तदाधारं जगच्चेदं सदेवासुरमानुषम् ॥ २,९.
This entire world, with gods, asuras, and humans, is supported by that.
येन विप्रविधानेन तन्ममैकमनाः शृणु । विवस्वानष्टभिर्मासैरादायापो रसात्मिकाः । वर्षत्यम्बुततश्चान्नमन्नादप्यखिलं जगत् ॥ २,९.
By what arrangement this is so, listen to me with single-minded attention: the sun, in eight months, draws up the waters, which are of the essence of sap; then he rains, and from that water comes food, and from food, the entire world.
विवस्वानंशुभिस्तीक्ष्णैरादाय जगतो जलम् । सोमं पुष्णात्यथेन्दुश्च वायुनाडीमयैर्दिवि । नालैर्विक्षिपतेऽभ्रेषु धूमाग्न्यनिलमूर्तिषु ॥ २,९.
The sun, with his sharp rays, draws water from the world; then the moon nourishes it, and the moon, by means of channels made of wind in the sky, disperses it into the clouds, in forms of vapor, fire, and wind.
न भ्रश्यन्ति यतस्तेभ्यो जलान्यभ्राणि तान्यतः । अभ्रस्थाः प्रपतन्त्यापो वायुना समुदीरिताः । संस्कारं कालजनितं मैत्रेयासाद्य निर्मलाः ॥ २,९.
The clouds do not lose that water, for it comes from them; the waters that are in the clouds, driven by the wind, fall down, and, having acquired the transformation caused by time, O Maitreya, they become pure.
सरित्समुद्रभौमास्तु तथापः प्राणिसम्भवाः । चतुष्प्रकारा भगवानादत्ते सविता मुने ॥ २,९.
O sage, the divine Sun takes up water of four kinds: from rivers, oceans, the earth, and from living beings.
आकाशगङ्गासलिलं तथादायगभस्तिमान् । अनभ्रगतमेवोर्व्यां सद्यः क्षिपति रश्मिभिः ॥ २,९.
The radiant one, the Sun, also draws up the waters of the celestial Ganga, and, as if in a cloudless sky, immediately casts them down to earth with his rays.
तस्य संस्पर्शनिर्धूतपापपङ्को द्विजोत्तम । न याति नरकं मर्त्यो दिव्यं स्नानं हि तत्स्मृतम् ॥ २,९.
O best of twice-born, a mortal whose sins and impurities are washed away by contact with that water does not go to hell; for such a bath is considered divine.
दृष्टसूर्यं हि यद्वारि पतत्यभ्रैर्विना दिवः । आकाशगङ्गासलिलं तद्गोभिः क्षिप्यते रवेः ॥ २,९.
The water that falls from the sky when the Sun is visible and there are no clouds is the water of the celestial Ganga, cast down by the rays of the Sun.
कृत्तिकादिषु ऋक्षेषु विषमेषु च यद्दिवः । दृष्टार्कपतितं ज्ञेयं तद्गाङ्गं दिग्गजोज्झितम् ॥ २,९.
Know that the water which falls from the sky when the Sun is seen among the stars, from Krittika onward and in the uneven constellations, is Ganga water, poured down by the guardian elephants of the directions.
युग्मर्क्षेषु च यत्तोयं पतत्यर्कोज्झितं दिवः । तत्सूर्यरश्मिभिः सर्वं समादाय निरस्यते ॥ २,९.
And the water that falls from the sky during the conjunctions of paired stars, cast down by the Sun, is all taken up and dispersed by the rays of the Sun.
उभयं पुण्यमत्यर्थं नृणां पापभयापहम् । आकाशगङ्गासलिलं दिव्यं स्नानं महामुने ॥ २,९.
Both are supremely meritorious for people, removing fear of sin: the celestial Ganga water and the divine bath, O great sage.
यत्तु मैघैः समुत्सृष्टं वारि तत्प्राणिनां द्विज । पुष्णात्यौषधयः सर्वा जीवनायामृतं हि तत् ॥ २,९.
But the water released by clouds nourishes all living beings, O twice-born; it sustains all plants, for it is truly the nectar of life.
तेन वृद्धिं परां नीतः सकलश्चौषधीगणः । साधकः फलपाकन्तः प्रजानां द्विज जायते ॥ २,९.
By that, all kinds of plants attain the highest growth; they mature and bear fruit, becoming productive for living beings, O twice-born.
तेन यज्ञान्यथाप्रोक्तान्मानवाः शास्त्रचक्षुषः । कुर्वन्त्यहरहस्तैश्च देवानाप्याययन्तिते ॥ २,९.
By that, people, guided by the scriptures, perform the prescribed sacrifices day after day, and by these acts they also nourish the gods.
एवं यज्ञाश्च वेदाश्च वर्णाश्च द्विजपूर्वकाः । सर्वे देवनिकायाश्च सर्वे भूतगणाश्च ये ॥ २,९.
Thus, sacrifices, the Vedas, the classes beginning with the twice-born, all the hosts of gods, and all groups of beings—
वृष्ट्या धृतमिदं सर्वमन्नं निष्पाद्यते यया । सापि निष्पाद्यते वृष्टिः सवित्रा मुनिसत्तम ॥ २,९.
—all this is sustained by rain, by which food is produced; and that rain itself, O best of sages, is produced by the Sun.
आधारभूतः सवितुर्ध्रुवो मुनिवरोत्तम । ध्रुवस्य शिशुपारोऽसौ सोऽपि नारायणात्मकः ॥ २,९.
O foremost of sages, the fixed star Dhruva is the support of the Sun; and the Shishumara, who supports Dhruva, is also of the nature of Narayana.
हृदि नारायणस्तस्य शिशुमारस्यं संस्थितः । बिभर्ता सर्वभूतानामादिभूतः सनातनः ॥ २,९.
Narayana abides in the heart of that Shishumara, sustaining all beings, being the primeval and eternal one.
रथस्त्रिचक्रः सोमस्य कुन्दाभास्तस्य वाजिनः । वामदक्षिणतो युक्ता दश तेन चरत्यसौ
The chariot of Soma has three wheels and is bright as jasmine; ten horses are yoked to it, five on the left and five on the right, and thus he moves.
वीथ्याश्रयाणि ऋक्षाणि ध्रुवाधारेण वेगिना । ह्रासवृद्धिक्रमस्तस्य रश्मीनां सवितुर्यथा
The stars, which follow their paths, are attached to it by the swift and fixed Dhruva; their waxing and waning is like the course of the Sun's rays.
अर्कस्येव हि तस्याश्वाः सकृद्युक्ता वहन्ति ते । कल्पमेकं मुनिश्रेष्ठ वारीगर्भसमुद्भवाः
Just as the Sun's horses, so too his are yoked once and pull for a whole kalpa, O best of sages, having arisen from the waters.
क्षीणं पीतं सुरैः सोममाप्याययति दीप्तिमान् । मैत्रेयैककलं सन्तं रश्मिनैकेन भास्करः
When the Soma, diminished and drunk by the gods, is replenished, O Maitreya, the radiant Sun fills the single remaining digit with a single ray.
क्रमेण येन पीतोऽसौ देवैस्तेन निशाकरम् । आप्याययत्यनुदिनं भास्करो वारितस्करः
In turn, that which is consumed by the gods, the moon, is replenished each day by the sun, the thief of water.
संभृतं चार्धमासेन तत्सोमस्थं सुधामृतम् । पिबन्ति देवा मैत्रेय सुधाहारा यतोऽमराः
Within half a month, the nectar and ambrosia contained in the moon is gathered; the gods, O Maitreya, who subsist on nectar, drink it, and thus they are immortal.
त्रयास्त्रिंशत्सहस्राणि त्रयस्त्रिंशच्छतानि च । त्रयस्त्रिंशत्तथा देवाः पिबन्ति क्षणदाकरम्
Thirty-three thousand and thirty-three hundred, and likewise thirty-three gods, drink the moon, the lord of the night.
कलाद्वयावशिष्टस्तु प्रविष्टः सूर्यमण्डलम् । अमाख्यारश्मौ वसति अमावास्या ततः स्मृता
When only two kalās remain, it enters the orb of the sun; in the ray called Amākhyā it dwells, and thus the new moon is remembered.
अप्सु तस्मिन्नहोरात्रे पूर्वं विशति चंद्रमाः । ततो वीरुत्सु वसति प्रयात्यर्कं ततः क्रमात्
During day and night, the moon first enters the waters; then it dwells in the plants, and afterwards gradually proceeds to the sun.
छिनत्ति वीरुधो यस्तु वीरुत्संस्थे निशाकरे । पत्रं वा पातयत्येकं ब्रह्महत्यां स विन्दति
Whoever cuts plants or drops even a single leaf while the moon is in the plants, incurs the sin of killing a Brahmin.
सोमं पञ्चदशे भागे किंचिच्छिष्टे कलात्मके । अपराह्णे पितृगणा जघन्यं पर्युपासते
When only a small portion remains, the fifteenth part of the moon, in the afternoon, the hosts of ancestors worship the lowest portion.
पिबन्ति द्विकलाकारं शिष्टा तस्य कला तु या । सुधामृतमयी पुण्या तामिन्दोः पितरो मुने
The remaining two kalās, which are pure nectar and ambrosia, O sage, are drunk by the ancestors from the moon.