Shloka 7

सोमचक्रः, ग्रह-रथाः, ध्रुवबन्धनं, शिशुमारसंनिवेशः, विष्णु-सर्वात्मकता

Moon, Planets, Dhruva-Tethering, Śiśumāra, and Vishnu as All

Devanagari script

त्रयस् त्रिंशत्सहस्राणि त्रयस् त्रिंशच्छतानि च त्रयस् त्रिंशत् तथा देवाः पिबन्ति क्षणदाकरम्

Transliteration

trayas triṃśatsahasrāṇi trayas triṃśacchatāni ca trayas triṃśat tathā devāḥ pibanti kṣaṇadākaram

Translation

Thirty-three thousand, thirty-three hundred, and likewise thirty-three—thus the gods are said to “drink” the night-making draught, a poetic measure of time by which the divine order counts the moments.

Word by Word

• त्रयः: three
• त्रयः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; संख्यावाचक-विशेषण (numeral adjective)

• त्रिंशत्-सहस्राणि: thirty-thousands (i.e., 30,000s)
• त्रिंशत्-सहस्राणि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रिंशत् (प्रातिपदिक) + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (genitive determinative: 'of thirty')

• त्रयः: three
• त्रयः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; संख्यावाचक-विशेषण

• त्रिंशत्-शतानि: thirty-hundreds (i.e., 3,000s)
• त्रिंशत्-शतानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रिंशत् (प्रातिपदिक) + शत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष ('of thirty hundreds')

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• त्रयः: three
• त्रयः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; संख्यावाचक-विशेषण

• त्रिंशत्: thirty
• त्रिंशत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रिंशत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; संख्यावाचक (numeral)

• तथा: likewise; also
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/समुच्चयार्थ (adverb: 'likewise/so')

• देवाः: the gods
• देवाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• पिबन्ति: drink
• पिबन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पा (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन

• क्षणदा-करम्: the moon (night-maker)
• क्षणदा-करम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षणदा (प्रातिपदिक) + कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष ('of night' + 'maker' = 'moon')

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Time is presented as a consumable cosmic substance measured and ‘drunk’ by the devas, indicating an ordered divine economy of moments.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Cultivate time-discipline (kāla-smṛti) by aligning daily practice with measured cycles (sandhyā, vrata, observances).

Vishishtadvaita: Kāla as a real, ordered mode within the Lord’s governance, not an illusion, supporting a structured cosmos under Ishvara.

Characters & Entities

• Devas
• Kāla (Time)

FAQs

What is the significance of the devas ‘drinking’ in this Vishnu Purana verse?

It is a metaphor for the devas measuring and ‘consuming’ a defined unit of time—showing that cosmic order runs by regulated, countable cycles.

How does Sage Parāśara explain time (kāla) in this chapter’s context?

He presents time as structured into graded units, using vivid imagery to convey that even divine beings operate within a precise temporal order.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu here?

By emphasizing orderly time-cycles, the text implies a supreme governing principle behind kāla—aligned with Vishnu’s sovereignty as the sustaining ground of cosmic order.