Vayu Purana

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.

उपरिष्टात्रयस्तेषां ग्रहा ये दूरसर्पिणः। सौरोऽङ्गिराश्च वक्रश्च ज्ञेया मन्दविचारिणः ।। ५३.

Above these are three planets, those that move far: the solar (Mars), the Angirasa (Jupiter), and the retrograde (Saturn), known as the slow-moving ones.

तेभ्योऽधस्तात्तु चत्वारः पुनरन्ये महाग्रहाः। सूर्यः सोमो बुधश्चैव भार्गवश्चैव शीघ्रगाः ।। ५३.

Below them are again four other great planets: the sun, the moon, Budha (Mercury), and Bhargava (Venus), known as the swift-moving ones.

यावन्त्य स्तारकाः कोट्यस्तावदृक्षाणि सर्वशः। वीथीनां नियमाच्चैवमृक्षमार्गो व्यवस्थितः ।। ५३.

As many as there are crores of stars, so many are the constellations in all; by the arrangement of the paths, thus is the path of the constellations established.

गतिस्तास्त्वेव सूर्यस्य नीचोच्चत्वेऽयनक्रमात्। उत्तरायण मार्गस्थो यदा पर्वसु चन्द्रमाः। बौधं बौधोऽथ स्वर्भानुः स्वर्भानोः स्थानमास्थितः ।। ५३.

Such indeed is the movement of the sun, according to the order of its declination and ascension; when the moon is on the path of the northern solstice during the phases, Budha, then Mercury, and Swarbhanu occupy the place of Swarbhanu.

नक्षत्राणि च सर्वाणि नक्षत्राणि विशन्त्युत। गृहाण्ये तानि सर्वाणि ज्योतींषि सुकृतात्मनाम् ।। ५३.

All the stars enter into the constellations; these are the luminous abodes of those whose souls are virtuous.

कल्पादौ संप्रवृत्तानि निर्मितानि स्वयम्भुवा। स्थानान्येतानि तिष्ठन्ति यावदाभूतसंप्लवम् ।। ५३.

At the beginning of the kalpa, these places were set in motion and created by the Self-born; they remain established until the dissolution of beings.

मन्वन्तरेषु सर्वेषु देवतायतनानि वै। अभिमानिनोऽवतिष्टन्ति यावदाभूतसंप्लवम् ।। ५३.

In every manvantara, the abodes of the deities, possessed by those with pride, remain until the dissolution of beings.

अतीतैस्तु सहातीता भाव्याभाव्यैः सुरासुरैः । वर्त्तन्ते वर्त्तमानैश्च स्थानानि स्वैः सुरैः सह ।। ५३.

Together with those who have passed and those yet to come, with gods and demons, these places exist along with the present ones and their respective deities.

अस्मिन् मन्वन्तरे चैव ग्रहा वैमानिकाः स्मृताः। विवस्वानदितेः पुत्रः सूर्यो वैवस्वतेऽन्तरे ।। ५३.

In this manvantara, the planets are considered celestial; the Sun, son of Vivasvan and Aditi, belongs to the Vaivasvata manvantara.

त्विषिमान्धर्मपुत्रस्तु सोमदेवो वसुः स्मृतः। शुक्रो देवस्तु विज्ञेयो भार्गवोऽसुरराजकः ।। ५३.

Tviṣimān, son of Dharma, is known as the lunar deity and a Vasu; Śukra is to be understood as the deity, the Bhārgava, lord of the Asuras.