After having published the description of the Earth and Sun, from Chapter 16 of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam’s Book Five, I am now working on the beginning of the next major astronomical segment, Chapter 20. This seems to be a description of the Solar System. I will post periodically to update you on my translation and comprehension progress, and make a YouTube video on the entire topic after I have it figured out linguistically and mathematially. Here are the texts from Chapter 20 that deal with the positions and dimensions of the seven elements (planets, probably) involved in the solar system. The “oceans” probably refer to the vast, relatively uninhabitable space between the “Islands” (planets, inhabitable places).

The initial geometry seems reasonably consistent with modern evaluation of distances in the solar system.

Jambhū -> Plakṣa

2

jambūdvīpo ’yaṁ yāvat-pramāṇa-vistāras tāvatā kṣārodadhinā pariveṣṭito yathā merur jambv-ākhyena lavaṇodadhir api.^⁠1 

Jambūdvīpa is enveloped by an ocean of salt-water as thick as itself, surrounding it in the same way Jambū surrounds Meru.

tato dvi-guṇa-viśālena plakṣākhyena parikṣipto yathā parikhā bāhyopavanena^⁠2.

Then, at a distance twice its diameter, is the envelope called “The Devourer” (Plakṣa), which acts like an impassible border between a city and the beginnings of the wilderness. 

plakṣo jambū-pramāṇo dvīpākhyākaro hiraṇmaya utthito yatrāgnir upāste sapta-jihvaḥ.^⁠3

In the initial forest of this wilderness stands “The Fig Tree” (Plakṣa), which, like its namesake, grows about as big as “The Rose-Apple” (Jambū). In that expanse shine seven branches of resplendant fire.

Śālmala

7

plakṣaḥ sva-samānenekṣu-rasodenāvṛto yathā tathā dvīpo ’pi śālmalo dvi-guṇa-viśālaḥ samānena surodenāvṛtaḥ parivṛṅkte.^⁠4

Plakṣa is at the edge of a Sugar-Juice Ocean. Outside that, with twice the dimensions, is a Liquor Ocean. An island called Śālmala [Silk-Cotton Tree], orbits its [inner] border.

Kuśa

Text 13

evaṁ surodād bahis tad-dvi-guṇaḥ samānenāvṛto ghṛtodena yathā-pūrvaḥ kuśa-dvīpaḥ.^⁠5

Continuing the pattern, beyond the Liquor Ocean, surrounding and enveloping it with twice its size, is the Ghee Ocean. As previously [orbiting its border] is the Grass Island.

Krauñca – 

Text 18

tathā ghṛtodād bahiḥ krauñcadvīpo dvi-guṇaḥ sva-mānena kṣīrodena parita upakḷpto vṛto yathā kuśadvīpo ghṛtodena.

Similarly, beyond the Ghee Ocean, with twice its dimension, is the Milk Ocean. As with Grass Island and Ghee Ocean, Sea Hawk Island coalesces around the outside of Milk Ocean.

Śāka

Text 24

evaṁ purastāt kṣīrodāt parita upaveśitaḥ śākadvīpo dvātriṁśal-lakṣa-yojanāyāmaḥ samānena ca dadhi-maṇḍodena parītaḥ 

Continuing on; beyond and enclosing the Milk Ocean, Teak Leaf Isand is at the perimeter of Teak-Sap Ocean, which has a total arc-length of 32ky.

Puṣkara

Text 29

evam eva dadhi-maṇḍodāt parataḥ puṣkaradvīpas tato dvi-guṇāyāmaḥ samantata upakalpitaḥ samānena svādūdakena samudreṇa bahir āvṛto yasmin bṛhat-puṣkaram. 

Continuing Further, beyond the Teak-Sap Ocean with twice its dimensions equally all around is the Fresh-Water Ocean, moving at the border of which is the Great Lotus Island.

Lokāloka

Text 34

tataḥ parastāl lokāloka-nāmācalo lokālokayor antarāle parita upakṣiptaḥ.^⁠6

Then, beyond that is the mountain named Place-Noplace, encircling the edge between where there are things and where there is nothing.

Text 35

yāvan mānasottara-mervor antaraṁ tāvatī bhūmiḥ kāñcany anyādarśa-talopamā yasyāṁ prahitaḥ padārtho na kathañcit punaḥ pratyupalabhyate tasmāt sarva-sattva-parihṛtāsīt.^⁠7

After that is an expanse of space extending like an invisible plane as far as the space between Mānasottara and Meru. Anything entering there never returns again. Therefore it is vacant, all things flee from it.

Text 36

lokāloka iti samākhyā yad anenācalena lokālokasyāntarvar-tināvasthāpyate.^⁠8

The mountain is called Place-Noplace because it is situated between where there are things and where there is nothing.

¹ jambūdvīpaḥ ayaṁ yāvat-pramāṇa-vistāraḥ – As much as the known circumference of this Jambūdvīpa. tāvatā kṣārodadhinā pariveṣṭitaḥ – enveloped by an equal amount of Kṣāra (“salt-water”). yathā meruḥ jambu-ākhyena lavaṇodadhiḥ api – surrounding jambu in the same way that jambu surrounds meru.

² tataḥ – there. dvi-guṇa-viśālena – expanding twice as much. plakṣākhyena parikṣiptaḥ – devoured by the “devourer.” yathā parikhā bāhya-upavanena – like a border to the forest outside a city;

³ plakṣaḥ – the Fig tree. jambū-pramāṇaḥ – the size of jambhū. dvīpākhyākaraḥ – the island is named after. hiraṇmaya utthito yatrāgnir upāste sapta-jihvaḥ – There, fire resides with seven resplendant branches.

⁴ plakṣaḥ sva-samānena – with equality to plakṣa. ikṣu-rasa udena āvṛtaḥ – enveloped outwards by sugar-juice. yathā tathā dvīpaḥ api – another island, basically the same. śālmalaḥ – Śālmala (Silk-Cotton Tree) dvi-guṇa-viśālaḥ samānena – expanding twice as much. sura-udena āvṛtaḥ – enveloped outwards by liquor. parivṛṅkte – orbiting the outside.

⁵ evaṁ – again. surodāt bahiḥ – outside the liquor ocean. tad-dvi-guṇaḥ – with twice that quantity. samānenāvṛtaḥ – surrounding on all sides. ghṛtodena – ocean of ghee.  yathā-pūrvaḥ – like previous. kuśa-dvīpaḥ – The Grass Island.

⁶ tataḥ – then. parastāt – beyond that. lokāloka-nāmācalaḥ – the mountain named Place-Noplace. lokālokayoḥ antarāle parita upakṣiptaḥ – it stands around the edge between where there are things and where there is nothing.

⁷ yāvat – after that. mānasottara-mervoḥ antaraṁ – as much as is between Mānasottara and Meru. tāvatī bhūmiḥ kāñcanī – that much expanse of space. anya adarśa-tala upamā – like an invisible plane. yasyāṁ prahitaḥ padārthaḥ – anything sent into it na kathañcit punaḥ prati upalabhyate – never again returns. tasmāt sarva-sattva-parihṛta asīt – therefore all things fled from it.

⁸ lokāloka iti samākhyā – called “Place-Noplace”.  yat anenācalena – that mountain. lokālokasya – of the world and non-world, antarvartina avasthāpyate – situated between.