तद्दिशो जगृहुर्धाम स्त्रीरूपेण सुतेच्छया गर्भो भूत्वोदरे तासाम् आस्थितो ऽब्दशतत्रयम्
Desiring a son, the directions took up that radiance in the form of women; it became an embryo in their wombs and remained there for three hundred years.
आशास्तं मुमुचुर्गर्भम् अशक्ता धारणे ततः समादायाथ तं गर्भम् एकीकृत्य चतुर्मुखः
Unable to bear the embryo, the directions released it; then Brahma took up that embryo, united it, and—
युवानमकरोद्ब्रह्मा सर्वायुधधरं नरम् स्यन्दने ऽथ सहस्राश्वे वेदशक्तिमये प्रभुः
Brahma made him a young man, a warrior bearing all weapons; then, placing him on a chariot with a thousand horses, the Lord, endowed with the power of the Vedas—
आरोप्य लोकमनयद् आत्मीयं स पितामह तत्र ब्रह्मर्षिभिः प्रोक्तम् अस्मत्स्वामी भवत्वयम्
Having set him on the chariot, the Grandfather (Brahma) led him to his own world; there, the Brahmarshis declared, 'Let this one be our lord.'
ऋषिभिर्देवगन्धर्वैर् ओषधीभिस्तथैव च तुष्टुवुः सोमदेवत्यैर् ब्रह्माद्या मन्त्रसंग्रहैः
The sages, gods, Gandharvas, and also the herbs praised him; the deities of Soma, Brahma, and others extolled him with collections of hymns.
स्तूयमानस्य तस्याभूद् अधिको धामसम्भवः तेजोवितानादभवद् भुवि दिव्यौषधीगणः
As he was being praised, a greater radiance arose from him; from that brilliance, a host of divine herbs appeared on earth.
तद्दीप्तिरधिका तस्माद् रात्रौ भवति सर्वदा तेनौषधीशः सोमो ऽभूद् द्विजेशश्चापि गद्यते
Therefore, his radiance is always greater at night; thus Soma became lord of the herbs and is also called lord of the twice-born.
वेदधामरसं चापि यदिदं चन्द्रमण्डलम् क्षीयते वर्धते चैव शुक्ले कृष्णे च सर्वदा
The essence of the Vedas and the radiance that is the lunar orb—this waxes and wanes always, during the bright and dark fortnights.
विंशतिं च तथा सप्त दक्षः प्राचेतसो ददौ रूपलावण्यसंयुक्तास् तस्मै कन्याः सुवर्चसः
Daksha, the son of Prachetas, then gave twenty-seven daughters endowed with beauty and charm to him, all possessing splendid radiance.
ततः पद्मसहस्राणां सहस्राणि दशैव तु तपश्चचार शीतांशुर् विष्णुध्यानैकतत्परः
Then Soma, wholly devoted to meditation on Vishnu, performed austerities equal to ten thousand times a thousand lotuses.
ततस्तुष्टस्तु भगवांस् तस्मै नारायणो हरिः वरं वृणीष्व प्रोवाच परमात्मा जनार्दनः
Thereupon, the blessed Narayana Hari, pleased, spoke to him: 'Choose a boon,' said Janardana, the Supreme Self.
ततो वव्रे वरान्सोमः शक्रलोकं जयाम्यहम् प्रत्यक्षमेव भोक्तारो भवन्तु मम मन्दिरे
Then Soma chose these boons: 'May I conquer Indra's world; may the enjoyers in my abode be manifest before me.'
राजसूये सुरगणा ब्रह्माद्याः सन्तु मे द्विजाः रक्षःपालः शिवो ऽस्माकम् आस्तां शूलधरो हरः
'At my Rajasuya sacrifice, may the hosts of gods, Brahma and others, be my priests; may Shiva, the trident-bearer, be our protector.'
तथेत्युक्तः स आजह्रे राजसूयं तु विष्णुना होतात्रिर् भृगुरध्वर्युर् उद्गाताभूच्चतुर्मुखः
Having been told 'So be it,' he performed the Rajasuya sacrifice with Vishnu; Atri was the Hotṛ priest, Bhrigu the Adhvaryu, and the Four-faced One the Udgātṛ.
ब्रह्मत्वमगमत्तस्य उपद्रष्टा हरिः स्वयम् सदस्याः सनकाद्यास्तु राजसूयविधौ स्मृताः
He attained the status of Brahma; Hari himself was the overseer, and Sanaka and the others were remembered as members in the Rajasuya rite.
चमसाध्वर्यवस्तत्र विश्वे देवा दशैव तु त्रैलोक्यं दक्षिणा तेन ऋत्विग्भ्यः प्रतिपादितम्
There, the ten Vishvedevas served as Camas and Adhvaryu priests; the three worlds were given as sacrificial fees to the officiating priests.
ततः समाप्ते ऽवभृथे तद्रूपालोकनेच्छवः कामबाणाभितप्ताङ्ग्यो नव देव्यः सिषेविरे
Then, at the conclusion of the ablution, nine goddesses, their bodies inflamed by the arrows of desire and wishing to behold his form, attended upon him.
लक्ष्मीर्नारायणं त्यक्त्वा सिनीवाली च कर्दमम् द्युतिर्विभावसुं तद्वत् तुष्टिर्धातारमव्ययम्
Lakshmi abandoned Narayana, Sinivali left Kardama, Dyuti left Vibhavasu, and Tushti left the imperishable Dhata in the same way.
प्रभा प्रभाकरं त्यक्त्वा हविष्मन्तं कुहूः स्वयम् कीर्तिर्जयन्तं भर्तारं वसुर्मारीचकश्यपम्
Prabha left Prabhakara, Kuhū left Havishmat of her own accord, Kirti left her husband Jayanta, and Vasu left Marichi Kashyapa.
धृतिस् त्यक्त्वा पीतं नन्दिं सोममेवाभजंस्तदा स्वकीया इव सोमो ऽपि कामयामास तास्तदा
Dhriti abandoned Pita and Nandi, and at that time devoted herself to Soma; Soma, in turn, desired them as his own.
एवं कृतापचारस्य तासां भर्तृगणस्तदा न शशाकापचाराय शापैः शस्त्रादिभिः पुनः
Thus, though their husbands had been wronged, they were unable to retaliate against the offense, neither with curses nor with weapons.
तथाप्यराजत विधुर् दशधा भावयन्दिशः सोमः प्राप्याथ दुष्प्राप्यम् ऐश्वर्यमृषिसंस्कृतम् सप्तलोकैकनाथत्वम् अवाप तपसा तदा
Even so, Soma ruled, fostering the ten directions; by austerity he attained the rare sovereignty sanctified by sages, and became the sole lord of the seven worlds.
कदाचिदुद्यानगतामपश्यद् अनेकपुष्पाभरणैश्च शोभिताम् बृहन्नितम्बस्तनभारखेदात् पुष्पस्य भङ्गे ऽप्यतिदुर्बलाङ्गीम्
Once, as he wandered in a garden, he saw Tara, adorned with many flowers, her limbs weakened by the weight of her broad hips and breasts, so delicate that even the breaking of a flower wearied her.
भार्यां च तां देवगुरोर् अनङ्ग बाणाभिरामायतचारुनेत्राम् तारां स ताराधिपतिः स्मरार्तः केशेषु जग्राह विविक्तभूमौ
That wife of the preceptor of the gods, with lovely, wide, enchanting eyes, was struck by the arrows of love; the moon-god, smitten with passion, seized Tara by the hair in a secluded place.
सापि स्मरार्ता सह तेन रेमे तद्रूपकान्त्या हृतमानसेन चिरं विहृत्याथ जगाम तारां विधुर्गृहीत्वा स्वगृहं ततो ऽपि
She too, overcome by love, delighted with him; her mind captivated by his beauty and radiance, she spent a long time with him, and then the moon-god took Tara to his own house.
न तृप्तिरासीच्च गृहे ऽपि तस्य तारानुरक्तस्य सुखागमेषु बृहस्पतिस् तद्विरहाग्निदग्धस् तद्ध्याननिष्ठैकमना बभूव
Even in his own house, he was not satisfied, being attached to Tara and the pleasures she brought; Brihaspati, consumed by the fire of separation, became absorbed solely in meditation upon her.
शशाक शापं न च दातुम् अस्मै न मन्त्रशस्त्राग्निविषैरशेषैः तस्यापकर्तुं विविधैरुपायैर् नैवाभिचारैरपि वागधीशः
He was unable to pronounce a curse upon him, nor could he remove it by any means—whether by mantras, weapons, fire, or poison, nor even by various other methods, not even by spells of sorcery, could the Lord of Speech undo it.
स याचयामास ततस्तु दैन्यात् सोमं स्वभार्यार्थमनङ्गतप्तः स याच्यमानो ऽपि ददौ न तारां बृहस्पतेस्तत्सुखपाशबद्धः
Then, stricken with distress and burning with passion for another’s wife, he begged Soma to return his own wife; but though entreated, Soma did not give back Tārā, being bound by the bonds of pleasure with her.
महेश्वरेणाथ चतुर्मुखेण साध्यैर् मरुद्भिः सह लोकपालैः ददौ यदा तां न कथंचिद् इन्दुस् तदा शिवः क्रोधपरो बभूव
Then, when the great Lord, the Four-faced One, the Sādhyas, the Maruts, and the guardians of the worlds all together requested him, Soma still did not return her in any way; at that, Śiva became exceedingly angry.
यो वामदेवः प्रथितः पृथिव्याम् अनेकरुद्रार्चितपादपद्मः ततः सशिष्यो गिरिशः पिनाकी बृहस्पतिस्नेहवशानुबद्धः
He who is famed on earth as Vāmadeva, whose lotus feet are worshipped by countless Rudras—he, the mountain-dweller, the wielder of the bow, together with his disciples, was restrained by affection for Bṛhaspati.