58 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 5, Ch. 1

astronomy in the Vedic literature, the sun moves for six months on the
northern side of the Sumeru Hill and for six months on the southern
side. We have practical experience on this planet that when there is sum-
mer in the north there is winter in the south and vice versa. Modern
materialistic scientists sometimes present themselves as knowing all the
ingredients of the sun, yet they are unable to offer a second sun like
Maharaja Priyavrata’s.

Although Maharaja Priyavrata devised a very powerful chariot as
brilliant as the sun, he had no desire to compete with the sun-god, for a
Vaisnava never wants to supersede another Vaisnava. His purpose was to
give abundant benefits in material existence. Srila ViSvanatha Cakravarti
Thakura remarks that in the months of April and May the rays of
Maharaja Priyavrata’s brilliant sun were as pleasing as the rays of the
moon, and in October and November, both morning and evening, that
sun provided more warmth than the sunshine. In short, Maharaja
Priyavrata was extremely powerful, and his actions extended his power
in all directions.

TEXT 31

Qa os = WUAMTaeHaicaraned aq fae wag 7a 7
Ha: Aq BR ArT: ll 32 Il

ye va u ha tad-ratha-carana-nemi-krta-parikhatas te sapta sindhava
dsan yata eva krtah sapta bhuvo dvipah.

ye—that; v@ u ha—certainly; tat-ratha—of his chariot; carana—of
the wheels; nemi—by the rims; krta—made; parikhatah—trenches;
te—those; sapta—seven; sindhavah—oceans; dsan—became; yatah—
because of which; eva—certainly; krtah—were made; sapta—seven;
bhuvah—of the Bhi-mandala; dvipaéh—islands.

TRANSLATION

When Priyavrata drove his chariot behind the sun, the rims of
his chariot wheels created impressions that later became seven
