Undimmed in lustre, bright and fair,The golden sheen shall ever share.'
The Vis'vas, 2 Vasus 3 they who ride
The tempest, 4 every God beside,
Draw nigh to Meru's lofty crest
When evening darkens in the west,
And to the parting Lord of Day
The homage of their worship pay,
Ere yet a while, unseen of all,
Behind Mount Asta's 5 peaks he fall.
Wrought by the heavenly artist's care
A glorious palace glitters there,
And round about it sweet birds sing
Where the gay trees are blossoming:
The home of Varun 1b high souled-lord,
Wrist-girded with his deadly cord. 2b
With ten tall stems, a palm between
Meru and Asta's hill is seen:
Pure silver from the base it springs,
And far and wide its lustre flings.
Seek Rvanthe dame by brook,
In pathless glen, in leafy nook
On Meru's crest a hermit lives
Bright with the light that penance gives:
Svarni 3b is he named, renowned
As Brahm's peer, with glory crowned.
There bowing down in reverence speak
And ask him of the dame you seek.
Thus far the splendid Lord of Day
Pursues through heaven his ceaseless way,
Shedding on every spot his light;
Then sinks behind Mount Asta's height,
Thus far advance: the sunless sea
Beyond is all unknown to me.
Sushen of mighty arm, long tried
In peril, shall your legions guide,
Receive his words with high respect,
And ne'er his lightest wish neglect.
He is my consort's sire, and hence
Deserves the utmost reverence.'
Footnotes
376:1 S'ailsha, Gramini, Siksha, Suka, Babhru.
376:2 The distant south beyond the confines of the earth is the home of departed spirits and the city of Yama the God of Death.
376:3 Surshtra, the 'good country,' is the modern Surat.
376:4 A country north-west of Afghanistan, Bakh
376:1b The Moon-mountain here is mythical.
376:2b Sindhu is the Indus.
376:3b Priytra, or as more usually written Priptra, is the central or western portion of the Vindhya chain which skirts the province of Malwa.
376:4b Vajra means both diamond and thunderbolt, the two substances being supposed to be identical.
376:5b Chakravn means the discus-bearer.
376:6b The discus is the favourite weapon of Vishnu
376:7b The Indian Hephaistos or Vulcan.
376:8b Panchajan was a demon who lived in the sea in the form of a conch shell. WILSON'S Vishnu Pura'na,* V. 21.
376:9b Hayagrva,Horse-necked, is the name of a Daitya who at the dissolution of the universe caused by Brahm's sleep, seized and carried off the Vedas. Vishnu slew him and recovered the sacred treasures.
377:1 Meru stands in the centre of Jambudwpa and consequently of the earth. "The sun travels round the world, keeping Meru always on his right. To the spectator who fronts him, therefore, as he rises Meru must be always on the north; and as the sun's rays do not penetrate beyond the centre of the mountain, the regions beyond, or to the north of it must be in darkness, whilst those on the south of it must be in light: north and south being relative, not absolute, terms, depending on the position of the spectator with regard to the Sun and Meru." WILSON'S "Vishnu Pura'na", Vol. II. p. 243. Note.
377:2 The Vis'vadevas are a class of deities to whom sacrifices should be daily offered, as part of the ordinary worship of the householder. According to the "Vyun Purna" this is a privilege conferred on them by Brahm and the Pitris as a reward for religious austerities practised by them upon Himlaya.
377:3 The eight Vasus were originally personifications like other Vedic deities, of natural phenomena, such as Fire, Wind, &c. Their appellations are variously given by different authorities.
377:4 The Maruts or Storm-Gods, frequently addressed and worshipped as the attendants and allies of Indra.