Shloka 15

सूर्यरथः, सप्तगणाः, मासाधिकारिणः

The Sun’s Chariot and the Sevenfold Monthly Governors

Devanagari script

पौषमासे वसन्त्य् एते सप्त भास्करमण्डले लोकप्रकाशनार्थाय विप्रवर्याधिकारिणः

Transliteration

pauṣamāse vasanty ete sapta bhāskaramaṇḍale lokaprakāśanārthāya vipravaryādhikāriṇaḥ

Translation

In the month of Pauṣa, these seven—foremost among the brahmanical authorities—abide within the orb of the Sun, so that the worlds may be illumined.

Word by Word

• पौषमासे: in the month of Pauṣa
• पौषमासे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पौषमास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (पौषस्य मासः)

• वसन्ति: they dwell/abide
• वसन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन

• एते: these
• एते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• सप्त: seven
• सप्त: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सप्त (संख्या/अव्ययवत्)
• Form: संख्यावाचक-विशेषण; (प्रथमा बहुवचनार्थे)

• भास्करमण्डले: in the solar orb/disc
• भास्करमण्डले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भास्करमण्डल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (भास्करस्य मण्डलम्)

• लोकप्रकाशनार्थाय: for the purpose of illuminating the world
• लोकप्रकाशनार्थाय: Sampradana (Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक + प्रकाशन + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (लोकस्य प्रकाशनम्; तस्य अर्थः)

• विप्रवर्याधिकारिणः: authorities among the foremost brahmins
• विप्रवर्याधिकारिणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्रवर्य + अधिकारिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (विप्रवर्येषु अधिकारिणः / ‘having authority among the best of brahmins’)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Pauṣa-month: the seven authorities abiding in the solar orb for the illumination of the worlds.

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: authoritative

Cosmological Context

Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The Sun’s orb is inhabited by ordained authorities whose collective function is the illumination and sustenance of the worlds.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Let ‘illumination’ be a model: pursue learning, clarity, and sattvic living that benefits society, not merely oneself.

Vishishtadvaita: World-sustenance is a coordinated divine economy: many real agents serve one supreme purpose, implying the cosmos as the Lord’s body (śarīra) functioning for loka-saṅgraha.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Characters & Entities

• Surya (the Sun)
• The Seven (Sapta) solar regents/assistants

FAQs

What is the significance of the seven beings in the Sun’s orb in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse presents the Sun not as a lone luminary but as a governed sphere where seven authorized powers reside, ensuring the world’s illumination and the stability of cosmic order.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the month of Pauṣa in relation to cosmic administration?

By specifying Pauṣa, Parāśara ties calendrical time to a living cosmic bureaucracy—time is marked through regulated presences in the solar sphere that sustain light and order.

What is the theological importance of Vishnu in this context?

Although Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Purāṇic framework treats such cosmic functions as operating under the Supreme Lord’s sovereignty—solar illumination and time’s rhythm are expressions of the higher sustaining Reality.