Shloka 2
Uttarā-diśā Māhātmya — Suparṇa’s Praise of the Northern Quarter
Suparṇa–Gālava Saṃvāda
अत्र पश्चादहः सूर्यो विसर्जयति गा: स्वयम् । पश्चिमेत्यभिविख्याता दिगियं द्विजसत्तम,द्विजश्रेष्ठ दिनके पश्चात् सूर्यदेव इसी दिशामें स्वयं अपनी किरणोंका विसर्जन करते हैं, इसलिये यह “पश्चिम' के नामसे विख्यात है
atra paścādahaḥ sūryo visarjayati gāḥ svayam | paścimety abhivikhyātā dig iyaṃ dvijasattama ||
โอ้ทวิชผู้ประเสริฐ! ครั้นสิ้นวัน พระสุริยเทพย่อมปล่อยวาง—ถอนคืน—รัศมีของพระองค์ลง ณ ทิศนี้เอง ฉะนั้นทิศนี้จึงเป็นที่รู้จักว่า “ปัจฉิม” คือทิศตะวันตก
युपर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links human naming and orientation (the ‘West’) to a regular cosmic act—the Sun’s withdrawal/release of rays at day’s end—implying that worldly conventions should align with the stable order of nature (ṛta), which supports dharmic living.
The speaker explains why a particular quarter is called ‘paścima’ (west): at the end of the day the Sun ‘releases’ his rays there, i.e., he sets and his light departs, making that direction famous by this characteristic.