According to modern astronomy and science, we know that the earth’s orbit around the sun is not a circle and is slightly elliptical. Therefore, the distance between the earth and the sun varies throughout the year. At its nearest point on the ellipse that is the earth’s orbit around the sun, the earth is 91,445,000 miles (147,166,462 kms) from the sun. This point in the earth’s orbit is known as Periapsis (perihelion) and it occurs around January 3.
The earth is farthest away from the sun around July 3 when it is 94,555,000 miles (152,171,522 km) from the sun. This point in the earth’s orbit is called Apoapsis (aphelion). The average distance from the earth to the sun is 92,955,807 miles (149,597,870.691 km).
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According to records, for the first time in 1672, Jean Richer and Giovanni Domenico Cassini measured the distance between the Earth and Sun as 22,000 times of Earth Radii. (Earth’s Radius is 6,371 Kms) i.e. 22,000 * 6,371 kms = 140,162,000 kms (140 million kms).
Two lines of the Hindu prayer Hanuman Chalisa compute this distance with great simplicity.
जुग सहस्त्र योजन पर भानु, लील्यो ताहिमधुर फल जानू
This means that the Sun (भानु) is at a distance of yuga sahastra yojanas (जुग सहस्त्र योजन – Distance Unit in Sanskrit/Hindi).
According to the following conversion practices that are in use as per Hindu Vedic literature:
1 yuga = 12000 celestial years
1 sahastra = 1000
1 yojana = 8 Miles
yuga x sahastra x yojana = para bhanu
12,000 x 1000 x 8 miles = 96,000,000 miles
1 mile = 1.6kms
96,000,000 x 1.6kms = 153,600,000 kms to the Sun.
The earth moves in an elliptical orbit around the sun, so there will be slight variation depending on the season.
Hanuman challisa was written by Goswami Tulasidas (born 15th century) in Awadhi language who belongs to 15th century. which means the distance between the Sun and earth had been calculated much more accurately than the 17th century scientists even before 2 centuries.
The Question here is how Tulsidas calculated this distance or how he is able to know about this distance. We also have to observe that the people of that age had more knowledge, capabilities and much more advanced technology that is beyond the imagination of our present day technologies.
History is not presented to us in the way it should be. There are still many elements and precious jewels of information that are being kept hidden from us. The ocean of history is before you, dive in and dig the jewels out. The gleaming beam of knowledge from these jewels will not only enrich our country but will also keep bestowing direction to our future generations.
We hope that this post will help you to understand the significance of our ancient principles, technology and culture.
It is too much pleasure for me to get this information via this blog.I read chalisa but did not care this sentence is describing the distance between the earth and sun.
Ii is truly amazing that our history and prayers are really useful in life.
Thanks for sharing.
Very good articles and worth reading & preserving for future.
What a wonderful information! Our ancient literature have lot of scientific information which might be hidden from the present day world. Thanks to Indiadivine for doing such wonderful research. Kudos to all concerned. Jai Hanuman.
Hail Vedas
It is a revelation about the knowledge contained in Hanuman Chalisa. In fact, our scholars should dig deep into ancient texts/manuscripts to dig it out. Arya Bhattiya of Arya Bhatt written by the great astronomer in 499 A.D. at the age of 23 contains a couplet that mentions four cities in the world located at a distance of 6 hours each. If calculated, Siddhpur falls in western part of America. It means America was known to us. Narad Puran also mentions about both North and South Americas. Recently, I was off to Maya area of Mexico. Travelling from Cancun to Chichen Itza, I witnessed great similarity between the buildings and life style of people with our Indian life. This cannot be possible without some ancient links. We should dig it out. Samarkand is old Markand. It appears that all names ending in Kand are of Indian origin that reflects to Indian influence in middle east and other areas. Syria is from ‘Sur’ and Assyria from ‘Asur, all Indian nouns.
I am really grateful to learn the lesson of calculating distance between Sun and Earth as derived in “Hanuman Chalisha”.
With Regards
A. P. Panda.
The duration of the Satya-yuga is therefore 4,800 x 360, or 1,728,000 years. The duration of the Tretā-yuga is 3,600 x 360, or 1,296,000 years. The duration of the Dvāpara-yuga is 2,400 x 360, or 864,000 years. And the last, the Kali-yuga, is 1,200 x 360, or 432,000 years in total.[web 1]
Please see this article http://hinduism.about.com/od/basics/a/fouryugas.htm
If you give wrong information, nobody will believe you.
Regarding Chandrashekhar’s comment above:
You are confusing human years within a maha yuga with the celestial years within a maha yuga.
Bhagavata Purana 3.11.18-19 states:
maitreya uvāca
kṛtaṁ tretā dvāparaṁ ca
kaliś ceti catur-yugam
divyair dvādaśabhir varṣaiḥ
sāvadhānaṁ nirūpitam
“Maitreya said: O Vidura, the four millenniums are called the Satya, Tretā, Dvāpara and Kali yugas. The aggregate number of years of all of these combined is equal to twelve thousand years of the demigods.”
catvāri trīṇi dve caikaṁ
kṛtādiṣu yathā-kramam
saṅkhyātāni sahasrāṇi
dvi-guṇāni śatāni ca
“The duration of the Satya millennium equals 4,800 years of the years of the demigods; the duration of the Dvāpara millennium equals 2,400 years; and that of the Kali millennium is 1,200 years of the demigods.”
Thus the total of one maha-yuga is 12,000 years of the devas. One year of the devas is equal to 360 earthly (human) years.
Hi,
I am glad so learn something nearest thing has great meanings.
Thanks.
I learn rigveda has a hymn indicating the distance between sun and earth and sayana deciphered it much earlier
The most important thing to inquire into is:
Who is “I”?…. All the rest of this is “entertainment”
for the Mind… Aum Tat Sat
I tend to agree with Dr John St John
WHO AM I
Most important thing too know.
Rest has really no meaning just acquiring knowledge
Amazing information.
To discover “How much more information is hidden in our sacred texts” is a challenging task.
My Namaskaram to all the people who have expressed their opinions.
YES our history is ocean of knowledge , what we learned is only little that too about destroyers like ASHOKA or AKBAR or MUVENDERS etc, but these pieces of info have to be dug and that will take atleast many yugas to read I suppose . well done blogger thank you
I am also reading the Hanuman Chalisa daily basis, but we know less meaning and information about this verse. But like this verse hindus having countless mantras/slokas in scriptures. these r come to know all hindu people and do recitation daily basis to full fill there good desires and humanity.
This is really valuable information. Just now I attended bhagavan Hunumanji pranaprathista. Thanks
This is very interesting. Our VEDAS, PURANAS and other works written by our great sages are full of information. One should read and read it again again so that we get the deeper meanings of it giving us a sea of information. Further, Sanskrit (Devnagari) language should be taught by all to know and understand the vast knowledge which are written centuries ago most of which are yet to be discovered by the modern world.Now a days even people of western countries show interest to study Sanskrit, we should not be left behind.
Have you traced out that ‘who are you’ ! but in hanuman chalisa, the distance had traced out.
Information of such great value comes through doors you didn’t even know you left open.
I enjoy this site & I hope many more does.
Thank you for the wonderful information that you provide.
It is mind blogging………..truly it is.
very 2 interesting all comments I have read, all commentators thanks to our precious of past, but non proposed for further strengthening our precious, well mostly Vedas, Puranas and other religious maters are not study/learn proper ways as is done of today’s. Generally it is done as in the pass, I am not condemning ways of olden is not good, but something is not allowing us to know hidden thing, why are we not insists to set up an University of different type for study and research for only these things with well equip type.
Another way of looking at distances:
1. Distance between The Sun and The Earth is about 108 times the diameter of Sun.
2. Distance between The Moon and The Earth is about 108 times the diameter of Moon.
The factor 108 seems to be more than simple coincidence
I think the verse is entirely misinterpreted as an exact calculation; where as Tulsidas is a poet, so whatever he has said there is only a poetic expression, so it cannot be taken as fact to measure the true distance of earth to sun
According to the Laws of Manu, one of the earliest known texts describing the yugas, the length is 4800 years + 3600 years + 2400 years + 1200 years, for a total of 12,000 years for one arc, or 24,000 years to complete the cycle, which is one precession of the equinox). These 4 yugas follow a timeline ratio of (4:3:2:1).
According to Srimad Bhagavatam 3.11.19, which is dated at 500-1000 CE, the Yugas are much longer, namely 1,728,000 years, 1,296,000 years, 864,000 years and 432,000 years:
The duration of the Satya millennium equals 4,800 years of the demigods; the duration of the Dvāpara millennium equals 2,400 years; and that of the Kali millennium is 1,200 years of the demigods […] As aforementioned, one year of the demigods is equal to 360 years of the human beings. The duration of the Satya-yuga is therefore 4,800 x 360, or 1,728,000 years. The duration of the Tretā-yuga is 3,600 x 360, or 1,296,000 years. The duration of the Dvāpara-yuga is 2,400 x 360, or 864,000 years. And the last, the Kali-yuga, is 1,200 x 360, or 432,000 years in total.[web 1]
While the long yuga count is the most popular, it does not correlate to any known celestial motion found in the Astronomical Almanac. The value of 24,000 years fits relatively close with the modern astronomical calculation of one full precession of the equinox, which takes 25,772 years.[note 1] Thus the yuga cycle may have some basis in known terrestrial cycles. Srimad Bhagavatam 3.11.19 describes the timespans of the demigods, in which a year of a yuga is a year of the demigods. It is this second sloka which appears to have been modified over the years.
You are doing a great job in giving information and knowledge about our ancient culture, science and religious texts/manuscripts. We are slowly loosing all our ancient values and knowledge due to invasions of western culture. Unfortunately in our society, a person who believes in our own culture is considered as backward and not modern. Modernity does not mean you should forget your own culture. We should learn from Japan where they have progressed without compromising with their own culture and ancient knowledge.
Amazing and wonderful explanation. Ca you please clarify to which Mahayuga (out of 71 Mahayugas of the present Manvantara)
do the present Kali age and the preceding Dwapara of Mahabharat and Treta of Ramayan belong?
We are currently in the 28th mahayuga cycle of the present Manu (Vaivasvata Manu). The Ramayana of Valmiki occurred in the 24th mahayuga cycle, at which time Valmiki was holding the post of Vyasa (and for this reason he wrote the scripture of Ramayana). The avatara of Rama, occurs in every Treta Yuga, so it has occurred in all of the mahayuga cycles (25th, 26th, 27th, etc.). But which one is recorded in Valmiki Ramayana is from the 24th cycle, when he acted as Vyasa. Other saints have written Ramayanas (such as Tulsidas) which vary slightly from the Valmiki Ramayana because they were observing a different mahayuga cycle in which a similar avatar of Rama occurred but with slight variations.
Dear Sir
While I appreciate and thank you for the detailed reply, one thing beats my understandiong viz., if we are in the Kali age of 28th Mahayuga, what happens to Krita, Treta and
Dwapara ages of this Mahayuga which should have preceded Kali age in this Mahayuga and whether any avatars descended during these three ages. Can you please throw some light on this aspect?
Regards
Yes, this article opens up our mind to look into such information hidden in Hindu Scriptures.
Hinduism is spreading