Shloka 3

Measurements of the Sun’s Chariot, the Wheel of Time, and the Retinues of the Solar Months; Chariots of Soma and the Grahas

Devanagari script

योजनानां तु तस्याक्षस्तत्र चक्रं प्रतिष्ठितम् / त्रिनाभिमति पञ्चारे षण्नेमिन्यक्षयात्मके

Transliteration

yojanānāṃ tu tasyākṣastatra cakraṃ pratiṣṭhitam / trinābhimati pañcāre ṣaṇneminyakṣayātmake

Translation

तस्याक्षो योजनपर्यन्तः; तत्र चक्रं प्रतिष्ठितम्। त्रिनाभि पञ्चारं षण्नेमि, अक्षयात्मकमिति मतम्।

Word by Word

• yojanānām: of yojanas
• yojanānām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yojana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle)

• tasya: of that/of it
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• akṣaḥ: axle
• akṣaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: akṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb of place)

• cakram: wheel
• cakram: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cakra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• pratiṣṭhitam: is fixed/placed
• pratiṣṭhitam: Kriya (State/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prati-√sthā (धातु) + kta (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे ‘स्थितम्/स्थापितम्’

• tri-nābhi-mati: having three hubs
• tri-nābhi-mati: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tri + nābhi + mat (प्रातिपदिक; मतुप्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः ‘त्रीणि नाभीनि यस्य’

• pañca-are: having five spokes
• pañca-are: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pañca + ara (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः ‘पञ्च अराः यस्य’

• ṣaṭ-nemi: having six rims/felloes
• ṣaṭ-nemi: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ṣaṭ + nemi (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः ‘षण् नेमयः यस्य’

• akṣaya-ātmake: of imperishable nature
• akṣaya-ātmake: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: akṣaya + ātman (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम् ‘अक्षय-स्वभावम्’

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (narrating to Garuda/Vinata-putra)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The cosmic wheel is structured (hubs/spokes/rims) yet ‘akṣaya’—order persists amid change; form points to principle.

Vedantic Theme: Nāma-rūpa (structured appearance) resting on an enduring substratum; cyclicity of time within the unchanging ground.

Application: Meditate on the wheel (cakra-dhyāna): identify spokes/rims with divisions of time or duties; cultivate steadiness by remembering the ‘imperishable’ amid cycles.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: adbhuta

Secondary Rasa: shanta

Geographic Context

Type: celestial wheel mechanism

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.58.4 (kālacakra established in saṃvatsara)

FAQs

What is the importance of the cakra (wheel) described in Garuda Purana?

This verse highlights a cosmic/divine wheel set upon an immense axle, emphasizing ordered structure in sacred cosmology and the notion of an imperishable (akṣaya) principle underlying it.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

Indirectly, it frames the universe as a precisely ordered system; in Garuda Purana’s broader teaching, the soul’s journey after death unfolds within such a divinely regulated cosmic order.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Reflect on life as governed by enduring principles (dharma and cosmic order) and cultivate disciplined living aligned with what is lasting rather than temporary.