Srimad Bhagavatam — Panchama Skandha, Shloka 5
The Six Dvīpas Beyond Jambūdvīpa and the Cosmic Boundary of Lokāloka
प्रत्नस्य विष्णो रूपं यत्सत्यस्यर्तस्य ब्रह्मण: । अमृतस्य च मृत्योश्च सूर्यमात्मानमीमहीति ॥ ५ ॥
pratnasya viṣṇo rūpaṁ yat satyasyartasya brahmaṇaḥ amṛtasya ca mṛtyoś ca sūryam ātmānam īmahīti
Lasst uns den Sonnengott, den Ātman, verehren und bei ihm Zuflucht nehmen: Er ist das Abbild des uralten Viṣṇu, Grund von satya und ṛta, des vedischen Brahman, und ebenso Träger von Unsterblichkeit wie von Tod.
Lord Viṣṇu is even the Supreme Lord of death, as confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā ( mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham ). There are two kinds of activity — auspicious and inauspicious — and both are controlled by Lord Viṣṇu. Inauspicious activities are said to be behind Lord Viṣṇu, whereas auspicious activities stand before Him. The auspicious and the inauspicious exist throughout the entire world, and Lord Viṣṇu is the controller of them both.
FAQs
In Bhagavatam 5.20.5, the Sun is praised as the ancient form of Lord Viṣṇu and meditated upon as the Self, indicating the Sun’s divine function as a manifestation of the Lord’s cosmic governance.
Because the Sun embodies and reveals cosmic order—regular time, seasons, and dharma-supporting rhythms—thus representing satya (truth) and ṛta (universal law) within the created universe.
By cultivating daily remembrance that time and life’s changes are governed by a higher order, one can live with discipline, gratitude, and devotion—seeing the Lord’s presence even in the natural forces that sustain life.