Sun Never Sets Nor Rises -Upanishads and Brahmana

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Dear All:

 

Our sages had determined long time ago that the sun never sets or rises

at any time. The implication is that the Sun is stationary and it is

the earth which is moving. There are two references in here, one from

Chandogya Upanishad and the other from Aitreya Brahmana.

 

Please go the following website for Chandogya Upanishad:

 

http://www.swamij. com/upanishad- chandogya. htm

 

Here is from Chapter XI of Chandogya Upanishad.

 

1. Now, after having risen thence upwards, it (i.e. the sun) rises and

sets no more. It remains alone in the centre. And on this there is the

following verse:

 

2. "There (i.e. in Brahmaloka) the sun neither rises nor sets at any

time. O ye gods, if this is true, may I never fall from Brahman!"

 

3. Verily, for him who thus knows this Brahma—Upanishad, the sun does not rise or set. For him it is day for ever.

 

Not all sages believed in this fact. Sage Sayana believed that the

earth is stationary, and the sun moves round the pole, but the above

statement that the sun is stationary is taken from much older statement

by Uddalaka Aruni who believed that the sun is stationary as per B.M.

Barua, the writer of the book "A history of Pre-Buddhist Indian

Philosophy." This book was reprinted in 1970, and is available on

inter-library loan.

 

Translation of Chandogya Upanishad by Max Muller is also available and

I checked for accuracy of Swamiji's translation above. Indeed

Swamiji's translation is correct. The original Sanskrit words for sun

staying alone are: Ekala Eva Madhyhe Statha.

 

Here are verses about Uddalaka Aruni in Chapter XI of Chandogya Upanishad:

http://www.swamij. com/upanishad- chandogya. htm

 

4. This doctrine Brahma told to Prajapati, Prajapati to Manu, Manu to

his offspring. And to Uddalaka Aruni this doctrine of Brahman was

narrated by his father.

 

5. A father may therefore tell that doctrine of Brahman to his eldest son to a worthy disciple.

 

Here is translation of Aitreya Brahaman verse 2.7 on the sun:

http://en.wikipedia .org/wiki/ Hindu_cosmology

 

"The Sun never sets nor rises. When people think the sun is setting, it

is not so; they are mistaken. It only changes about after reaching the

end of the day and makes night below and day to what is on the other

side."

 

http://en.wikipedia .org/wiki/ Hindu_cosmology

 

Yajnavalkya recognized that the Sun was much larger than the Earth,

which would have influenced this early heliocentric concept. He also is

said to have accurately measured the relative distances of the Sun and

the Moon from the Earth as 108 times the respective diameters of these

heavenly bodies, close to the modern measurements of 107.6 for the Sun

and 110.6 for the Moon. Thanks & Regards,Sudhir SrinivasanB.Arch, Dip.ID, Dip.CAD, Dip.PM, AIIA, IIID, ARIAI| Architect | M: +353-87-285 9086 |