Srimad Bhagavatam — Panchama Skandha, Shloka 9
Kāla-cakra and the Motions of the Sun, Moon, Stars, and Grahas
Bhāgavata Jyotiṣa Framework
अथ चापूर्यमाणाभिश्च कलाभिरमराणां क्षीयमाणाभिश्च कलाभि: पितृणामहोरात्राणि पूर्वपक्षापरपक्षाभ्यां वितन्वान: सर्वजीवनिवहप्राणो जीवश्चैकमेकं नक्षत्रं त्रिंशता मुहूर्तैर्भुङ्क्ते ॥ ९ ॥
atha cāpūryamāṇābhiś ca kalābhir amarāṇāṁ kṣīyamāṇābhiś ca kalābhiḥ pitṝṇām aho-rātrāṇi pūrva-pakṣāpara-pakṣābhyāṁ vitanvānaḥ sarva-jīva-nivaha-prāṇo jīvaś caikam ekaṁ nakṣatraṁ triṁśatā muhūrtair bhuṅkte.
Quand la lune croît, ses portions lumineuses augmentent chaque jour, faisant le jour pour les devas et la nuit pour les pitṛs; quand elle décroît, elle fait la nuit pour les devas et le jour pour les pitṛs. Ainsi, elle traverse chaque constellation en trente muhūrtas (une journée entière). Répandant une fraîcheur semblable au nectar qui favorise la croissance des grains, le dieu Lune est tenu pour la vie de tous les êtres et reçoit le nom de Jīva.
FAQs
This verse states that the Moon passes through one nakṣatra in thirty muhūrtas, moving from one lunar mansion to the next in a measured cycle.
He explains how the Moon’s waxing and waning kalās structure time as the bright and dark fortnights, affecting the reckoning of day and night for devas and Pitṛs.
It encourages mindful living with sacred time—seeing days, nights, and lunar cycles as divinely ordered, and aligning one’s sādhana and gratitude (especially toward ancestors and devas) with disciplined rhythms.