Text 21
saṁvatsaraś caṇḍavegaḥ
kālo yenopalakṣitaḥ
tasyāhānīha gandharvā
gandharvyo rātrayaḥ smṛtāḥ
haranty āyuḥ parikrāntyā
ṣaṣṭy-uttara-śata-trayam
saṁvatsaraḥ — year; caṇḍa-vegaḥ — called Caṇḍavega; kālaḥ — time; yena — by which; upalakṣitaḥ — symbolized; tasya — of the duration of life; ahāni — days; iha — in this life; gandharvāḥ — Gandharvas; gandharvyaḥ — Gandharvīs; rātrayaḥ — nights; smṛtāḥ — are understood; haranti — they take away; āyuḥ — duration of life; parikrāntyā — by traveling; ṣaṣṭi — sixty; uttara — above; śata — hundred; trayam — three.
What was previously explained as Caṇḍavega, powerful time, is covered by days and nights, named Gandharvas and Gandharvīs. The body’s life span is gradually reduced by the passage of days and nights, which number 360.
The word parikrāntyā means “by traveling.” The living entity travels on his chariot day and night during a year consisting of 360 (or more) days and nights. Life’s progress is taken for the unnecessary labor required to cover these 360 days and nights of life.