CHAPTER – 104
Markandeya said: – Having created this universe Brahma, as before, made the proper divisions of Varna, Asrama, seas, mountains and islands. (1) And the Divine Lotus sprung Deity made arrangements for the position and form of the gods, demons and Uragas. (2) The son, that was born to Brahma, was known as Marichi – his son was Kashyapa – his son was Kashyapa. (3) The thirteenth daughter of Daksha was his wife. He had many sons amongst the gods, Daityas and Uragas. (4) Aditi gave birth to the gods the lords of the three worlds and Diti to fierce Danavas of dreadful prowess. (5) Virata gave birth to Garuda and Aruna to Yakshas, Rakshasas and various other birds. Kadru gave birth to Nagas and Muni to Gandharvas. (6) Krodha gave birth to the river and Rishtha to Apsaras. O twice-born one, Ira gave birth to Airavata and other elephants. (7) O twice-born one, Tamra gave birth to girls Sweni and others, who (in turn) gave birth to birds such as Swany, Bhasa and Suka. (8) Of Ila were born the trees and of Pradha the birds. By the offspring of Kashyapa who was born of Aditi, by his sons and daughters, grandsons and by their sons and daughters, O Muni, this world was covered. (9-10) Amongst the sons of Kashyapa, the gods were the foremost; they were divided into three classes namely those possessed of the quality of goodness, those of darkness and those of ignorance. (11) The great Patriarch Parameshithi Brahma, the foremost of those conversant with Brahman, made the gods the partakers of sacrificial offerings and the lords of the three worlds. (12) Their step-brothers, the Daityas and Danavas being united together, began to throw obstacles in their way. The Rakshasas too joined them. Accordingly there was waged a highly dreadful war. (13) After a thousand celestial years the gods were defeated and being victorious the Daityas and Danavas grew powerful. (14) Thereupon having beheld her own sons, the gods defeated and ousted from the sovereignty of the three worlds and deprived of the sacrificial offerings by the Daityas and Danavas Aditi, O foremost of Munis, was overwhelmed with grief. She then set forth mighty exertion for worshipping Savitri. (15-16) Then abstaining from food and observing regulation she, with whole mindedness, began to please the Sun, the collection of light stationed in the sky. (17)
Aditi said: – Salutation unto thee who hast assumed a subtle golden form. Thou art energy, the lord of the energetic and the eternal support of energy. (18) Thou art the ordainer of heat, I bow unto thine that form which thou dost assume at the time of drawing it for the benefit of the world. (19) I bow unto thine that dreadful form which thou dost assume for taking in eight months the juice of the moon. (20) O Bhashman, I bow unto thine that most delightful cloud form which thou dost assume at the time of pouring that water. (21) I do also bow unto thine that Bhaskara form which thou dost assume for ripening those plants that spring up from the showers discharged by thee. (22) I do bow unto thine that cold form of dews that thou dost assume for nourishing the corns at that time. (23) I bow again and again, O God, O Ravi, unto that thy gentle form, which is neither very fierce nor very cold which thou dost assume in spring. (24) I bow unto thine that form which is delightful unto the numberless gods and the ancestral manes and is the instrument of the ripening of fruits. (35) I bow unto thy that form which gives life to the creepers, which is identical with Soma and which is the source of ambrosia which is drunk by the gods and ancestral manes. (36) Salutation unto that form identical with Gana, O Arka, which, being united with twofold forms of Agnistoma, has created this universal form. (27) O Bibhavasu, salutation unto that form which has been created by Rik, Yajush and Saman united, which is this universe and which is called Trayi.
(28) Salutation unto that form which is superior to that which is called Om, which is subtle, which has no end, which is eternal and which is not sullied by any shortcoming. (29)
Markandeya said: – O Muni, thus observing vows and abstaining from food, that goddess, for worshipping the sun, began to recite this hymn day and night. (30) O foremost of the twice-born, thus after a long time the Divine Sun came within the view of the daughter of Daksha in the sky. (31) She saw a bundle of light spreading simultaneously over the earth and sky, and
growing fierce to look at for being united with highly effulgent rays. (31) Seeing this the goddess was possessed by great fear. She then said “Be pleased, O Sun I cannot see thee.
(33) Abstaining from food, I at first saw thee in the sky, hard to look at, shedding heat and lustre at the same time. (34) I again behold the same bundle of thy effulgence on the earth. Therefore O Sun, be propitiated; I wish to see thee. Thou dost show compassion towards thy votaries, O lord, I am thy votary – save my sons. (35) Thou art the protector; thou hast created this universe: being engaged in the work of preservation thou dost protect it; the whole universe ends in thee at the time of dissolution. Save thee there is no other refuge unto the creatures. (36) Thou art Brahma, Hari, Mahadeva, Kuvera, Yama, the regent of the Dead and Varuna, the king of water, the air, the moon, the fire, the sky, the mountain and the ocean. Thou art the soul and the form of all. How can I eulogise thee? (37) Thou art the lord of sacrifices. Following their own actions the twice-born every day worship and eulogise thee with various hymns. Controlling their minds and being engaged in Yoga, they, meditating on thee and assuming the form of Yoga, attain to excellent stations. (38) Thou dost heat, ripe, preserve and consume the universe. Thou dost, by spreading and drawing thy rays, display it and benefit it by extending thy rays surcharged with water. The gods and men salute thee. The enemies never obtain thee. (39)