TEXT 30
tad-dvipa-madhye manasottara-namaika evarvacina-paracina-varsayor maryadacalo yuta-yojanocchrayayamo yatra tu catasrsu diksu catvari purani loka-palanam indradinam yad-uparistat surya-rathasya merum paribhramatah samvatsaratmakam cakram devanam aho-ratrabhyam paribhramati.
SYNONYMS
tat-dvipa-madhyewithin that island; manasottaraManasottara; namanamed; ekahone; evaindeed; arvacinaon this side; paracinaand beyond, or outside; varsayohof tracts of land; maryadaindicating the boundary; acalaha great mountain; ayutaten thousand; yojanaeight miles; ucchraya-ayamahwhose height and width; yatrawhere; tubut; catasrsuin the four; diksudirections; catvarifour; puranicities; loka-palanamof the directors of planetary systems; indra-adinamheaded by Indra; yatof which; uparistaton the top; surya-rathasyaof the chariot of the sun-god; merumMeru Mountain; paribhramatahwhile circumambulating; samvatsara-atmakamconsisting of one samvatsara; cakramwheel or orbit; devanamof the demigods; ahah-ratrabhyamby the day and night; paribhramatimoves around.
TRANSLATION
In the middle of that island is a great mountain named Manasottara, which forms the boundary between the inner side and the outer side of the island. Its breadth and height are 10,000 yojanas [80,000 miles]. On that mountain, in the four directions, are the residential quarters of demigods such as Indra. In the chariot of the sun-god, the sun travels on the top of the mountain in an orbit called the Samvatsara, encircling Mount Meru. The suns path on the northern side is called Uttarayana, and its path on the southern side is called Daksinayana. One side represents a day for the demigods, and the other represents their night.
PURPORT
The movement of the sun is confirmed in the Brahma-samhita (5.52): yasyajnaya bhramati sambhrta-kala-cakrah. The sun orbits around Mount Sumeru, for six months on the northern side and for six months on the southern. This adds up to the duration of a day and night of the demigods in the upper planetary systems.

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