2. English translation (of Samba-purāṇa, selected chapters)

Sāmba-purāṇa 3 / Bhaviṣya-purāṇa I. 72

Vasiṣṭā said:

Sumantu said:

9a Hear [the story] about the fallen one, o king, and about the removal [of his curse].

9a Hear [the story] about the fallen one, o king, and about the removal [of his curse]. The lord called Durvāsa, known as a descendant of Rudra, being a wandering sage, wandered in the three worlds. Therefore, he reached Dvāratī, formerly known for being ruled by Madhu[1]. Sāmba, proud of his [beautiful] appearance, having seen the arrival of the ṛṣi, red-eyed, starved and emaciated, deformed and very thin, did an imitation of his appearance and his gait. Having seen his face, Sāmba, proud of his youth, mimicked the crooked face of that man, o best of the Kurus; so Durvāsa, [he] of great splendour, the best of the ṛṣis, [was] very angry. The Bhagavān spoke to Sāmba: ‘Since you have seen my appearance, you, proud of your own appearance, have done the imitation of my gait and demeanour, you will contract leprosy soon.’

Bhaviṣya-purāṇa I. 66

Sāmba said: […] The wise Durvāsa is furious that he was mocked by me, [who am] confused[2]; because of 30 curse, I have contracted leprosy. I, afflicted by leprosy, ashamed of [my] excessive arrogance, went to my father. I spoke thus: ‘Father, my body is afflicted and my voice abandons [me]. The black leprosy, of frightful appearance, wants to destroy me. I am afflicted by the king of all diseases because of my terrible act, and neither doctors nor herbs can give me any peace. For this reason, I ask your permission to leave this life. If I [am] favoured, you [will] allow me to depart.’ This [was my] speech. [My] father, tormented by the pain of [his] son, having meditated for a while, said these words to me: ‘Son, seek refuge in [your] firmness. Do not set your mind on [your] affliction; do not let the disease, which fixes your mind on pain, destroy [you who are] afflicted by pain, like the fire [destroys] the dry grass. Do not abandon [yourself] to grief, little son, [but] to the highest worship of the divinity.’ Thus he spoke, and I asked: ‘Which god should I worship? Which [one] must I worship so that the disease will abandon me completely?’ ..........

Sāmba-purāṇa 3 / Bhaviṣya-purāṇa I. 73

Because of the (excessive) unavoidability of the future[3] and the memories of the past, the sage Durvāsa [was] furious. Sāmba, the great man, got [that] great curse, and through this curse was produced the mace[4] [5], which made his family fall.

Sāmba-purāṇa 25 / Bhaviṣya-purāṇa I. 128

[Stavarāja]

Vasiṣṭā said:	Sumantu said:
So there Sāmba, emaciated, having veins strained like cords, celebrates, O king, the bringer of 1 the day, the thousand-rayed with a thousand names. Sūrya, having seen Kṛṣṇa’s son mortify himself in that way, gave him another vision during his sleep, in which he spoke thus:
Sūrya said:	Lord Sūrya said:
‘Sāmba, Sāmba of great strength, listen to [me], son of Jāmbavatī. Recite this beautiful, appropriate praise with a thousand names! The secret names, means of purification and auspicious, I want to recite for you; having heard them, reflect upon them: Oṃ the Divider[6] (Vikartana) the Brilliant One (Vivasvat) the Dead Egg (Mārtaṇḍa) the Light-Making (Bhāskara) the Roaring One (Ravi)[7] the World-Illuminator (Lokaprakāśaka) the Venerable (Śrīmat) the Eye of the World (Lokacakṣus) the Lord of the Planets (Graheśvara) the Witness of the World (Lokasākṣin) the Lord of the Three Worlds (Trilokeśa) the Maker (Kartṛ) the Destroyer (Hartṛ) the Destroyer of Darkness (Tamisrahan) the Shining (Tapana) the Illuminator (Tāpana) the Radiant (Śuci) the Bearer of Seven Horses (Saptāśvavāhana) the One Having Rays for Hands (Gabhastihasta) the Absolute (Brahman) the One Venerated by All Gods (Sarvadevanamaskṛta) [These are] the twenty-one names. I always desire this praise. It heals the body’s diseases, and also increases the property and confers glory. It is called Stavarāja (King of Praises) and it is known in the three worlds. [The person], o strong-armed [one], who humbly praises me at the two points of juncture [of the day], the setting and the rising of the sun, having done [this], he is released from all evils. And an evil action, [committed] with the body, with words or with the mind, is destroyed in my presence, by the muttering [of the Stavarāja] once in its entirety. 10 [The Stavarāja] consists of the muttering of prayers, and the homa[8], and also the worship performed at Saṃdhyā[9], the mantra of the oblation, the mantra of the reception of a guest, as well as the mantra of incense. This great mantra, splendid, honoured by food offerings, bathing, prostration and pradakṣina (circumambulation), carries away all diseases[10] ’. Thus said the Lord Bhāskara, master of the world, having addressed to Kṛṣṇa’s son there, [and then] he disappeared. So Sāmba, having prayed with the Stavarāja of the seven horses [became] pure-minded, free from sickness, glorious, and from that, freed from disease.

Sāmba-purāṇa 11 / Bhaviṣya-purāṇa I. 79

[Viśvakarman]

……… Viśvakarman said: This form of yours, filled with too much splendour, [is] quite intolerable. Saṃjñā[11], incapable of bearing [it], lives in the grassy forest. Today, Lord, you will see your wife, of beautiful movements, who stays in the forest undertaking the highest penance because of your appearance.
I agree with Brahmā’s speech; if you desire, o god, I can shape your beloved form today, o victorious [one].	As Brahmā said, if you desire, o powerful [one], I can break off your form, chief of the gods, for a superior purpose, lord of the earth.
(The form of Vivasvāt[12] was put horizontally, vertically, down and flat. Because of that form, the god Divaspati[13] [was] really squeezed.)
He of Great Splendour was most delighted by his speech; so he allowed Tvaṣṭṛto shape [his] form. [When] Viśvakarman [was] authorized by Vivasvāt, in Śākadvīpa, having fixed [him], turning round, he sharpened his splendour. Viśvakarman scratched [the sun’s form] as far as the knee in a delicate manner. [The sun god] did not approve of scratching more than what
[Viśvakarman] had [already] removed.
Having achieved that form, through the removal of the splendour,	There the wished form, with the expected splendour,
he made it (the form) the most beautiful among the beautiful ones and [he] embellished [it] much more. Having undertaken yoga, he (the sun god) saw his wife [in the form of] a mare[14], surrounded with her own splendour, powerful, invincible for all beings. Mārtaṇḍa, [having assumed] the form of a horse, approached her with sexual intentions, [touching] her snout. She moved her limbs about the unknown man, fearlessly, [and] she vomited the semen of Vivasvat from her nostrils. [In this way] the two Aśvins, the great physicians, were born.

Sāmba-purāṇa 12 / Bhaviṣya-purāṇa I. 121

Sāmba said:	Śatanika said:
You have told [the story of] the honing of Bhānu’s form concisely. I wish to listen to the 1 extensive [version]; tell it to me, o virtuous [one].
Nārada said:	Sumantu said:
[When] Saṃjñā went to her father’s house, o son of Yadu, Bhāskara thought, ‘Waiting for my form [to be shaped], she the splendid went to her father’s house to undertake the ascesis. For this reason I want to satisfy her wished desire.’ In the meantime, Brahmā, having gone there, [where] Divākara [was],
said in a sweet voice, a speech inspiring affection in Ravi:	said a sweet speech, a beautiful [one], inspiring affection in Ravi:
‘You are the first god among the gods and this world is pervaded by you. Your father-in-law, Viśvakarman, will hone your form.’ Having said this to Ravi, Brahmā spoke to Viśvakarman: ‘Hone the splendid form of Mārtaṇḍa.’ So, [following] Brahmā’s advice, having set Bhāskara on a turner’s lathe, Viśvakarman gradually shaped [his] form. Then Brahmā [was] satisfied, with the troops of gods, the various secret stotras, the Vedas, the Vedāṅgas, and the Saṅmitas.
………………………

Sāmba-purāṇa 24 / Bhaviṣya-purāṇa I. 123

Sāmba said:	Śatanika said:
Tell me once again the story related to Sūrya. I have not reached satisfaction in listening to this 1 beautiful story.
Nārada said:	Sumantu said:
I will tell you the divine story of Āditya, [a story which] causes the destruction of all evils, and which has formerly been told by Brahmā, the creator of the world. The ṛṣis heated and bewildered by the brilliance of Sūrya’s rays, asked the Pitāmaha (Brahmā) in Brahmā’s world.
The ṛṣis said: Who is this shining [one], of great brilliance, having equal splendour of strings of fire? This we hope to hear. What is his origin, o lord? Brahmā said: When everything inanimate and animate [was] covered by darkness and [was] destroyed, thanks to the movement of the guṇas, the buddhi (intellect) was born; then the ahaṃkāra (selfconsciousness), which sets in motion the great elements, was born: the wind, the fire, the water and the earth. After that, the egg was born, and in this egg there were the seven worlds, the 7 earth, the seven dvīpas and the seven oceans. Viṣṇu, Maheśvara and I were standing there, confused by the splendour, all meditating upon the supreme lord. After that, an inconceivable great splendour, the sun[15], appeared; through a profound meditation, we knew Savitṛ. Having each recognized, one by one, the supreme ātman, the gods started to praise with divine prayers: ‘You are the first god among the gods, the lord of the lords; you are the creator of the creatures, the god of gods, Divākara.’ ............ The praised lord stood in [his] shining form, and said [his] beautiful speech: ‘Which boon do you want me to grant for you?’ Brahmā said: Nobody would be able to bear your excessively shining form; make it endurable to those desirous, o lord of the world. “Let it be,” said the Bhagavān, the day-maker, the almighty, who causes heat, rain, cold and frost, for the sake of satisfying the world. Because of this, the followers of Saṃkhya, the followers of Yoga and others desirous of liberation meditate, engaged in contemplation, and Divākara is constantly in their hearts. [A person who] has 29 abandoned all virtues, or who has come into contact with all sins, is set free from all evil dwelling by the god Arka. The Agnihotra, the Vedas and the Yajn͂ as [even] marked by many donations, do not deserve a sixteenth part of the devoted adoration of Bhānu. The supreme tīrtha among the tīrthas, the [supreme] welfare among the welfares, the [supreme] mean of purification among the means of purification, I bow down to Divākara. The men who honour Bhāskara, celebrated by Brahmā and the other gods, they are free from all guilt[16], and proceed they are free from all guilt, and go to Ravi’s to Sūrya’s world. dwelling. ............

Sāmba-purāṇa 15 / Bhaviṣya-purāṇa I. 123

Sāmba said:	Śatānīka said:
How was the scarification of Bhanu’s body carried out by the gods and the ṛṣis? Please tell me about this.
Nārada said:	Sumantu said:
In Brahmā’s world, the ṛṣis, along with the gods and the Asuras, having approached Brahmā, [who was] comfortably seated, they all said together: ‘O lord, the son of Aditi,
who rules over the sky, [also] known as Mārtaṇḍa, of intense brilliance, of great splendour, how do you perceive, O Powerful, the complete world, [made of] inanimate and animate things, being distressed by his splendour, without a protector? We are frightened and bewildered by his splendour, too. In the sky, on the earth, in the atmosphere (antarikṣa-) we do not get shelter.’ Thus spoke, the Lord having a lotus as sit said:	[thanks to whom] the darkness was cut off [and] no harm approaches, called Jājvalati[17]; o lord of the gods, like a 36 damaged river bank, we are all afflicted and confused by his splendour, like this weak lotus, which traces his origin to you, o powerful [one]. So ensure that [his] splendour decreases, o older of the gods (Brahmā).’ Thus spoke and the lotus-born lord Prajāpati.
	Lord Brahmā said to the gods led by Viṣṇu, with Mahādeva, Indra and Mahātman:
‘Together we will take refuge in that god!’ So [together] with Prajāpati, all began to praise him at once; he was rising from the east, like the ornamental crest of the Śailarāja[18].	So all the gods together, with Brahmā, Viṣṇu and the others, went to the refuge, Bhāskara, the illuminator of the world. Bowed down together in devotion, let’s all worship the head and the other parts of the divinity, all [of us] living in devotion (bhakti-) [to the god].
Brahmā said:	Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Īśa said:
Honour to you, best among the gods, of intense brilliance.	Honour to you, best among the gods, [one who is] truly [the] celebrated [one]. The apathetic ones, the blind, the mute, and deaf ones, the lepers and the affected by white leper, the blind ones,[19] [those who are] covered with perforating ulcers, you always make them renewed. For this reason we honour you, of great compassion.
………………..	………………….
In this way the gods, with Prajāpati (Brahmā) at the fore, praised the lord; after having reflected, the lord approached them and said:
‘This hymn [has been] carried out and [well] executed regularly; O gods, tell me immediately the supreme speech: What can I do myself?’
	‘Viśvakarman, following your instructions, will make [your form] more gentle.’ 54b
Having obtained his approval, the gods [were] really delighted in their minds; they started to pray to Tvaṣṭṛ, by the actions of their minds, words and body. So Viśvakarman, the one who regulates all the works, placing Vibhāvasu, that mass of splendour, on the lathe, gradually honed the splendour of the disc of the One sprinkled with amṛta and glorified by the celestial singers.
And he was scratched as far as the knee by the gods, the Asuras and the great serpents; [the sun] did not approve the scratching, so 20 he was removed from there.	And he was scratched as far as the knee, praised by the gods and the Asuras; the god did not approve the delineation [of his shape] in that way.
So, from that moment, the feet of the god [have been] always covered.[20] Then, the splendour [with which the sun was] endowed, [became] warm and pleasant; and with the surplus of his splendour a discus was built, with which Viṣṇu, [him] of unmeasured strength, [defeated] the terribly cruel Dānavas[21]; and a pin, a spear, a mace, a vajra, a bow, an axe—the great-minded Viśvakarman having built [these weapons], gave them to the gods.
[The person] who mutters the stotra, originating from Brahmā’s mouth, at both the times of transition[22],	[The person] who mutters the stotra, created by the three gods, at both the times of transition,
he purifies [his] family and he is not hurt by any disease[23]. He will [have] progeny, the fulfilment of his actions, and he would live a hundred years; he [would be] unsurpassed everywhere in children and richness,
and once his life breath has left, he would obtain the world of Savitṛ.	and having left the abode of all living beings, he would go to Sūrya’s dwelling. …………………. With the surplus of his splendour, which were fifteen parts, the great ātman made a spear for Śarva (= Śiva); the violent discus of Viṣṇu, of the Vasus and of Śaṃkara; the lance of Ṣaṇmukha (= Skanda) and Dhanada (= Kubera)’s śibikā[24]; and all the other terrible weapons of Asuras’ enemies (= the gods), and of the Yakṣas and the Vidyādhara (= Śiva’s attendants); Viśvakarman made 80 them all. So the Lord Ravi bears sixteen parts; fifteen parts of his splendour were cut off by Viśvakarman. In that way Bhānu, wellformed, went to Uttarakuru[25], and there he saw Saṃjñā, having the form of a mare.

Sāmba-purāṇa 4 / Bhaviṣya-purāṇa I. 74

[Second group of texts from the Sāmba-purāṇa]

Bṛhadbala said:	Śatānīka said:
If Sūrya was installed by Sāmba on the Candrabhāga’s bank, from that moment is that not the 1 sacred place, as it was told by you?
Vasiṣṭha said:	Sumantu said:
That is the first place built by Sāmba in the West. Listen to me, I am telling you [the story] diffusely. O chief of men, that god, the lord of worlds, the ruler of the earth, who is encircled with rays, the absolute, having no beginning nor end, perpetual and imperishable, having created all the Prajāpatis, and the creatures of various sorts, standing in [his] Mitra form, practiced austerities.
	From his mouth, [he][26] had previously emanated a god similar to a lotus; then Kaṃjaja created a god from his breast, o prince; from his forehead, o tiger of the Kurus, [he created] [the one] having a lotuseye, dressed with space; the ṛbhus[27] were all produced by that great ātman from his feet.
Then the thousand-rayed, indistinct [one], the Puruṣa himself, the twelve fold being, was born from Aditi: Indra, Dhāṭṛ, Parjanya, Pūṣan, Tvaṣṭṛ, Aryaman, Bhaga, Vivasvat, Viṣṇu and Aṃśu, 8 Varuṇa and Mitra. With these twelve forms Sūrya, the great ātman, pervaded the entire world. The first form of Āditya is known as Indra:
it abides in the divine kingship, it is the ruler of the gods.	it abides in the divine kingship, it is the ruler of the Dānava s and the Asuras.
The second form of Ārka is celebrated with the name Dātṛ: It abides in the kingship over creatures, and it creates the manifold beings. The third form of Ārka is famous as Parjanya:
it abides in the clouds and it rains with rays of light.	it abides in the rays of light and it rains amṛta.
His fourth form is known as Pūṣan: it is embedded in food and it constantly feeds the creatures. His fifth form is famous by the name Tvaṣṭṛ:
it abides into the soma plant and in all the plants.	it abides constantly in the soma plants and in the [other] plants.
The sixth form of Ravi is celebrated as Aryaman,
because it moves the air (vāyu) and it abides in the bodies.	because it is contained in creatures, and always stays in the bodies.
The seventh form of Bhānu is known by the name Bhaga:
it resides on the earth, in the bodies of the living beings.	it resides on the earth and in the mountains, o Bhārata.
His eighth form is famous as Vivasvān: it abides in fire and cooks food for living beings.
The ninth form of Citrabhānu is called Viṣṇu: it constantly becomes manifest, [it is] the destroyer of the foes of the gods.	The ninth form of Citrabhānu is called Aṃśu: it stays in the moon, o hero, and makes the world increase.
His tenth form is known as Aṃśumat: it lives in the wind and it refreshes the creatures.	His tenth form is considered Viṣṇu: it manifests constantly as the destroyer of the enemies of the gods.
The eleventh form of Bhānu is known as Varuṇa: it support the entire world and it resides in the waters. (Varuṇa indeed stays in the water; he abides in the ocean; for this reason one ocean is called Varuṇālaya—Varuṇa’s dwelling). The twelfth form of Bhānu is famous by the name Mitra: for the sake of mankind, it stays on the shore of the river Candrabhāgā;
eating only air, he[28] practices austerity and he stays [there] with [his] Mitraic eye.	eating only air, it practices austerity, furnished with its Mitraic eye.
He always receives devotees with multiform boons. In this way Sāmba built the first [sacred] place in the west; because Mitra is settled there, it is known as Mitravana—Mitra’s forest.
	After having honoured [the god], o long-armed [one], Sāmba, [he] of boundless glory, with his (the god’s) favour and under his instruction, accomplished his installation.
With those twelve forms,
Savitṛ of great ātman	Bhāskara of great ātman
pervaded the entire world, o ruler of men. For this reason, devoted men should constantly pray to him in his twelve forms, with their souls directed towards him.
	The men, completely possessed by devotion (bhakti), worship Āditya and they will go to the supreme place where the lord of the lotus dwells.
Mankind, having known the twelve-fold Āditya, having constantly prayed and recited, rise to the Sūryaloka—the world of the sun.	The one who worships the twelvefold ātman, he is released from all evils and goes to the same world as the sun. ***

Sāmba-purāṇa 42

Vasiṣṭha said:

1 Having built the temple and having taken the Yājakas^[29] [there], the virtuous [ones] (dharmātman-) approached [the place] in which Ravi stood. Having heard about Mitravana, the gods, the men, the serpents (pannaga-), the ṛṣis, the Siddhas, the Vidyādhras, the Gandharvas, the snakes (uraga-) and the Guhyakas, the guardians of a quarter of the sky (dikpāla-), the guardians of the world (lokapāla-), the planets (graha-), the Yakṣas^[30], the virtuous ones (dhārmika-), [along] with the Prajāpatis, all requite [his] favour by going [there]. Some [of them gone] beyond fasting, some following [him] in [their] souls (ātman-); some [of them] following the secret threefold path, some completely possessed by muttering; some [of them] carrying a wooden bow, some directed towards all goals; some having the established food, others having no food [at all]; they went, engaged in the meditation on Ravi, having abandoned the worries of rebirth, some [of them] having fasted half of the month, towards the jump into the ātman. Having reached the salt ocean in short time, and having seen the delightful Tapovana on [the shore of] the salt ocean, bearing various flowers and fruits, visited by gods and Gandharvas, the ṛṣis approached respectfully, having abandoned the path^[31] forever. Having seen the delightful Tapovana, celebrated on Earth for being similar to the unsurpassed world of Ravi, they were all pleased; the agreeable [Tapovana], which assists all creatures in all actions, a joyful dwelling for all living beings, built by Viśvakarman.

Vasiṣṭha said:

Even the wise Nārada constantly recites this śāstra: ‘You are the virtuous Sāmba, illustrious, accompanied by devotion, Yādava; endowed with such qualities, you have built an eternal image [of the god]. Thanks to Sāvitṛ’s grace, we see Tapovana.’ Having heard that pure speech, the supremely virtuous Sāmba, turning his face towards the ground, thus spoke to the god: ‘I previously mentioned the supreme place, in your vicinity, [which I have] built thanks to you favour to me and [your] conferring benefits [coming from] my worship (pūjā). O excellent Vibhāvasu, tell me, [who am] mourning, something more; my body, my senses and life-breath [have] weakened, with the excessively cheerful pray.’

Having got to know Sāmba, accompanied by devotion (bhakti), the god said: ‘Abandon the anxiety about my place, which confers fame, o son of Yadu! Listen to the benevolence (prasāda) I previously expressed in my speech, o Yādava. Formerly ascetic Manus, on the shore of the salt ocean, suffered pains for over a century, wishing [to have] my favour. Seeing those ascetics, compassion arose in my heart. ‘Say, dear sons, which rule, which speech and which support, connected to the unsurpassed aims of satya, dharma and artha, shall I bestow?’ Having heard such pure speech aroused from Devavaktra^[32], the men were delighted and with joyful souls and minds [said]: ‘If the pleased lord intends to give us a boon, let us stay firmly in your devotion (bhakti), o shining god!’ ‘Let it be so’ said the Lord, the all-pervading day-maker. ‘Now wish for another boon, o men!’ Once more satisfied, o Sāmba, [the men], having all the dharmas as their final aim, with overjoyed wide-open eyes, longed for the best boon.

The sages said:

If you of great brilliance, pleased, intends to give us a[nother] boon, through your splendour, make us creators.^[33] ”

Vasiṣṭha said:

The great Mahātejas said again, ‘Let it be so. You will create a multitude of people.^[34] Listen to [what] I say, another cause of glory: [I will make of] this Tapovana a beautiful unsurpassed place.’

Having heard such a pure statement, they said to the Day-maker (Divākara), ‘O god, we are completely surrounded by your splendour, [and] we obtain the supreme aim of glory; enlighten us, o Day-maker!

Having approached this place, we have crossed [the sea of life], o chief of gods, and for the sake of other creatures’ welfare (and for our own favour), we will bring the glory here through your splendour, o Bhāskara.’

The god said:

‘I gave you my place, which is rare in the seven dvīpas. Now you will be famous for one Manvantara^[35]. There the Siddhas, with the Gandharvas and the other best of the gods [will] all be delighted in my place, a higher place than which has never been spoken about.’

……………

Sāmba-purāṇa 43

Vasiṣṭha said:

In that place Tapovana, on the shore of the salt ocean, the ones who arrived stay, longing for a vision of the god. Some [of them] meditate with pure minds, others with [their] minds towards him; they worship [him] with oblations and meditate, having ātman as their highest aim. The Siddhas and the Gandharvas sing [while] the beautiful Apsaras dance. Some have a vinā in their hands, others an offer for the guests^[36]; some do the añjali, and others bow their heads. The Yogins [have] [their] minds on yoga, and the sages [have] restrained minds; the ṛṣis [are] full of peace (śānti-), the gods praise Bhāskara. The Yātudhānas^[37], as well as the Yakṣas, the Siddhas and the Mahoragas (the Great Serpents), the guardians of a quarter of the sky (dikpāla-), the guardians of the world (lokapāla-), and the destroyers of obstacles, they, having attained the supreme devotion (bhakti-), all stayed in Sūryakānana^[38]. Weakened in [their] bodies, senses and life-breaths, [having] the worship of the god [as their] supreme aim, tortured by the ulterior pain of being awake [for a long time], tormented by the journey, they all stayed absorbed in praying, waiting for the rising of the sun. There, early in the morning, with a ruby-red light, all the directions of the earth [became] bright, illuminated by the rays of Ravi; the ocean, the sky and the ground became the reddish colour of Ravi. At the same moment all [the things] came [to be] one flame. At the moment of its rise, one place must be praised by all, [consisting in] the extraordinary shining form of the day-maker. The [solar] disc (maṇḍala-) rose twice, once in the sky and once in the ocean: the other image of the lord shone forth in middle of the waters^[39]. All the Manus, set free from pride, having seen the extraordinary appearance, descended to the great ocean, moving their arms; having taken [the image] with [their] arms, having brought [it] to Tapovana, and having installed [it] according to the rules, the Manus, rejoicing in [their] minds, praised [it] with various stotras equally furnished with Āṅgas and Upāṅgas:

‘O god, you are annihilation, time, decay, shattering, the fire of destruction, [you are] the origin, sustenance and destruction; the creatures were born from your limbs; [you are] dryness, rain, frost, heat, joy, happiness and coolness; o god, you are the creator, the Prakṛti and the Puruṣa, the lord. [You are] self-supported, supportless, and also Chāyā and Saṃjñā^[40] stand by you; [you are] the shelter of all living beings; my devotion will always be to you. O god, with your eye^[41] [pointing] in all directions, going everywhere in every moment, all-bestowing, allknowing, everything, honoured by everyone, you [are] the destroyer of pain. O god, you are the [object of] meditation for the meditators, the highest yoga for the Yogins. You [are] the giver of all the fruits of the month, the daily remover of evil, omnipresent, the destroyer of pain, imperishable, the producer, the compassion, and the powerful. [You have] the skill of compassion, abiding on Earth, full of pity, having the form of the sun. O god, you [have] the form of creation, destruction and conservation [of the world], [you are] the sovereign of the gods; [you are] the rain, the drought, the burnt, the frost, [you have] the nature of fire. [As a] Yogin, [you] destroy the pains of the devotees, you are honoured in the form of yoga. O god, [you are] the happiness in the heart, the crest-gem, the jewel of splendour; [you are] the teacher, the pupil, the [one] absorbed in meditation, the one who eclipses and the nature of eclipse. O god, you [are] the fixed rule, the proper behaviour, the one who behaves properly, the increase of proper behaviour; irregular, regular, fixed, you are honoured in the form of rule (nyāya-). O god, you protect [the ones who have] attained, and you guard the [ones who] stay in the foaming ocean, and [you] raise the people tormented with fear. Honour to you, the eye of the world.^[42] You are tamer and untameable, and the accomplishment of [things that have to] be accomplished; you, free from relations, [are] the relation [itself], [and you are] celebrated having the form of Bandhu (Relation).

Grant us peace, [you who are] the abode of compassion, o brilliant lord of the world, if our speech is convenient and dear [to you], o powerful [one].’

Thus having prayed, they all asked Ravi’s image:

‘By whom was your image constructed? By whom were you established? In which manner did you come here? O god, remove this doubt from us.’

The god said:

At that time, Viśvakarman, under instruction, made [my form] for the sake of the whole world; it [was] celebrated by all the gods. On the top of the Himavat, it was carved in the Kalpa tree, and from there it entered the Candrabhāgā [for] the foundation of the sacred place (sthāna-). And from the Chandrabhāgā [it moved to] the Vipāśa^[43], and from the Vipāśa to the Śatadrava^[44]; from the Śatadrava it moved to the famous river Yamunā and from the Yamunā to the Jāhnavī (= Gaṅgā); it was gradually brought near. From the Bhāgīrathī^[45] it is known to [have flown] to the great river Modagaṅga—that is known as the best of the tīrthas for gaining my favour—in order that the Modagaṅga could flow towards the salt ocean. And now, best of the Manus, undertake my correct installation!

The gods, having heard the pure speech [which] increases joy, bowed and doing the añjali, stood as devotees (bhūtāḥ) by Ravi, praying. Thence the wise Vaivasvata^[46], who sets in motion all the dharmas, inspired, built the beautiful residence of the god Ravi. The best of the gods, having placed Ravi in the three [sacred] places with devotion (bhakti), having as [their] only aim service to the god as a meritorious act, went to liberation. They, the virtuous, go to cessation, having their duties to the god as their highest aim, all having nothing beyond dīkṣā^[47], longing for Bhāskara’s injunction, through which they made the supreme maṇḍala, the divine shaped maṇḍala. All the head-born creatures, with their interior ātmans primed for this [purpose], [performed] the action connected with the sun, according to the rule declared by Bhāskara, after Viśvakarman had given his consent. Then, with the hair on the backs of their necks raised in excessive joy, they had to name it. Since they were all bald, they called it Muṇḍīra. Then, having achieved their purpose, [they were] designated by the knowers of roots; since the source was established in the killing of a bald person (muṇḍi-), [and] since [he] may kill from a long distance, he was called Muṇḍīra.

Vasiṣṭha said:

‘So, in every yuga, this is known as the first [sacred] place, the destroyer of all evils, auspicious, the beautiful [one] among all my tīrthas.” Men who know the pains of devotion (bhakti-) in this world, who arrived in that place and request [liberation], they are instantly set free. Those unreasonable [people], who fell into this tīrtha in the[ir] great confusion, there is not any stability in these successes, [even] if [the stability], which is difficult to achieve, is obtained. As long as the sun shines, the salt ocean [exists] and the gods support the earth, the glory of Vibhāvasu [will last]. And the men [who] were born on this earth joined to evil, and come together in that place, Ravi will be their protector. (In this manner, this form of the sun is always honoured by wise men; a god [should] wish for your glory and fortune; what else could people 6 desire on earth?)

All the gods are settled in the place of the lord of gods; it is peace, prosperity, joy and pleasure, and the destroyer of the pain of all beings. This is precisely that fame which has been told of previously by the sages. Those men who see the image of the rising sun placed there, they [become] pure, they set [their] ātman free and [make] their family thrive. Every time a man undertakes an action in the land of Sūrya, he will obtain success, here and elsewhere. The great dvīpa Jambūdvīpa [is the] unsurpassed region of religious actions; there such a glory has been announced by the [sun] god himself; there the thousand-rayed [one] shows the people [how to] undertake their own recovery. [His] single form, having been made twofold, has been taken down on earth; early in the morning, the men who see Muṇḍīra in [its] first [place], they will never be afflicted by any fear, sorrow or disease. And at midday^[48], at the [moment of] the sun^[49] ’s joy, those who look at Kālahṛt, an instantaneous happiness is born in them. At eventide, those who behold Sūrya, in the city built by Sāmba, at that very moment they succeed in the fulfilment of dharma, kāma and artha.^[50] [Those who want to] achieve this connection, having [the accomplishment] of all dharmas as their final aim, having celebrated the glory of Ravi, they go towards Sūrya’s dwelling. This dwelling of Ravi, which grants [boons] and [represents] the compassion of the supreme god, [is for] the Prajāpatis; the wicked ones who [create] hindrances there, they fall in a moment, like a moth [falls] in the flame of fire.

***

Sāmba-purāṇa 84 / Bhaviṣya-purāṇa I. 120

[The concluding chapter of the Sāmba-purāṇa]

The glorious Sāmba said: O Lord, all living beings are oppressed by leprosy and other [diseases].	Viṣṇu said: O Lord, all living beings are oppressed by sickness from being poisoned and other [diseases], and the weakness [derived] from [the influence of] a malevolent planet, always persecuted by the practice of spells and by contact illness[51]. 1
They are always tormented, o best of sages, and it occurs because of the ripening of actions [from past lives], o great-minded [one]. Please tell me about all this.	They are always tormented, o lotus-born [one]. The calamities of the sickness derived from poison and other [diseases] rule over men, because of the ripening of the actions [of their past lives]. Please tell me [about this] properly.
Nārada said: O tiger of the Yadus, those men are afflicted by leprosy and other [diseases] because in their life they have not satisfied Bhānu with fasting and religious obligations.	Brahmā said: O tiger of the gods, those men afflicted by the sickness coming from the planets and other [diseases] …
Sāmba said: O wise [one], and how is the mitigation of these diseases achievable? I wish to know all about this. Please tell me the entire truth. Nārada said: Listen, long-armed Sāmba, let’s worship Ravi! Having done this, one will be set free from all diseases, without any doubt. Sāmba said: You have said all this about the way to destroy [evils] with an abundancy of detail. He who has listened to it will be undoubtedly free from all the evils. Which tribute [shall be given], in the name of Sūrya, to the great-souled reciter, 7 with which the lord sun god, thief of sins, will be satisfied? Nārada said: Listen to me, long-armed Sāmba, [and what I] tell you, o sinless [one]. One has to know and worship Sūrya by means of fragrant flowers, unhusked barley-corns, as well as the best incense and lights, clothes with golden decorations, head-gems and ornaments. To honour Sūrya’s image, [one should give] gifts and a beautiful Kapilā cow, wheat, barley and corn, beans[52] and sesame seeds; elephants, horses and female buffalos are to be given, and manifold gems, gold, silver, white copper and a vessel of red coppery. One should give male and female slaves, as well as a territory bearing a rich crop; many kinds of clothes should be given with a pure mind. Vivasvat has two wives, Nikṣubhā and Rājñī; for their propitiation, [one should give] clothes and ornaments. The one who does this with devotion (bhakti-) here on earth he will be full of sons, grandsons etc. and his mind full of great joy. Having tasted complete enjoyment in the world of Sūrya (Sūryaloka), he will gain the fruit of knowledge coming from the eighteen Purāṇas. He will gain that fruit; I am telling [you] the entire truth.

Footnotes and references:

[back to top]

[1]:

Literally 'pleasant, delightful, charming' (Monier-Williams’ (A Sanskrit-English Dictionary): 779, II), referring to Kṛṣṇa, who rules over the city of Dvāratī.

[2]:

Confusion is often mentioned as the main cause of happenings, especially in the Bhaviṣya-purāṇa.

[3]:

We find this expression several times in the Bhaviṣya-purāṇa. It is indeed the Purāṇa of the future (the name Bhaviṣya indicates the future), but in these sections it is often used to underline the unavoidability of Sāmba’s curse and leprosy, which leads to his worship of the sun god.

[4]:

The story of the club is told in the sixteenth book of the Mahābhārata, the Mausala-parvan (for the printed edition, see BELVALKAR 1959: 3–43). “The Sixteenth Parvan of the Great Epic is intended to describe the havoc caused amongst the entire Vṛṣṇi and Bhoja clans by the mischievous attempt of Sāraṇa […] and his Yādava collegues, to dress up Sāmba, the son of Kṛṣṇa and Jāmbavatī, as a woman enceinte, and pose the question to the worthy sages like Viśvāmitra, Kaṇva and Nārada, who had just come to Dvārakā […] as to the would-be sex of the expected issue. The enraged sages reply that the issue is to be an iron-club (musala*), which is fated to destroy the entire Yādava clan, including Kṛṣṇa and his elder brother Halāyudha (= Balarāma) […] The ‘Iron-club’ was born, presaging evil luck; and although it was reduced to powder and thrown into the ocean, out of it there was produced, in the near-by sea-water, the Sāveraka (= Śevarī) grass which—as it grew—was used by the Yādavas as a handy and fatal weapon […]” BELVALKAR 1959: XXX–XXXI

Anticipating the complete destruction all around, Kṛṣṇa sends his charioteer to summon Arjuna, who, after the tremendous fight and the submersion of Dvārakā itself, looks after the women of the city and leads them to Hastināpura.

The story of Durvāsa cursing Sāmba to give birth to the mace is mentioned also in the Bhāgavata-purāṇa X. 1.

[5]:

ff.; in Mahābhārata XVI.1. 15ff. and in Viṣṇu-purāṇa V. 37. 6ff. In the different versions, Sāmba is cursed by

the sages Viśvāmitra, Kaṇva and Nārada (cf. Hazra 1952: 104).

[6]:

Probably “the Divider of Clouds”, the sun. H. von STIETENCRON (1966: 148) translates as “Der (Tag und Nacht) Teilende“.

[7]:

From the root ru- “to roar, bellow, howl, cry” (Monier-Williams’ (A Sanskrit-English Dictionary): 881, III), EWA: 439 RAV¹: Gr. ὠρύομαι = “heule, brü lle, klage“; Lat. raucus, rūmor. Ravi can be also the name of the number twelve (Monier-Williams’ (A Sanskrit-English Dictionary): 869, I).

[8]:

This could stand for the sacred juice itself or for the ceremony of the haoma-/soma-, in which it is pressed and offered to the divinity.

[9]:

Monier-Williams’ (A Sanskrit-English Dictionary): 1145, II: “the religious acts performed […] at the above three divisions of the day, […] which consists of sipping water, repetition of prayers and mantras, especially the Gāyatrī prayer […]”. It can be also related to the verb saṃ-dhyai- “to reflect or meditate on, think about” (Monier-Williams’ (A Sanskrit-English Dictionary): 1145, III) and it is also the twilight, also personified as the daughter of Brahmā, the consort of the sun (Monier-Williams’ (A Sanskrit-English Dictionary): 1145, II).

[10]:

The term vyādhi- especially refers to leprosy (Monier-Williams’ (A Sanskrit-English Dictionary): 1037, I).

[11]:

She is Vìśvakarman’s daughter and one of Sūrya’s wives; the story about her retirement to the forest because of the intolerable splendour of her husband is told in the epics and in the Purāṇas. BANERJEA (1974: 429–430) connects this legend to the Vedic one (R̥ gveda I. 164) on the marriage between Saraṇyu, Tvaṣṭar’s daughter, and Vivasvat, the solar god.

[12]:

Literally “shining forth” (Monier-Williams’ (A Sanskrit-English Dictionary): 987, I)

[13]:

Literally “lord of the day”; Monier-Williams’ (A Sanskrit-English Dictionary): 478, III “sky-lord”.

[14]:

In Indian imagery, the horse/mare is a symbol of kingship. Here it is even more relevant, because it is linked to the sun god, whose typical attributes are the horses.

[15]:

Literally tamonuda- means “dispersing darkness” (Monier-Williams’ (A Sanskrit-English Dictionary): 438, II).

[16]:

Kilbiṣa- can also mean “desease” (Monier-Williams’ (A Sanskrit-English Dictionary): 284, II); this would bring back once again to the sun as the healer of diseases.

[17]:

From the verb jval- “to burn, glaze, shine” (Monier-Williams’ (A Sanskrit-English Dictionary): 428, II).

[18]:

Name of the Indrakīla mountain (see Monier-Williams’ (A Sanskrit-English Dictionary): 1090, I).

[19]:

Repetition of the term aṃdha-.

[20]:

In the northern iconography of the sun, the god often wears a long tunic, which covers his feet (cf. paragraph 2.3).

[21]:

Dānava-: “a class of demons often identified with the Daityas or Asuras and held to be the implacable enemies of the gods or devas” (Monier-Williams’ (A Sanskrit-English Dictionary) 474, III).

[22]:

The two times of the day in which the sun must be worshipped are dawn and sunset; in some traditions, devotees also worship the god at midday, at the pinnacle of his splendour.

[23]:

We once again find the remark that the sun removes diseases.

[24]:

This is the particular weapon of Kubera, the god of wealth; it literally means ‘platform’ or ‘palanquin’.

[25]:

One of the nine divisions of the world (Monier-Williams’ (A Sanskrit-English Dictionary) 178, II).

[26]:

It is not clear whether it is Brahmā or the sun god who creates these gods. Based on the previous lines, in which the sun is undertaking ascesis while Brahmā is creating the creatures, it is plausible to think that, even in this first line, Brahmā is the creator. In the second line of the Bhaviṣya-purāṇa, the creator is Kaṃjaja, a general epithet of Brahmā.

[27]:

Monier-Williams’ (A Sanskrit-English Dictionary) 480, III: f. ‘preparation or consecration for a religious ceremony, undertaking religious observances for a particular purpose and the observances themselves’.

[28]:

In the list of the twelve forms, this is the only case in which the form (mūrti, f.) has a male connotation; the Sāmba-purāṇa (29, 2–3) states that the sun’s statue with a human form is the first example of the sun god not being represented with a circle or a disc (cf. PALLADINO 20??a).

[29]:

In the Sāmba-purāṇa the generic term Yājaka- is often preferred to Bhojaka- (see Hazra 1958: 96).

[30]:

H. von STIETENCRON (1966: 162) translates dhārmikāḥ as if it were an attribute of yakṣāś: ‘die rechtlichen Yakṣas’.

[31]:

The idea of leaving the path is both literal, because they have just arrived at the sun’s dwelling, and metaphorical, for they have forever abandoned the saṃsāric path in their devotion to the sun god. If we take it in a literal way, it is possible to translate, ‘[…] the R̥ ṣis (having reached the sun’s dwelling) sat in a circle, having abandoned the path forever.’

[32]:

Monier-Williams’ (A Sanskrit-English Dictionary) 494, II: n. “the mouth of the gods”, N. of Agni as the devouring flame.

Here the name clearly refers to the sun god, but in the literature, the names of these two gods are often treated as interchangeable: Agni is also the sun, burning in the sky, and vice versa, the sun is Agni, burning the oblations for the gods.

[33]:

The Manus are the progenitors of the human race.

[34]:

The speech has the same structure of the former conversation between Sāmba and the sun (cf. Sāmba-purāṇa 24, 24–28 / Bhaviṣya-purāṇa I. 127, 23–27).

[35]:

Monier-Williams’ (A Sanskrit-English Dictionary) 786, III: n. “the period or age of a Manu”.

[36]:

argha- (Monier-Williams’ (A Sanskrit-English Dictionary) 89, III): m. “respectful reception of a guest (by the offering of rice, durva-grass, flowers, or often only of water)”.

[37]:

Monier-Williams’ (A Sanskrit-English Dictionary) 849, II: m. “a kind of evil spirit or demon”.

[38]:

The “forest of Sūrya” = Mitravana. Koṇārka?

[39]:

This statement is in contradiction with the first chapters of the Sāmba-purāṇa, in which the story of Sāmba finding the sun’s statue is narrated (cf. HAZRA 1958: 72). This represents the clear exemplification of the composite nature of the Purāṇic material.

[40]:

The two wives of the sun god.

[41]:

Cf. Mitra’s eye.

[42]:

This is a clear reference to Mitra.

[43]:

Monier-Williams’ (A Sanskrit-English Dictionary) 974, III: f. “the Vipāśā or Beas river (one of the five rivers of the Panjāb […]).”

[44]:

Monier-Williams’ (A Sanskrit-English Dictionary) 1049, II, śatadru-: f. “‘flowing in a hundred (or numerous) branches’, N. of a river now called the Sutlej […]”. The five rivers of Panjāb are listed here.

[45]:

Monier-Williams’ (A Sanskrit-English Dictionary) 751, III: f. “N. of the Ganges (or of one of the three main streams or branches of it, viz. the great western branch”.

[46]:

Monier-Williams’ (A Sanskrit-English Dictionary) 1026, I: n. “N. of the seventh or present Manv-antara”. He is the son of Vivasvat, the sun.

[47]:

Monier-Williams’ (A Sanskrit-English Dictionary) 480, III: f. “preparation or consecration for a religious ceremony, undertaking religious observances for a particular purpose and the observances themselves”.

[48]:

Midday is one of the three (in some traditions two) moments at which the sun must be worshipped by his devotees. The central part of the day may also be related to the central position of Mit(h)ra, the mediator. For sure, the highest peak of the sunlight represents the moment of the sun god’s maximum power.

[49]:

Here the sun is called Kāla, Time; sometimes we also find the name Kālahṛt. The sun-time relation is clearly very close and significant; STIETENCRON (1996: 266) has pointed out a possible relation with Zurvan, the Iranian god of time. On the sun-time relation cf. also CHENET (1993: 339).

[50]:

The three aims a Hindu man should pursue in his life.

[51]:

Sanskrit sparśaroga-; I did not find mention of this disease either in FILLIOZAT 1975 or in other works, like for instance JOLLY 1977.

[52]:

SHASTRI 1969: 265 lists the pulses cultivated in India and names the mudga-, the Phraseolus Mungus and the māṣa- (we should note the absence of retroflexion in the text), or Phraseolus Radiatus.