The Sun's Procession Around the Universe in Vedic Cosmology

This explanation details how the Srimad Bhagavatam describes the sun's motion and how Mayesvara Das interprets it literally.

Yes, It is a Foundational Feature

The sun's grand, year-long procession around the celestial axis is not only explained by the Bhagavatam, it is a foundational element of its cosmological model. Mayesvara Das's contribution is to argue that this description should be taken as a literal, physical reality.

The Two Primary Motions of the Sun

The Bhagavatam describes the sun as having two distinct, simultaneous orbital motions:

• 1. The Daily Motion (Cause of Day/Night): The sun continuously circles around the central axis of the universe (Mount Meru) once every 24 hours. This causes the cycle of day and night.
• 2. The Yearly Motion (Procession & Cause of Seasons): Simultaneously, the sun itself is slowly processing along a massive, year-long orbit around the circumference of the universe. This larger path defines the year and causes the seasons.

The Vedic Mechanism: The "Wind Wheel"

The Bhagavatam (Canto 5) provides a mechanical explanation for this complex motion:

• The Dharma Wheel: The sun's chariot is attached to the "wheel of time" (or the wheel of the Samvatsara year), which has 360 spokes (days) and is hundreds of millions of miles in radius.
• Connection to the Cosmic Axis: This massive Dharma wheel is connected to the pole star (Dhruvaloka)—the pivot point of the universe—by a powerful, invisible column of force (a "wind axle").
• The Procession: As this colossal wheel is turned by a divine wind (a manifestation of Vishnu's energy), it carries the sun along with it on its year-long journey around the universe's circumference.

Mayesvara's Literal Interpretation

Mayesvara Das takes this description as a physical reality. In his model:

• The universe is a finite, disk-like structure (brahmanda).
• The sun is a local entity that physically:
  1. Circles Meru Daily: It makes a small, daily circle around the central region.
  2. Processes Annually: It is simultaneously dragged along a massive, circular path near the outer perimeter of the flat Bhu-mandala plane. This is its "procession around the universe."
• This larger yearly orbit is what causes the sun to pass through the 12 zodiac constellations (Rasis).

A Simple Visualization

Imagine a vinyl record player with a second, larger mechanism:

• The Turntable (Daily Cycle): The record itself is spinning daily.
• The Tonearm (Yearly Cycle): The tonearm is slowly moving from the edge inward over a year.
• The Sun: The sun is like the needle. It is spinning with the daily rotation and moving along the year-long path of the tonearm.

Conclusion: Reconciliation & Controversy

The sun's procession is a core feature of the Bhagavatam's model. Mayesvara uses this concept to argue against modern heliocentrism. In the standard model, the sun is the stationary center. In the Bhagavatam's model, the sun itself is a "planet" (a moving body) carried by a divine apparatus through a finite cosmic structure.

This is the core of the controversy: it requires a complete rejection of modern astrophysics in favor of a geocentric ("Meru-centric"), finite universe with unique divine mechanics.