Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Srimad Bhagavatam 5.22.5

atha sa esha atma lokanam dyav-aprithivyor antarena nabho-valayasya kalacakra-gato dvadasa masan bhunkte rasi-samjnan samvatsaravayavan masah paksha-dvayam diva naktam ceti sapadarksha-dvayam upadisanti yavata shashtham amsam bhunjita sa vai ritur ity upadisyate samvatsaravayavah

SYNONYMS

atha -- therefore; sah -- He; eshah -- this; atma -- the living force; lokanam -- of all the three worlds; dyav-a-prithivyoh antarena -- between the upper and lower portions of the universe; nabhah-valayasya -- of outer space; kala-cakra-gatah -- positioned in the wheel of time; dvadasa masan -- twelve months; bhunkte -- passes; rasi-samjnan -- named after the zodiac signs; samvatsara-avayavan -- the parts of the whole year; masah -- one month; paksha-dvayam -- two fortnights; diva -- a day; naktam ca -- and a night; iti -- thus; sapada-riksha-dvayam -- by stellar calculations, two and a quarter constellations; upadisanti -- they instruct; yavata -- by as much time; shashtham amsam -- one sixth of his orbit; bhunjita -- pass; sah -- that portion; vai -- indeed; rituh -- a season; iti -- thus; upadisyate -- is instructed; samvatsara-avayavah -- a part of a year.

TRANSLATION

The sun-god, who is Narayana, or Vishnu, the soul of all the worlds, is situated in outer space between the upper and lower portions of the universe. Passing through twelve months on the wheel of time, the sun comes in touch with twelve different signs of the zodiac and assumes twelve different names according to those signs. The aggregate of those twelve months is called a samvatsara, or an entire year. According to lunar calculations, two fortnights -- one of the waxing moon and the other of the waning -- form one month. That same period is one day and night for the planet Pitriloka. According to stellar calculations, a month equals two and one quarter constellations. When the sun travels for two months, a season passes, and therefore the seasonal changes are considered parts of the body of the year.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness