कल्पादौ सम्प्रयुक्ताश्च वहन्त्याभूतसंप्लवम् आवृतो वालखिल्यैश्च भ्रमते रात्र्यहानि तु
At the beginning of the kalpa, joined together, they carry the great flood of beings; enveloped by the Vālakhilya sages, it wanders through days and nights.
ग्रथितैः स्ववचोभिश्च स्तूयमानो महर्षिभिः सेव्यते गीतनृत्यैश्च गन्धर्वाप्सरसां गणैः
Praised by the great sages with their composed words, it is served with songs and dances by the hosts of Gandharvas and Apsarases.
पतंगैः पतगैरश्वैर् भ्राम्यमाणो दिवस्पतिः वीथ्याश्रयाणि चरति नक्षत्राणि तथा शशी
The lord of the sky, revolving with birds, winged horses, and steeds, moves along the paths, and so do the stars and the moon.
ह्रासवृद्धी तथैवास्य रश्मयः सूर्यवत्स्मृताः त्रिचक्रोभयतो ऽश्वश्च विज्ञेयः शशिनो रथः
Its rays, remembered as those of the sun, undergo increase and decrease; the chariot of the moon is known to have three wheels and horses on both sides.
अपां गर्भसमुत्पन्नो रथः साश्वः ससारथिः सहारैस्तैस्त्रिभिश्चक्रैर् युक्तः शुक्लैर्हयोत्तमैः
The chariot, together with horses and charioteer, arises from the womb of the waters, equipped with three white, excellent horses and wheels.
दशभिस्तुरगैर्दिव्यैर् असङ्गैस् तन्मनोजवैः सकृद्युक्ते रथे तस्मिन् वहन्तस्त्वायुगक्षयम्
With ten divine horses, unattached and swift as the mind, once yoked to the chariot, they carry it without fatigue.
संगृहीता रथे तस्मिञ् छ्वेतश्चक्षुःश्रवाश्च वै अश्वास्तमेकवर्णास्ते वहन्ते शङ्खवर्चसः
Gathered in that chariot are the horses named Śveta and Cakṣuḥśravā; all are of one color, bearing the brilliance of conch shells.
अजश्च त्रिपथश्चैव वृषो वाजी नरो हयः अंशुमान् सप्तधातुश्च हंसो व्योममृगस्तथा
Aja, Tripatha, Vṛṣa, Vājī, Nara, Haya, Aṃśumān, Saptadhātu, Haṃsa, and Vyomamṛga—these are their names.
इत्येते नामभिश्चैव दश चन्द्रमसो हयाः एवं चन्द्रमसं देवं वहन्ति स्मायुगक्षयम्
Thus, these ten horses of the moon, by their names, carry the god Chandra without fatigue.
देवैः परिवृतः सोमः पितृभिः सह गच्छति सोमस्य शुक्लपक्षादौ भास्करे परतः स्थिते
Surrounded by the gods, Soma travels together with the ancestors, beginning from the bright fortnight, when the sun stands apart.
आपूर्यते परो भागः सोमस्य तु अहःक्रमात् ततः पीतक्षयं सोमं युपगद्व्यापयन् रविः
The upper portion of Soma is filled day by day; then, the sun, approaching the sacrificial post, causes the waning of Soma.
पीतं पञ्चदशाहं च रश्मिनैकेन भास्करः आपूरयन्ददौ तेन भागं भागमहःक्रमात्
For fifteen days, the sun, with a single ray, consumes Soma, then fills it again, portion by portion, day by day.
सुषुम्नाप्ययमानस्य शुक्ले वर्धन्ति वै कलाः तस्माद्ध्रसन्ति वै कृष्णे शुक्ले ह्याप्याययन्ति च
When Suṣumnā is absorbed, the digits increase in the bright fortnight; therefore, they decrease in the dark, and in the bright, they are replenished.
इत्येवं सूर्यवीर्येण चन्द्रस्याप्यायते तनुः पौर्णमास्यां प्रदृश्येत शुक्लः सम्पूर्णमण्डलः
Thus, by the power of the sun, the body of the moon is replenished; at the full moon, the bright, complete orb is visible.
एवमाप्यायते सोमः शुक्लपक्षेष्वहःक्रमात् ततो द्वितीयाप्रभृति बहुलस्य चतुर्दशी
In this way, Soma is replenished day by day during the bright fortnight; then, from the second onward, the fourteenth day of the dark fortnight.
अपां सारमयस्येन्दो रसमात्रात्मकस्य च पिबन्त्यम्बुमयं देवा मधु सौम्यं तथामृतम्
The gods drink the nectar, the essence of water, which is entirely made of Soma, sweet and gentle, and also immortal.
संभृतं त्वर्धमासेन अमृतं सूर्यतेजसा भक्षार्थमागतं सोमं पौर्णमास्यामुपासते
The nectar, gathered in half a month by the sun's energy, is sought by the gods at the full moon for consumption.
एकरात्रं सुराः सार्धं पितृभिरृषिभिश्च वै सोमस्य कृष्णपक्षादौ भास्कराभिमुखस्य वै
For one night, together with the ancestors and sages, the gods partake of Soma at the beginning of the dark fortnight, when it faces the sun.
प्रक्षीयते परे ह्यात्मा पीयमानकलाक्रमात् त्रयश्च त्रिंशता सार्धं त्रयस्त्रिंशच्छतानि तु
The essence is diminished in the other, being consumed gradually, and there are three hundred and thirty-three in total.
त्रयस्त्रिंशत्सहस्राणि देवाः सोमं पिबन्ति वै इत्येवं पीयमानस्य कृष्णे वर्धन्ति ताः कलाः
The gods drink Soma for thirty-three thousand cycles, and as it is being consumed, its dark phases increase.
क्षीयन्ते च ताः शुक्लाः कृष्णा ह्याप्याययन्ति च एवं दिनक्रमात्पीते देवैश्चापि निशाकरे
Those bright phases wane, and the dark ones indeed increase; thus, by the course of days, as the gods drink the nectar of the night-maker.
पीत्वार्धमासं गच्छन्ति अमावास्यां सुराश्च ते पितरश्चोपतिष्ठन्ति अमावास्यां निशाकरम्
Having drunk for half a month, the gods depart at the new moon, and the ancestors approach the night-maker at the new moon.
ततः पञ्चदशे भागे किंचिच्छेषे निशाकरे ततो ऽपराह्णे पितरो जघन्यदिवसे पुनः
Then, in the fifteenth part, with a little remaining in the night-maker, on the next day, the ancestors again partake on the last day.
पिबन्ति द्विकलं कालं शिष्टास्तास्तु कलास्तु याः विनिःसृष्टं त्वमावास्यां गभस्तिभ्यस्तदामृतम्
They drink for two phases of time, and those phases that remain are released at the new moon as nectar from the rays.
अर्धमाससमाप्तौ तु पीत्वा गच्छन्ति ते ऽमृतम् सौम्या बर्हिषदश्चैव अग्निष्वात्ताश्च ये स्मृताः
At the completion of the half-month, having drunk, they depart with the nectar—those called Saumyas, Barhishads, and Agnishvattas.
काव्याश्चैव तु ये प्रोक्ताः पितरः सर्व एव ते संवत्सराश्च ये काव्याः पञ्चाब्दा वै द्विजाः स्मृताः
And those ancestors called Kavyas—all of them—and the Kavyas who are said to be of five years, O twice-born.
सौम्याः सुतपसो ज्ञेयाः सौम्या बर्हिषदस्तथा अग्निष्वात्तास् त्रयश्चैव पितृसर्गस्थिता द्विजाः
The Saumyas are to be known as great ascetics, and likewise the Saumya Barhishads; the three Agnishvattas are established in the ancestral lineage, O twice-born.
पितृभिः पीयमानायां पञ्चदश्यां तु वै कलाम् यावच्च क्षीयते तस्माद् भागः पञ्चदशस्तु सः
When the ancestors are drinking the phase on the fifteenth day, as long as it is diminished, that part is the fifteenth.
अमावास्यां तथा तस्य अन्तरा पूर्यते परः वृद्धिक्षयौ वै पक्षादौ षोडश्यां शशिनः मृतौ एवं सूर्यनिमित्ते ते क्षयवृद्धी निशाकरे
Likewise, at the new moon, the interval is filled by the other; waxing and waning occur at the beginning of the fortnight, and on the sixteenth day, the moon perishes—thus, due to the sun, there is decrease and increase in the night-maker.
ताराग्रहाणां वक्ष्यामि स्वर्भानोस्तु रथं पुनः अथ तेजोमयः शुभ्रः सोमपुत्रस्य वै रथः
I will now describe the chariot of the stars and planets, and again the chariot of Rahu; then, the radiant and shining chariot of the son of Soma.