Shloka 24

सूर्यरथ-कालचक्र-आयनविभागः, संध्योपासनम्, देवयान-पितृयानम्, विष्णुपद-गङ्गावतरणम्

Devanagari script

दक्षिणोत्तरभूम्यर्धे समुत्तिष्ठति भास्करे अहोरात्रं विशत्य् अम्भस् तमःप्राकाश्यशीलवत्

Transliteration

dakṣiṇottarabhūmyardhe samuttiṣṭhati bhāskare ahorātraṃ viśaty ambhas tamaḥprākāśyaśīlavat

Translation

When the Sun rises over the southern or the northern half of the earth, the waters enter into the alternation of day and night—darkness and illumination taking their turns, as though by their very nature.

Word by Word

• दक्षिणोत्तरभूम्यर्धे: in the southern-northern half of the earth
• दक्षिणोत्तरभूम्यर्धे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दक्षिण (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तर (प्रातिपदिक) + भूमि (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (दक्षिणोत्तरयोः भूमेः अर्धे)

• समुत्तिष्ठति: rises up
• समुत्तिष्ठति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-उत्-स्था (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• भास्करे: when/in the Sun (Bhāskara)
• भास्करे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भास्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• अहोरात्रम्: day-and-night (a full cycle)
• अहोरात्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहन् (प्रातिपदिक) + रात्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; द्वन्द्वसमासः (day and night as a unit)

• विशति: enters
• विशति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विश् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• अम्भः: water
• अम्भः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अम्भस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• तमःप्राकाश्यशीलवत्: having the tendency to make darkness apparent
• तमःप्राकाश्यशीलवत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तमस् (प्रातिपदिक) + प्राकाश्य (प्रातिपदिक) + शील (प्रातिपदिक) + वत् (तद्धित)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः + वत्-प्रत्यय (possessing the habit/nature of making darkness manifest)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: How the Sun’s course over northern/southern halves relates to the waters and the alternation of day and night

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: authoritative

Cosmological Context

Cosmic Hierarchy: Brahmanda

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: As the Sun rises over the southern or northern half of the earth, the waters participate in the alternation of darkness and illumination, as if by an intrinsic tendency.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Observe nature’s rhythms (sleep/wake, work/rest) and align one’s discipline with cyclic order rather than forcing constant exertion.

Vishishtadvaita: Emphasizes niyama (order) in the cosmos; in Viśiṣṭādvaita this order is grounded in the Supreme’s governance of real entities and their powers.

Characters & Entities

• Bhāskara (Sun)
• Ambhas (Waters)
• Tamas (Darkness)
• Prakāśa (Light)

FAQs

What is the significance of the day–night cycle in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse frames day and night as a governed cosmic alternation tied to the Sun’s rising over the earth’s halves, illustrating an ordered universe where natural processes follow a higher law.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the alternation of darkness and light here?

He describes darkness (tamas) and illumination (prakāśa) as alternating “by disposition,” emphasizing a regular, lawful rhythm rather than randomness—part of the Purana’s broader account of cosmic regulation.

What is the theological importance of Lord Vishnu in this context?

Even when Vishnu is not named in the line, the cosmological order being described is understood as operating under Vishnu’s supreme governance—his sustaining power expressed as the stability of time and nature.