Shloka 1

सोमचक्रः, ग्रह-रथाः, ध्रुवबन्धनं, शिशुमारसंनिवेशः, विष्णु-सर्वात्मकता

Moon, Planets, Dhruva-Tethering, Śiśumāra, and Vishnu as All

Devanagari script

रथस् त्रिचक्रः सोमस्य कुन्दाभास् तस्य वाजिनः वामदक्षिणतो युक्ता दश तेन चरत्य् असौ

Transliteration

rathas tricakraḥ somasya kundābhās tasya vājinaḥ vāmadakṣiṇato yuktā daśa tena caraty asau

Translation

A carruagem de Soma (a Lua) tem três rodas; seus corcéis resplandecem como o jasmim. Dez cavalos, jungidos à esquerda e à direita, fazem esse luminar seguir seu curso prescrito.

Word by Word

• रथः: chariot
• रथः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• त्रिचक्रः: three-wheeled
• त्रिचक्रः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि + चक्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (त्रीणि चक्राणि यस्य)

• सोमस्य: of Soma (the Moon)
• सोमस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सोम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन

• कुन्दाभाः: having the luster of jasmine (white)
• कुन्दाभाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कुन्द + आभा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; उपमान-तत्पुरुष (कुन्द इव आभा यस्य/येषाम्)

• तस्य: of him/its
• तस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/सर्वलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• वाजिनः: horses
• वाजिनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाजिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

• वामदक्षिणतः: from the left and right (sides)
• वामदक्षिणतः: Desha (Direction/देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वाम + दक्षिण + तः (अव्यय-प्रत्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (वाम + दक्षिण) + तसिल्/तः-प्रत्यय (ablatival adverb: 'from the left and right sides')

• युक्ताः: yoked; harnessed
• युक्ताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: युज् (धातु) → युक्त (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle)

• दश: ten
• दश: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दशन् (संख्यावाचक-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक; प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन (अव्ययवत्/अविकारी प्रयोग)

• तेन: by that; with that
• तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/सर्वलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• चरति: moves; proceeds
• चरति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: चर् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• असौ: he/that one (Soma)
• असौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Description of the Moon’s chariot and motion as part of celestial mechanics

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: revealing

Cosmological Context

Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas

Philosophical Teaching

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.

Characters & Entities

• Soma (Moon)

FAQs

What is the significance of Soma’s three-wheeled chariot in the Vishnu Purana?

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.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the Moon’s movement here?

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.

What is the theological importance of Vishnu in this context?

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.