मोक्षधर्म पर्व — नागराज पद्म की कथा

The Brahmana said You go for dragging the one-wheeled car of Vivasvat according to your turn. You should describe to me anything wonderful that you may have seen in those regions through which you pass.

The Naga said, The divine Sun is the refuge or home of numberless wonders. All the creatures that inhabit the three worlds have sprung from the Sun.

Numberless Munis, crowned with ascetic success, together with all the gods, live in the rays of the Sun like birds perching on the branches of trees.

What, again, can be more wonderful than this that the powerful Wind, emanating from the Sun, takes refuge in his rays and thence yawns over universe?

What can be more wonderful than this, O twice-born Rishi, that the Sun, dividing the Wind into many parts from desire of doing good to all creatures, creates rain that falls in the rain sea on?

What can be more wonderful than this the Supreme Soul, from within the solar disc, himself bathed in burning effulgence, looks upon the universe?

What can be more wonderful than this that the Sun has a black ray which, changes itself into clouds charged with rain and pours showers of rain when the season comes?

What can be more wonderful than this that drinking up for eight months the rain he pours down he pours it down again in the rainy season.

In certain rays of the Sun, the Soul of the universe said to live. From Him is the seed of all things, and it is He that supports the earth with all her mobile and immobile creatures.

What can be more wonderful, O Brahmana, than this, that the foremost of Purushas, eternal and mighty-armed, endued with great effulgence, eternal, and without beginning and without end, lives in the Sun?

Listen, however, to one thing I shall tell you now. It is the wonder of wonders. I have seen it in the clear sky, on account of my nearless to the Sun.

In former times, one day at the hour of noon, while the Sun was shining in all his glory and giving heat to everything we saw a Being coming towards the Sun, who seemed to shine with effulgence that was equal to that of the Sun himself.

Making all the worlds shine up with his glory and filling them with his energy, he came, as I have already told you towards the Sun, rending the sky, as it were, for passing through it.

The rays that came out of his body seemed to resemble the blazing effulgence of libations of clarified butter poured into the sacrificial fire. On account of his energy and splendour he could not he looked at. His form seemed to be indescribable. Indeed, he appeared to us to be like a second Sun.

As soon as he came near the Sun extended his two hands. For honouring the Sun in return, he also extended his right-hand.

The latter the then, piercing through the sky, entered into the Sun's disc. Mingling then with the Sun's energy, he seemed to be changed into the Sun's self.

When the two energies thus met together, we were so confounded that we could not any longer make out which was which. Indeed, we could not make out who was the Sun whom we bore on his car, and who was Being that we had seen coming through the sky.

Filled with confusion, we then addressed the Sun, saying,-O illustrious one, who is this Being who has mixed himself with you and has been charged into your second self.