Shloka 42
Matsya Purana — Dhruva as Cosmic Pivot: Motions of Sun–Moon–Planets
तेनासौ चरति व्योम्नि भास्वाननुदिनं दिवि अथाङ्गानि तु सूर्यस्य प्रत्यङ्गानि रथस्य च संवत्सरस्यावयवैः कल्पितानि यथाक्रमम् //
tenāsau carati vyomni bhāsvānanudinaṃ divi athāṅgāni tu sūryasya pratyaṅgāni rathasya ca saṃvatsarasyāvayavaiḥ kalpitāni yathākramam //
By that arrangement, the radiant Sun moves through the sky each day in the heavenly realm. Now the limbs of the Sun, and likewise the subsidiary parts of his chariot, are conceived in proper sequence as fashioned from the constituent divisions of the year.
FAQs
This verse is not about Pralaya; it explains cosmic order—how the Sun’s motion is regulated and conceptually mapped onto the divisions of the year, emphasizing stability and rhythmic time rather than dissolution.
By grounding the Sun’s movement in the ordered parts of the year, the verse supports dharmic life based on calendrical discipline—timely performance of rites, festivals, taxation/administration cycles for kings, and household rituals aligned with seasons and days.
Ritually, it underlines that ceremonies should follow kala (time) in proper sequence; many temple rites, solar observances, and annual festivals depend on the saṃvatsara’s divisions—mirroring the ‘limbs’ of time described here.