Shloka 27
सोमचक्रः, ग्रह-रथाः, ध्रुवबन्धनं, शिशुमारसंनिवेशः, विष्णु-सर्वात्मकता
Moon, Planets, Dhruva-Tethering, Śiśumāra, and Vishnu as All
तैलपीडा यथा चक्रं भ्रमन्तो भ्रामयन्ति वै तथा भ्रमन्ति ज्योतींषि वातविद्धानि सर्वशः
tailapīḍā yathā cakraṃ bhramanto bhrāmayanti vai tathā bhramanti jyotīṃṣi vātaviddhāni sarvaśaḥ
As workers at an oil-press, moving themselves, set the wheel to whirl, so do the heavenly lights revolve on every side, as though driven onward by the force of the cosmic wind.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Structure and motion of the heavenly luminaries and the cosmological winds
Teaching: Cosmological
Quality: authoritative
Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas
Concept: The apparent self-motion of the luminaries is governed by an unseen cosmic force, likened to the wind that turns a wheel.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Contemplate natural order as governed by subtle causes, cultivating reverence and intellectual humility.
Vishishtadvaita: Cosmic order implies a governing intelligence; the universe moves under the Lord’s ordinance even when described via secondary forces.
Vishnu Form: Narayana
FAQs
It illustrates that celestial motion is not random: like a wheel set spinning by an external force, the luminaries revolve due to an ordering principle described here as the driving cosmic wind.
He frames their revolution as compelled motion—'wind-driven'—within a structured cosmos, emphasizing regularity and governance in the heavens.
Even when the verse speaks in physical terms (wind and revolving lights), the Purāṇic intent is that such order ultimately rests on the supreme governance of Vishnu, the sustaining reality behind cosmic law.