Vayu Purana

अयं हरिस्तैर्हरिभिस्तुरङ्गमैरयन् हि चापो हरतीति रश्मिभिः। विसर्गकाले विसृजंश्च ताः पुनर्बिभर्ति शश्वत् सविता चराचरम् ।। ५२.

This Hari, with those golden horses, indeed draws up the waters with his rays; at the time of release, sending them forth again, the sun ever sustains all that moves and is still.

हरिर्हरिद्भिर्ह्रियते तुरङ्गमैः पिबत्यथापो हरिभिः सहस्रधा। ततः प्रमुञ्चत्यपि तास्त्वसौ हरिः स मुह्यमानो हरिभिस्तुरङ्गमैः ।। ५२.

Hari is drawn by golden horses, and drinks the waters with them in a thousand streams; then, releasing them again, this Hari, bewildered, is carried by the golden horses.

इत्येष एकचक्रेण सूर्यस्तूर्णं रथेन तु। भद्रैस्तैरक्षतैरश्वैः सर्पतेऽसौ दिवि क्षये ।। ५२.

Thus, with a single wheel, the sun swiftly moves in his chariot, drawn by those excellent, uninjured horses, traversing the sky at day's end.

अहोरात्राद्रथैनासौ एकचक्रेण तु भ्रमन्। सप्तद्वीपसमुद्रान्तं सप्तभिः सप्तभिर्हयैः ।। ५२.

By day and night, he circles with his chariot of one wheel, with seven groups of seven horses, reaching to the ends of the seven continents and oceans.

छन्दोभिरश्वरूपैस्तैर्यतश्चक्रन्ततः स्थितैः। कामरूपैः सकृद्युक्तैरमितैस्तैर्मनोजवैः ।। ५२.

With those horses in the form of metres, standing wherever they move, with forms at will, yoked at once, countless, swift as the mind.

हरितैरव्ययैः पिङ्गैरीश्वरैर्ब्रह्मवादिभिः। अशीति मण्डलशतं भ्रमन्त्यब्देन ते हयाः ।। ५२.

Golden, imperishable, tawny, lordly, praised by the knowers of Brahman—those horses circle eighty hundred wheels in a year.

बाह्यमभ्यन्तरञ्चैव मण्डलं दिवसक्रमात् । कल्पादौ सम्प्रयुक्तास्ते वहन्त्याभूतसम्प्लवात्। आवृता वालखिल्यैस्ते भ्रमन्ते रात्र्यहानि तु ।। ५२.

The outer and inner circles, in the course of days, set in motion at the beginning of the kalpa, they carry, except at the dissolution of beings; surrounded by the Vālakhilyas, they revolve through day and night.

प्रथितैर्वचोभङिरग्र्यैः स्तूयमानो महर्षिभिः। सैव्यते गीतवृत्यैश्च गन्धर्वैरप्सरोगणैः। पतङ्गः पत गैरश्वैर्भ्रममाणो दिवस्पतिः ।। ५२.

Praised by renowned words and excellent hymns by great sages, sung in melodious verses by Gandharvas and groups of Apsaras, the lord of the sky moves, accompanied by swift horses, wandering like a bird.

वीथ्याश्रयाणि चरति नक्षत्राणि तथा शशी। ह्रासवृद्धी तथैवास्य रश्मीनां सूर्यवत् स्मृते ।। ५२.

He travels along the paths of the stars, and likewise the moon; his rays, like those of the sun, undergo both decrease and increase.

त्रिचक्रोभयपार्श्वस्थो विज्ञेयः शशिनो रथः। अपां गर्भसमुत्पन्नो रथः साश्वः ससारथिः। शतारैश्च त्रिभिश्चक्रैर्युक्तः शुल्कैर्हयोत्तमैः ।। ५२.

The chariot of the moon is to be understood as having three wheels and positioned on both sides; it is born from the womb of the waters, with horses and a charioteer, equipped with a hundred spokes and three wheels, drawn by excellent horses yoked with yokes.

दश भिस्तु कृशैर्दिव्यैरसङ्गैस्तैर्मनोजवैः। सकृद्युक्ते रथे तस्मिन् वहन्ते चायुगक्षयात् ।। ५२.

Ten slender, divine, unattached horses, swift as the mind, are yoked at once to that chariot, carrying it without weariness or exhaustion.

संगृहीते रथे तस्मिन् श्वेतश्चक्षुःश्रवास्तु वै। अश्वा स्तमेकवर्णास्ते वहन्ते शङ्खवर्च्चसम् ।। ५२.

When the chariot is assembled, the white horse named Chakshu-shravas, possessing a single color and shining like a conch, draws it.

ययुश्च त्रिमनाश्चैव वृषो राजीवलो हयः। अस्वो वामस्तुरण्यश्च हंसो व्योमी मृगस्तथा ।। ५२.

The horses are named Yayu, Trimana, Vrisha, Rajivala, Vama, Turanya, Hamsa, Vyomi, Mriga, and Ashva.

इत्येते नामभिः सर्वे दश चन्द्रमसो हयाः । एते चन्द्रमसं देवं वहन्ति दिवसक्षयात् ।। ५२.

Thus, all ten horses of the moon are called by these names; these carry the moon god day after day.

देवैः परिवृतः सौम्यः पितृभिश्चैव गच्छति। सोमस्य शुक्ल पक्षादौ भास्करे पुरतः स्थिते। आपूर्यते पुरस्यान्तः सततं दिवसक्रमात् ।। ५२.

Surrounded by gods and ancestors, the gentle moon proceeds; at the beginning of the bright fortnight of Soma, with the sun standing ahead, he is filled within his orb continually, day by day.

देवैः पीतं क्षये सोममाप्याययति नित्यदा। पीतं पञ्चदशाहन्तु रश्मिनैकेन भास्करः ।। ५२.

The moon, drunk by the gods at its waning, is replenished constantly; the sun drinks it for fifteen days with a single ray.

आपूरयन् सुषुम्नेन भागं भागमहःक्रमात् । सुषुम्नाप्यायमानस्य शुक्ला वर्द्धन्ति वै कलाः ।। ५२.

The sun fills the moon, part by part, day by day, with the ray named Sushumna; as Sushumna replenishes, the bright phases of the moon increase.

तस्माद्ध्रसन्ति वै कृष्णे शुक्ल आप्याययन्ति च। इत्येवं सूर्यवीर्येण चन्द्रस्याप्यायिता तनुः ।। ५२.

Therefore, the phases decrease in the dark fortnight and increase in the bright; thus, by the power of the sun, the body of the moon is replenished.

पौर्णमास्यां स दृश्येत शुक्लः सम्पूर्णमण्डलः । एवमाप्यायितः सोमः शुक्लपक्षे दिनक्रमात् ।। ५२.

On the full moon day, the moon appears bright, with a complete orb; thus, Soma is replenished in the bright fortnight, day by day.

ततो द्वितीयाप्रभृति बहुलस्य चतुर्द्दशी। अपां सारमयस्येन्दो रसमात्रात्मकस्य च। पिबन्त्यम्बुमयं देवा मधु सौम्यं सुधाम यम् ।। ५२.

Then, from the second to the fourteenth day of the dark fortnight, the gods drink the nectar, the essence of water, which is the moon, consisting only of its juice, the sweet, gentle ambrosia.

सम्भृतञ्चार्द्धमासेन अमृतं सूर्यतेजसा । भक्षार्थममृतं सौम्यं पौर्णमास्यामुपासते ।। ५२.

Half a month’s worth of nectar, gathered by the sun’s radiance, is consumed; the gentle nectar of Soma is worshipped on the full moon for the purpose of eating.

एकरात्रं सुरैः सर्वैः पितृभिश्च महर्षिभिः। सोमस्य कृष्णपक्षादौ भास्कराभिमुखस्य च ।। ५२.

For one night, all the gods, ancestors, and great sages, at the beginning of the dark fortnight, facing the sun, partake of the moon.

प्रक्षीयते पुरस्यान्तः पीयमानाः कलाः क्रमात्। क्षीयन्ते तस्मात् कृष्णे याः शुक्ले ह्याप्याययन्ति ताः ।। ५२.

Within the orb, the phases are gradually consumed; thus, in the dark fortnight they decrease, while in the bright they increase.

एवं दिनक्रमातीते विबुधास्तु निशाकरम् । पीत्वाऽर्द्धमासङ्गच्छन्ति अमावास्यां सुरोत्तमाः । पितरश्चोपतिष्ठन्ति अमावास्यां निशाकरम् ।। ५२.

Thus, after the passage of days, the gods, having drunk the moon for half a month, depart at the new moon; the ancestors also approach the moon at the new moon.

ततः पञ्चदशे भागे किञ्चिच्छिष्टे कलात्मके। अपराह्ने पितृगणैर्जघन्यः पर्युपास्यते ।। ५२.

Then, when only a small portion remains, consisting of fifteen parts, in the afternoon, the lowest group of ancestors worship it.

पिबन्ति द्विकलाकालं शिष्टा तस्य तु या कला। निःसृतं तदमावास्याङ्गभस्तिभ्यः स्वधामृतम्। तां स्वधां मासतृप्त्यै तु पीत्वा गच्छन्ति तेऽमृतम् ।। ५२.

The remaining portion of his lunar phase, after the twice-daily consumption, flows out from the limbs of the new moon as the nectar of Svadhā; the ancestors drink this Svadhā for the satisfaction of the month and then attain immortality.

सौम्या बर्हिषदश्चैव अग्निष्वात्तास्तथैव च। कव्याश्चैव तु ये प्रोक्ताः पितरः सर्व एव ते ।। ५२.

The Saumyas, Barhiṣads, Agniṣvāttas, and those called Kavyas—all these are indeed the ancestors as declared.

संवत्सरास्तु वै कव्याः पञ्चाब्दा ये द्विजैः स्मृताः। सौम्यास्तु ऋतवो ज्ञेया मासा बर्हिषदः स्मृताः। अग्निष्वात्तार्तवश्चैव पितृसर्गा हि वै द्विजाः ।। ५२.

The Kavyas are to be known as the years, those remembered by the twice-born as spanning five years; the Saumyas are the seasons, the months are called Barhiṣads, and the Agniṣvāttas are also seasonal—the lineages of the ancestors, O twice-born.

पितृभिः पीयमानस्य पञ्चदश्यां कला तु वै। यावन्न क्षीयते तस्य भागः पञ्चदश स्तु सः ।। ५२.

As the ancestors drink on the fifteenth day, the portion of the lunar phase remains until it is exhausted; that portion is indeed the fifteenth part.