Shloka 82

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

Jyotish-chakra: Surya’s Motion and Monthly Retinues

Devanagari script

अहोरात्रं रथेनासाव् एकचक्रेण तु भ्रमन् सप्तद्वीपसमुद्राङ्गां सप्तभिः सर्पते दिवि

Transliteration

ahorātraṃ rathenāsāv ekacakreṇa tu bhraman saptadvīpasamudrāṅgāṃ saptabhiḥ sarpate divi

Translation

Day and night he moves upon his chariot of a single wheel; revolving without cease, he courses through the heavens, encircling the seven continents and the seven oceans, drawn onward by seven steeds. Thus does Kāla, Time, proceed—binding the worlds into orderly motion under the Lord, the Pati.

Word by Word

• अहोरात्रम्: day and night

• रथेन: by/with a chariot

• असौ: he (the cosmic mover—Time/Sun)

• एकचक्रेण: with a single wheel

• तु: indeed

• भ्रमन्: revolving, circling

• सप्तद्वीपसमुद्राङ्गाम्: encompassing the seven dvīpas and oceans

• सप्तभिः: by seven (steeds/rays/meters)

• सर्पते: moves, glides onward

• दिवि: in heaven, in the sky

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the cosmological order to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Surya
• Kala (Time)

FAQs

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

It frames day–night and cosmic motion as an ordered power under the supreme Pati; Linga worship aligns the devotee (paśu) with that divine order, loosening time-bound attachment (pāśa).

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

By implying that Time’s ceaseless revolution is governed by the Lord: Shiva-tattva is transcendent to kāla yet sovereign over it, making cosmic rhythm an expression of divine rule rather than mere mechanics.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Time-discipline: observing daily cycles for sandhyā, japa, and Linga-pūjā; in Pāśupata-oriented practice, one uses regulated worship to overcome kāla-bhaya (fear of time) and time-driven bondage.