Matsyapurana 67
English (machine translation) 67
- Language
- English
67.1
I desire to hear about the bath that is prescribed during an eclipse of the moon or sun, / knowing the prescribed rules of materials and mantras.
67.2
Matsya said: / I shall explain the bath, according to the rules of mantras and medicinal herbs, / for the person in whose zodiacal sign the impact of the eclipse occurs.
67.3
When an eclipse of the moon arrives, having had the benedictory recitation performed by Brahmins, / and having worshipped four Brahmins with white garlands and unguents,
67.4
having gathered the medicinal herbs and other items prior to the eclipse itself, / one should set up four flawless jars representing the oceans:
67.5
Bringing earth from an elephant-stable, a horse-stable, a chariot-track, an anthill, a confluence, a deep pool, a cow-pen, / and from the royal gate, one should throw it in;
67.6
and [one should put] the five cow-products into the jars, along with pure pearls, / yellow orpiment, a lotus, a conch-shell, and the five gems,
67.7
crystal, white sandalwood, sacred water, mustard seeds, / rajadanta, a white water lily, as well as uśīra-grass and bdellium. / Having thrown all this in, one should invoke the gods into the jars:
67.8
‘May all oceans, rivers, holy bathing places, clouds, and streams / come, bringing about the destruction of the patron’s misfortunes!
67.9
May the god who holds the thunderbolt, regarded as the lord of the Ādityas, / Indra of a thousand eyes, remove the affliction caused by the planet!
67.10
May Agni, who is the mouth of all the gods, of seven flames and boundless splendor, / remove the affliction arising from the lunar eclipse!
67.11
May Yama, the witness to the deeds of living beings, Dharma riding a buffalo, / remove my affliction arising from the lunar eclipse!
67.12
May the lord of the hosts of rākṣasas himself, resembling the fire of cosmic dissolution, / brandishing a sword and exceedingly terrifying, remove affliction by demons!
67.13
May the god who holds the serpent-noose, visibly mounted upon a makara, / that lord of waters, remove the affliction caused by the lunar eclipse!
67.14
May Vāyu, who protects the worlds in the form of the breath of life, fond of the black antelope, / remove the affliction arising from the lunar eclipse here!
67.15
May Dhanada, the god who is the lord of treasures, bearing a sword, a trident, and a mace, / remove my stain caused by the lunar eclipse!
67.16
May the god who bears the crescent moon, holding the Pināka, mounted on a bull, / Śaṃkara, destroy the affliction born of the lunar eclipse!
67.17
Whatever beings there are in the three worlds, mobile and immobile, / united with Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and the Sun, may they burn away sin!’
67.18
Having thus consecrated [them], bathed by those jars endowed with auspicious qualities, / with verses from the Ṛg, Yajur, and Sāma Vedas, and with white garlands and unguents, / one should worship the Brahmins and the chosen deities with gifts of garments and cows.
67.19
Then one should write these very mantras, accompanied by jars, / on a strip of cloth or on a lotus, accompanied by the five gems.
67.20
The best of Brahmins should place it on the head of the patron; / then one should pass the time following the eclipse.
67.21
Facing east, having worshipped and bowed to one's chosen deity, / when the lunar eclipse has ended, having performed the auspicious gift of a cow, / one should offer that cloth to the Brahmin who has taken the bath.
67.22
Whoever performs the bath for an eclipse according to this rite, / he will have no affliction from the planet, nor loss of relatives;
67.23
he attains the highest perfection, difficult to obtain through rebirth. / During a solar eclipse, one should always recite the name of the Sun in the mantras.
67.24
Rubies should be in greater quantity, and one should give a very beautiful brown cow / to the lord of the night in the lunar and solar eclipses.
67.25
Whatever person hears this constantly or recites it to others, / freed from all sins, is honored in the realm of Śakra.
Translations (1)
- The Matsya Puranam — A Taluqdar of Oudh 1916, English
Linked texts (1)
- Matsyapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit