Devanagari
एतेन हि दिवो मण्डलमानं तद्विद उपदिशन्ति यथा द्विदलयोर्निष्पावादीनां ते अन्तरेणान्तरिक्षं तदुभयसन्धितम् ॥ २ ॥
Verse text
etena hi divo maṇḍala-mānaṁ tad-vida upadiśanti yathā dvi-dalayor niṣpāvādīnāṁ te antareṇāntarikṣaṁ tad-ubhaya-sandhitam.
Synonyms
etena
—
by this estimation
;
hi
—
indeed
;
divaḥ
—
of the upper planetary system
;
maṇḍala
—
mānam — the measurement of the globe
;
tat
—
vidaḥ — the experts who know about it
;
upadiśanti
—
instruct
;
yathā
—
just as
;
dvi
—
dalayoḥ — in the two halves
;
niṣpāva
—
ādīnām — of grain such as wheat
;
te
—
of the two divisions
;
antareṇa
—
in the intervening space
;
antarikṣam
—
the sky or outer space
;
tat
—
by the two
;
ubhaya
—
on both sides
;
sandhitam
—
where the two parts join .
Translation
As a grain of wheat is divided into two parts and one can estimate the size of the upper part by knowing that of the lower, so, expert geographers instruct, one can understand the measurements of the upper part of the universe by knowing those of the lower part. The sky between the earthly sphere and heavenly sphere is called antarikṣa, or outer space. It adjoins the top of the sphere of earth and the bottom of that of heaven.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
By the dimensions of Bhū-maṇḍala experts indicate the dimension of the sky about the earth. They are like two halves of a bean seed. Antarikṣa joins the two together.
Niṣpāva is a type of been, ādīnām indicates less specific seeds. Just as by seeing the dimension of one of the halves of the seed one can understand the dimension of the other half, one should consider the dimension of the earthly sphere [Note: The word golaka is used. This means a globe. Here is should mean a semi-sphere, since the comparison is made to half a seed.] and the heavenly sphere to be the same. Between them is the antarīkṣa, measuring 200,000 yojanas. It is joined to them on both its sides.