Shloka 316
अव्यक्त-गुण-पुरुषविवेकः | Avyakta, Guṇas, and Discrimination of Puruṣa
रश्मिजालमिवादित्यस्तत् तत्काले नियच्छति । प्रकृतिदेवी ही जगत्की सृष्टि और प्रलय करती है। जैसे सूर्य प्रतिदिन प्रातःकाल अपनी किरणोंको सब ओर फैलाता और सायंकालमें अपने किरण-जालको समेट लेता है
raśmijālam ivādityas tat tatkāle niyacchati | prakṛtidevī hi jagat sṛṣṭiṃ ca pralayaṃ ca karoti | yathā sūryaḥ pratidinaṃ prātaḥkāle svāḥ raśmīḥ sarvato vistarayati sāyaṃkāle ca svaṃ raśmijālaṃ saṃharati, tathā ādipuruṣo brahmā svasya dina-kalpasya ārambhe triguṇān vistarayati ante ca sarvān saṃhṛtya kevala eva avaśiṣyate |
婆悉吒说道：“正如太阳于其时收摄光线之网，神圣的自性之力（Prakṛti）亦使世界生起与归灭。太阳每日清晨放射光芒遍满诸方，至黄昏又收回其光网；同样，原初的梵天——太初之普鲁沙——在其一日（劫，kalpa）之始展开三德（guṇa），至其终则尽皆摄归，唯独自存。”
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
Cosmic manifestation is cyclical: Prakṛti, through the play of the three guṇas, unfolds the universe and later withdraws it. The simile of the Sun’s rays teaches that expansion and retraction occur according to an ordered time, encouraging a view of change as lawful and impersonal rather than random.
Vasiṣṭha is explaining a cosmological principle using a vivid daily image. He compares the Sun spreading and gathering its rays to Brahmā’s ‘day’ (kalpa), during which the guṇas expand into creation and are later reabsorbed at dissolution, leaving the primordial principle alone.