medium speeds, is called saṁvatsara, parivatsara, iḍāvatsa, anuvatsara, and vatsara. It should be understood that the antariṣka is equal in size to the earthly and heavenly planes surrounding on either side. The different names of the year according to use based on different calculations has been described in the Third Canto (SB 3.11.13).

Purport

According to solar astronomical calculations, each year extends six days beyond the calendar year, and according to lunar calculations, each year is six days shorter. Therefore, because of the movements of the sun and moon, there is a difference of twelve days between the solar and lunar years. As the Saṁvatsara, Parivatsara, Iḍāvatsara, Anuvatsara and Vatsara pass by, two extra months are added within each five years. This makes a sixth saṁvatsara, but because that saṁvatsara is extra, the solar system is calculated according to the above five names.