Shloka 42

Solar Rays, Planetary Nourishment, Dhruva-Bondage of the Grahas, and the Lunar Cycle

Devanagari script

ग्रहर्क्षताराधिष्ण्यानि ध्रुवे बद्धान्येशेषतः / भ्रमन्ति भ्रामयन्त्येनं सर्वाण्यनिलरश्मिभिः

Transliteration

graharkṣatārādhiṣṇyāni dhruve baddhānyeśeṣataḥ / bhramanti bhrāmayantyenaṃ sarvāṇyanilaraśmibhiḥ

Translation

గ్రహములు, నక్షత్రమండలములు, తారలు మరియు వాటి అధిష్ఠానములు—ఇవన్నీ ఏ మినహాయింపులేక ధ్రువునకు బద్ధమై ఉన్నాయి. అవి తమ తమ గమనములో భ్రమిస్తూ, అనిలరశ్ములచే ప్రేరితమై (జగచ్చక్రం)ను కూడా భ్రమింపజేస్తాయి।

Word by Word

• graha-ṛkṣa-tārā-adhiṣṇyāni: planets, constellations, stars, and (their) stations
• graha-ṛkṣa-tārā-adhiṣṇyāni: Karta (कर्ता/subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: graha + ṛkṣa + tārā + adhiṣṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); द्वन्द्व-समास (समाहार/itaretara sense): 'planets, constellations, stars, and stations'

• dhruve: in/on Dhruva
• dhruve: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhruva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन)

• baddhāni: bound/fastened
• baddhāni: Karta (कर्ता; predicate to graha-...-adhiṣṇyāni)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bandh (बन्ध् धातु)
• Form: Past passive participle (कृत/क्त), Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

• īśeṣataḥ: completely/without remainder
• īśeṣataḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: īśeṣataḥ (अव्यय; from īśa + eṣa + tas?)
• Form: Adverb (अव्यय), sense: 'entirely/without remainder' (aśeṣataḥ-like usage); reading per text: īśeṣataḥ

• bhramanti: they revolve/wander
• bhramanti: Kriya (क्रिया/action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhram (भ्रम् धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (लट्/present), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन)

• bhrāmayanti: they cause (it) to revolve
• bhrāmayanti: Kriya (क्रिया/action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhram (भ्रम् धातु) (causative/णिच्)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (लट्/present), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन); णिच्-प्रयोग (causative)

• enam: this (one)/him/it
• enam: Karma (कर्म/object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग) or Neuter usage, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• sarvāṇi: all
• sarvāṇi: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण of graha-...-adhiṣṇyāni)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

• anila-raśmibhiḥ: by cords/rays of wind
• anila-raśmibhiḥ: Karana (करण/instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anila + raśmi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Plural (बहुवचन); समास: anila + raśmi = 'wind-rays/cords of wind'

Speaker

Sūta (narrator) conveying the Purāṇic cosmology taught in the Kurma Purana

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Dhruva (Pole Star)
• Grahas (planets)
• Nakshatras (lunar mansions)
• Taras (stars)
• Anila/Vayu (cosmic wind)

More Details (4 sections)

FAQs

How does this verse explain the nature of the Supreme Self (Atman)?

By portraying a single axis (Dhruva) and an impelling principle (anila) coordinating all celestial motion, the verse supports a Purāṇic vision of unified governance—suggesting that behind multiplicity there is one sustaining order, ultimately grounded in Īśvara and realized inwardly as the witnessing Self (Ātman).

What Yoga or Meditative practices are highlighted here?

The verse implies a contemplative practice of cosmic-order meditation (ṛta-dhyāna): observing regularity and dependence in the universe to cultivate steadiness (dhruva-bhāva), dispassion, and devotion—an outlook aligned with Kurma Purana’s Yoga teachings that direct the mind from changing motions to the unmoving support.

How does this verse depict the relationship between Shiva and Vishnu?

Although not naming Śiva or Viṣṇu explicitly, the cosmology reflects the Kurma Purana’s synthesis: one supreme ordering power manifests as the law of the cosmos. In Shaiva–Vaishnava terms, the same Īśvara is praised as Hari or Hara, the single source of stability and motion.