Shloka 59
सूर्यरथ-कालचक्र-आयनविभागः, संध्योपासनम्, देवयान-पितृयानम्, विष्णुपद-गङ्गावतरणम्
काष्ठा निमेषा दश पञ्च चैव त्रिंशच् च काष्ठा गणयेत् कलां ताम् त्रिंशत्कलाश् चैव भवेन् मुहूर्तस् तैस् त्रिंशता रात्र्यहनी समेते
kāṣṭhā nimeṣā daśa pañca caiva triṃśac ca kāṣṭhā gaṇayet kalāṃ tām triṃśatkalāś caiva bhaven muhūrtas tais triṃśatā rātryahanī samete
Fifteen nimeṣas make one kāṣṭhā; thirty kāṣṭhās are reckoned as a kalā. Thirty kalās become a muhūrta; and by thirty muhūrtas the pair—night and day—stands complete.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Measurement of time units connected to day-night and the Sun’s regulation of temporal order.
Teaching: Cosmological
Quality: authoritative
Creation Stage: Secondary
Concept: Time is articulated through nested units (nimeṣa→kāṣṭhā→kalā→muhūrta→day-night), reflecting a structured cosmic rhythm.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Use time consciously—structure daily practice (study, japa, rest) around stable intervals to cultivate steadiness and reduce distraction.
Vishishtadvaita: Temporal order is part of the Lord’s vibhūti; disciplined living within time becomes a mode of service rather than bondage.
FAQs
This verse anchors cosmic order in precise units of time, showing that day and night are not arbitrary but structured—supporting the Purana’s larger vision of an intelligible universe governed by higher law.
He builds upward in a clear sequence—nimeṣa to kāṣṭhā, kāṣṭhā to kalā, kalā to muhūrta—culminating in thirty muhūrtas completing the cycle of night and day.
Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Purana frames such cosmic regularities as part of the divinely sustained order—time’s rhythm ultimately resting in the Supreme Reality that upholds the world.