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THE SŪRYAŚATAKA OF MAYŪRA
Whereas Guha <in sport> <rides on a peacock> <which is re-
splendent with the flashing tips of the eyes in its tail>>;
The light of the Lord of Day brings superabundant joy to the
eyes <in darkness>,
Whereas Guha brings superabundant joy to the eyes <of (Siva),¹⁰
Foe of Andhaka>.¹¹
May the light of (Sürya), Lord of Day, bring¹2 you unbounded
prosperity!
140
Notes. 1. For the birth and origin of Kärttikeya, his appointment to
be commander of the army of the gods, and his slaying of Mahisa and
other demons, see below, in the introd. to the Candiśataka, p. 248, 272;
Mahabharata, 3. 223-232; Rāmāyaṇa, 1. 37. 1-33; on his parentage, see
Candidataka, stanza 5, note I, and stanza 28, note 2. See also the section
Skanda or Karttikeya, in the latest addition to Bühler's Grundriss, the
volume by R. G. Bhandarkar, entitled Väişnavism, Säivism, p. 150-151,
Strassburg, 1913. He was called Guha, 'secret-born,' because born in the
solitude of a forest; cf. Mahabharata, 13. 86. 14. 2. The commentary
explains that this mighty power' was 'the ability to illumine the universe.'
3. The commentary explains as a power, mighty because of extinguishing,
etc.' 4. Kärttikeya's peculiar weapon was the fakti, 'spear,' cf. Ma-
habharata, 3. 231. 95-99. 5. For the slaying of Taraka by Kärttikeya, cf.
Mahabharata, 13. 86. 29. 6. Lit. 'making the fire subsidiary,' or 'making
the fire down.' 7. Or, as noted in the commentary, we may render:
'the lovely splendor of the shining moon'; or, the lovely splendor of
glittering gold.' On the moon-stone, see stanza 37, note 5. 8. Lit.
'makes a peacock [to be] beneath him.' As is well known, the peacock
was the vehicle of Kärttikeya; cf. W. Crooke, The Popular Religion and
Folk-Lore of Northern India, vol. 2, p. 156 (Westminster, 1896), where
are listed the vehicles of all the Hindu deities-a hamsa for Brahma,
Garuda for Vişņu, the bull Nandi for Siva, a buffalo for Yama, a peacock
for Kärttikeya, a rat for Gaṇeśa, etc. Crooke (loc. cit.) suggests that in
the vahanas, or vehicles,' there may be indications of totemism, or that
the vehicles may represent tribal deities imported into Hinduism. 9.
The commentary explains that the 'eyes' here mentioned refer to the
eyes of the ruddy-goose; cf. stanza 12, where the eyes of the ruddy-geese
are said to be '[full of] longing for blandishments.' 10. Siva was the re-
puted father of Kärttikeya; cf. Candiśataka, stanza 5, note 1, and stanza
28, note 2. 11. It is stated several times in the Mahabharata-e.g. 7. 155.
44-that Siva killed the demon Andhaka, and the preface (p. 79 and 82)
of Wilson's translation of the Vişnu Purana records that descriptions of
the fight between Siva and this demon are given in the Karma and the
Matsya Puranas. 12. Saraṇadeva's Durghaṭavṛtti (cf. Süryaśataka, stanza
2, note 3), in connection with comment on Pāṇini, 1. 3. 12 and 6.1.10 (see
Sastri's edition of the Durghatavṛtti, p. 13, line 22, and p. 93, line 20), notes
Whereas Guha <in sport> <rides on a peacock> <which is re-
splendent with the flashing tips of the eyes in its tail>>;
The light of the Lord of Day brings superabundant joy to the
eyes <in darkness>,
Whereas Guha brings superabundant joy to the eyes <of (Siva),¹⁰
Foe of Andhaka>.¹¹
May the light of (Sürya), Lord of Day, bring¹2 you unbounded
prosperity!
140
Notes. 1. For the birth and origin of Kärttikeya, his appointment to
be commander of the army of the gods, and his slaying of Mahisa and
other demons, see below, in the introd. to the Candiśataka, p. 248, 272;
Mahabharata, 3. 223-232; Rāmāyaṇa, 1. 37. 1-33; on his parentage, see
Candidataka, stanza 5, note I, and stanza 28, note 2. See also the section
Skanda or Karttikeya, in the latest addition to Bühler's Grundriss, the
volume by R. G. Bhandarkar, entitled Väişnavism, Säivism, p. 150-151,
Strassburg, 1913. He was called Guha, 'secret-born,' because born in the
solitude of a forest; cf. Mahabharata, 13. 86. 14. 2. The commentary
explains that this mighty power' was 'the ability to illumine the universe.'
3. The commentary explains as a power, mighty because of extinguishing,
etc.' 4. Kärttikeya's peculiar weapon was the fakti, 'spear,' cf. Ma-
habharata, 3. 231. 95-99. 5. For the slaying of Taraka by Kärttikeya, cf.
Mahabharata, 13. 86. 29. 6. Lit. 'making the fire subsidiary,' or 'making
the fire down.' 7. Or, as noted in the commentary, we may render:
'the lovely splendor of the shining moon'; or, the lovely splendor of
glittering gold.' On the moon-stone, see stanza 37, note 5. 8. Lit.
'makes a peacock [to be] beneath him.' As is well known, the peacock
was the vehicle of Kärttikeya; cf. W. Crooke, The Popular Religion and
Folk-Lore of Northern India, vol. 2, p. 156 (Westminster, 1896), where
are listed the vehicles of all the Hindu deities-a hamsa for Brahma,
Garuda for Vişņu, the bull Nandi for Siva, a buffalo for Yama, a peacock
for Kärttikeya, a rat for Gaṇeśa, etc. Crooke (loc. cit.) suggests that in
the vahanas, or vehicles,' there may be indications of totemism, or that
the vehicles may represent tribal deities imported into Hinduism. 9.
The commentary explains that the 'eyes' here mentioned refer to the
eyes of the ruddy-goose; cf. stanza 12, where the eyes of the ruddy-geese
are said to be '[full of] longing for blandishments.' 10. Siva was the re-
puted father of Kärttikeya; cf. Candiśataka, stanza 5, note 1, and stanza
28, note 2. 11. It is stated several times in the Mahabharata-e.g. 7. 155.
44-that Siva killed the demon Andhaka, and the preface (p. 79 and 82)
of Wilson's translation of the Vişnu Purana records that descriptions of
the fight between Siva and this demon are given in the Karma and the
Matsya Puranas. 12. Saraṇadeva's Durghaṭavṛtti (cf. Süryaśataka, stanza
2, note 3), in connection with comment on Pāṇini, 1. 3. 12 and 6.1.10 (see
Sastri's edition of the Durghatavṛtti, p. 13, line 22, and p. 93, line 20), notes