भार्गवात्पादहीनश्च विज्ञेयो वै बृहस्पतिः बृहस्पतेः पादहीनौ केतुवक्रावुभौ स्मृतौ
From Bhārgava, one quarter less, is known as Bṛhaspati; from Bṛhaspati, both Ketu and Vakra are said to be a quarter less.
विस्तारमण्डलाभ्यां तु पादहीनस्तयोर्बुधः तारानक्षत्ररूपाणि वपुष्मन्तीह यानि वै
From the span and disk, Budha is a quarter less than those two; the forms of stars and constellations here are all endowed with form.
बुधेन समरूपाणि विस्तारान्मण्डलात्तु वै तारानक्षत्ररूपाणि हीनानि तु परस्परम्
Those forms are similar to Budha's, but from the span and disk, the forms of stars and constellations are mutually diminished.
शतानि पञ्च चत्वारि त्रीणि द्वे चैकमेव च सर्वोपरि निसृष्टानि मण्डलानि तु तारकाः
Five hundred, four hundred, three hundred, two hundred, and one hundred—these are the circles of stars set above all.
योजनार्धप्रमाणानि तेभ्यो ह्रस्वं न विद्यते उपरिष्टात्तु ये तेषां ग्रहा ये क्रूरसात्त्विकाः
Each of these measures half a yojana; there is nothing smaller than these. Above them are the planets, both fierce and sattvic.
सौरश्चाङ्गिरसो वक्रो विज्ञेया मन्दचारिणः तेभ्यो ऽधस्तात्तु चत्वारः पुनश्चान्ये महाग्रहाः
The solar, the Angirasa, and the retrograde are known as slow-moving; below them are four others, again great planets.
सोमः सूर्यो बुधश्चैव भार्गवश्चेति शीघ्रगाः यावन्ति चैव ऋक्षाणि कोट्यस्तावन्ति तारकाः
Soma, the Sun, Budha, and Bhārgava are all swift-moving; as many as there are constellations, so many are the stars, counted in crores.
सर्वेषां तु ग्रहाणां वै सूर्यो ऽधस्तात्प्रसर्पति विस्तीर्णं मण्डलं कृत्वा तस्योर्ध्वं चरते शशी
Among all the planets, the Sun moves below, creating a vast circle; above him moves the Moon.
नक्षत्रमण्डलं चापि सोमादूर्ध्वं प्रसर्पति नक्षत्रेभ्यो बुधश्चोर्ध्वं बुधाच्चोर्ध्वं तु भार्गवः
Above the Moon moves the circle of the constellations; above the constellations moves Budha, and above Budha is Bhārgava.
वक्रस्तु भार्गवादूर्ध्वं वक्रादूर्ध्वं बृहस्पतिः तस्माच्छनैश्चरश्चोर्ध्वं देवाचार्योपरि स्थितः
Above Bhārgava is Vakra; above Vakra is Bṛhaspati; above him is Śanaiścara, who stands above the preceptor of the gods.
शनैश्चरात्तथा चोर्ध्वं ज्ञेयं सप्तर्षिमण्डलम् सप्तर्षिभ्यो ध्रुवश्चोर्ध्वं समस्तं त्रिदिवं ध्रुवे
Above Śanaiścara, know that the circle of the Seven Sages is situated; above the Seven Sages is Dhruva, and above Dhruva is the entire heaven.
द्विगुणेषु सहस्रेषु योजनानां शतेषु च ग्रहान्तरम् अथैकैकम् ऊर्ध्वं नक्षत्रमण्डलात्
At a distance of two thousand yojanas, and hundreds of yojanas more, each planet is situated above the circle of the constellations.
ताराग्रहान्तराणि स्युर् उपर्युपर्यधिष्ठितम् ग्रहाश्च चन्द्रसूर्यौ च दिवि दिव्येन तेजसा
The spaces between the stars and planets are established one above the other; the planets, the Moon, and the Sun shine in the sky with divine radiance.
नक्षत्रेषु च युज्यन्ते गच्छन्तो नियतक्रमात् चन्द्रार्कग्रहनक्षत्रा नीचोच्चगृहमाश्रिताः
They are joined with the constellations, moving in a fixed order; the Moon, Sun, planets, and stars occupy their own low and high houses.
समागमे च भेदे च पश्यन्ति युगपत्प्रजाः परस्परं स्थिता ह्येवं युज्यन्ते च परस्परम्
When they come together or separate, people see them simultaneously, for they are thus positioned and joined with one another.
असंकरेण विज्ञेयस् तेषां योगस्तु वै बुधैः इत्येवं संनिवेशो वै पृथिव्या ज्योतिषां च यः
Their conjunctions are to be understood by the wise without confusion; thus is the arrangement of the earth and the luminaries.
द्वीपानामुदधीनां च पर्वतानां तथैव च वर्षाणां च नदीनां च ये च तेषु वसन्ति वै
Of the continents, oceans, mountains, regions, and rivers, and those who dwell among them—
इत्येषो ऽर्कवशेनैव संनिवेशस्तु ज्योतिषाम् आवर्तः सान्तरो मध्ये संक्षिप्तश्च ध्रुवात्तु स
Thus, by the power of the Sun, this arrangement of the luminaries is established; it is a revolving system with an inner space, compact in the middle, and fixed from Dhruva.
सर्वतस्तेषु विस्तीर्णो वृत्ताकार इवोच्छ्रितः लोकसंव्यवहारार्थम् ईश्वरेण विनिर्मितः
All these are vast, circular, and elevated, created by the Lord for the conduct of the world.
कल्पादौ बुद्धिपूर्वं तु स्थापितो ऽसौ स्वयम्भुवा इत्येष संनिवेशो वै सर्वस्य ज्योतिरात्मकः
At the beginning of the kalpa, this was established by the Self-born, with forethought; this is the arrangement of all that is composed of light.
वैश्वरूपं प्रधानस्य परिणाहो ऽस्य यः स्मृतः तेषां शक्यं न संख्यातुं याथातथ्येन केनचित् गतागतं मनुष्येण ज्योतिषां मांसचक्षुषा
This is said to be the universal form of the primordial substance, its extent; none can truly count their coming and going, nor can a human with fleshly eyes perceive the movements of the luminaries.
कथं जगाम भगवान् पुरारित्वं महेश्वरः ददाह च कथं देवस् तन्नो विस्तरतो वद
How did the blessed Lord Maheśvara become the destroyer of cities, and how did the god burn them? Tell us this in detail.
पृच्छामस्त्वां वयं सर्वे बहुमानात्पुनः पुनः त्रिपुरं तद्यथा दुर्गं मयमायाविनिर्मितम् देवेनैकेषुणा दग्धं तथा नो वद मानद
We all ask you again and again with great respect: how was Tripura, the formidable city built by Maya the magician, burned by the god with a single arrow? Tell us this, O giver of honor.
शृणुध्वं त्रिपुरं देवो यथा दारितवान् भवः मयो नाम महामायो मायानां जनको ऽसुरः
Hear how the god destroyed Tripura: Maya, the great magician, an asura and father of illusions, was its creator.
निर्जितः स तु संग्रामे तताप परमं तपः तपस्यन्तं तु तं विप्रा दैत्यावन्यावनुग्रहात्
Defeated in that battle, he performed intense austerity; and as he was engaged in penance, O Brahmins, the Daityas, out of compassion for him,
तस्यैव कृत्यमुद्दिश्य तेपतुः परमं तपः विद्युन्माली च बलवांस् तारकाख्यश्च वीर्यवान्
undertook severe austerity themselves, for his sake. Among them were Vidyunmali, mighty in strength, and Taraka, powerful in valor.
मयतेजःसमाक्रान्तौ तेपतुर्मयपार्श्वगौ लोका इव यथा मूर्तास् त्रयस् त्रय इवाग्नयः
Endowed with the energy of Maya, and remaining at Maya’s side, the two performed austerity, appearing like three embodied worlds, or like three fires.
लोकत्रयं तापयन्तस् ते तेपुर्दानवास्तपः हेमन्ते जलशय्यासु ग्रीष्मे पञ्चतपे तथा
The Danavas, burning the three worlds, performed austerity—lying on water in winter, and enduring the fivefold heat in summer.
वर्षासु च तथाकाशे क्षपयन्तस्तनूः प्रियाः सेवानाः फलमूलानि पुष्पाणि च जलानि च
During the rains, and likewise in the open sky, they wore away their bodies, subsisting on fruits, roots, flowers, and water, dear to those who serve.
अन्यदाचरिताहाराः पङ्केनाचितवल्कलाः मग्नाः शैवालपङ्केषु विमलाविमलेषु च
At other times, they lived on whatever food they could find, clad in bark smeared with mud, immersed in clear and muddy ponds alike.