Shloka 21

सूर्यरथ-रचना, ध्रुव-प्रेरणा, मास-गणाः च

Jyotish-chakra: Surya’s Motion and Monthly Retinues

Devanagari script

वालखिल्या नयन्त्यस्तं परिवार्योदयाद्रविम् इत्येते वै वसन्तीह द्वौ द्वौ मासौ दिवाकरे

Transliteration

vālakhilyā nayantyastaṃ parivāryodayādravim ityete vai vasantīha dvau dvau māsau divākare

Translation

„Die Vālakhilyas, die Ravi von seinem Aufgang an umgeben, geleiten ihn bis zu seinem Untergang. So verweilen diese Begleiter hier beim Herrn des Tages, jeweils zwei Monate.“

Word by Word

• वालखिल्याः: the Vālakhilya sages

• नयन्ति: lead, conduct

• अस्तम्: to setting (sunset)

• परिवार्य: having surrounded, encircling

• उदयात्: from the rising (dawn)

• रविम्: Ravi, the Sun

• इति: thus

• एते: these (attendants)

• वै: indeed

• वसन्ति: dwell, remain

• इह: here (in this cosmic order)

• द्वौ द्वौ: two and two (in pairs)

• मासौ: months

• दिवाकरे: in/with the maker of day, the Sun.

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the cosmic order of Surya’s attendants to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Vālakhilyas
• Ravi (Surya)

FAQs

What is the importance of this verse in the context of Linga worship?

It frames solar movement and calendrical time as a regulated cosmic function; in Shaiva Siddhanta, such ordered time (kāla) is ultimately subordinated to Shiva as Mahākāla, supporting Linga worship as devotion to the transcendent Pati beyond temporal cycles.

How does this verse describe the nature of Shiva (Shiva-tattva)?

By describing the Sun’s course as guided by higher attendants, it implies that even luminous cosmic powers operate within a hierarchy; Shiva-tattva stands as the supreme Pati who empowers and transcends these functions, while Pashus remain bound by kāla unless liberated by His grace.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

No direct puja-vidhi is stated, but the verse supports time-based observances—vratas, monthly worship cycles, and sunrise-sunset sandhyā discipline—used in Shaiva practice to align the Pashu’s conduct with dharma while seeking release from pāśa.