Vayu Purana

स एव कालश्चाग्निश्च द्वादशात्मा प्रजापतिः। तपत्येष द्विजश्रेष्टास्त्रैलोक्यं सचराचरम् ।। ५३.

He alone is time and fire, the twelvefold Prajapati; O best of twice-born, he heats the three worlds, both moving and unmoving.

स एष तेजसां राशिः समस्तः सार्वलौकिकः। उत्तमं मार्गमास्थाय वायोभाभिरिदञ्जगत्। पार्श्वमूर्द्ध्वमधश्चैव तापयत्येष सर्वशः ।। ५३.

He is the complete mass of all radiance, universal; taking the highest path, with the brilliance of wind, he heats this world on every side—lateral, above, and below.

रवेरश्मिसहस्रं यत् प्राङ्मया समुदाहृतम् । तेषां श्रेष्ठाः पुनः सप्त रश्मयो ग्रहयोनयः ।। ५३.

The thousand rays of the sun that I previously described—among them, seven are foremost, and these rays are the sources of the planets.

सुषुम्नो हरिकेशश्च विश्वकर्मा तथैव च। विश्वश्रवाः पुनश्चान्यः संयद्वसुरतः परम् । अर्वावसुः पुनश्चान्यो मया चात्र प्रकीर्त्तितः ।। ५३.

Suṣumna, Harikeśa, Viśvakarma likewise, Viśvaśrava, another called Saṃyadvasu, and Arvāvasu, another, are mentioned here by me.

सुषुम्नः सूर्यरश्मिस्तु क्षीणं शशिनमेधयन्। तिर्यगूर्द्ध्वप्रभावोऽसौ सुषुम्नः परिकीर्त्यते ।। ५३.

Suṣumna is the solar ray that nourishes the waning moon; its radiance spreads horizontally and upward, and this is called Suṣumna.

हरिकेशः पुरस्त्वाद्या ऋक्षयोनिः प्रकीर्त्यते। दक्षिणे विश्वकर्मा तु रश्मिर्वर्द्धयते बुधम् ।। ५३.

Harikeśa, first and foremost, is said to be the origin of the stars; Viśvakarma, on the southern side, is the ray that increases Mercury.

विश्वश्रवास्तु यः पश्चात् शुक्रयोनिः स्मृतो बुधैः। संयद्वसुश्च यो रश्मिः सा योनिर्लोहितस्य च ।। ५३.

Viśvaśrava, which is in the west, is known by the wise as the origin of Venus; Saṃyadvasu is the ray that is the origin of Mars.

षष्ठस्त्वर्वावसू रश्मिर्योनिस्तु स बृहस्पतेः। शनैश्चरं पुनश्चापि रश्मिराप्यायते स्वराट् ।। ५३.

The sixth ray, Arvāvasu, is the origin of Jupiter; again, there is a ray that nourishes Saturn, called Svarāṭ.

एवं सूर्यप्रभावेण ग्रहनक्षत्रतारकाः। वर्द्धन्ते विदिताः सर्वा विश्वञ्चैदं पुनर्जगत् । नक्षीयन्ते पुनस्तानि तस्मान्नक्षत्रता स्मृता ।। ५३.

Thus, by the radiance of the sun, the planets, stars, and constellations all grow, as is known; and this entire world is renewed; again, those stars diminish, hence they are called constellations.

क्षेत्राण्येतानि वै पूर्वमापतन्ति गभस्तिभिः। तेषां क्षेत्राण्यथादत्ते सूर्यो नक्षत्रताङ्गतः ।। ५३.

These fields are first approached by the rays; the sun, having entered the state of constellations, takes up their fields accordingly.

तीर्णानां सुकृतेनेह सुकृतान्ते ग्रहाश्रयात् । ताराणां तारका ह्येताः शुक्लत्वाच्चैव तारकाः ।। ५३.

For those who have crossed over by good deeds here, at the end of good deeds, through the support of planets, these stars are called constellations; and because of their whiteness, they are called stars.

दिव्यानां पार्थिवानाञ्च नैशानाञ्चैव सर्वशः । आदानान्नित्यमादित्यस्तमसां तेजसां महान् ।। ५३.

From the taking up of the divine, earthly, and nocturnal ones, always, the sun is great among darkness and radiance.

सुवति स्पन्दनार्थे च धातुरेष विभाव्यते। सवनात्तेजसोऽपाञ्च तेनासौ सविता मतः ।। ५३.

He is perceived as the element for movement and vibration; from the pressing, radiance arises, and thus he is called Savitā.

बह्वर्थश्चन्द्र इत्येष ह्लादने धातुरिष्यते । शुक्लत्वे चामृतत्वे च शीतत्वे च विभाव्यते ।। ५३.

The moon is said to have many purposes; as an element, it is desired for cooling, and is perceived in whiteness, immortality, and coldness.

सुर्याचन्द्रमसोर्दिव्ये मण्डले भास्वरे खगे। ज्वलत्तेजोमये शुक्ले वृत्तकुम्भनिभे शुभे ।। ५३.

In the divine, radiant, and celestial orb of the sun and moon, blazing with light, white, round, and beautiful like a shining pot.

घनतोयात्मकं तत्र मण्डलं शशिनः स्मृतम्। घनतेजोमयं शुक्लं मण्डलं भास्करस्य तु ।। ५३.

There, the disk of the moon is said to be composed of dense water; the disk of the sun, however, is white and made of dense light.

विशन्ति सर्वदेवास्तु स्थानान्येतानि सर्वशः। मन्वन्तरेषु सर्वेषु ऋक्षसूर्यग्रहाश्रयाः ।। ५३.

All the gods enter completely into these abodes; in every Manvantara, they are associated with the stars, the sun, and the planets.

तानि देवगृहाण्येव तदाख्यास्ते भवन्ति च। सौरं सूर्यो विशस्थानं सौम्यं सोमस्तथैव च ।। ५३.

These are indeed the houses of the gods, and they are called by those names; the sun enters the solar abode, and the moon likewise enters the lunar abode.

शौक्रं शुक्रो विशस्थानं षोडशार्च्चिः प्रतापवान्। बृहद्बृहस्पतिश्चैव लोहितश्चैव लौहितः । शानैश्चरं तथा स्थानं देव श्चैव शनैश्चरः ।। ५३.

Shukra enters the abode of Venus, shining with sixteen rays and full of splendor; Brihaspati and Lohita (Mars) enter their respective abodes; Shani (Saturn) likewise enters the abode of Saturn.

आदित्यरश्मिसंयोगात् संप्रकाशात्मिकाः स्मृताः । नवयोजनसाहस्रो विष्कम्भः सवितुः स्मृतः ।। ५३.

Because of the union with the rays of the sun, they are considered to be of a luminous nature; the diameter of the sun is said to be nine thousand yojanas.

त्रिगुणस्तस्य विस्तारो मण्डलञ्च प्रमाणतः। द्विगुणः सूर्यविस्ताराद्विस्तारः शशिनः स्मृतः ।। ५३.

Its extent is three times that, and the disk is measured accordingly; the extent of the moon is said to be twice that of the sun.

तुल्यस्तयोस्तु स्वर्भानुर्भूत्वाधस्तात् प्रसर्पति। उद्धृत्य पार्थिवच्छायां निर्मितो मण्डलाकृतिः ।। ५३.

Swarbhanu, being equal to both, moves below them, having taken up the shadow of the earth, and is formed in the shape of a disk.

स्वर्भानोस्तु बृहत् स्थानन्निर्मितं यत्तमोमयम्। आदित्यात्तच्च निष्क्रम्य सोमं गच्छति पर्वसु ।। ५३.

The great abode of Swarbhanu is made of darkness; departing from the sun, it goes to the moon during the lunar phases.

आदित्यमेति सोमाच्च पुनः सोमञ्च पर्वसु। स्वर्भासानुदते यस्मात्ततः स्वर्भानुरुच्यते ।। ५३.

It goes from the moon to the sun again during the phases; because it rises with the light of Swarbhanu, it is called Swarbhanu.

चन्द्रस्य षोडशो भागो भार्गवश्च निधीयते। विष्कम्भान्मण्डलाच्चैव योजनाग्रात् प्रमाणतः ।। ५३.

The sixteenth part of the moon belongs to Bhargava (Venus), measured from the diameter and the disk, and from the tip of the yojana.

भार्गवात्पादहीनस्तु विज्ञेयो वै बृहस्पतिः। बुहस्पतेः पादहीनौ कुजसौरावुभौ स्मृतौ । विस्तारान्मण्डलाच्चैव पादहीनस्तयोर्बुधः ।। ५३.

Brihaspati is to be understood as lacking a quarter compared to Bhargava; both Mars and Saturn are said to be lacking a quarter compared to Brihaspati; and Budha (Mercury) is lacking a quarter compared to the disks and diameters of those two.

तारानक्षत्ररूपाणि स्वपुष्मन्तीह यानि वै। बुधेन समतुल्यानि विस्तारान्मण्डलादथ ।। ५३.

The forms of stars and constellations here, which possess their own brilliance, are equal in extent to Budha, measured from the disk.

प्रायशश्चन्द्रयोगानि विद्यादृक्षाणि तत्त्ववित्। तारानक्षत्ररूपाणि हीनानि तु परस्परम् ।। ५३.

One who knows the truth should understand that most of the stars are joined with the moon; the forms of stars and constellations are, however, less than each other.

शतानि पञ्च चत्वारि त्रीणि द्वे चैव योजने। पूर्वापरनिकृष्टानि तारकामण्डलानि तु। योजनान्यर्द्धमात्राणि तेभ्यो ह्रस्वं न विद्यते ।। ५३.

There are five hundred, four hundred, three hundred, and two hundred yojanas, the star-disks being more distant in the east and west; there is no disk among them shorter than half a yojana.