________________ 240 TATTVARTHA SUTRA The distance of suns from Meru ranges from 44820.787 Yojans (inclusive of 0.787 Yojans width of the sun) in midsummer to 45330.787 Yojans in mid-winter. Our ancients minutely worked out their orbits so as to almost correctly gauze the length of the solar year. For instance, they conceived of 184 orbits of the solar movement extending over a range of 510 Yojans. It was calculated that there is a distance of 2.787 Yojans between two adjacent orbits. A sun would take 183 days for moving from the first orbit to the last one. Thus it needs 183 days to cover the distance of 510 Yojans and other 183 days to return to the original orbit. This works out to a year of 366 days, which is close to the solar year of 365.25 days. When the suns revolve on the closest orbit, it is midsummer (June 21). That is the time of summer solstice, when the day in India would be of 14 hours and 24 minutes and the night of 9 hours and 36 minutes. As the suns move from one orbit to another, they continue to go further from the surface every day. Consequently the days become less warm and get shorter at the rate of minutes per day. As they pass the 91st orbit, it would be September 21 (close to the autumnal equinox) when day and night would be of equal length. As the suns proceed beyond that orbit, the temperatures get cooler, days become shorter and nights are longer. When the suns reach the last orbit on the 183rd day, it would be December 22. At that time, the day in India would be of 9 hours and 36 minutes and the night of 14 hours and 24 minutes. That would be the winter solstice, when the day is shortest, the night is longest and the temperature is very low. As the suns take the inward route, the reverse situations would occur. These concepts were thus good enough to justify the actual geographical phenomena. Jain Education International For Private & Personal Use Only www.jainelibrary.org
