2023-02-23 18:49:15 by ambuda-bot
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THE SŪRYAŚATAKA OF MAYŪRA
219
When¹ (Sürya), the Sole Cause of Day, has gone to other
worlds, in order to afford [them] protection,
The sacred bathing-places at pools, rivers, lakes, waterfalls and
lotus-ponds are of no avail,²
The oceans do not wash away the fearful sin that has as its
consequence a descent into hell,
And even the waters of the River of Heaven do not absolve
from impurity those that take ceremonial baths [in them].
May that (Sürya), Sole Cause of Day, bestow upon you what
is salutary!
Notes. 1. Note the locative absolute construction with yatra as one
member; cf. stanza 20, note 1. When the sun has gone to other worlds,
it is night on the earth; cf. stanza 85, which, like this stanza, describes the
effects and consequences of Sürya's absence from the world of mortals;
cf. also Mahabharata, 3.3.53: tava yady udayo na syad andham jagad
idam bhavet । na ca dharmarthakāmeşu pravartteran manişinaḥ, 'If thou
(Sürya) shouldst not rise, this universe would be blind, and the learned
would not employ themselves in [the attainment of] virtue, wealth and
pleasure.' 2. The purport of this stanza is that ceremonial bathing is
not efficacious as an absolver from sin, except in the daytime when Sürya
is shining. In the commentary to stanza 55 (cf. note 3) we are told that
sacrifice also is fruitless if performed before the coming of dawn. 3.
The commentary takes pratibhayam as a noun meaning 'sin' (papam),
and reads aśubhasvabhra- as a compound meaning 'inauspicious abysm,'
glossing it by naraka, 'hell.' 4. The 'River of Heaven' is the celestial
Ganges, whose descent from heaven is recorded in the Mahabharata, 3.
108-109, and in Ramayana, 1. 43. 35-38; cf. Candiśataka, stanza 3, note 2,
and Suryaśataka, stanza 47, note 7.
V.L. (b) JHB nudanti pratidinam; JHB aśubham śubhra-; the com-
mentary suggests aśubhasvabhra-. (c) K apo svargapagāyaḥ. (d) K
yate 'nyalokam.
96
etat pātālapańkaplutam iva tamasāivāikam udgāḍham āsīd
aprajñātāpratarkyam niravagati tathā 'lakṣaṇam suptam antaḥ
yādṛk sṛṣṭeḥ purastān niśi nisi sakalam jāyate tādṛg eva
trailokyam yadviyogād avatu ravir asāu sargatulyodayo vaḥ
The entire three worlds, when separated from Ravi (Sürya),
whose rising is like creation,¹
Become, each night, such as they were before the creation;
219
When¹ (Sürya), the Sole Cause of Day, has gone to other
worlds, in order to afford [them] protection,
The sacred bathing-places at pools, rivers, lakes, waterfalls and
lotus-ponds are of no avail,²
The oceans do not wash away the fearful sin that has as its
consequence a descent into hell,
And even the waters of the River of Heaven do not absolve
from impurity those that take ceremonial baths [in them].
May that (Sürya), Sole Cause of Day, bestow upon you what
is salutary!
Notes. 1. Note the locative absolute construction with yatra as one
member; cf. stanza 20, note 1. When the sun has gone to other worlds,
it is night on the earth; cf. stanza 85, which, like this stanza, describes the
effects and consequences of Sürya's absence from the world of mortals;
cf. also Mahabharata, 3.3.53: tava yady udayo na syad andham jagad
idam bhavet । na ca dharmarthakāmeşu pravartteran manişinaḥ, 'If thou
(Sürya) shouldst not rise, this universe would be blind, and the learned
would not employ themselves in [the attainment of] virtue, wealth and
pleasure.' 2. The purport of this stanza is that ceremonial bathing is
not efficacious as an absolver from sin, except in the daytime when Sürya
is shining. In the commentary to stanza 55 (cf. note 3) we are told that
sacrifice also is fruitless if performed before the coming of dawn. 3.
The commentary takes pratibhayam as a noun meaning 'sin' (papam),
and reads aśubhasvabhra- as a compound meaning 'inauspicious abysm,'
glossing it by naraka, 'hell.' 4. The 'River of Heaven' is the celestial
Ganges, whose descent from heaven is recorded in the Mahabharata, 3.
108-109, and in Ramayana, 1. 43. 35-38; cf. Candiśataka, stanza 3, note 2,
and Suryaśataka, stanza 47, note 7.
V.L. (b) JHB nudanti pratidinam; JHB aśubham śubhra-; the com-
mentary suggests aśubhasvabhra-. (c) K apo svargapagāyaḥ. (d) K
yate 'nyalokam.
96
etat pātālapańkaplutam iva tamasāivāikam udgāḍham āsīd
aprajñātāpratarkyam niravagati tathā 'lakṣaṇam suptam antaḥ
yādṛk sṛṣṭeḥ purastān niśi nisi sakalam jāyate tādṛg eva
trailokyam yadviyogād avatu ravir asāu sargatulyodayo vaḥ
The entire three worlds, when separated from Ravi (Sürya),
whose rising is like creation,¹
Become, each night, such as they were before the creation;