Srimad Bhagavatam — Panchama Skandha, Shloka 5

Kāla-cakra and the Motions of the Sun, Moon, Stars, and Grahas

Bhāgavata Jyotiṣa Framework

Devanagari script

अथ स एष आत्मा लोकानां द्यावापृथिव्योरन्तरेण नभोवलयस्य कालचक्रगतो द्वादश मासान् भुङ्क्ते राशिसंज्ञान् संवत्सरावयवान्मास: पक्षद्वयं दिवा नक्तं चेति सपादर्क्षद्वयमुपदिशन्ति यावता षष्ठमंशं भुञ्जीत स वै ऋतुरित्युपदिश्यते संवत्सरावयव: ॥ ५ ॥

Transliteration

atha sa eṣa ātmā lokānāṁ dyāv-āpṛthivyor antareṇa nabho-valayasya kālacakra-gato dvādaśa māsān bhuṅkte rāśi-saṁjñān saṁvatsarāvayavān māsaḥ pakṣa-dvayaṁ divā naktaṁ ceti sapādarkṣa-dvayam upadiśanti yāvatā ṣaṣṭham aṁśaṁ bhuñjīta sa vai ṛtur ity upadiśyate saṁvatsarāvayavaḥ.

Translation

Thần Mặt Trời—Nārāyaṇa/Viṣṇu, linh hồn của mọi thế giới—ngự trong không gian giữa trời và đất, vận hành trên bánh xe thời gian qua mười hai tháng. Tiếp xúc với mười hai cung hoàng đạo, Ngài mang mười hai danh xưng. Tổng hợp mười hai tháng gọi là saṁvatsara (một năm). Theo lịch nguyệt, hai nửa tháng (trăng sáng và trăng tàn) hợp thành một tháng; đối với cõi Pitṛloka, đó là một ngày một đêm. Theo tính sao, một tháng bằng hai và một phần tư chòm sao. Khi mặt trời đi trong hai tháng, trọn một phần sáu của năm—gọi là mùa (ṛtu); vì thế các mùa là những chi phần của thân thể năm.

Synonyms

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha-bodhaka (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: Maṅgala/anuvādārtha-avyaya (discourse particle)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• eṣaḥ: this
• eṣaḥ: Karta-viśeṣaṇa (कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• ātmā: the Self (as Time)
• ātmā: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• lokānām: of the worlds
• lokānām: Sambandha (षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī, Bahuvacana

• dyau-āpṛthivyoḥ: of heaven and earth
• dyau-āpṛthivyoḥ: Sambandha (षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dyu (प्रातिपदिक) + pṛthivī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Dvandva (itaretara) 'heaven and earth'; Ṣaṣṭhī vibhakti (Gen, 6th), Dvivacana (dual)

• antareṇa: between
• antareṇa: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/locative sense)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: antareṇa (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; upasarga-like preposition meaning 'between/without'; here 'between' with genitive

• nabhaḥ-valayasya: of the celestial sphere
• nabhaḥ-valayasya: Sambandha (षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nabhas (प्रातिपदिक) + valaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī, Ekavacana; tatpuruṣa: 'of the sky-sphere/ring of space'

• kālacakra-gataḥ: moving in the wheel of time
• kālacakra-gataḥ: Karta-viśeṣaṇa (कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक) + cakra (प्रातिपदिक) + gata (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; tatpuruṣa: 'gone/entered into the wheel of time' (gata = past participle of √gam)

• dvādaśa: twelve
• dvādaśa: Karma-viśeṣaṇa (कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dvādaśa (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Numeral used adjectivally; (with māsān) Dvitīyā, Bahuvacana (indeclinable numeral form)

• māsān: months
• māsān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Dvitīyā, Bahuvacana

• bhuṅkte: enjoys/experiences
• bhuṅkte: Kriyā (मुख्य-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhuj (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ lakāra (present), Ātmanepada; Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Ekavacana

• rāśi-saṁjñān: known as zodiac signs
• rāśi-saṁjñān: Karma-viśeṣaṇa (कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rāśi (प्रातिपदिक) + saṁjñā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Dvitīyā, Bahuvacana; tatpuruṣa: 'having the designation of rāśis (zodiac signs)'

• saṁvatsara-avayavān: as parts of the year
• saṁvatsara-avayavān: Karma-viśeṣaṇa (कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saṁvatsara (प्रातिपदिक) + avayava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Dvitīyā, Bahuvacana; tatpuruṣa: 'parts of the year'

• māsaḥ: a month
• māsaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• pakṣa-dvayam: two fortnights
• pakṣa-dvayam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pakṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + dvaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुṁsaka, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; dvigu: 'two fortnights'

• divā: day
• divā: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: divā (अव्यय)
• Form: Kāla-avyaya (adverb of time)

• naktam: night
• naktam: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: naktam (अव्यय)
• Form: Kāla-avyaya (adverb of time)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction

• iti: thus
• iti: Vākyārtha-sūcaka (उद्धरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: Quotative particle

• sapāda-arkṣa-dvayam: two and a quarter lunar mansions
• sapāda-arkṣa-dvayam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sa-pāda (प्रातिपदिक) + arkṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + dvaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napुṁsaka, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; dvigu: 'two (and a quarter) nakṣatras' (sapāda = with a quarter)

• upadiśanti: they state/teach
• upadiśanti: Kriyā (मुख्य-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: upa + diś (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ lakāra, Parasmaipada; Prathama-puruṣa, Bahuvacana

• yāvatā: by which measure
• yāvatā: Karaṇa (करण/measure)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yāvat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga/napuṁsaka, Tṛtīyā vibhakti (Instr, 3rd), Ekavacana; relative measure 'by which amount/so much that'

• ṣaṣṭham: sixth
• ṣaṣṭham: Karma-viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ṣaṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga/napuṁsaka, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana; ordinal 'sixth' qualifying aṁśam

• aṁśam: portion
• aṁśam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṁśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Dvitīyā, Ekavacana

• bhuñjīta: would experience
• bhuñjīta: Kriyā (within relative clause)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhuj (धातु)
• Form: Liṅ lakāra (optative/vidhi), Ātmanepada; Prathama-puruṣa, Ekavacana

• saḥ: that
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• vai: indeed
• vai: Avadhāraṇa (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: Nipāta (emphatic particle)

• ṛtuḥ: a season
• ṛtuḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛtu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana

• iti: thus
• iti: Vākyārtha-sūcaka
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: Quotative particle

• upadiśyate: is taught/defined
• upadiśyate: Kriyā (passive)
• Type: Verb
• Root: upa + diś (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ lakāra, karmaṇi-prayoga (passive); Prathama-puruṣa, Ekavacana

• saṁvatsara-avayavaḥ: a part of the year
• saṁvatsara-avayavaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṁvatsara (प्रातिपदिक) + avayava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Prathamā, Ekavacana; tatpuruṣa: 'a part of the year' (appositional to ṛtuḥ)

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about the wheel of time (kāla-cakra)?

This verse explains that within the celestial sphere the luminary/time-marker moves through divisions of time—months, fortnights, day and night—showing how the cosmos is structured by the wheel of time.

Who is describing the months, nakshatras, and seasons in Bhagavatam 5.22?

Śukadeva Gosvāmī is instructing Mahārāja Parīkṣit about cosmic time divisions—months named by rāśis, months made of pakṣas and days/nights, and seasons as one-sixth of the year.

Practical application of this teaching about months and seasons in modern life?

It encourages seeing time as sacred and ordered—using daily, fortnightly, and seasonal cycles for disciplined sādhana, gratitude, and remembrance of the Lord who governs time.