The Caturmasya Observances and the Rite of Vishnu’s Sleep (Aśūnya-Śayana) and Shiva’s Monthly Vows
कङ्काः समं बलाकाभिरारोहन्ति नगोत्तमान् वायसाश्चापि सुर्वन्ति नीडानि ऋषिपुङ्गव वायसाश्च स्वपन्त्येते ऋतौ गर्भभरालसाः
kaṅkāḥ samaṃ balākābhirārohanti nagottamān vāyasāścāpi survanti nīḍāni ṛṣipuṅgava vāyasāśca svapantyete ṛtau garbhabharālasāḥ
«Les hérons, avec les grues, montent sur les plus nobles montagnes. Les corbeaux aussi bâtissent leurs nids, ô le meilleur des sages ; et ces corbeaux dorment en cette saison, alourdis et engourdis par le fardeau de la gestation.»
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Dharma is taught through observation of ṛtu-lakṣaṇa (seasonal characteristics): nature’s cycles—nesting, migration, gestation—become cues for human restraint, timing, and appropriate observance.
This is calendrical/ritual-auxiliary material (ācāra and kāla-nirṇaya style), not directly sarga/pratisarga/vaṃśa/manvantara/vaṃśānucarita, though Purāṇas often embed such instruction alongside them.
Birds nesting and ‘sleeping’ in season symbolize withdrawal and consolidation—an inward turn appropriate to rains—supporting the Purāṇic idea that correct practice follows the tempo of the cosmos.