Shloka 76
Pracetās, Māriṣā, Dakṣa’s Re-manifestation, and the Brahma-parastava; Cyclic Creation and Genealogies
स सृष्ट्वा मनसा दक्षः पञ्चाशद् असृजत् स्त्रियः ददौ स दश धर्माय कश्यपाय त्रयोदश कालस्य नयने युक्ताः सप्तविंशतिम् इन्दवे
sa sṛṣṭvā manasā dakṣaḥ pañcāśad asṛjat striyaḥ dadau sa daśa dharmāya kaśyapāya trayodaśa kālasya nayane yuktāḥ saptaviṃśatim indave
Thereafter Dakṣa, by the power of his mind, created fifty daughters. Of these he gave ten to Dharma, thirteen to Kaśyapa, and twenty-seven—who are the nakṣatras, the “eyes of Time”—to Soma, the Moon.
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)
Creation Stage: Secondary
Concept: Social order (dharma), lineage (prajā), and time (nakṣatra-cycle) are integrated within creation through divinely sanctioned relational structures.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: See time-discipline and ethical duty as mutually supportive; align daily rhythms with dharmic commitments.
Vishishtadvaita: Cosmic functions (time and progeny) are real attributes within the Lord’s ordered body (jagat), coordinated under His sovereignty rather than illusory.
Dharma Exemplar: Prajā-pālana (ordering creation through dharma and marriage-alliances)
Vishnu Form: Narayana
FAQs
It explains the origin of the 27 nakṣatras (lunar mansions) and how the Moon becomes the regulator of calendrical time, tying cosmic rhythm directly to sacred genealogy.
By showing that progeny is not random: Dharma receives wives to ground moral order, Kaśyapa receives wives to expand living species and lineages, and Soma receives the nakṣatras to govern time—together forming a coherent cosmic administration.
Even when Vishnu is not named, the verse depicts a universe where lineage, law, and time are harmonized—an implicit sign of the Supreme sustaining intelligence that the Vishnu Purana identifies as Vishnu, the inner ruler of creation’s order.