Shloka 26
आदित्यकर्म, त्रयीमयी वैष्णवी शक्तिः, सवितुरन्तर्यामी
The Sun’s Function and Vishnu’s Vedic Śakti within Savitṛ
पक्षतृप्तिं तु देवानां पितॄणां चैव मासिकीम् शश्वत् तृप्तिं च मर्त्यानां मैत्रेयार्कः प्रयच्छति
pakṣatṛptiṃ tu devānāṃ pitṝṇāṃ caiva māsikīm śaśvat tṛptiṃ ca martyānāṃ maitreyārkaḥ prayacchati
O Maitreya, the Sun grants the gods their satisfaction in the fortnightly cycle; he bestows the Pitṛs their monthly nourishment; and to mortals he gives unceasing sustenance.
Sage Parāśara (addressing Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Differential cycles of satisfaction: gods (fortnightly), Pitṛs (monthly), mortals (continuous) governed by the Sun
Teaching: Cosmological
Quality: compassionate
Concept: Sūrya apportions nourishment according to cosmic time: gods by pakṣa, Pitṛs by māsa, and mortals continuously, thereby upholding the economy of offerings and life.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Structure spiritual life around rhythms (daily discipline, fortnightly/monthly observances), using time as a sacred ally rather than a distraction.
Vishishtadvaita: Time (kāla) as a regulated divine instrument distributing differentiated fruits to different orders of beings within one cosmos.
FAQs
This verse presents time (pakṣa and māsa) as a living cosmic mechanism: through these cycles the gods and ancestors are sustained, showing that calendrical order is integral to dharma and the universe’s maintenance.
Parāśara explains that the Sun is not merely a luminary but a distributor of nourishment across realms—fortnightly to Devas, monthly to Pitṛs, and continuously to humans—linking cosmology with ritual and lived sustenance.
In Vaishnava Purāṇic thought, cosmic functions operate under the sovereignty of Vishnu; the Sun’s orderly bestowal of sustenance reflects the Supreme Reality sustaining the world through structured time and delegated cosmic powers.