Shloka 36

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

Devanagari script

तस्माद् दीर्घेण कालेन भूमिम् अल्पां तु गच्छति अष्टादशमुहूर्तं यद् उत्तरायणपश्चिमम्

Transliteration

tasmād dīrgheṇa kālena bhūmim alpāṃ tu gacchati aṣṭādaśamuhūrtaṃ yad uttarāyaṇapaścimam

Translation

Therefore, over a long span of time it traverses only a small portion of the earth; and that westward course during the Sun’s northward progress (uttarāyaṇa) is reckoned as eighteen muhūrtas.

Word by Word

• तस्मात्: from that; therefore
• तस्मात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्गे/पुंलिङ्गे, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन; ‘from that/therefore’ (ablative of pronoun)

• दीर्घेण: by a long
• दीर्घेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दीर्घ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: विशेषण, नपुंसकलिङ्गे/पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; ‘by/with long’ (instrumental)

• कालेन: time; period
• कालेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; ‘by time/over time’

• भूमिम्: the earth/ground
• भूमिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूमि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• अल्पाम्: small; little
• अल्पाम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अल्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: विशेषण, स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; भूमिम् इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्

• तु: but; indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निपात (particle), विरोध/विशेषार्थे ‘but/indeed’

• गच्छति: goes; moves
• गच्छति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• अष्टादशमुहूर्तम्: eighteen muhūrtas
• अष्टादशमुहूर्तम्: Karma (Measure/परिमाण-कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अष्टादश + मुहूर्त (प्रातिपदिक); समासः
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म/परिमाण), एकवचन; द्विगु-तत्पुरुषभावः (संख्यापूर्वकः) ‘eighteen muhūrtas’ (measure of time)

• यत्: which; that
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचकं ‘which/that’ (relative)

• उत्तरायणपश्चिमम्: (the region) west of the Uttarāyaṇa
• उत्तरायणपश्चिमम्: Adhikarana (Locative sense implied/अधिकरणार्थ-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तरायण + पश्चिम (प्रातिपदिक); समासः
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (दिशा-सम्बन्ध) ‘west of the Uttarāyaṇa (northern course)’ / ‘Uttarāyaṇa-western’

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Cosmological Context

Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Time is quantified through the Sun’s measured course, where even a small terrestrial traverse corresponds to a defined temporal unit (muhūrta) in uttarāyaṇa.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Use sacred time-units (muhūrta/ayana) to cultivate disciplined daily rhythm and seasonal awareness in sādhana.

Vishishtadvaita: Cosmic order (ṛta/dharma) is intelligible and stable because it is sustained by the Lord’s governance of time and motion.

Characters & Entities

• Surya (the Sun)
• Earth (Bhumi)

FAQs

What is the significance of uttarāyaṇa in the Vishnu Purana?

In this passage, uttarāyaṇa marks a specific phase of the Sun’s course used to explain how celestial motion is measured in terrestrial time-units (muhūrtas), showing cosmic order as a structured, knowable rhythm.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the measurement of time here?

Parāśara links observed directional movement (a western course during uttarāyaṇa) with a quantified duration—eighteen muhūrtas—illustrating Purāṇic timekeeping through celestial cycles.

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

Even when describing astronomy and time, the Vishnu Purana frames the universe as an ordered system sustained by the Supreme Reality—Vishnu—whose sovereignty is reflected in the dependable regularity of cosmic cycles.