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.
धनुर्गृहीत्वाजगवं पुरारिर् जगाम भूतेश्वरसिद्धजुष्टः युद्धाय सोमेन विशेषदीप्ततृतीयनेत्रानलभीमवक्त्रः
Taking up his Ajagava bow, the enemy of the cities, attended by the lords of spirits and perfected beings, went forth to battle with Soma, his third eye blazing fiercely, his face terrifying like fire.
सहैव जग्मुश्च गणेशकाद्या विंशच्चतुःषष्टिगणास्त्रयुक्ताः यक्षेश्वरः कोटिशतैर् अनेकैर् युतो ऽन्वगात् स्यन्दनसंस्थितानाम्
Along with him went Gaṇeśa and others, accompanied by twenty-four and sixty groups of attendants; the Lord of Yakṣas, with countless crores, followed, all mounted on chariots.
वेतालयक्षोरगकिंनराणां पद्मेन चैकेन तथार्बुदेन लक्षैस् त्रिभिर् द्वादशभी रथानां सोमो ऽप्यगात्तत्र विवृद्धमन्युः
Hosts of Vetālas, Yakṣas, serpents, and Kinnaras, with one padma and one arbuda in number, and with three lakhs and twelve thousand chariots, Soma too came there, his wrath greatly increased.
नक्षत्रदैत्यासुरसैन्ययुक्तः शनैश्चराङ्गारकवृद्धतेजाः जग्मुर्भयं सप्त तथैव लोकाश् चचाल भूर् द्वीपसमुद्रगर्भा
Joined by the armies of Nakṣatra-demons, Daityas, and Asuras, with the strengthened power of Śani and Maṅgala, the seven worlds were seized by fear, and the earth, with its continents and oceans, trembled.
स सोममेवाभ्यगमत्पिनाकी गृहीतदीप्तास्त्रविशालवह्निः अथाभवद् भीषणभीमसेनसैन्यद्वयस्यापि महाहवो ऽसौ
Then Pinākī, grasping blazing weapons like great fire, advanced straight toward Soma; and there arose a terrible, fearsome battle between the two armies, both dreadful as Bhīmasena.
अशेषसत्त्वक्षयकृत्प्रवृद्धस् तीक्ष्णायुधास्त्रज्वलनैकरूपः शस्त्रैरथान्योन्यमशेषसैन्यं द्वयोर्जगाम क्षयमुग्रतीक्ष्णैः
Fierce and ever-growing, causing the destruction of all beings, taking the form of blazing sharp weapons and missiles, the two sides’ armies were utterly destroyed by their terrible, sharp weapons.
पतन्ति शस्त्राणि तथोज्ज्वलानि स्वर्भूमिपातालमथो दहन्ति रुद्रः कोपाद्ब्रह्मशीर्षं मुमोच सोमो ऽपि सोमास्त्रममोघवीर्यम्
Flaming weapons fell, burning the heavens, earth, and underworld; Rudra, in anger, released the Brahmaśiras missile, while Soma unleashed the unfailing Soma missile.
तयोर्निपातेन समुद्रभूम्योर् अथान्तरिक्षस्य च भीतिरासीत् तदस्त्रयुग्मं जगतां क्षयाय प्रवृद्धमालोक्य पितामहो ऽपि
By the fall of those two missiles, fear arose in the sea, on earth, and in the sky; seeing those two weapons swelling for the destruction of the worlds, even the Grandfather (Brahmā) was alarmed.
अन्तः प्रविश्याथ कथं कथंचिन् निवारयामास सुरैः सहैव अकारणं किं क्षयकृज्जनानां सोम त्वयापीत्थम् अकारि कार्यम्
Then, somehow entering between them, he, together with the gods, restrained them; ‘Why, Soma, have you done this deed, bringing destruction to people without cause?’
यस्मात्परस्त्रीहरणाय सोम त्वया कृतं युद्धमतीव भीमम् पापग्रहस्त्वं भविता जनेषु शान्तो ऽप्यलं नूनमथो सितान्ते भार्यामिमामर्पय वाक्पतेस्त्वं न चावमानो ऽस्ति परस्वहारे
Because you waged this terrible war, Soma, for the abduction of another’s wife, you shall become a malefic planet among people, bringing harm even when calm; now, at the end of the conflict, return this wife to Vākpati—there is no dishonor in restoring what belongs to another.