Chapter 25 - An Account of the Birth of the Moon

1. Vaisampayana said:—O king, Soma’s father the Divine Rishi Atri was the mind-begotten son of Brahma when, in the days of yore, he grew desirous of creating progeny.

2. Atri, with all his sons, began to do good unto all creatures, by his words, mind and action.

3-4. That innocent, highly effulgent and virtuous-souled Rishi, of firm vows, formerly pratised, with his arms raised, the most excellent penance of silence for three thousand celestial years. This we have heard.

5. O descendant of Bharata, when that Rishi, having controlled his senses, began to practise penances steadfastly his person assumed the mild lustre of the moon.

6. This moon-like lustre, of the person of that one of controlled senses, soon spread over the sky. Then from his eyes tears began to trickle down and flood the ten quarters.

7. Thereupon the ten goddesses delightedly conceived in ten different ways. Though they all did it unitedly they however could not keep it.

8. Thereupon the effulgent, all-protecting moon in the embryo fell down lighting up all the quarters.

9. When the quarters could not bear this conception any more the embryo, along with them, fell down on earth.

10. Beholding the moon thus fallen Brahma, the grand-father of all, got on his chariot for doing good unto all people

11. That chariot was made of the Vedas; its form was virtue and it carried Brahma; thousands of Mantra horses wore yoked to it;this we have heard.

12. When that great soul, the son of Atri, came down on earth, all the deities and the seven mind-begotten sons of Brahma began to chant his glories.

13. In the same way, O my child, Angira’s sons and Bhrigu with his sons began to hymn his glories with Rik and Yayush Mantras.

14. Having his glories thus chanted by the Rishis the effulgent moon had his increasing lustre stationed in a circular form in the sky. It fully lighted up the three worlds.

15. In his that most excellent chariot the highly illustrious moon circumambulated, for twenty-one times, the world bounded by the sea.

16. His lustre, that melted down on earth on account of the motion of his car, became plants that shone in their effulgence.

17. O king, those plants conduce to the nourishment of the gods, ancestral manes, men, beasts, birds, reptiles and other creatures;the moon is thus the nourisher of the universe.

18. O great one, having acquired lustre through his own deeds and the chanting of his glories by the Rishis the divine moon carried on hard austerities for one thousand Padma years. The moon was the asylum of all those silvery goddesses in the shape of water who upheld the universe. He became celebrated by his own actions.

20. Thereupon, O Janamejaya, Brahma, the foremost of those conversant with the Vedas, conferred upon him the sovereignty over seeds, plants, the Brahmanas and water.

21. After his installation on the throne, O monarch, the lord of rays lighted up the three worlds with his rays.

22. Daksha had twenty-seven daughters of great vows. People knew them as stars. Praceta’s son Daksha conferred them all on him.

23. Having obtained that great kingdom the moon, the lord of ancestral manes, made arrangements for a Rajsuya sacrifice in which ten million kine were given away as presents.

24. The divine Atri was the Hota^[1] thereof, Bhrigu Adhvaryu^[2] Hiranyagarbha, Udgata^[3] and Brahma himself was Brahma^[4].

25. And the Divine Narayana, surrounded by Sanatkumar and other Prime Rishis, became the member thereof.

26. O descendant of Bharata, we have heard that the Divine Soma conferred presents on the leading Brahmana saints and all other Rishis of the three worlds who had assembled there.

27. Sinivali, Kuhu, Dyuti, Pushti, Prabha, Vasu, Dhriti, Kirti and Lakshmi, these nine goddesses attended upon him.

28. Having bathed after the termination of the Yagna the foremost of kings, the moon, worshipped of all the gods and Rishis, began steadily to light up the ten quarters.

29. O my child, having been honored by the sages and acquired prosperity which it is very difficult to obtain his mind began to deviate from humility. And accordingly sullied by immorality he lost all control over himself.

30. Having disregarded Vrihaspati, the son of Angiras, the moon by force carried away his illustrious wife Tara.

31. And albeit solicited by the gods and Rishis he did not return her. Vrihaspati, the the preceptor of the gods, was accordingly enraged with him.

32-33. Ushana (Suka) began to protect his sides. The illustrious deity Rudra was formerly a disciple of Vrihaspati’s father. Out of reverence for him he (Rudra) protected his rear, taking his Ajagava bow in his hands.

34-35. A terrible battle, destructive of the gods and demons on account of Tara, was fought at the place where the high-souled Siva discharged his mighty weapon Brahmasiras—for the destruction of the demons and where their glory was (accordingly) destroyed.

36. O descendant of Bharata, in that battle the gods, well read in the precepts of religion who had sided Vrishaspati, and the deities Tushitas, who belonged to Soma’s party who had stolen away his preceptor’s wife, sought refuge with the Prime Deity the Eternal Brahma.

37. Thereupon the Grand-father himself came there, prevented Sukra and Sankara (to fight) and gave back Tara to Vrihaspati.

38. Beholding Tara enciente Vrihaspati said to her:—"You must not give birth to this child at my house".

39. She then gave birth to a son, the destroyer of robbers, effulgent like a burning flame, on a bundle of fibrous sticks.

40-41. As soon as he was born that beautiful boy overclouded the beauty of the celestials. Filled with suspicion accordingly the deities enquired of Tara saying "Who is he? Tell us truly if he is Vrihaspati’s son or Soma’s." When she was thus questioned by the gods she could give no reply out of shame.

42. Thereupon her son, the slayer of robbers, was about to imprecate a curse on her. Preventing him Brahma himself asked Tara for the solution of the doubt. "

43-44. Tell us, O Tata, what the truth is. Whose son is he?" Thereupon with folded hands she said to the Lord Brahma, the conferrer of boons:—"(He is) Soma’s." Then his father the Patriarch Soma smelt the crown of his high-souled son, the destroyer of robbers.

45. The intelligent (Soma) named his son Budha. He always rises in the sky in a hostile direction

46. Budha begat a son on Vairaja’s daughter Ila. His son was the great king Pururava.

47. He begat on Urvashi seven high-souled sons. On account of his arrogance the Moon was attacked with consumption.

48. On account of his thus being subject to this disease his orbit suffered decrease. He then sought refuge with his father Atri.

49. The great ascetic Atri released him from his sins. And accordingly freed from consumption he again shone in his effulgence.

50. O monarch, I have thus described to you, the account of the birth of the Moon enhancing glory. I shall now describe his family.

51. On hearing of the story of the birth of the Moon ever giving blessedness, freedom from diseases, long life and progeny one is freed from all his sins.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

A priest who at a sacrifice recites the prayers of the Rig-Veda.

[2]:

A Brahmana versed in the rituals of the Yayur-Veda.

[3]:

A reciter of the prayers &c. of the Sama Veda.

[4]:

The Superintending or presiding priest of the sacrifice.