Shloka 3
आदित्यकर्म, त्रयीमयी वैष्णवी शक्तिः, सवितुरन्तर्यामी
The Sun’s Function and Vishnu’s Vedic Śakti within Savitṛ
यक्षाणां च रथे भानोर् विष्णुशक्तिधृतात्मनाम् किं त्वादित्यस्य यत् कर्म तन् नात्रोक्तं त्वया मुने
yakṣāṇāṃ ca rathe bhānor viṣṇuśaktidhṛtātmanām kiṃ tvādityasya yat karma tan nātroktaṃ tvayā mune
O Sage, you have spoken of the Yakṣas upon Bhānu’s chariot, whose very being is upheld by the power of Viṣṇu; yet you have not declared here the ordained work of Āditya, the Sun’s true function in the cosmic order.
Maitreya (questioning Sage Parāśara)
Speaker: Maitreya
Topic: Function (karma) of Āditya/Sūrya in the cosmic administration, beyond the Yakṣas on Bhānu’s chariot sustained by Viṣṇu-śakti.
Teaching: Cosmological
Quality: inquisitive, clarificatory
Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas
Concept: Even the solar deity and his retinue operate by Viṣṇu’s sustaining power, and their true ‘work’ must be understood as ordained within divine governance.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: See natural forces as lawful, purposeful, and ethically meaningful; cultivate gratitude and restraint rather than entitlement toward nature’s gifts.
Vishishtadvaita: Devas function as dependent modes/agents under the Supreme (śeṣa–śeṣi relation), implying Viṣṇu’s immanent governance without denying real plurality.
Vishnu Form: Narayana
Antaryamin: Yes
FAQs
This verse frames solar activity as dependent on Viṣṇu-śakti, emphasizing that even the Sun’s grandeur functions under Vishnu’s supreme sovereignty rather than independent divinity.
Maitreya’s question signals a transition from listing attendants (like Yakṣas) to explaining Āditya’s operative duty—how the Sun performs his cosmic work as part of the Purāṇic system of order and time.
Vishnu is implied as the inner support and governing reality behind celestial administration, aligning cosmology with Vaishnava metaphysics where divine functions proceed through Vishnu’s sustaining power.