Srimad Bhagavatam — Tritiya Skandha, Shloka 11
Kāla-vibhāga: The Divisions of Time from Atom to Brahmā, and the Lord Beyond Time
तयो: समुच्चयो मास: पितृणां तदहर्निशम् । द्वौ तावृतु: षडयनं दक्षिणं चोत्तरं दिवि ॥ ११ ॥
tayoḥ samuccayo māsaḥ pitṝṇāṁ tad ahar-niśam dvau tāv ṛtuḥ ṣaḍ ayanaṁ dakṣiṇaṁ cottaraṁ divi
The sum of the two pakṣas—śukla and kṛṣṇa—is one month, and for the Pitṛs that span is a full day and night. Two such months make one season (ṛtu), and six months make an ayana—the sun’s southern course and its northern course.
FAQs
This verse states that what humans call one month (made of two fortnights) is considered one full day and night for the Pitṛs.
In Canto 3, Chapter 11, Śukadeva explains cosmic time-measurements to show how the universe runs under precise divine order and how different realms perceive time differently.
The verse encourages perspective: time is relative to one’s realm and consciousness, so a devotee uses human life—brief by cosmic standards—purposefully for dharma and bhakti.