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THE SURYASATAKA OF MAYURA
The rays of the Hot-rayed (Sürya) at dawn cause (Meru), the
Eastern Mountain, to appear for a short time as if sur-
mounted by a beautiful crest-jewel,¹
124
And [afterwards] they pour out, as it were, a profusion of
yellow² pigment water for anointing the quarters* on high,"
And are knowingly treated with honor by the ruddy-geese, with
eyes fixed and [full of] longing for the blandishments [of
their mates].
May these eastern rays of the Hot-rayed (Sürya) bring to pass
whatever is agreeable to your wishes!
3. The
Notes. 1. Lit. 'at dawn, for a not excessively long period, they go to
the state of being a beautiful crest-jewel on the Eastern Mountain'; cf.
Markandeya Purāṇa, 107.6 (Pargiter, p. 573), where Sürya is called 'the
crest-jewel of the Mountain of Sunrise' (udayācalamāulimanih). The
'Eastern Mountain,' or 'Mountain of Sunrise,' was Meru; cf. stanza I,
note 4. 2. The commentary notes: 'At first the rays of the Hot-rayed
(Sürya) are compared to a crest-jewel, because of their deep-red color;
afterwards, having become reddish-yellow, [they are compared] to the
water of yellow pigment.' First comes the red of dawn, and later, when
the sun has risen, the yellow blaze of full sunlight appears.
noun carcana, in the sense of 'anointing,' appears not to be found in the
literature, but only in the lexicographers; cf. Monier-Williams, Skt.-Engl.
Dict. s.v. The gloss is bhaşana, ' 'adorning.' 4. In stanza 15, the quar-
ters are said to be women; hence the appositeness of their being adorned
with pigment. 5. Or else, for the excessive anointing of the quar-
ters'; the adverb uccakdiḥ, 'aloft,' is glossed by atyartham, 'excessively.'
6. The participle arcyamanaḥ, 'treated with honor,' is glossed by saspṛham
Ikşyamaṇaḥ, 'wistfully gazed upon.' 7. Lit. 'treated with honor by the
eyes, fixed and longing for endearing words, of the ruddy-geese.' The
cakravāka, [sometimes, as here, cakrandman], or 'ruddy-goose' (anas cas-
arca), the modern Hindi chakwa, and the 'Brahmany duck' of English
writers, was supposed to be separated from its mate between sunset and
sunrise. It therefore welcomed the rising sun as the harbinger of reunion.
The commentary explains: 'For, when the Blessed (Sürya), garlanded
by rays, has risen, there is a mutual reunion of the ruddy-geese who have
been separated. Therefore-so it is said-his rays are honored with rev-
erence.' In the classical period, the cakravaka is regarded as the type of
conjugal fidelity, and even as early as the Atharva Veda (14.2.64 of the
two-volume translation by Whitney and Lanman, Cambridge, Mass., 1905),
is held up as a model to the bride and groom in the marriage ceremony.
It is mentioned in the Rig Veda (2.39.3); cf. Macdonell and Keith,
Vedic Index of Names and Subjects, vol. I, p. 252-253, London, 1912. See
also Saryaśataka, stanza 25, note 9. 8. The term carama means 'west-
The rays of the Hot-rayed (Sürya) at dawn cause (Meru), the
Eastern Mountain, to appear for a short time as if sur-
mounted by a beautiful crest-jewel,¹
124
And [afterwards] they pour out, as it were, a profusion of
yellow² pigment water for anointing the quarters* on high,"
And are knowingly treated with honor by the ruddy-geese, with
eyes fixed and [full of] longing for the blandishments [of
their mates].
May these eastern rays of the Hot-rayed (Sürya) bring to pass
whatever is agreeable to your wishes!
3. The
Notes. 1. Lit. 'at dawn, for a not excessively long period, they go to
the state of being a beautiful crest-jewel on the Eastern Mountain'; cf.
Markandeya Purāṇa, 107.6 (Pargiter, p. 573), where Sürya is called 'the
crest-jewel of the Mountain of Sunrise' (udayācalamāulimanih). The
'Eastern Mountain,' or 'Mountain of Sunrise,' was Meru; cf. stanza I,
note 4. 2. The commentary notes: 'At first the rays of the Hot-rayed
(Sürya) are compared to a crest-jewel, because of their deep-red color;
afterwards, having become reddish-yellow, [they are compared] to the
water of yellow pigment.' First comes the red of dawn, and later, when
the sun has risen, the yellow blaze of full sunlight appears.
noun carcana, in the sense of 'anointing,' appears not to be found in the
literature, but only in the lexicographers; cf. Monier-Williams, Skt.-Engl.
Dict. s.v. The gloss is bhaşana, ' 'adorning.' 4. In stanza 15, the quar-
ters are said to be women; hence the appositeness of their being adorned
with pigment. 5. Or else, for the excessive anointing of the quar-
ters'; the adverb uccakdiḥ, 'aloft,' is glossed by atyartham, 'excessively.'
6. The participle arcyamanaḥ, 'treated with honor,' is glossed by saspṛham
Ikşyamaṇaḥ, 'wistfully gazed upon.' 7. Lit. 'treated with honor by the
eyes, fixed and longing for endearing words, of the ruddy-geese.' The
cakravāka, [sometimes, as here, cakrandman], or 'ruddy-goose' (anas cas-
arca), the modern Hindi chakwa, and the 'Brahmany duck' of English
writers, was supposed to be separated from its mate between sunset and
sunrise. It therefore welcomed the rising sun as the harbinger of reunion.
The commentary explains: 'For, when the Blessed (Sürya), garlanded
by rays, has risen, there is a mutual reunion of the ruddy-geese who have
been separated. Therefore-so it is said-his rays are honored with rev-
erence.' In the classical period, the cakravaka is regarded as the type of
conjugal fidelity, and even as early as the Atharva Veda (14.2.64 of the
two-volume translation by Whitney and Lanman, Cambridge, Mass., 1905),
is held up as a model to the bride and groom in the marriage ceremony.
It is mentioned in the Rig Veda (2.39.3); cf. Macdonell and Keith,
Vedic Index of Names and Subjects, vol. I, p. 252-253, London, 1912. See
also Saryaśataka, stanza 25, note 9. 8. The term carama means 'west-