Parva 1 Chapter 25: soma caritam - legend of soma, the moon

In ancient times brahma begot godly sage atri as his brainchild during the spell of creation of living beings, and that atri not only participated in the process of biogenesis for his own successors, but also conducted himself with all beings in a benign manner by his speech, mind and action... in that process of his biogenesis that godly sage atri begot soma, the presiding deity for the power of assimilation and taste – nectary nourisher, say the moon... In vedic parlance soma is not candra, the moon. There is mishmash in these nomenclatures. Here we have to continue with candra, the moon. ahiṁsraḥ sarva bhūteṣu dharmātmā saṁśita vrataḥ | kāṣṭha kuḍya śilā bhūta ūrdhva bāhuḥ mahādyutiḥ || 1-25-3 an-uttaraṁ nāma tapo yena taptaṁ mahat purā | trīṇi varṣa sahasrāṇi divyāni iti hi naḥ shrutam || 1-25-4 Once that sage atri who is non-violent towards living beings, righteous and one avowed to strict ascesis has undertaken an ascesis called an-uttaraṁ - mauna-vrataṁ – a tight-lipped ascesis i.e., sarvendriya nigraha rūpam - controlling all senses, for about three-thousand divine years, in which process he with his upraised arms looked like an unhewable log, uncollapsible wall or as an uncrushable boulder... thus we have heard... an+uttaram – also means - not, excelled by later time objects – unexcelled. tatra ūrdhva-retasaḥ tasya sthitasya animiṣasya ha | somatvaṁ tanuḥ āpede mahā-sattvasya bhārata || 1-25-5 ūrdhvam ācakrame tasya somatvaṁ bhāvitātmanaḥ | netrābhyāṁ vāri susrāva daśa-dhā dyotayat diśaḥ || 1-25-6 When that great being atri firmed up in rigorous ascesis, there bechanced the winkless property of gods on him, insofar as self-resplendence is concerned – sūrya ādi bāhya jyoti rashmi - issuing forth a moonlight-like luminous flux – śukla bhāsvara rūpam – inside his body, which ascended headward in the sage atri, whereby that contemplating soul himself has became silvery as in the syndrome of caterpillar-butterfly... then that argentine effulgence rolled out of his both eyes as if it is water in the eyes, and then collecting itself into a lump that self-effulgent mass fell on the floor... that lumpy mass is the boy soma, aka candra, the moon, who then made all the ten directions of compass to shine with his moonshine... taṁ garbhaṁ vidhinā hṛṣṭā daśa devyo dadhuḥ tadā | sametya dhārayāmāsur na ca tāḥ samashaknuvan || 1-25-7 sa tābhyaḥ sahasaiva atha digbhyo garbhaḥ prabhānvitaḥ | papāta bhāsayan lokāṣ ṣīta aṁśuḥ sarva bhāvanaḥ || 1-25-8 yadā na dhāraṇe śaktāḥ tasya garbhasya tā diśaḥ | tataḥ tābhiḥ sahaiva āśu nipapāta vasundharām || 1-25-9 Seeing the pleasant boy fallen on the floor, the ten presiding deities of quarters have rushed there to take him up into their arms for foster care... though that boy is extremely chillsome, somehow the deities could lift him up into their arms, but could not handle him because of his iciness... so, they suddenly let that boy who showers chillness on the world to slip down their arms, and that boy too suddenly fell on ground owing to the disability of directional deities to hold him securely... Some read garbham as yet-to-be-born boy. But the boy has already emerged with tear-like moonlight shed from the eyes of sage atri. If that boy is unborn yet, ‘the deities wanted to enceinte him in their wombs... but their womb aborted the boy for his chilliness...’ would be the forced meaning - piṇḍitārtham. patitaṁ somam ālokya brahmā lokapitāmahaḥ | ratham āropayāmāsa lokānāṁ hita kāmyayā || 1-25-10 sa hi veda mayaḥ tāta dharma ātmā satya saṁgrahaḥ | yukto vāji sahasreṇa sitena ati hi naḥ shrutam || 1-25-11 Observing the boy lying on the floor the grandparent of worlds, brahma, designed a chariot for that boy for the good of the world through him, where that chariot is chiselled out the wood called veda-s and yoked with a thousand argent horses called hymns, and has an air of dharma about it; as it were... this is what we have heard... tasmin nipatite devāḥ putre atreḥ paramātmani | tuṣṭuvur brahmaṇaḥ putrā mānasāḥ sapta ye śrutāḥ || 1-25-12 tatha eva aṅgirasaḥ tatra bhṛguḥ eva ātmajaiḥ saha | ṛgbhiḥ yajurbhiḥ bahulaiḥ atharva aṅgirasaiḥ api || 1-25-13 tasya saṁstūyamānasya tejaḥ somasya bhāsvataḥ | āpyāyamānaṁ lokān trīn bhāsayāmāsa sarvaśaḥ || 1-25-14 When brahma came with such a chariot to the place where the boy is lying on the floor, the seven sages like aṅgirasa, bhṛgu et al, who are the brainchildren of brahma, who incidentally accompanied brahma, started praising that effulgent boy with hymns from Rig-Veda, yajur-veda, and adharva-veda... while being extolled with vedic chants that boy who emerged to dissipate nectarean bliss on three worlds, made every direction glisten with his moonshine... Epithetically moon is always reckoned as a boy, rather a mischief-making boy. saḥ tena ratha-mukhyena sāgara-antāṁ vasundharām | triḥ sapta kṛtva atiyaśāḥ cakāra abhipradakṣiṇam || 1-25-15 tasya yat chyāvitaṁ tejaḥ pṛthivīm anvapadyata | oṣadhyaḥ tāḥ samudbhūtāḥ tejasā prajvalanti uta || 1-25-16 tābhiḥ dhāryāḥ trayo lokāḥ prajāḥ caiva catur vidhāḥ | poṣṭā hi bhagavān somo jagato jagatī-pate || 1-25-17 When that boy soma took flight in that divine chariot on entire earth extending up to oceans for twenty-one times, his moonshine-like effulgence spilled onto the earth owing to the speed of that divine chariot... wherever his moonlight touched the earth there arose herbs that have grown up brilliantly... three worlds, viz., deva, pitṛ, bhū lokā-s, and four types of created beings, viz., nara, pashu, pakshi, sarīsR+*pa-s – human, animal, bird, wild animal worlds have thrived upon that moonshine... and because god soma sustains worlds with his ambrosial restorative thus, he is called lord of the worlds... sa labdha-tejā bhagavān saṁstavaiḥ taiḥ ca karmabhiḥ | tapas tepe mahābhāga padmānāṁ daśatīr-daśa || 1-25-18 When soma is shored up and extolled for his freshening exploits, he undertook an ascesis for a period of ten thousand years... hiraṇya-varṇāṁ yā devyo dhārayanti ātmanā jagat | nidhiḥ tāsām abhūt devaḥ prakhyātaḥ svena karmaṇā || 1-25-19 He by his own cool-all nature has become a stronghold for the deities-like spin-offs of the earth, say water, milk, herbs, oil-seed plants and the like that have an aura lunaris about them... nidhi= āśrayam; as with the sun protecting fire, moon protects the coolant nature of water and some other items, hence waters have a haven in moon. tataḥ tasmai dadau rājyaṁ brahmā brahma-vidāṁ varaḥ | bīja auṣadhīnāṁ viprāṇām apāṁ ca janamejaya || 1-25-20 saḥ abhiṣikto mahārāja rāja-rājyena rāja-rāṭ | lokāṁ trīn bhāsayāmāsa sva-bhāsā bhāsvatāṁ varaḥ || 1-25-21 Then, oh, janamejaya, brahma has earmarked some dominions for soma to preside over; they are mainly seeds, herbs, brāhmaṇa-s, and waters... and when anointed thus, that king of kings started to illuminate all the three worlds with his argentine effulgence... rāja-rājye = sāmrājya vidhānena = in a self-governing mode. sapta viṁśatim indoḥ tu dākṣāyaṇyo mahāvratāḥ | dadau prācetaso dakṣo nakṣatrāṇi iti yā viduḥ || 1-25-22 dkaśa-prajāpati, the son of prācetas, has then given his twenty-seven daughters as the wives of soma, aka candra, the moon, and these twenty-seven moon-stations are known as the twenty-seven wives of indu, another name of candra... sapta viṁśati indoḥ – indoḥ bhāryā iti śeṣaḥ – take it as ‘wives of indu’. sa tat prāpya mahat rājyaṁ somaḥ somavatāṁ varaḥ | samājahre rājasūyaṁ sahasra shata dakṣiṇam || 1-25-23 hota asya bhagavān atriḥ adhvaryur bhagavān bhṛguḥ | hiraṇya-garbhaḥ ca udgātā brahmā brahmatvam eyivān || 1-25-24 sadasyaḥ tatra bhagavān hariḥ nārāyaṇaḥ svayam | sanatkumāra pramukhaiḥ ādyaiḥ brahma-rṣibhiḥ vṛtaḥ || 1-25-25 And that soma, the best one among fatherly gods, on obtaining such a vast dominion performed the vedic ritual rāja-sūya, as with any other sovereign, featuring a hundred-thousand endowments in that ritual... further, that ritual had godly sage atri as hota – reciter of Rigveda and the inviter and welcomer of the deities; godly bhṛgu as adhvaryu – for reciting yajurveda and for overseeing proper conduct of all ritual actions; brainchild of hiraṇya-garbha aka aṅgira, aka nārada as udgāta – for recitation of hymns and invocations mainly from sāmaveda; brahma as brahma – the chief officiant of whole ceremony supervising all the activities; and no less than śrīhari, along with sanatkumāra et al great sages, sat in as the sadasya-s– members of inner-council of the ritual, stationed near at fire-altar supervising everything... Here soma is taken as a pitṛ-devata; somavatām varaḥ= one who is the best among pitṛ-devata-s, fatherly gods; somaḥ = sudha-amshu karpūra kubera pitṛ-devate – iti viśva kosha; reminding that soma receives offertories given in śrāddha only to nourish the world with them, as said in pitṛ-kalpa. dakṣiṇām adadāt somaḥ trīn lokān iti naḥ shrutam | tebhyo brahmarṣi mukhyebhyaḥ sadasyebhyaḥ ca bhārata || 1-25-26 soma gave away three worlds as ritual dole to all those gods and sages who are the participants in that ritual... this is what we have heard... taṁ siniḥ ca kuhūḥ caiva dyutiḥ puṣṭiḥ prabhā vasuḥ | kīrtiḥ dhṛtiḥ ca lakṣmīḥ ca nava devyaḥ siṣevire || 1-25-27 As a concomitant to this ritual he conducted, nine goddesses named sini, kuhu, dyuti, puṣṭi prabha, vasu, kīrti, dhṛti and lakṣmi ministered unto him... These deities can be said approximately as; sini = sinivāli= the day before no moon day –the night of caturdashi before amāvāsya; kuhu= the day later to no moon day - the night of pāḍyami after amāvāsya; dyuti= luminosity; puṣṭi = vivacity; prabha = fluorescence; vasu= brightness; kīrti= honour; dhṛti= constancy; lakṣmi= prosperity. The moon also got attendance alternately from his 27 star-wives called ashvini, bharaṇi et al during the period of ritual, besides these nine goddesses. prāpya ava-bhṛtham avyagraḥ sarva deva ṛṣi pūjitaḥ | virarāja adhi-rājendro daśadhā bhāsayan diśaḥ || 1-25-28 On completion of concluding ritual bath, avabhṛtha snānam, unimpededly, he who is reverenced by all of the gods and sages equally, that soma shone forth making all the ten quarters shine with his sheen... tasya tat prāpya duṣprāpyam aiśvaryaṁ muni satkṛtam | vi-ba-bhrāma matiḥ tāta vinayāt anayāhatā || 1-25-29 But his rationality started to tilt otherwhere from conformance owing to the newly acquired accomplishment, which is acclaimed by sages and which is otherwise unachievable... tārā-śaśānkam bṛhaspateḥ sa vai bhāryāṁ tārāṁ nāma yaśasvinīm | jahāra tarasā sarvān avamatya aṅgiraḥ sutān || 1-25-30 At certain time, soma, aka candra, defiantly spirited away with a lady named tāra, the glorious wife of godly sage bṛhaspati, the son aṅgira... candra has done this with fortitude on belittling that sage...` sa yācyamānaḥ devaiḥ ca yathā devarṣibhiḥ saha | na eva vyasarjayat tārāṁ tasmā āṅgirase tadā | sa saṁrabdhaḥ tataḥ tasmin deva-ācāryo bṛhaspatiḥ || 1-25-31 Though gods and godly sages beseeched him to return lady tāra to her husband, the godly sage bṛhaspati, soma has not set her free, whereby it resulted into a skirmish between soma and the mentor of gods, namely bṛhaspati... uśanā tasya jagrāha pārṣṇim āṅgirasaḥ tadā | sa hi śiṣyo mahātejāḥ pituḥ pūrvo bṛhaspateḥ || 1-25-32 tena snehena bhagavān rudraḥ tasya bṛhaspateḥ | pārṣṇi grāhaḥ abhavat devaḥ pragṛhya ajagavaṁ dhanuḥ || 1-25-33 Then śukra-ācārya took the side of soma, because śukra was once the disciple of aṅgirasa, the father of bṛhaspati, and a co-student of the rivalling son of his mentor, namely bṛhaspati... and then god rudra, taking a bow called ajagavaṁ took side with bṛhaspati owing to his allegiance to bhārgavā-s, viz. bṛhaspati and his father aṅgirasa et al... Because of the rivalling nature of these two, śukra and bṛhaspati, from the days of their studentship under aṅgirasa, the father of bṛhaspati, bṛhaspati became mentor of gods while śukra-ācyārya became the mentor of demons. Incidentally god rudra is also a student of aṅgirasa and amiable to co-student bṛhaspati, and even to the other bhārgavā-s, say other brāhmaṇas. saḥ rudro bṛhaspateḥ pituḥ aṅgirasaḥ śiṣyaḥ – nk. aja-gāvam – ajasya rudrasya; goschaḥ śṛngābhyām nirmitam - a bow made with the horns of the bull of rudra; or, nandi, the bull-vehicle of rudra got into the state of rudra himself and attacked demons like a bow, as it were. tena brahma-śiro nāma parama astraṁ mahātmanā | uddishya daityān utsṛṣṭaṁ yena eṣāṁ nāśitaṁ yaśaḥ || 1-25-34 That supreme-souled rudra then launched a great missile called brahma-shira, targeting the demons, whereby the valour of demons is brought to ruin... tārā-saṁgrāmam – star-war tatra tat yuddham abhavat prakhyātaṁ tārakā-mayam | devānāṁ dānavānāṁ ca loka-kṣaya-karaṁ mahat || 1-25-35 Then there occurred battle with novae and supernovae called tārā-saṁgrāmam, star-war, for the utter ruination of gods, demons and of their relative spheres... tārakā-mayam – tārā nimittam saṁgrāmam – a battle for the sake of regaining tāra from candra. tatra śiṣṭāḥ tu ye devāḥ tuṣitāḥ caiva bhārata | brahmāṇaṁ śaraṇaṁ jagmur ādidevaṁ sanātanam || 1-25-36 Butting into this affair, a certain kind of upright gods called tuṣitā-s rushed to brahma, seeking his intervention in this affair... tato nivārya uśanasaṁ rudraṁ jyeṣṭhaṁ ca śaṅkaram | dadāvaṅgirase tārāṁ svayam eva pitāmahaḥ || 1-25-37 Then brahma averted the war between god rudra and śukra-ācārya, and personally arranged for the hand over of lady tāra to her husband bṛhaspati... tām antaḥ-prasavāṁ dṛṣṭvā tārāṁ prāha bṛhaspatiḥ| madīyāyāṁ na te yonau garbho dhāryaḥ kathaṣchana || 1-25-38 By that time lady tāra is almost parturient. Seeing her in such a state her husband bṛhaspati said this reprovingly, “At all events, it is indiscreet to contain someone’s seed in your womb, other than mine...” antaḥ-prasavāṁ = about to deliver. ayonau utsṛjat taṁ sā kumāraṁ dasyu-hantamam | iṣīkā stambam āsādya jvalantam iva pāvakam || 1-25-39 jāta-mātraḥ sa bhagavān devānām akṣipad vapuḥ | Then she discharged that foetus onto an uncongenial mat made from sacred darbha grass-stalks; and just on taking birth that neonate-god looked like an effulgent ritual fire in his bodily glow, appeared as an enemy-slayer, and his bodily frame is putting the exquisite physiques of gods into the shade, as it were... a+yoni= ava+sthāne= in an unbefitting place; uncongenial place for just born babies; dasyu-hantamam= atishayena dasyuunām hantāram = an intrepid enemy destroyer; akṣipat= sva tejasā tiraskāram= hit back at; pay someone back in his or her own coin. tataḥ saṁśayam āpannā imām akathayan surāḥ || 1-25-40 satyaṁ bruhi sutaḥ kasya somasya atha bṛhaspateḥ | On seeing the features oif the boy a doubt has occurred to gods and they asked lady tāra n this way, “tell us the truth, tāra, whose son is this... whether he belongs to soma, or bṛhaspati...” pṛccyamānā yadā devaiḥ na āha sā sādhvasādhu vā || 1-25-41 tadā tāṁ shaptum ārabdhaḥ kumāro dasyu-hantamaḥ | taṁ nivārya tato brahmā tārāṁ papraccha saṁśayam || 1-25-42 tat atra tathyaṁ tat brūhi tāre kasya sutastu ayam | She with consternation about the possible danger to the newborn did not reply gods candidly, even if they persisted on asking her... and on listening to her roundabout replies to gods, the newborn boy is irked and readied himself to issue a curse on his mother... but, brahma intervened again preventing curse from the boy, addressed her to clear his doubt too... “if you do not divulge your son’s cursing you will come true, tāra, hence tell whose son is he...” Here nīlakaṇṭha says: mātaram vinā brahmā api garbhasya dhātāram na veda iti bhāva: none can know who impregnated a woman, even if he were to be all-knowing brahma, excepting that mother-to-be. sā prāṣjaliḥ uvāca idaṁ brahmāṇaṁ varadaṁ prabhum || 1-25-43 somasya iti mahātmānaṁ kumāraṁ dasyuhantamam | She informed this much to the boon-giving god brahma submissively, albeit embarrassedly, “...of soma...” tataḥ taṁ mūrdhni upāghrāya somo dhātā prajāpatiḥ || 1-25-44 budha iti akarot nāma tasya putrasya dhīmataḥ | pratikūlaṁ ca gagane samabhyut thiṣṭhate budhaḥ || 1-25-45 soma promptly took up the boy into his arms showing all his paternal affection... then that son of soma is named as budha, and he rises on the other end of galaxy, stationing himself directly facing the moon... The moon is said here as dhāta= garbhasya ādhāyakaḥ = god awarding scatheless pregnancy; tataḥ eva prajā pati= hence the lord of progeny. We generally say first-night as garbha dānam scene. It is neither donation, nor dole, nor any carity bestowed on the bride, but it is garbha ādadhānam – pregnancy, bringing about; a joint effort to get good progeny with god’s grace, lest malfeasant progeny is destined. Hence, moon stands witness for it. utpādayāmāsa tataḥ putraṁ vairāja putrikā | tasya apatyaṁ mahārājo babhūva ilaḥ purūravāḥ || 1-25-46 ūrvaśyāṁ jajṣire yasya putrāḥ sapta mahātmanaḥ | viarāj-manu’s daughter, lady ila, then gave birth to a son of budha, who is named as purūrava, and who became a great king... and this king purūrava begot seven great-souled sons from the celestial ūravaśi... c.f. chapter 10 for the legend of lady ila. prasahya dharṣitaḥ tatra somo vai rāja-yakṣmaṇā || 1-25-47 tato yakṣma abhibhūtaḥ tu somaḥ prakṣīṇa maṇḍalaḥ | jagāma śaraṇa-arthāya pitaraṁ saḥ atrim eva tu || 1-25-48 tasya tat tāpa-śamanaṁ cakāra atriḥ mahātapāḥ | sa rāja-yakṣmaṇā muktaḥ śriyā jajvāla sarvataḥ || 1-25-49 With his impertinent behaviour soma had relations with his own mentor’s wife, namely lady tāra; whereby a consumptive illness had to bechance upon him; whereby his spheral physique started to emaciate; whereby soma had to rush to his father sage atri for a remedy; whereby sage atri had to do some doctoring; whereby the debilitating disease of moon is rid off; whereby, the moon shone forth with his propitious form, more than ever... evaṁ somasya vai janma kīrtitaṁ kīrti-vardhanam | vaṁśam asya mahārāja kīrtyamānaṁ ca me śṛṇu || 1-25-50 Thus, I have narrated about the emergence of soma, the moon... oh, king, now I will expatiate on his dynasty, say lunar dynasty of kings... dhanyam ārogyam āyuṣyaṁ puṇyaṁ saṁkalpa-sādhanam | somasya janma shrutva eva pāpebhyo vipramucyate || 1-25-51 Listening to the legend of the emergence of soma, the moon will enhance health, longevity, merit, accomplishment of endeavours, truly initiated, and one will be absolved of his sins, too... --o)0(o-- iti śrīmahābhārate khileṣu harivaṁśe harivaṁśaparvaṇi soma utpatti kathane [soma caritam nāma] paṣcha-viṁśo'dhyāyaḥ Thus, this is the twenty-fifth chapter of first canto called harivamsha-parva, in harivamśa-purāṇa, the sequel of mahābhārata, narrating the legend of soma, the moon. --o)0(o-- -