I shall, however, describe them to thee.
Listen to that sacred account in its entirety, O king! Accompanied by his
priests and friends, Valadeva first proceeded to the tirtha called
Prabhasa. There, the Lord of the constellations (Soma), who had been
affected with phthisis, became freed from his curse. Regaining energy
there, O king, he now illuminates the universe. And because that foremost
of tirthas on earth had formerly contributed to invest Soma with
splendour (after he had lost it), it is, therefore, called Prabhasa."
Janamejaya said, "For what reason was the adorable Soma afflicted with
phthisis? How also did he bathe in that tirtha? How did he, having bathed
in that sacred water, regain his energy? Tell me all this in detail, O
great Muni!"
Vaishampayana said, "Daksha had seven and twenty daughters, O king! These
he bestowed (in marriage) upon Soma. Connected with the several
constellations, those wives, O king, of Soma of auspicious deeds, served
to help men in calculating time. Possessed of large eyes, all of them
were unrivalled in beauty in the world. In wealth of beauty, however,
Rohini was the foremost of them all. The adorable Soma took great delight
in her. She became very agreeable to him, and therefore, he enjoyed the
pleasures of her company (exclusively). In those days of yore, O monarch,
Soma lived long with Rohini (exclusively). For this, those other wives of
his, they that were called the constellations, became displeased with
that high-souled one.
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