Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c5.59

c5.59

From that day onwards Candra became a patient affected with consumption. All the vegetations in the world began to weaken. It appeared that the world was about to be destroyed. So the gods approached Dakṣa and requested him to show some leniency towards Candra. Dakṣa accordingly called Candra and told him that he would be affected by consumption only for a fortnight and after that he would recover gradually. Candra went to Prabhāsa tīrtha and Sarasvatī tīrtha and dipped in water. He began to recover from that day. It is according to the curse of Dakṣa that Candra (Moon) waxes and wanes. (M.B. Śalya Parva, Chapter 35).