Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvadasha Skandha, Shloka 28
Kriyā-yoga, the Virāṭ-Puruṣa Mapping, and the Sun-God’s Monthly Expansions
श्रीशौनक उवाच शुको यदाह भगवान् विष्णुराताय शृण्वते । सौरो गणो मासि मासि नाना वसति सप्तक: ॥ २७ ॥ तेषां नामानि कर्माणि नियुक्तानामधीश्वरै: । ब्रूहि न: श्रद्दधानानां व्यूहं सूर्यात्मनो हरे: ॥ २८ ॥
śrī-śaunaka uvāca śuko yad āha bhagavān viṣṇu-rātāya śṛṇvate sauro gaṇo māsi māsi nānā vasati saptakaḥ
Śrī Śaunaka disse: Por favor, descreve-nos o que Bhagavān Śukadeva disse a Viṣṇurāta (Parīkṣit) enquanto ele ouvia. O séquito do deus Sol manifesta-se a cada mês de modo diferente, em grupos de sete. Dize-nos, a nós que temos fé, seus nomes e atividades, pois, designados por seus senhores, são expansões pessoais de Hari como deidade regente do sol.
After hearing an account of the exalted conversation between Śukadeva Gosvāmī and Mahārāja Parīkṣit, Śaunaka now inquires about the sun as the expansion of the Supreme Lord. Although the sun is the king of all planets, Śrī Śaunaka is specifically interested in this effulgent globe as the expansion of Śrī Hari, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
FAQs
This verse introduces the topic by asking for the names and duties of the Sun’s sevenfold retinue that changes month by month, as described by Śukadeva to King Parīkṣit.
Because the Bhagavatam presents cosmic deities and their workings as manifestations and arrangements of Hari; Śaunaka wants the devotional understanding of the sun’s monthly system as an expression of Viṣṇu’s governance.
See nature and time (months, seasons, the sun’s power) as ordered by the Supreme, cultivating gratitude, reverence, and remembrance of Hari behind all cosmic functions.