एतदेव तु पप्रच्छ मनुः स मधुसूदनम् सूर्यपुत्राय चोवाच यथा तन्मे निबोधत
Manu asked this very question to Madhusudana, and Madhusudana spoke to the son of the Sun; listen as I explain it.
तस्य चाहं प्रवक्ष्यामि प्रभावं विस्तरेण तु ऐलस्य दिवि संयोगं सोमेन सह धीमता
I will now declare in detail the power of that wise Aila, his union in heaven with Soma.
सोमाच्चैवामृतप्राप्तिः पितॄणां तर्पणं तथा सौम्या बर्हिषदः काव्या अग्निष्वात्तास्तथैव च
From Soma comes the attainment of nectar, and the offering to the ancestors; the Saumyas, Barhishads, Kavyas, and Agnishvattas likewise.
यदा चन्द्रश्च सूर्यश्च नक्षत्राणां समागतौ अमावास्यां निवसत एकस्मिन्नथ मण्डले
When the moon and the sun, along with the stars, come together, they dwell on the new moon in a single circle.
तदा स गच्छति द्रष्टुं दिवाकरनिशाकरौ अमावास्याममावास्यां मातामहपितामहौ
Then, on each new moon, he goes to see the Sun and the Moon, his maternal and paternal ancestors.
अभिवाद्य तु तौ तत्र कालापेक्षः स तिष्ठति प्रचस्कन्द ततः सोमम् अर्चयित्वा परिश्रमात्
There, after greeting them, he waits for the proper time; then, having worshipped Soma, he departs, weary.
ऐलः पुरूरवा विद्वान् मासि श्राद्धचिकीर्षया ततः स दिवि सोमं वै ह्य् उपतस्थे पितॄनपि
Aila Pururavas, learned, wishing to perform the monthly ancestor rite, then approached Soma in heaven, and also the ancestors.
द्विलवं कुहूमात्रं च तावुभौ तु निधाय सः सिनीवालीप्रमाणाल्पकुहूमात्रव्रतोदये
He placed two measures, only as much as Kuhū, both together, at the rise of the vow, just a small measure, the size of Sinīvālī.
कुहूमात्रं पित्रुद्देशं ज्ञात्वा कुहूमुपासाते तमुपास्य ततः सोमं कलापेक्षी प्रतीक्षते
Knowing the measure of Kuhū for the ancestors, he worships Kuhū; after worshipping, he waits for Soma, watching for the proper phase.
स्वधामृतं तु सोमाद्वै वसंस्तेषां च तृप्तये दशभिः पञ्चभिश्चैव स्वधामृतपरिस्रवैः कृष्णपक्षभुजां प्रीतिर् द्रुह्यते परमांशुभिः
From Soma comes the nectar of oblation, for their satisfaction, with ten and five streams of nectar; the ancestors who partake in the dark fortnight are delighted by the supreme rays.
सद्यो ऽभिक्षरता तेन सौम्येन मधुना च सः निवापेष्वथ दत्तेषु पित्र्येण विधिना तु वै
Immediately, he moves with that Saumya nectar; when the offerings are given according to the ancestral rite.
स्वधामृतेन सौम्येन तर्पयामास वै पितॄन् सौम्या बर्हिषदः काव्या अग्निष्वात्तास्तथैव च
With the Saumya nectar, he satisfied the ancestors: the Saumyas, Barhishads, Kavyas, and Agnishvattas likewise.
ऋतुरग्निः स्मृतो विप्रैर् ऋतुं संवत्सरं विदुः जज्ञिरे ऋतवस्तस्माद् ऋतुभ्यो ह्यार्तवा अभवन्
The fire of the seasons is remembered by the sages; they know the season as the year. The seasons were born, and from the seasons came the periods.
पितर ऋतवो ऽर्धमासा विज्ञेया ऋतुसूनवः पितामहास्तु ऋतवो ह्य् अमावास्याब्दसूनवः प्रपितामहाः स्मृता देवाः पञ्चाब्दा ब्रह्मणः सुताः
The ancestors are the seasons, the half-months are known as the sons of the seasons; the grandfathers are the seasons, the new moons are the sons of the year; the great-grandfathers are remembered as gods, five years are the sons of Brahma.
सौम्या बर्हिषदः काव्या अग्निष्वात्ता इति त्रिधा गृहस्था ये तु यज्वानो हविर्यज्ञार्तवाश्च ये स्मृता बर्हिषदस्ते वै पुराणे निश्चयं गताः
The Barhishads, the Kavyas, and the Agnishvattas are threefold; those householders who are sacrificers and those who perform the haviryajnas and seasonal rites are called Barhishads, and they have attained certainty in the Purana.
गृहमेधिनश्च यज्वानो ह्य् अग्निष्वात्तार्तवाः स्मृताः अष्टकापतयः काव्याः पञ्चाब्दांस्तु निबोधत
Householders who are sacrificers are remembered as Agnishvattas and seasonal sacrificers; the Kavyas are the lords of the Ashtakas. Now, listen to the five-year periods.
तेषु संवत्सरो ह्यग्निः सूर्यस्तु परिवत्सरः सोमस् त्विड्वत्सरश् चैव वायुश्चैवानुवत्सरः
Among them, the year is Agni, the Parivatsara is the Sun, the Idvatsara is Soma, and the Anuvatsara is Vayu.
रुद्रस्तु वत्सरस्तेषां पञ्चाब्दा ये युगात्मकाः कालेनाधिष्ठितस्तेषु चन्द्रमाः स्रवते सुधाम्
Rudra is their Vatsara; these five years are the forms of a yuga. Established by time, the Moon flows among them, releasing nectar.
एते स्मृता देवकृत्याः सोमपाश्चोष्मपाश्च ये तांस्तेन तर्पयामास यावदासीत्पुरूरवाः
These are remembered as the duties of the gods, both the drinkers of soma and the drinkers of heat; Pururavas satisfied them as long as he lived.
यस्मात्प्रसूयते सोमो मासि मासि विशेषतः ततः स्वधाभृतं तद्वै पितॄणां सोमपायिनाम् एतत्तदमृतं सोमम् अवाप मधु चैव हि
Because Soma is produced month by month in particular, therefore that which bears svadha belongs to the ancestors who drink soma; thus, he obtained that nectar, soma, and honey.
ततः पीतसुधं सोमं सूर्यो ऽसावेकरश्मिना आप्यायते सुषुम्नेन सोमं तु सोमपायिनम्
Then, having drunk the nectar soma, the Sun, with a single ray, nourishes the soma of the soma-drinkers through the ray called Sushumna.
निःशेषा वै कलाः पूर्वा युगपद् व्यापयन् पुरा सुषुम्नाप्यायमानस्य भागं भागमहःक्रमात्
All the earlier phases, spreading simultaneously in the past, are nourished by Sushumna, each portion day by day.
कलाः क्षीयन्ति कृष्णास्ताः शुक्ला ह्याप्याययन्ति च एवं सा सूर्यवीर्येण चन्द्रस्याप्यायिता तनुः
The dark phases diminish, while the bright phases increase; thus, by the Sun's energy, the Moon's body is nourished.
पौर्णमास्यां स दृश्येत शुक्लः सम्पूर्णमण्डलः एवमाप्यायितः सोमः शुक्लपक्षे ऽप्यहःक्रमात् देवैः पीतसुधं सोमं पुरा पश्चात्पिबेद्रविः
On the full moon, it appears as a bright, complete circle. Thus, nourished, soma increases day by day in the bright fortnight; the gods drank the nectar soma before, and afterwards, the ancestors drink the residue.
पीतं पञ्चदशाहं तु रश्मिनैकेन भास्करः आप्याययत्सुषुम्नेन भागं भागमहःक्रमात्
For fifteen days, the Sun, with a single ray, drinks it; as Sushumna nourishes, each portion is taken day by day.
सुषुम्नाप्यायमानस्य शुक्ला वर्धन्ति वै कलाः तस्माद्ध्रसन्ति वै कृष्णाः शुक्ला ह्याप्याययन्ति च
As Sushumna nourishes, the bright phases increase; therefore, the dark phases decrease, while the bright phases increase.
एवमाप्यायते सोमः क्षयिते च पुनः पुनः समृद्धिरेवं सोमस्य पक्षयोः शुक्लकृष्णयोः
Thus, soma is nourished, and when it wanes, it is replenished again and again; this is the increase of soma in both the bright and dark fortnights.
इत्येष पितृमान्सोमः स्मृतस्तद्वसुधात्मकः कान्तः पञ्चदशैः सार्धं सुधाभृतपरिस्रवैः
Thus, this soma, possessed by the ancestors, is remembered as earth-formed, beloved, along with fifteen nectar-bearing flows.
अतः परं प्रवक्ष्यामि पर्वणां संधयश्च याः यथा ग्रथ्नन्ति पर्वाणि आवृत्तादिक्षुवेणुवत्
Now, I will explain the junctions of the lunar phases, and how the phases are joined together, just as the knots in a reed are joined.
तथाब्दमासाः पक्षाश्च शुक्लाः कृष्णास्तु वै स्मृताः पौर्णमास्यास्तु यो भेदो ग्रन्थयः संधयस्तथा
Similarly, the year, months, and fortnights, both bright and dark, are remembered; the distinctions of the full moon, the knots, and the junctions are likewise.