Shloka 25

Devanagari script

हिरण्मयं रथं यस्य केतवो ऽमृतधारिणः वहन्ति भुवनालोकचक्षुषस् तं नमाम्य् अहम्

Transliteration

hiraṇmayaṃ rathaṃ yasya ketavo 'mṛtadhāriṇaḥ vahanti bhuvanālokacakṣuṣas taṃ namāmy aham

Translation

I bow to Him whose chariot is of gold, whose rays bear the stream of deathless amṛta, carrying onward the Eye that illumines all the worlds.

Word by Word

• हिरण्मयम्: golden
• हिरण्मयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हिरण्मय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गम्, द्वितीया (Accusative), एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (रथम्)

• रथम्: chariot
• रथम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गम्, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्

• यस्य: whose
• यस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्गम्, षष्ठी (Genitive), एकवचनम्

• केतवः: rays/banners (rays)
• केतवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: केतु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गम्, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्

• अमृतधारिणः: bearing nectar (immortal essence)
• अमृतधारिणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अमृत (प्रातिपदिक) + धारिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गम्, प्रथमा, बहुवचनम्; तत्पुरुषः (अमृतं धारयन्ति इति)

• वहन्ति: carry, bear
• वहन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वह् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः, परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, बहुवचनम्

• भुवनालोकचक्षुषः: of the eye of the world's light (i.e., the Sun)
• भुवनालोकचक्षुषः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भुवन (प्रातिपदिक) + आलोक (प्रातिपदिक) + चक्षुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गम्, षष्ठी, एकवचनम्; समासः—भुवनस्य आलोकः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः) + चक्षुः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: भुवनालोकस्य चक्षुः)

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गम्, द्वितीया, एकवचनम्

• नमामि: I bow (to)
• नमामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नम् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः, परस्मैपदम्, उत्तमपुरुषः (1st person), एकवचनम्

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गम्, प्रथमा, एकवचनम्

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (continuing his cosmological exposition to Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Iconic cosmography of Sūrya: golden chariot and immortal rays as the eye of the worlds

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: revealing

Cosmological Context

Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas (worlds)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The Sun is portrayed as the ‘eye of the worlds,’ borne by immortal rays and a golden chariot—linking cosmic illumination with the sustaining nectar-like vitality of life.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Contemplate light as a symbol of consciousness and divine governance; use sunrise meditation to cultivate steadiness and gratitude for sustaining forces.

Vishishtadvaita: The cosmos is a meaningful, divinely ordered body (prakāra) wherein divine powers function as organs (the Sun as ‘eye’), aligning with the world-as-God’s mode intuition.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana

Bhakti Type: Shanta

Characters & Entities

• Vishnu
• Surya (the Sun)
• Solar rays (ketu/ketavaḥ)

FAQs

What is the significance of calling the Sun the “eye of the worlds” (bhuvanālokacakṣuṣaḥ) in the Vishnu Purana?

It presents the Sun as the cosmic organ of perception and illumination for all realms—an instrument through which universal order, visibility, and the rhythm of life are maintained under divine governance.

How does Sage Parāśara explain cosmic order through the Sun’s chariot imagery?

By describing a golden chariot borne by life-sustaining rays, Parāśara frames the Sun’s motion not as random astronomy but as a regulated, sacred mechanism that supports time, seasons, and the stability of the worlds.

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

Even when the verse speaks through solar symbolism, the Purāṇic lens treats such cosmic powers as dependent on the Supreme—Vishnu as the ultimate source and ruler, with Sūrya functioning as His ordained manifestation for sustaining the universe.