2023-02-23 18:49:07 by ambuda-bot
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THE SŪRYAŚATAKA OF MAYŪRA
66
187
dhurdhvastāgryagrahāṇi dhvajapaṭapavanāndolitendūni dūram
rāhāu grāsābhilāṣād anusarati punar dattacakravyathāni
śrāntāśvaśvāsahelādhutavibudhadhuninirjharāmbhāmsi bhad-
ram
deyasur vo daviyo divi divasapateḥ syandanaprasthitāni
The car of (Sürya), Lord of Day, in its journeys scatters the
principal planets¹ with its pole, and violently agitates the
moon by the wind of its cloth flags;
And its wheel fills with fright anew [the demon] Rāhu, who
pursues [Sürya] with intent to swallow [him],
While the water of the cascades in the River of the Gods is
sportively agitated by the panting of the tired horses.
May the journeys, far off in the sky, of this car of (Surya),
Lord of Day, bestow prosperity upon you!
Notes. I. Lit. 'the journeys of the car of the Lord of Day scatter the
principal planets, etc.' 2. I have rendered daram, which commonly
means 'to a distance,' by 'violently.' The gloss is ativataya, 'excessively.'
For a similar usage of düram, cf. stanza 61, note 5. 3. After the nectar
had been produced by churning the ocean with Mount Mandara, the demon
Rähu attempted to swallow some of it, and so attain to immortality.
While in the act of drinking, he was seen by the Sun and Moon, who
called Vişnu's attention to the theft about to be perpetrated. Vişņu at
once cut off Rähu's head with his discus (cakra). Since the nectar had
got no farther than Rähu's throat, only his head became immortal, and
this head still seeks to revenge itself on the Sun and Moon by swallowing
those luminaries in eclipses; cf. Mahabharata, 1. 19. 1–9, and Süryaśataka,
stanza 79, note 1. In this stanza the poet points out that Rähu, in his
pursuit of Sürya, has a wholesome fear of the cakra (wheel) of Surya's
car, presumably because it reminds him of the cakra (discus) of Vişņu,
which had cut off his head. 4. The 'River of the Gods' is the celestial
Ganges; cf. stanza 47, note 7. 5. The commentary says that daviyo,
'far off,' may be taken adverbially as equivalent to afivatarām, 'more
excessively,' and construed with bhadram deyasur-'may they grant you
excessive prosperity.'
V.L. (a) VJHB dhürdhvastagragrahāṇi; K -ândolitendūni dūrat.
67
akṣe rakṣām nibadhya pratisaravalayāir yojayantyo yugāgram
dhuḥstambhe dagdhadhūpāḥ prahitasumanaso gocare kübar-
asya
66
187
dhurdhvastāgryagrahāṇi dhvajapaṭapavanāndolitendūni dūram
rāhāu grāsābhilāṣād anusarati punar dattacakravyathāni
śrāntāśvaśvāsahelādhutavibudhadhuninirjharāmbhāmsi bhad-
ram
deyasur vo daviyo divi divasapateḥ syandanaprasthitāni
The car of (Sürya), Lord of Day, in its journeys scatters the
principal planets¹ with its pole, and violently agitates the
moon by the wind of its cloth flags;
And its wheel fills with fright anew [the demon] Rāhu, who
pursues [Sürya] with intent to swallow [him],
While the water of the cascades in the River of the Gods is
sportively agitated by the panting of the tired horses.
May the journeys, far off in the sky, of this car of (Surya),
Lord of Day, bestow prosperity upon you!
Notes. I. Lit. 'the journeys of the car of the Lord of Day scatter the
principal planets, etc.' 2. I have rendered daram, which commonly
means 'to a distance,' by 'violently.' The gloss is ativataya, 'excessively.'
For a similar usage of düram, cf. stanza 61, note 5. 3. After the nectar
had been produced by churning the ocean with Mount Mandara, the demon
Rähu attempted to swallow some of it, and so attain to immortality.
While in the act of drinking, he was seen by the Sun and Moon, who
called Vişnu's attention to the theft about to be perpetrated. Vişņu at
once cut off Rähu's head with his discus (cakra). Since the nectar had
got no farther than Rähu's throat, only his head became immortal, and
this head still seeks to revenge itself on the Sun and Moon by swallowing
those luminaries in eclipses; cf. Mahabharata, 1. 19. 1–9, and Süryaśataka,
stanza 79, note 1. In this stanza the poet points out that Rähu, in his
pursuit of Sürya, has a wholesome fear of the cakra (wheel) of Surya's
car, presumably because it reminds him of the cakra (discus) of Vişņu,
which had cut off his head. 4. The 'River of the Gods' is the celestial
Ganges; cf. stanza 47, note 7. 5. The commentary says that daviyo,
'far off,' may be taken adverbially as equivalent to afivatarām, 'more
excessively,' and construed with bhadram deyasur-'may they grant you
excessive prosperity.'
V.L. (a) VJHB dhürdhvastagragrahāṇi; K -ândolitendūni dūrat.
67
akṣe rakṣām nibadhya pratisaravalayāir yojayantyo yugāgram
dhuḥstambhe dagdhadhūpāḥ prahitasumanaso gocare kübar-
asya