Shloka 32

Matsya Purana — Dhruva as Cosmic Pivot: Motions of Sun–Moon–Planets

Devanagari script

समुद्राद्वायुसंयोगाद् वहन्त्यापो गभस्तयः ततस्त्वृतुवशात्काले परिवर्तन्दिवाकरः //

Transliteration

samudrādvāyusaṃyogād vahantyāpo gabhastayaḥ tatastvṛtuvaśātkāle parivartandivākaraḥ //

Translation

From the ocean, through association with the wind, the Sun’s rays lift and bear the waters upward; thereafter, in due time, under the governance of the seasons, the Sun (Divākara) turns and shifts his course.

Word by Word

• समुद्रात् (samudrāt): from the ocean

• वायु-संयोगात् (vāyu-saṃyogāt): due to the conjunction/agency of wind

• वहन्ति (vahanti): carry/transport

• आपः (āpaḥ): waters

• गभस्तयः (gabhastayaḥ): rays (of the sun), beams

• ततः (tataḥ): then/thereupon

• तु (tu): indeed/and

• ऋतु-वशात् (ṛtu-vaśāt): under the control of the seasons

• काले (kāle): in time/at the proper time

• परिवर्तान् (parivartān): turning, shifting, changing course

• दिवाकरः (divākaraḥ): the Sun, maker of day.

Speaker

• Sūta (narrating the Matsya Purana’s cosmological teaching in discourse form)

Entities Mentioned

• Divākara (Sun)
• Vāyu (Wind)
• Samudra (Ocean)
• Āpaḥ (Waters)
• Ṛtu (Seasons)

Tags

• Cosmology
• Hydrological cycle
• Seasons
• Sun
• Natural order

FAQs

What does this verse reveal about the creation or dissolution (Pralaya)?

It does not describe Pralaya directly; it explains the orderly cosmic process—how waters are lifted from the ocean by sun-rays aided by wind, and how seasonal time governs the Sun’s shifting course.

How does this verse relate to the duties of a King or Householder?

By emphasizing ṛtu (seasonal order) and kāla (timely regulation), it supports the Purāṇic ethic of acting “in season”—planning agriculture, rituals, taxation, and charity in harmony with natural cycles.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

No direct Vāstu rule is stated, but the verse reinforces the ritual principle of seasonal timing (ṛtu-kāla): many consecrations, festivals, and observances are prescribed according to the Sun’s seasonal movement.