Shloka 56

Matsya Purana — The Attendant Hosts of the Sun and Moon: Monthly Gaṇas

Devanagari script

पीतं पञ्चदशाहं च रश्मिनैकेन भास्करः आपूरयन्ददौ तेन भागं भागमहःक्रमात् //

Transliteration

pītaṃ pañcadaśāhaṃ ca raśminaikena bhāskaraḥ āpūrayandadau tena bhāgaṃ bhāgamahaḥkramāt //

Translation

For fifteen days, Bhāskara (the Sun), drawing up (the waters) with a single ray, fills them; and by that very process he apportions the day in successive portions—part by part—according to the order of the days.

Word by Word

• pītam: drunk up/drawn up (as by absorption)

• pañcadaśa-aham: for fifteen days

• ca: and

• raśminā ekena: by a single ray

• bhāskaraḥ: the Sun

• āpūrayan: filling up/saturating

• dadau: gave/apportioned

• tena: by that/thereby

• bhāgam bhāgam: portion by portion

• ahaḥ-kramāt: in the sequence/order of days (day-by-day progression)

Speaker

• Suta (narrator) reporting the Matsya Purana’s cosmological teaching (contextual attribution within Adhyaya 126)

Entities Mentioned

• Bhaskara (Surya)

Tags

• Kala
• Surya
• Cosmology
• Day-Night
• Puranic Astronomy

FAQs

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

This verse is not describing Pralaya directly; it explains a cosmological mechanism of timekeeping—how the Sun’s ray “draws up” and apportions time in an ordered, day-by-day sequence.

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

By emphasizing orderly time (ahah-krama), it supports dharmic life structured around correct calendrical rhythms—daily rites, fortnightly observances, and seasonal duties that kings and householders are expected to maintain.

What is the architectural or ritual significance mentioned here?

Ritually, the verse underpins timing: solar order and the fortnight (fifteen days) are foundational for scheduling vrata, śrāddha, and temple services; it does not give a direct Vāstu rule but supports ritual calendrics used in temple administration.