Srimad Bhagavatam — Panchama Skandha, Shloka 30
Priyavrata Accepts Kingship by Brahmā’s Instruction; Sapta-dvīpa Formation and Renunciation
यावदवभासयति सुरगिरिमनुपरिक्रामन् भगवानादित्यो वसुधातलमर्धेनैव प्रतपत्यर्धेनावच्छादयति तदा हि भगवदुपासनोपचितातिपुरुषप्रभावस्तदनभिनन्दन् समजवेन रथेन ज्योतिर्मयेन रजनीमपि दिनं करिष्यामीति सप्तकृत्वस्तरणिमनुपर्यक्रामद् द्वितीय इव पतङ्ग: ॥ ३० ॥
yāvad avabhāsayati sura-girim anuparikrāman bhagavān ādityo vasudhā-talam ardhenaiva pratapaty ardhenāvacchādayati tadā hi bhagavad-upāsanopacitāti-puruṣa-prabhāvas tad anabhinandan samajavena rathena jyotirmayena rajanīm api dinaṁ kariṣyāmīti sapta-kṛt vastaraṇim anuparyakrāmad dvitīya iva pataṅgaḥ.
Tandis que le dieu Soleil, en contournant le mont Sumeru, n’éclaire la surface de la terre que pour moitié et laisse l’autre moitié voilée, Priyavrata—fort d’une puissance surhumaine acquise par l’adoration du Bhagavān—n’approuva pas cet état de choses. Il résolut : « Là même où règne la nuit, je ferai le jour. » Puis, monté sur un char lumineux à l’allure égale, il suivit l’orbite du dieu Soleil et l’encercla sept fois, tel un second astre.
There is a Bengali saying which describes that someone is so powerful that he can make the night day and the day night. That saying is current because of the prowess of Priyavrata. His activities demonstrate how powerful he became by worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Lord Kṛṣṇa is known as Yogeśvara, the master of all mystic powers. In Bhagavad-gītā (18.78) it is said wherever there is the master of all mystic powers ( yatra yogeśvaraḥ kṛṣṇaḥ ), victory, fortune and all other opulences are present. Devotional service is so powerful. When a devotee achieves what he wants to accomplish, it is not by his own mystic power but by the grace of the master of mystic power, Lord Kṛṣṇa: by His grace, a devotee can accomplish wonderful things unimaginable even to the most powerful scientist.
FAQs
This verse says Priyavrata, empowered by worship of the Supreme Lord, followed the Sun seven times in a radiant chariot, appearing like a second sun, intending to remove the darkness of night.
Seeing that the Sun lights and heats only part of the earth at a time—leaving the other half in darkness—Priyavrata did not approve of that arrangement and, by his extraordinary potency, tried to extend daylight.
The verse emphasizes that sincere worship and devotion can awaken remarkable inner strength and resolve—encouraging disciplined spiritual practice rather than helplessness in the face of “darkness,” whether literal or personal.