Shloka 60
सूर्यरथ-कालचक्र-आयनविभागः, संध्योपासनम्, देवयान-पितृयानम्, विष्णुपद-गङ्गावतरणम्
ह्रासवृद्धी त्व् अहर्भागैर् दिवसानां यथाक्रमम् संध्या मुहूर्तमात्रा वै ह्रासवृद्धौ समा स्मृता
hrāsavṛddhī tv aharbhāgair divasānāṃ yathākramam saṃdhyā muhūrtamātrā vai hrāsavṛddhau samā smṛtā
The decrease and increase of the days occur, in due order, by the changing portions of daylight. Yet the twilight junction (saṃdhyā) is remembered to last a single muhūrta, remaining the same even as days wax and wane.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: How day-length varies while sandhyā remains a constant muhūrta, grounding ritual timing.
Teaching: Cosmological
Quality: revealing
Creation Stage: Secondary
Concept: Though daylight waxes and wanes with seasonal change, sandhyā remains a constant sacred measure (one muhūrta), emphasizing steadfastness of daily discipline.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Keep non-negotiable ‘twilight’ pauses in life—regular meditation/prayer at transitions—to maintain inner equilibrium amid changing circumstances.
Vishishtadvaita: Constancy of ordained practice amid worldly fluctuation mirrors dependence on the Lord’s stable order while living within change.
Bhakti Type: Shanta (peaceful)
FAQs
This verse states that although day-length changes through varying daylight portions, the sandhyā junction is traditionally held constant at one muhūrta, anchoring ritual time within cosmic order.
He explains it as occurring sequentially through the changing ‘portions of the day’ (aharbhāga), i.e., the measurable share of daylight that expands or contracts over time.
Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the teaching belongs to Vishnu Purana’s vision of a governed cosmos: time and its measures function as expressions of a higher, sustaining order ultimately grounded in Vishnu’s sovereignty.