Shloka 40
ज्योत्स्ना रात्र्यहनी संध्या चत्वार्य् एतानि वै विभोः ब्रह्मणस् तु शरीराणि त्रिगुणोपाश्रयाणि तु
jyotsnā rātryahanī saṃdhyā catvāry etāni vai vibhoḥ brahmaṇas tu śarīrāṇi triguṇopāśrayāṇi tu
Moonlight, night, day, and twilight—these four, O mighty one, are indeed the bodies (manifest forms) of Brahmā; and they rest upon the three guṇas, being constituted through their interplay.
Sage Parāśara (to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: How day/night/twilight/moonlight function as ‘bodies’ of Brahmā and are grounded in the tri-guṇa system
Teaching: Cosmological
Quality: doctrinal
Creation Stage: Secondary
Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas
Concept: Temporal states—night, day, twilight, and moonlight—are described as embodied manifestations tied to the tri-guṇas, revealing time as structured, guṇa-informed cosmic functioning.
Vedantic Theme: Maya
Application: Observe how guṇas shift across the day; schedule sādhana in sattvic hours (dawn), duties in rajasic hours (day), and rest in tamasic hours (night).
Vishishtadvaita: Guṇa-based time-cycles are real and dependent on the Lord; Brahmā’s ‘bodies’ indicate a layered divine embodiment of the cosmos under Viṣṇu’s supremacy.
Vishnu Form: Para-Brahman
Bhakti Type: Shanta
Jagat Karana: Yes
FAQs
This verse treats them as four manifest “bodies” of Brahmā—cosmic time-phases that structure experience and creation, showing how the universe is ordered through recurring temporal forms.
Parāśara states that these manifestations depend upon the triguṇas—implying that temporal and cosmic phenomena arise from the dynamic balance of sattva, rajas, and tamas.
Even while naming Brahmā’s forms, the Purāṇic framework places Vishnu as the sovereign ground of cosmic order—Brahmā and the guṇas function within the Supreme Reality upheld by Vishnu.