Shloka 34

सूर्यरथ-कालचक्र-आयनविभागः, संध्योपासनम्, देवयान-पितृयानम्, विष्णुपद-गङ्गावतरणम्

Devanagari script

सूर्यो द्वादशभिः शैघ्र्यान् मुहूर्तैर् दक्षिणायने त्रयोदशार्धम् ऋक्षाणाम् अह्ना तु चरते द्विज मुहूर्तैस् तावदृक्षाणि नक्तम् अष्टादशैश् चरन्

Transliteration

sūryo dvādaśabhiḥ śaighryān muhūrtair dakṣiṇāyane trayodaśārdham ṛkṣāṇām ahnā tu carate dvija muhūrtais tāvadṛkṣāṇi naktam aṣṭādaśaiś caran

Translation

โอ ทวิชะ ในทักษิณายนะ พระสุริยะทรงดำเนินเร็วกว่าเดิม: กลางวันทรงผ่านนักษัตรสิบสามครึ่งในสิบสองมุหูรตะ ส่วนกลางคืนทรงผ่านเท่ากันในสิบแปดมุหูรตะ—เป็นการเคลื่อนที่ที่วัดไว้ตามกฎแห่งกาล

Word by Word

• सूर्यः: the Sun
• सूर्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• द्वादशभिः: by twelve
• द्वादशभिः: Karana (Instrument/Measure/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वादशन् (संख्याप्रातिपदिक)
• Form: त्रिलिङ्ग; तृतीया, बहुवचन; संख्याविशेषण (qualifying मुहूर्तैः)

• शैघ्र्यान्: swift (ones)
• शैघ्र्यान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शैघ्र्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, बहुवचन; विशेषण (मुहूर्तान् implied; or 'swift' as attribute of muhūrtas)

• मुहूर्तैः: by muhūrtas (time-units)
• मुहूर्तैः: Karana (Instrument/Measure/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुहूर्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया, बहुवचन

• दक्षिणायने: in the southern course
• दक्षिणायने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दक्षिण + अयन (प्रातिपदिक); समासः
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (दक्षिणस्य अयनम्)

• त्रयोदशार्धम्: thirteen and a half
• त्रयोदशार्धम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रयोदशन् + अर्ध (प्रातिपदिक); समासः
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (त्रयोदशानाम् अर्धम् = 'thirteen and a half')

• ऋक्षाणाम्: of the lunar mansions (nakṣatras)
• ऋक्षाणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• अह्ना: by day
• अह्ना: Karana (Time/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया, एकवचन; कालवाचक (instrumental: 'by day/during daytime')

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle: 'and/but/indeed')

• चरते: moves, traverses
• चरते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: चर् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• द्विज: O twice-born (brahmin)
• द्विज: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• मुहूर्तैः: by muhūrtas
• मुहूर्तैः: Karana (Instrument/Measure/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुहूर्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया, बहुवचन

• तावत्: so many
• तावत्: Kriya-visheshana (Measure/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; परिमाणवाचक (quantifier: 'so many/that much')

• ऋक्षाणि: lunar mansions
• ऋक्षाणि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• नक्तम्: at night
• नक्तम्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नक्तम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक-क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of time: 'at night')

• अष्टादशैः: by eighteen
• अष्टादशैः: Karana (Instrument/Measure/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्टादशन् (संख्याप्रातिपदिक)
• Form: त्रिलिङ्ग; तृतीया, बहुवचन; संख्याविशेषण (qualifying muhūrtaiḥ implied)

• चरन्: moving/traversing
• चरन्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: चर् (धातु) + शतृ (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (present participle, शतृ); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि (agreeing with सूर्यः)

Speaker

Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)

Parashara-Maitreya Dialogue

Speaker: Parasara

Topic: Quantified measure of the sun’s motion in Dakṣiṇāyana by muhūrtas and nakṣatras (day/night)

Teaching: Cosmological

Quality: technical, authoritative

Cosmological Context

Cosmic Hierarchy: Lokas

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: The sun’s passage is governed by fixed measures—by day and by night—revealing time as structured and knowable.

Vedantic Theme: Dharma

Application: Use disciplined timekeeping (daily sādhanā, vrata timing) to harmonize life with cosmic rhythms.

Vishishtadvaita: A stable, intelligible cosmos supports dharma for embodied souls; such stability is consistent with the Lord’s sustaining governance (niyantṛtva), even when presented as astronomical measure.

Vaishnava Theology

Vishnu Form: Narayana (cosmic)

Characters & Entities

• Surya (Sun)
• Nakshatras (lunar mansions)
• Dakshinayana (southern course)

FAQs

What is the significance of Dakṣiṇāyana in the Vishnu Purana?

This verse uses Dakṣiṇāyana to explain how the Sun’s measured pace changes with the season, framing astronomy as part of cosmic order and sacred time-reckoning.

How does Sage Parāśara explain the Sun’s movement through nakṣatras here?

He quantifies the Sun’s traversal in units of muhūrta, stating that in the southern course the Sun covers about thirteen and a half nakṣatras by day in 12 muhūrtas, and a comparable extent by night in 18 muhūrtas.

What is the theological importance of Vishnu in this context?

Even when Vishnu is not named, the Purāṇic teaching treats time, motion, and celestial order as governed by the Supreme Reality—Vishnu—whose sovereignty makes the cosmos intelligible and ritually meaningful.