Shloka 67
सूर्यरथ-कालचक्र-आयनविभागः, संध्योपासनम्, देवयान-पितृयानम्, विष्णुपद-गङ्गावतरणम्
शरद्वसन्तयोर् मध्ये विषुवं तु विभाव्यते तुलामेषगते भानौ समरात्रिदिनं तु तत्
śaradvasantayor madhye viṣuvaṃ tu vibhāvyate tulāmeṣagate bhānau samarātridinaṃ tu tat
Between autumn and spring the viṣuva, the equinox, is known: when the Sun enters Libra or Aries, night and day become perfectly equal—balanced within the cosmic order.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Calendrical markers in the solar year: equinox and equality of day and night when the Sun enters Aries/Libra
Teaching: Cosmological
Quality: revealing
Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas
Concept: The equinox is the calendrical point of perfect balance, when solar ingress into Meṣa or Tulā yields equality of day and night.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Use seasonal thresholds as reminders for disciplined routine and inner balance, aligning practice with cyclical steadiness.
Vishishtadvaita: Natural regularities reflect a purposeful cosmic administration, implying an ordered cosmos compatible with a sustaining Lord.
FAQs
This verse defines viṣuva as the time when day and night are equal, marked by the Sun’s entry into Aries or Libra—showing cosmic balance used for calendrical and dharmic timing.
Parāśara anchors sacred time in observable celestial transitions: the Sun’s position in specific rāśis (Aries/Libra) becomes a clear rule for identifying the equinox and regulating the calendar.
Even in a technical description of time, the Purāṇic view treats cosmic regularity as an expression of supreme governance—order in the heavens reflecting the sustaining principle identified with Vishnu.