Shloka 28
सोमचक्रः, ग्रह-रथाः, ध्रुवबन्धनं, शिशुमारसंनिवेशः, विष्णु-सर्वात्मकता
Moon, Planets, Dhruva-Tethering, Śiśumāra, and Vishnu as All
अलातचक्रवद् यान्ति वातचक्रेरितानि तु यस्माज् ज्योतींषि वहति प्रवहस् तेन स स्मृतः
alātacakravad yānti vātacakreritāni tu yasmāj jyotīṃṣi vahati pravahas tena sa smṛtaḥ
Wie der wirbelnde Kreis, den ein glühender Brand zeichnet, so bewegen sich die Himmelslichter, angetrieben vom drehenden Rad der Winde. Und weil jener mächtige Strom die Gestirne trägt, wird er Pravaha genannt, der „tragende Strom“.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Name and function of the wind-current that carries the luminaries
Teaching: Cosmological
Quality: revealing
Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas
Concept: The luminaries’ orderly motion is attributed to Pravaha, the ‘carrying’ cosmic current, illustrating named secondary causes within divine order.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Use the idea of ‘Pravaha’ as a meditation on continuity and discipline—steady forces sustain visible outcomes.
Vishishtadvaita: Acknowledges a structured cosmos with operative forces, compatible with the Lord’s governance through ordered agencies.
Vishnu Form: Narayana
FAQs
Pravaha is described as the cosmic current/wind that carries the luminaries, explaining their steady, ordered motion as part of the universe’s regulated design.
He uses the image of a firebrand whirled in a circle: the lights appear to move in a continuous circuit because they are propelled by the revolving ‘wheel’ of winds.
Even when describing physical cosmology, the Purana implies a higher sovereignty: the universe’s orderly motions operate under the supreme governance of Vishnu, the ground of cosmic law.