Shloka 12
Kāla-cakra and the Motions of the Sun, Moon, Stars, and Grahas
Bhāgavata Jyotiṣa Framework
तत उपरिष्टादुशना द्विलक्षयोजनत उपलभ्यते पुरत: पश्चात्सहैव वार्कस्य शैघ्र्यमान्द्यसाम्याभिर्गतिभिरर्कवच्चरति लोकानां नित्यदानुकूल एव प्रायेण वर्षयंश्चारेणानुमीयते स वृष्टिविष्टम्भग्रहोपशमन: ॥ १२ ॥
tata upariṣṭād uśanā dvi-lakṣa-yojanata upalabhyate purataḥ paścāt sahaiva vārkasya śaighrya-māndya-sāmyābhir gatibhir arkavac carati lokānāṁ nityadānukūla eva prāyeṇa varṣayaṁś cāreṇānumīyate sa vṛṣṭi-viṣṭambha-grahopaśamanaḥ.
About two hundred thousand yojanas above that constellation group is Venus (Uśanā). It moves almost in step with the sun—sometimes behind it, sometimes before it, and sometimes alongside it—showing swift, slow, and moderate motions. Venus pacifies the influence of planets that obstruct rainfall; thus its favorable course generally brings rain and is accepted by the learned as highly auspicious for all beings.
FAQs
In Canto 5, Chapter 22, the Bhāgavatam describes Uśanā (Venus) as moving sometimes ahead of and sometimes behind the Sun, with varying speeds, and as generally favorable—especially connected with bringing rain and easing obstructions to rainfall.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī speaks this verse to Mahārāja Parīkṣit while explaining the cosmic structure and the courses of the grahas (planets) in the Fifth Canto.
The verse highlights that nature’s rhythms are purposeful and beneficial; cultivating reverence for divine order can inspire gratitude, ecological responsibility, and steadiness when conditions (like “swift” or “slow” phases) change.