Vayu Purana

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.

अमावस्यान्तदा तस्य अन्तमापूर्यते परम्। वृद्धिक्षयौ वै पक्षादौ षोडश्यां शशिनः स्मृतौ ।। ५२.

At the end of the new moon, that portion is completely filled; the waxing and waning at the beginning of each fortnight and on the sixteenth day are attributed to the moon.

एवं सूर्यनिमित्तैषा क्षयवृद्धि र्निशाकरे। ताराग्रहाणां वक्ष्यामि स्वर्भानोश्च रथं पुनः ।। ५२.

Thus, this waxing and waning of the moon is due to the sun; now I will describe the stars, planets, and again the chariot of Svarbhānu.

तोयतेजोमयः शुभ्रः सोमपुत्रस्य वै रथः। युक्तो हयैः पिशङ्गैस्तु अष्टाभिर्वातरंहसैः ।। ५२.

The chariot of Soma's son is composed of water and light, shining and pure, yoked with eight tawny horses, swift as the wind.

सवरूथः सानुकर्षः सूतो दिव्यो रथे महान्। सोपासङ्गपताकस्तु सध्वजो मेघसन्निभः ।। ५२.

It is equipped with a yoke and a pole, with a divine charioteer, a great celestial chariot, adorned with side standards and flags, resembling a cloud.

भार्गवस्य रथः श्रीणांस्तेजसा सूर्यसन्निभः। पृथिवीसम्भवैर्युक्तो नानावर्णैर्हयोत्तमैः ।। ५२.

The chariot of Bhārgava among the illustrious is radiant like the sun, yoked with excellent horses of various colors, born of the earth.

श्वेतः पिशङ्गः सारङ्गो नीलः पीतो विलोहितः। कृष्णश्च हरितश्चैव पृषतः पृष्णिरेव च। दशभि स्तैर्महाभागैरकृशैर्वातवेगितैः ।। ५२.

White, tawny, spotted, blue, yellow, reddish, black, green, dappled, and speckled—these ten noble, sturdy, wind-swift horses draw it.

अष्टाश्वः काञ्चनः श्रीमान् सोमस्यापि रथोऽभवत्। असङ्गैर्लौहितैरश्वैः सर्वगैरग्निसम्भवैः। सर्पतेऽसौ कुमारो वै ऋजुवक्रानुचक्रगः ।। ५२.

The splendid golden chariot of Soma also has eight horses, unattached, red, all-pervading, born of fire; the youth rides it, with straight and curved wheels.

ततस्त्वाङ्गिरसो विद्वान् देवाचार्यो बृहस्पतिः। शोणैरश्वैः काञ्चनेन स्यन्दनेन प्रसर्पति ।। ५२.

Then the wise descendant of Aṅgiras, the divine teacher Bṛhaspati, advances in a golden chariot drawn by red horses.

युक्तस्तु वाजिभिर्दिव्यैरष्टाभिर्वातसम्मितैः। नक्षत्रेऽब्दन्निवसति सवेगस्तेन गच्छति ।। ५२.

Yoked with eight divine horses, swift as the wind, he resides in the constellation for a year and moves with great speed.

ततः शनैश्वरोप्यश्वैः शबलैर्व्योमसम्भवैः। कार्ष्णायसं समारुह्य स्यन्दनं याति वै शनैः ।। ५२.

Then Śanaiścara, too, rides slowly in a chariot of black iron, drawn by dappled horses born of the sky.