Shloka 3

स एष भगवानादिपुरुष एव साक्षान्नारायणो लोकानां स्वस्तय आत्मानं त्रयीमयं कर्मविशुद्धिनिमित्तं कविभिरपि च वेदेन विजिज्ञास्यमानो द्वादशधा विभज्य षट्‌सु वसन्तादिष्वृतुषु यथोपजोषमृतुगुणान् विदधाति ॥ ३ ॥

sa eṣa bhagavān ādi-puruṣa eva sākṣān nārāyaṇo lokānāṁ svastaya ātmānaṁ trayīmayaṁ karma-viśuddhi-nimittaṁ kavibhir api ca vedena vijijñāsyamāno dvādaśadhā vibhajya ṣaṭsu vasantādiṣv ṛtuṣu yathopa-joṣam ṛtu-guṇān vidadhāti.

He is Bhagavān, the primeval Puruṣa—Nārāyaṇa Himself. For the welfare of all worlds and for the purification of karma, He manifests as the sun, embodying the essence of the three Vedas; then, dividing Himself into twelve, He arranges the six seasons beginning with spring, establishing their qualities such as heat, cold, and the rest.

saḥhe
saḥ:
Karta (कर्ता/subject)
TypeNoun
Roottad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
FormPuṁliṅga (masc), Prathamā vibhakti (Nom, 1st), Ekavacana (sg); sarvanāma
eṣaḥthis (very one)
eṣaḥ:
Karta-sahacārī (कर्ता-विशेषण)
TypeNoun
Rootetad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
FormPuṁliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; deictic pronoun
bhagavānthe Blessed Lord
bhagavān:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootbhagavat (प्रातिपदिक)
FormPuṁliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana
ādi-puruṣaḥthe primeval person
ādi-puruṣaḥ:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootādi (प्रातिपदिक) + puruṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
FormPuṁliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; ṣaṣṭhī-tatpuruṣa/viśeṣaṇa-tatpuruṣa sense: 'the original person'
evaindeed
eva:
Sambandha-bodhaka (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
TypeIndeclinable
Rooteva (अव्यय)
FormNipāta (particle) of emphasis
sākṣātdirectly, manifestly
sākṣāt:
Viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootsākṣāt (अव्यय)
FormAvyaya; adverbial nipāta
nārāyaṇaḥNārāyaṇa
nārāyaṇaḥ:
Karta (कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootnārāyaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
FormPuṁliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana
lokānāmof the worlds / of people
lokānām:
Sambandha (षष्ठी/possessor)
TypeNoun
Rootloka (प्रातिपदिक)
FormPuṁliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī vibhakti (Gen, 6th), Bahuvacana (pl)
svastayefor welfare
svastaye:
Sampradāna (सम्प्रदान/purpose)
TypeNoun
Rootsvasti (प्रातिपदिक)
FormStrīliṅga (fem), Caturthī vibhakti (Dat, 4th), Ekavacana; purpose dative
ātmānamhimself
ātmānam:
Karma (कर्म/object)
TypeNoun
Rootātman (प्रातिपदिक)
FormPuṁliṅga, Dvitīyā vibhakti (Acc, 2nd), Ekavacana; reflexive sense
trayī-mayamconsisting of the three Vedas
trayī-mayam:
Karma-viśeṣaṇa (कर्म-विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Roottrayī (प्रातिपदिक) + maya (प्रातिपदिक)
FormNapुṁsaka (neut), Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; tatpuruṣa: 'consisting of the three Vedas'
karma-viśuddhi-nimittamas the cause for purification of actions
karma-viśuddhi-nimittam:
Karma-viśeṣaṇa (कर्म-विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootkarma (प्रातिपदिक) + viśuddhi (प्रातिपदिक) + nimitta (प्रातिपदिक)
FormNapुṁsaka, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; ṣaṣṭhī-tatpuruṣa chain: 'cause for purification of karma'
kavibhiḥby sages
kavibhiḥ:
Karaṇa (करण/agent-instrument)
TypeNoun
Rootkavi (प्रातिपदिक)
FormPuṁliṅga, Tṛtīyā vibhakti (Instr, 3rd), Bahuvacana
apialso
api:
Samuccaya/Avadhāraṇa (निपात)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootapi (अव्यय)
FormNipāta (particle)
caand
ca:
Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootca (अव्यय)
FormSamuccaya-avyaya (conjunction)
vedenaby the Veda
vedena:
Karaṇa (करण)
TypeNoun
Rootveda (प्रातिपदिक)
FormPuṁliṅga, Tṛtīyā, Ekavacana
vijijñāsyamānaḥbeing sought to be known
vijijñāsyamānaḥ:
Karta-viśeṣaṇa (कर्ता-विशेषण)
TypeVerb
Rootvi + jñā (धातु)
FormVartamāna-kāla, karmaṇi-prayoga (passive), śatṛ-pratyaya/śānac (present passive participle); Puṁliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana
dvādaśadhāin twelve divisions
dvādaśadhā:
Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootdvādaśa (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + dhā (अव्यय-प्रत्यय)
FormAvyaya; distributive adverb 'in twelve ways'
vibhajyahaving divided
vibhajya:
Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootvi + bhaj (धातु)
FormAbsolutive (ktvā/ल्यप्), gerund; 'having divided'
ṣaṭsuin six
ṣaṭsu:
Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
TypeAdjective
Rootṣaṭ (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
Form(as numeral) Saptamī vibhakti (Loc, 7th), Bahuvacana; used with ṛtuṣu
vasanta-ādiṣuin (seasons) beginning with spring
vasanta-ādiṣu:
Adhikaraṇa-viśeṣaṇa (अधिकरण-विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootvasanta (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
FormPuṁliṅga, Saptamī, Bahuvacana; tatpuruṣa: 'beginning with spring'
ṛtuṣuin the seasons
ṛtuṣu:
Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/locative)
TypeNoun
Rootṛtu (प्रातिपदिक)
FormPuṁliṅga, Saptamī, Bahuvacana
yathā-upajoṣamaccording to suitability
yathā-upajoṣam:
Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootyathā (अव्यय) + upajoṣa (प्रातिपदिक/avyaya-usage)
FormAvyayībhāva compound; adverbial: 'according to enjoyment/appropriateness'
ṛtu-guṇānseasonal qualities
ṛtu-guṇān:
Karma (कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootṛtu (प्रातिपदिक) + guṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
FormPuṁliṅga, Dvitīyā, Bahuvacana; tatpuruṣa: 'qualities of seasons'
vidadhātiarranges, bestows
vidadhāti:
Kriyā (मुख्य-क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootvi + dhā (धातु)
FormLaṭ lakāra (present), Parasmaipada; Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Ekavacana
N
Nārāyaṇa

FAQs

This verse states that the original Supreme Person, directly Nārāyaṇa, divides His governance into twelve and establishes the qualities of the six seasons (beginning with spring) in proper order for the welfare of the worlds.

He emphasizes that the Lord manifests as the Vedic revelation itself, which guides beings in purified action (karma-viśuddhi) and is investigated by sages to understand the Lord’s cosmic order.

It encourages living in harmony with ṛta (divine order): aligning habits with natural cycles, practicing discipline that purifies work, and seeing time and nature as expressions of the Lord’s purposeful governance.