Shloka 30
सूर्यरथ-कालचक्र-आयनविभागः, संध्योपासनम्, देवयान-पितृयानम्, विष्णुपद-गङ्गावतरणम्
ततो रात्रिः क्षयं याति वर्धते ऽनुदिनं दिनम्
tato rātriḥ kṣayaṃ yāti vardhate 'nudinaṃ dinam
Thereafter, the night wanes away, and the day continually grows, day after day.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Post-equinox seasonal change: the progressive increase of day and decrease of night as part of solar order.
Teaching: Cosmological
Quality: authoritative
Concept: After the transition, night diminishes and day increases steadily, demonstrating the predictable unfolding of time by cosmic ordinance.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Practice patience and consistency: meaningful change often occurs ‘anudinam’—incrementally—through steady effort.
Vishishtadvaita: The steady, incremental order of nature aligns with the view of the cosmos as a regulated manifestation under the Supreme’s sustaining presence.
FAQs
It illustrates that time is not random but governed by a fixed cosmic order—an expression of the universe’s regulated rhythm under the supreme sovereignty that the Purana attributes to Vishnu.
By pointing to observable, gradual changes—night diminishing and day increasing—Parāśara frames Kāla as a lawful process that operates consistently within the larger cosmological structure he is teaching Maitreya.
In the Vishnu Purana’s vision, the intelligibility and steadiness of time’s cycles imply a supreme sustaining principle; Vishnu is that ultimate ground and ruler of cosmic order, within which such regularity becomes possible.