SB 5.21.4 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

यदा मेषतुलयोर्वर्तते तदाहोरात्राणि समानानि भवन्ति यदा वृषभादिषु पञ्चसु च राशिषु चरति तदाहान्येव वर्धन्ते ह्रसति च मासि मास्येकैका घटिका रात्रिषु ॥ ४ ॥

Verse text

yadā meṣa-tulayor vartate tadāho-rātrāṇi samānāni bhavanti yadā vṛṣabhādiṣu paṣcasu ca rāśiṣu carati tadāhāny eva vardhante hrasati ca māsi māsy ekaikā ghaṭikā rātriṣu.

Synonyms

yadā — when ; meṣa — tulayoḥ — in Meṣa (Aries) and Tulā (Libra) ; vartate — the sun exists ; tadā — at that time ; ahaḥ — rātrāṇi — the days and nights ; samānāni — equal in duration ; bhavanti — are ; yadā — when ; vṛṣabha — ādiṣu — headed by Vṛṣabha (Taurus) and Mithuna (Gemini) ; paṣcasu — in the five ; ca — also ; rāśiṣu — signs ; carati — moves ; tadā — at that time ; ahāni — the days ; eva — certainly ; vardhante — increase ; hrasati — is diminished ; ca — and ; māsi māsi — in every month ; eka — ekā — one ; ghaṭikā — half hour ; rātriṣu — in the nights .

Translation

When the sun passes through Meṣa [Aries] and Tulā [Libra], the durations of day and night are equal. When it passes through the five signs headed by Vṛṣabha [Taurus], the duration of the days increases [until Cancer], and then it gradually decreases by half an hour each month, until day and night again become equal [in Libra].

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

When the sun is Aries and Libra, the days and nights are equal. When the sun moves in Taurus and the five following signs, the days increase in length and then decrease every month by a ghaṭikā. This verse further explains. Because there is no extreme difference in the day and night during this time, it is called equal. Complete equality will only take place on one day and night of the month. When the sun is in Taurus and Gemini the days increase in duration, and when the sun is in Cancer and the following months, the days become shorter, whereas the nights become longer. When the nights increase in duration, the days become shorter. But actually, starting from Capricorn the days become longer and starting from Cancer, the days become shorter. This will later be clearly explained. The statement that the days increase by ghaṭikā each month is a general statement, since the increase and decrease is different each month.