The sun declines towards the north in the months of Tapas, Tapasya, Madhu, Mādhava, Sukra and Suchi and declines towards the south in the months of Nabhas, Nabhashya, Isha; Urja, Sahas, Sahasya.
There live four devout protectors of the world on the mount Lokāloka of which I had mentioned to you formerly. These are severally named Sudhāman, Sankhapād—the two sons of Kardama, Hiranyaroman and Ketumat. These four protectors of the world live around the mountain Lokāloka. They are devoid of malice, haughtiness, are active and have not taken to wives.
On the north of Agastya, and south of Ajabithi (the line of the Goat) and outside the Vaiswānarapath is situate the road of the Pitris. There live the great Rishis who offer oblations to the fire. They read those portions of the Vedas which contain injunctions for the multiplication of the progeny. They perform the duties of ministrant priests and at the end of yugas they make new rules of conduct and re-establish the interrupted ritual of the Vedas. And after their death they proceed by the southern course. Mutually descending from each other in successive births, progenitor coming from descendant and descendant from progenitor, they repeatedly appear in different houses and races along with their prosterity, austere practices and established rites, residing to the south of the solar orb as long as the moon and stars endure.
The path of the celestials is situate on the north of the solar sphere of the Nāgavithi and south of the seven Rishis. There reside the Siddhas of subdued senses, continent and pure, not desirous of having offspring and consequently victorious over death. Eighty-eight thousand of these continent ascetics live in the regions north of the Sun till the time of dissolution. They are freed from covetousness and concupiscence, love and hatred and are not engaged in the work of procreation. They always detect the deficiency of the properties of elementary matter and being freed from these desires they do not meet with any obstacle in the way of asceticism. For these reasons they are highly pure and have attained to immortality. By immortality is meant existence to the end of the Kalpa: living as long as three regions exist is exemption from death. The consequences of the acts of impiety or piety such as Brahmanicide and Aswamedha last until the end of a Kalpa when all within the interval between Dhruva and the earth is destroyed. The region between the seven Rishis and Dhruva, the third region of the sky is the excellent celestial path of Vishnu and is the splendid abode, O twice-borne one, of the ascetics, who have controlled their senses and are freed from sins and in whom virtue and vice are annihilated. Those in whom virtue and vice are annihilated and who are freed from the consequences of piety or iniquity go to this excellent place of Vishnu where they never suffer sorrow. There live Dharma, Dhruva and other spectators of the world radiant with the superhuman faculties of Vishnu obtained by virtue, of religious meditation. With this excellent place of Vishnu, O Maitreya, are interwoven all that is and all that ever shall be, animate or inanimate. The seat of Vishnu is being meditated upon by the wisdom of Yogis at one with supreme light as the radiant eye of heaven. In this portion the splendid Dhruva is stationed as the pivot of atmosphere. On Dhruva are placed the seven great planets and on them depend the clouds. O great Muni, from clouds, proceed the rains; from them the water which is the nutriment and delight of all the celestials and the rest. The celestials who receive oblations, being pleased by burnt offerings, cause the rain to fall for the support of created beings. This holy seat of Vishnu is the stay of the three worlds as it is the source of the rain.
From this region, O Brahman, proceeds the river Ganges, that removes ail sins, embrowned with the unguents of the nymphs of heaven. She issues from the nail of the great toe of Vishnu's left foot.
Dhruva, with devotion, holds her on his crown day and night. And thence the seven Rishis practise their devout austerities in her water wreathing their braided locks with her waves. The orb of the moon, surrounded by her accumulated current, increased in lustre by her contact. Having issued from the moon she falls on the mount Sumeru and thence to purify the world, flows to the four quarters of the earth. Sitā, Alakanandā, Chakshu and Bhadrā are only the four divisions of one river and are named so after the regions towards which it proceeds. Alakanandā, which flows towards the south, was borne delightedly on his head by Mahādeva for more than a hundred years. And having issued from the braided locks of Sambhu and washed the sins of the sinful sons of Sagara it raised them to heaven. O Maitreya, the iniquities of any man, who bathes in this river, are instantly removed and they obtain unprecedented virtue. And its water, if offered reverentially for three years by the sons to their manes, gives them rare gratification. Having worshipped the excellent Purusha, the lord of sacrifices, with sacrifices in this river, many, born in the race of twice-born ones, obtain whatever they desire either here or in heaven. Saints, who are purified by bathing in the waters of this river, and whose minds are devoted to Kesava, obtain final liberation. The sacred river, when heard of, desired, seen, touched, bathed in, or hymned, day by day purifies all beings. And those who living even at a distance of hundred yojanas exclaim "Gangā and Gangā" are relieved of the sins committed during the three previous existences. The place from which this river has issued for the purification of the three Worlds, is the third division of the celestial region—the seat of Vishnu.
SECTION IX.
Parāçara said:—The form of the glorious Hari containing the constellations, in the shape of a porpoise in the tail of which is attached Dhruva, is seen in heaven. As Dhruva revolves, it makes the moon, the sun and stars to revolve also, and all the planets follow in its circular path; for the sun, moon and all the luminaries are in sooth tied to the polar star by aerial cords. The porpoise figure of the celestial sphere, which has been described by me to you, is upheld by Nārāyana, who himself, the source of all radiance, is seated in its heart. And having worshipped the lord of people, Dhruva, the son of Uttānpāda shines in the tail of the steller porpoise. Janārddana, the lord of all, is the supporter of this porpoise-shaped sphere—and this sphere is the supporter of Dhruva; and by Dhruva the sun is upheld. O Brahman, I shall describe how this earth is upheld by the sun; do thou listen to it attentively.
During eight months of the year the sun attracts the waters of the earth, and during the remaining four months he pours them upon the earth: from rain grows corn and by corn the whole world is upheld. The sun absorbs the moisture of the earth by means of his scorching rays and nourishes the moon thereby. And the moon through tubes of air distributes them to the clouds which are made of smoke, fire and wind. The clouds are called Abhras because their contents are not dispersed. The waters in the clouds, being driven by the wind, and freed from impurities by the sweetening process of the time, descend (upon earth), O Maitreya. The glorious sun, O Maitreya, exhales moisture from four sources, namely—seas, rivers, the earth and the living creatures. He immediately pours down on earth, without turning it into cloud, the water that he absorbs from Gangā of the skies, and people who are touched by this water are freed from all iniquities and are not constrained to see hell. This is called celestial ablution. When the sun comes in view and the water comes down from the sky without cloud then the waters of the Gangā in the skies are sprinkled by the rays of the sun. And the water that falls from the sky when the sun is in the mansion of Kirtikā and the other asterisms counted by odd numbers, the water of the Gangā is scattered by the elephants of the spheres. The water, that falls from the bright and cloudless sky when the sun is in the mansion of Rohini and other even asterisms, is distributed by his own beams. O twice-born one, both the waters are holy and they wash away the sins of the people: it is the water of the Gangā in the skies and is termed celestial ablution.
The water that the clouds distribute upon earth is in fact the ambrosia of living beings, for it sustains the plants which are the support of their existence. By this water all vegetables grow and are matured and become the means of bringing about the well being of mankind, seen and unseen. Those men, who have got holy scriptures as their eyes, perform sacrifices with them and give gratification to the celestials. In this wise all sacrifices, all celestials, Brāhmanas and other castes, all infernal creatures, all animals and the whole world are supported by the rains which produce food. O great Muni, this rain, which is the source of manifold blessings, proceeds from the sun. And the sun, O foremost of Munis, is upheld by Dhruva, which is again supported by the porpoise-shaped sphere which is at one with Nārāyana; for the ever-existing glorious Nārāyana, the supporter of the universe and the primary deity, is seated in the heart of the porpoise-shaped steller sphere.