Shloka 3
सगरोपाख्यानम् (Sagara-Upākhyāna): Śiva’s boon and the extraordinary birth of Sagara’s progeny
तं तु दृष्टवा तथा विन्ध्य: शैल: सूर्यमथाब्रवीत् । यथा हि मेरुर्भवता नित्यश: परिगम्यते,उन्हें ऐसा करते देख विन्ध्यगिरिने उनसे कहा--'भास्कर! जैसे आप मेरुकी प्रतिदिन परिक्रमा करते हैं, उसी तरह मेरी भी कीजिये।' यह सुनकर भगवान् सूर्यने गिरिराज विन्ध्यसे कहा--'गिरिश्रेष्ठ! मैं अपनी इच्छासे मेरुगिरिकी परिक्रमा नहीं करता हूँ। जिन्होंने इस संसारकी सृष्टि की है, उन विधाताने मेरे लिये यही मार्ग निश्चित किया है"
taṁ tu dṛṣṭvā tathā vindhyaḥ śailaḥ sūryam athābravīt | yathā hi merur bhavatā nityaśaḥ parigamyate, tathā mama api kuru ||
Lomaśa said: Seeing the Sun proceed in that manner, the Vindhya mountain spoke to him: “O Sun! Just as you daily circumambulate Mount Meru, so too circumambulate me.” Hearing this, the Sun replied: “O best of mountains, I do not circle Meru by my own whim. The Creator who fashioned this world has fixed this very path for me.”
लोमश उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights that even powerful beings should not act from pride or personal whim; the Sun’s movement symbolizes steadfast adherence to a divinely fixed order (dharma/ṛta), teaching that duty grounded in cosmic law outweighs demands born of ego.
Vindhya, personified as a mountain, addresses the Sun after observing his regular course and requests the same honor the Sun gives to Meru—daily circumambulation—setting up the ensuing reply that the Sun follows an appointed path rather than acting by personal preference.