Shloka 29

Measurements of the Sun’s Chariot, the Wheel of Time, and the Retinues of the Solar Months; Chariots of Soma and the Grahas

Devanagari script

समारुह्य शनैर्याति मन्दगामी शनैश्चरः / स्वर्भानोस्तुरगा ह्यष्टौ भृङ्गाभा धूसरं रथम्

Transliteration

samāruhya śanairyāti mandagāmī śanaiścaraḥ / svarbhānosturagā hyaṣṭau bhṛṅgābhā dhūsaraṃ ratham

Translation

Nachdem er aufgestiegen ist, schreitet Śanaiścara (Saturn), der Langsamgehende, allmählich voran. Sein Wagen ist düstergrau und wird von acht Pferden Svarbhānus gezogen, schwarz wie Bienen.

Word by Word

• समारुह्य: having mounted
• समारुह्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम् + आ + रुह् (धातु)
• Form: अव्ययभावे क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त (gerund/absolutive)

• शनैः: slowly
• शनैः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शनैः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• याति: goes
• याति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• मन्दगामी: slow-moving
• मन्दगामी: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मन्द (प्रातिपदिक) + गामिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम्; समासः—कर्मधारयः (मन्दः गामी)

• शनैश्चरः: Śanaiścara (Saturn)
• शनैश्चरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शनैः (अव्यय) + चर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—अव्ययीभावः (शनैः चरति इति)

• स्वर्भानोः: of Svarbhānu (Rāhu)
• स्वर्भानोः: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्भानु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• तुरगाः: horses
• तुरगाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तुरग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha-bodhaka (Emphasis/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle)

• अष्टौ: eight
• अष्टौ: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्टन् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; संख्याविशेषणम् (तुरगाः)

• भृङ्गाभाः: bee-colored, dark like bees
• भृङ्गाभाः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भृङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + आभा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (तुरगाः); समासः—तत्पुरुषः (भृङ्गस्य आभा इव)

• धूसरम्: grey
• धूसरम्: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धूसर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (रथम्)

• रथम्: chariot
• रथम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (in dialogue with Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Karma ripens slowly; the ‘slow mover’ signifies delayed but certain results and the necessity of endurance.

Vedantic Theme: Prārabdha-karma unfolding through kāla; equanimity (samatva) amid constraint.

Application: In periods of delay or hardship, practice austerity, honesty, service, and steady routines; accept gradual progress without despair.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka

Geographic Context

Type: celestial chariot-path

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.58 (Śanaiścara ratha-varṇana)

Characters & Entities

• Śanaiścara (Saturn)
• Svarbhānu (Rāhu)

FAQs

What is the importance of Śanaiścara (Shani) in the Garuda Purana?

This verse highlights Shani’s defining quality—slow movement—and his distinct iconography, reinforcing the Purāṇic theme that karmic results often unfold gradually and inevitably.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul in the Garuda Purana narrative?

Indirectly: by describing a graha associated with delayed fruition, it supports the broader Garuda Purana framework that experiences after death and in life arise from accumulated karma over time.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Cultivate patience and ethical discipline: the verse’s emphasis on “slow-moving” karma encourages steady dharmic conduct rather than expecting immediate outcomes.