Shloka 4

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

संवत्सरमये कृत्स्नं कालचक्रं प्रतिष्ठितम् / चत्वारिंशत्सहस्राणि द्वितीयो ऽक्षो विवस्वतः

Transliteration

saṃvatsaramaye kṛtsnaṃ kālacakraṃ pratiṣṭhitam / catvāriṃśatsahasrāṇi dvitīyo 'kṣo vivasvataḥ

Translation

سال کی صورت والے پورے چکر میں کَال چکر قائم ہے۔ ویوسوان (سورج) کا دوسرا اَکس چالیس ہزار (اکائیاں) کا ہے۔

Word by Word

• saṃvatsara-maye: in/within the year-constituted (cycle)
• saṃvatsara-maye: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saṃvatsara + maya (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; ‘मय’ = made of/consisting of

• kṛtsnam: entire
• kṛtsnam: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛtsna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• kāla-cakram: wheel of time
• kāla-cakram: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla + cakra (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• pratiṣṭhitam: is established
• pratiṣṭhitam: Kriya (State/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prati-√sthā (धातु) + kta (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• catvāriṃśat-sahasrāṇi: forty thousands
• catvāriṃśat-sahasrāṇi: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: catvāriṃśat + sahasra (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; संख्यापूर्वपद-समासः

• dvitīyaḥ: second
• dvitīyaḥ: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dvitīya (प्रातिपदिक; क्रमवाचक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

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

• vivasvataḥ: of Vivasvat (the Sun)
• vivasvataḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vivasvat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

Speaker

Lord Viṣṇu (in dialogue with Garuḍa)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Kāla is a structured cycle (saṃvatsara-maya) in which all processes are established; the Sun embodies time’s axle.

Vedantic Theme: Kāla as a power of Īśvara governing change; the witness (ātman) remains untouched—inviting śānti through discernment.

Application: Align life with cycles: observe daily/seasonal discipline, reflect on mortality and priorities; use calendrical awareness to support sādhana and ethical regularity.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Geographic Context

Type: cosmic time-wheel/axle

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.58.1-1.58.5 (solar chariot and measures)

Characters & Entities

• Vivasvān (Sūrya)

FAQs

What is the importance of the Kālacakra (Wheel of Time) in the Garuḍa Purāṇa?

This verse frames time as an ordered, established “wheel,” anchored in the cycle of the year and governed through the Sun (Vivasvān), emphasizing cosmic regularity rather than randomness.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul?

Indirectly: by defining time’s structure under the Sun, it provides the cosmological backdrop for later teachings on death, afterlife timing, and ritual observances that are tied to calendrical cycles.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Live and practice with awareness of time’s cycles—plan dharma-based duties, vows, and ancestral rites in alignment with calendrical discipline, treating time as sacred order.