Book Ii. Chapter X
*
"The Vishnu Purana", translated by Horace Hayman Wilson, [1840],
p. 233
Chap. X.
Names of the twelve dityas. Names of the Rishis, Gandharbhas, Apsarasas, Yakshas, Uragas, and Rkshasas, who attend the chariot of the sun in each month of the year. Their respective functions.
Parara.--Between the extreme northern and southern points the sun has to traverse in a year one hundred and eighty degrees, ascending and descending 1. His car is presided over by divine dityas, Rishis, heavenly singers and nymphs, Yakshas, serpents, and Rkshasas (one of each being placed in it in every month). The ditya Dhtri, the sage Pulastya, the Gandharba Tumburu, the nymph Kratusthal, the Yaksha Rathakrit, the serpent Vsuki, and the Rkshas Heti, always reside in the sun's car, in the month of Madhu or Chaitra, as its seven guardians. In Vaikh or Mdhava the seven are ryamat, Pulaha, Nreda, Punjiksthal, Rathaujas, Kachanra, and Praheti. In uchi or Jyeshtha they are Mitra, Atri, Hh, Men, Rathaswana, Takshaka, and Paurusheya. In the month ukra or shdha they are Varuna, Vaishtha, Huhu, Sahajany, Rathachitra, Nga, and Budha. In the month Nabhas (or Srvana) they are Indra, Angiras, Viswvasu, Pramloch, rotas, and Elapatra (the name of both serpent and Rkshas). In the month Bhdrapada they are Vivaswat, Bhrigu, Ugrasena, Anumlocha, prana, ankhapla, and Vyghra. In the month of swin they are Pshan, Gautama, Suruchi, Ghritch, Sushena, Dhananjaya, and Vta. In the month of Krtik they are Parjanya, Bharadwja, (another) Viswvasu, Viswch, Senajit, Airvata, and Chpa. In Agrahyana or Mrgarsha they are Ansu, Kayapa, Chitrasena, Urvasi, Trkshya, Mahpadma, and Vidyut. In the month of Pausha, Bhaga, Kratu, Urnyu, Purvachitt,
p. 234
[paragraph continues] Arishtanemi, Karkotaka, and Sphrja are the seven who abide in the orb of the sun, the glorious spirits who scatter light throughout the universe. In the month of Mgha the seven who are in the sun are Twashtri, Jamadagni, Dhritarashtra, Tilottam, Ritajit, Kambala, and Brahmpeta. Those who abide in the sun in the month Phlguna are Vishnu, Visvamitra, Sryaverchchas, Rambh, Satyajit, Aswatara, and Yajnpeta.
In this manner, Maitreya, a troop of seven celestial beings, supported by the energy of Vishnu, occupies during the several months the orb of the sun. The sage celebrates his praise, and the Gandharba sings, and the nymph dances before him: the Rkshas attends upon his steps, the serpent harnesses his steeds, and the Yaksha trims the reins: the numerous pigmy sages, the Blakhilyas, ever surround his chariot. The whole troop of seven, attached to the sun's car, are the agents in the distribution of cold, heat, and rain, at their respective seasons 2.
Footnotes
233:1 It might be doubted whether the text meant 180 in each hemisphere or in both, but the sense is sufficiently clear in the Vyu, &c., and the number of Mandalas travelled in the year is 360: the Mandalas, 'circles' or 'degrees,' being in fact the sun's diurnal revolutions, and their numbers corresponding with the days of the solar year; as in the Bhavishya P. 'The horses of the sun travel twice 180 degrees in a year, internal and external (to the equator), in the order of the days.'
234:2 A similar enumeration of the attendants upon the sun's car occurs in the Vyu, &c. For Yakshas, the generic term there employed is Grmans, but the individuals are the same. The Krma and Bhavishya refer the twelve dityas to different months:--
Vishnu.
Krma.
Bhavishya.
Dhtri
Chaitra
Vaikha
Krtika
ryamat
Vaikha
Chaitra
Vaikha
Mitra
Jyeshtha
Mrgarsha
Mrgarsha
Varuna
shdha
Mgha
Bhdra
Indra
rvana
Jyeshtha
swina
Vivaswat
Bhdra
rvana
Jyeshtha
Pshan
swina
Phlguna
Pausha
Parjanya
Krtika
swina
rvana
Ansu
Mrgarsha
shdha
shdha
Bhaga
Pausha
Bhdra
Mgha
Twashtri
Mgha
Krtika
Phlguna
Vishnu
Phlguna
Pausha
Chaitra.
"The Vishnu Purana", translated by Horace Hayman Wilson, [1840],
p. 233
Chap. X.
Names of the twelve dityas. Names of the Rishis, Gandharbhas, Apsarasas, Yakshas, Uragas, and Rkshasas, who attend the chariot of the sun in each month of the year. Their respective functions.
Parara.--Between the extreme northern and southern points the sun has to traverse in a year one hundred and eighty degrees, ascending and descending 1. His car is presided over by divine dityas, Rishis, heavenly singers and nymphs, Yakshas, serpents, and Rkshasas (one of each being placed in it in every month). The ditya Dhtri, the sage Pulastya, the Gandharba Tumburu, the nymph Kratusthal, the Yaksha Rathakrit, the serpent Vsuki, and the Rkshas Heti, always reside in the sun's car, in the month of Madhu or Chaitra, as its seven guardians. In Vaikh or Mdhava the seven are ryamat, Pulaha, Nreda, Punjiksthal, Rathaujas, Kachanra, and Praheti. In uchi or Jyeshtha they are Mitra, Atri, Hh, Men, Rathaswana, Takshaka, and Paurusheya. In the month ukra or shdha they are Varuna, Vaishtha, Huhu, Sahajany, Rathachitra, Nga, and Budha. In the month Nabhas (or Srvana) they are Indra, Angiras, Viswvasu, Pramloch, rotas, and Elapatra (the name of both serpent and Rkshas). In the month Bhdrapada they are Vivaswat, Bhrigu, Ugrasena, Anumlocha, prana, ankhapla, and Vyghra. In the month of swin they are Pshan, Gautama, Suruchi, Ghritch, Sushena, Dhananjaya, and Vta. In the month of Krtik they are Parjanya, Bharadwja, (another) Viswvasu, Viswch, Senajit, Airvata, and Chpa. In Agrahyana or Mrgarsha they are Ansu, Kayapa, Chitrasena, Urvasi, Trkshya, Mahpadma, and Vidyut. In the month of Pausha, Bhaga, Kratu, Urnyu, Purvachitt,
p. 234
[paragraph continues] Arishtanemi, Karkotaka, and Sphrja are the seven who abide in the orb of the sun, the glorious spirits who scatter light throughout the universe. In the month of Mgha the seven who are in the sun are Twashtri, Jamadagni, Dhritarashtra, Tilottam, Ritajit, Kambala, and Brahmpeta. Those who abide in the sun in the month Phlguna are Vishnu, Visvamitra, Sryaverchchas, Rambh, Satyajit, Aswatara, and Yajnpeta.
In this manner, Maitreya, a troop of seven celestial beings, supported by the energy of Vishnu, occupies during the several months the orb of the sun. The sage celebrates his praise, and the Gandharba sings, and the nymph dances before him: the Rkshas attends upon his steps, the serpent harnesses his steeds, and the Yaksha trims the reins: the numerous pigmy sages, the Blakhilyas, ever surround his chariot. The whole troop of seven, attached to the sun's car, are the agents in the distribution of cold, heat, and rain, at their respective seasons 2.
Footnotes
233:1 It might be doubted whether the text meant 180 in each hemisphere or in both, but the sense is sufficiently clear in the Vyu, &c., and the number of Mandalas travelled in the year is 360: the Mandalas, 'circles' or 'degrees,' being in fact the sun's diurnal revolutions, and their numbers corresponding with the days of the solar year; as in the Bhavishya P. 'The horses of the sun travel twice 180 degrees in a year, internal and external (to the equator), in the order of the days.'
234:2 A similar enumeration of the attendants upon the sun's car occurs in the Vyu, &c. For Yakshas, the generic term there employed is Grmans, but the individuals are the same. The Krma and Bhavishya refer the twelve dityas to different months:--
Vishnu.
Krma.
Bhavishya.
Dhtri
Chaitra
Vaikha
Krtika
ryamat
Vaikha
Chaitra
Vaikha
Mitra
Jyeshtha
Mrgarsha
Mrgarsha
Varuna
shdha
Mgha
Bhdra
Indra
rvana
Jyeshtha
swina
Vivaswat
Bhdra
rvana
Jyeshtha
Pshan
swina
Phlguna
Pausha
Parjanya
Krtika
swina
rvana
Ansu
Mrgarsha
shdha
shdha
Bhaga
Pausha
Bhdra
Mgha
Twashtri
Mgha
Krtika
Phlguna
Vishnu
Phlguna
Pausha
Chaitra.
