Shloka 1
रथस् त्रिचक्रः सोमस्य कुन्दाभास् तस्य वाजिनः वामदक्षिणतो युक्ता दश तेन चरत्य् असौ
rathas tricakraḥ somasya kundābhās tasya vājinaḥ vāmadakṣiṇato yuktā daśa tena caraty asau
सोम (चन्द्र) का रथ त्रिचक्र है; उसके घोड़े कुंद-फूल के समान उज्ज्वल हैं। बाएँ और दाएँ जुते हुए दस अश्वों से वह ज्योतिर्मय पथ पर चलता है।
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Description of the Moon’s chariot and motion as part of celestial mechanics
Teaching: Cosmological
Quality: revealing
Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas
Concept: The Moon’s movement is portrayed as orderly and ordained, symbolized by a three-wheeled chariot drawn by ten luminous steeds.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Use contemplations on the regularity of celestial cycles to steady the mind (dhyāna) and to honor vows/fasts aligned with lunar time.
Vishishtadvaita: The cosmos displays purposeful order (niyati) under divine governance; celestial bodies function as instruments within the Lord’s cosmic body.
FAQs
It presents the Moon’s motion as structured and law-governed, using chariot imagery to convey an ordered cosmos rather than randomness—an expression of cosmic regulation upheld within the Purana’s worldview.
Parāśara describes Soma as traveling by a chariot with ten yoked horses placed on the left and right, a narrative device that explains celestial motion through a vivid, traditional cosmological model.
Even when Vishnu is not named in the verse, the Purana’s cosmology assumes a supreme ordering principle: the luminaries move in fixed courses because the universe is sustained and governed by the highest reality identified with Vishnu.