Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 15
उत्तरं चायनं तत्र दिनं रात्रिस्तथाऽपरम् । लक्षैः सप्तदशाख्यैस्तु मनुष्याणां च वत्सरैः
uttaraṃ cāyanaṃ tatra dinaṃ rātristathā'param | lakṣaiḥ saptadaśākhyaistu manuṣyāṇāṃ ca vatsaraiḥ
Là, l’uttarāyaṇa est le jour, et l’autre (dakṣiṇāyaṇa) est la nuit. Ce jour-et-nuit divin se mesure par dix-sept lakṣas d’années humaines.
Sūta
Scene: Two halves of a cosmic mandala: uttarāyaṇa as bright ‘day’ with rising sun and blooming lotuses; dakṣiṇāyaṇa as ‘night’ with moon, stars, and subdued tones; a sage annotates ‘17 lakṣa human years’ as the measure.
FAQs
Cosmic cycles (ayana) are sacred markers; contemplating vast divine time expands spiritual perspective beyond human limitation.
No specific tīrtha is named; the verse is cosmological, embedded within a tīrtha-mahātmya chapter.
No explicit ritual is prescribed; ayana distinctions are commonly used for timing festivals, vows, and pilgrimages.