e
form of an egg. Aditi reminded Vivaswat at that time of the curse of
Vudha, and it is for that reason that Vivaswat, the deity who is adorned
in Sraddhas, coming out of the womb of Aditi, came to be called by the
name of Martanda. The Prajapati Daksha became the father of sixty
daughters. Amongst them, three and ten were bestowed by him upon Kasyapa;
ten upon Dharma; ten upon Manu; and seven and twenty upon Shoma. Although
all the seven and twenty that were called Nakshatras and bestowed upon
Shoma were equal in respect of beauty and accomplishments, yet Shoma
became more attached to one, viz., Rohini, than the rest. The rest of his
spouses, filled with jealousy, leaving him, repaired to their sire and
informed him of this conduct of their husband, saying,--'O holy one,
although all of us are equal in point of beauty, yet our husband Shoma is
exclusively attached to our sister Rohini.'--Incensed at this
representation of his daughters, the celestial Rishi Daksha cursed Shoma,
saying, that thenceforth the disease phthisis should assail his
son-in-law and dwell in him. Through this curse of Daksha, phthisis
assailed the puissant Shoma and entered into his body. Assailed by
phthisis in this way, Shoma came to Daksha. The latter addressed him,
saying,--'I have cursed thee because of thy unequal behaviour towards thy
wives.' The Rishi then said unto Shoma,--'Thou art being reduced by the
disease phthisis that has assailed thee. There is a sacred water called
Hiranyasarah in the Western ocean. Repairing to that sacred water, do
thou bathe there.'--Counselled by the Rishi, Shoma proceeded thither.
Arrived at Hiranyasarah, Soma bathed in that sacred water. Performing his
oblations he cleansed himself from his sin. And because that sacred
water was illumined (abhasita) by Shoma, therefore was it from that day
called by the name of Prabhasa. In consequence, however, of the curse
denounced upon him in days of old by Daksha, Shoma, to this day, begins
to wane from the night of the full moon till his total disappearance on
the night of the new moon whence he once more begins to wax till the
night of full moon. The brightness also of the lunar disc from that time
received a stain, for the body of Shoma, since then, has come to present
certain dark spots. In fact, the splendid disc of the moon has, from that
day, come to exhibit the mark of a hare. Once on a time, a Rishi of the
name of Sthulasiras was engaged in practising very sever