Shloka 74
Matsya Purana — Solar–Lunar Motions
सूर्यो ऽष्टादशभिरह्नो मुहूर्तैरुदगायने त्रयोदशानां मध्ये तु ऋक्षाणां चरते रविः मुहूर्तैस्तानि ऋक्षाणि रात्रौ द्वादशभिश्चरन् //
sūryo 'ṣṭādaśabhirahno muhūrtairudagāyane trayodaśānāṃ madhye tu ṛkṣāṇāṃ carate raviḥ muhūrtaistāni ṛkṣāṇi rātrau dvādaśabhiścaran //
In the Sun’s northward course (udagāyana), the Sun (Ravi) traverses the lunar mansions (nakṣatras/ṛkṣas) by day in eighteen muhūrtas; and, within the thirteen divisions, he moves through the midst of those ṛkṣas in due order. By night, he passes through those same ṛkṣas in twelve muhūrtas.
FAQs
This verse is not about pralaya; it belongs to the Matsya Purana’s jyotiṣa-style timekeeping, explaining how the Sun’s motion is measured in muhūrtas across nakṣatra divisions during the northward course.
By defining day/night muhūrta-based solar transit, it supports choosing proper timings (muhūrta) for royal and household duties—such as coronations, journeys, sacrifices, vows, and other dharmic acts that depend on calendrical and nakṣatra calculations.
Indirectly, it supports ritual and temple-planning practice by grounding muhūrta selection: construction starts, consecrations (pratiṣṭhā), and major rites are traditionally aligned with solar course and nakṣatra timing.