Shloka 12
Measurements of the Sun’s Chariot, the Wheel of Time, and the Retinues of the Solar Months; Chariots of Soma and the Grahas
इन्द्रो विश्वावसुः स्रोत(श्रोत्र) एलापत्रस्तथाङ्गिराः / प्रम्लोचा च नभस्येते सर्पाश्चार्के तु सन्ति वै
indro viśvāvasuḥ srota(śrotra) elāpatrastathāṅgirāḥ / pramlocā ca nabhasyete sarpāścārke tu santi vai
Indra, Viśvāvasu, Srota (oder Śrotra), Elāpatra und auch Aṅgirā; dazu Pramlocā—sie sind die waltenden Wesen im Monat Nabhas; und im Ārka (dem folgenden Monat) sind wahrlich die Nāgas, die Schlangengötter, zugegen.
Lord Viṣṇu (in dialogue with Garuḍa)
Concept: Time (māsa) is not inert; it is animated by presiding intelligences (deva, ṛṣi, gandharva, apsaras, nāga).
Vedantic Theme: Multiplicity of names/functions within one cosmic order; kāla as a manifestation of the Lord’s śakti.
Application: Choose month-appropriate worship/vrata themes (Indra, nāga-śānti, rain/harvest prayers) and cultivate reverence for natural cycles.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.58 (continuation of māsa-adhiṣṭhātṛ lists)
FAQs
This verse reflects the Purāṇic mapping of time (months) to specific divine and semi-divine presences, supporting a dharmic view that ritual time is spiritually “inhabited” and ordered.
Indirectly: the Garuḍa Purāṇa often ties dharma, ritual timing, and cosmic administration together; such calendrical lists provide the broader Ācāra (practice) framework within which rites—including ancestor and transitional rites—are performed.
It can be used to understand traditional month-names (like Nabhas and Ārka) and the idea of choosing auspicious, dharma-aligned timing for observances, while remembering that inner intention and ethical conduct remain central.