Daksha, Soma and Prabhāsa

This account is told in the Śalya Parva of the Mahābhārata, Chapter 35. It explains how the tīrtha (holy place) Prabhāsa began. It is told at the point where Balarāma sets out on his pilgrimage along the Sarasvatī, and Prabhāsa is where he begins.

Daksha’s twenty-seven daughters

Daksha Prajāpati had many daughters. He gave twenty-seven of them to Soma, the moon, as wives. These twenty-seven daughters are the nakshatras (the lunar mansions), and they were set in their place beside the moon. All were beautiful and worthy of high regard. But Rohiṇī was the most beautiful in form of them all. So Niśākara (Soma) grew very fond of Rohiṇī. He spent all his time in her house and paid no attention to the other twenty-six wives.

The complaints and Daksha’s warning

The neglected wives were unhappy with Soma’s favouring of one. They went to their father Daksha and said, “Father, our husband Soma does not come to our houses. He stays always with Rohiṇī. We shall live here with you, doing tapas (austerity) and fasting.”

Daksha called Soma and told him, “Child, treat all your wives alike. Do not let great adharma touch you.” He told his daughters to go back to Soma. He said that on the strength of his word the moon would treat them all alike.

The daughters went back. Soma did not change. He stayed only with Rohiṇī. The other wives went again to their father and said, “Soma does not stay with us. He ignores your word.” Again Daksha called Soma and warned him, “Behave alike toward all your wives. Do not bring my śāpa (curse) upon yourself.” Again Soma ignored the warning.

The daughters came to Daksha a third time. They said they would simply stay with him, since Soma took no notice of their father’s words. Daksha’s rage blazed. He threw a śāpa on Soma: kshaya-roga, also called rājayakshmā, the wasting disease.

The effect on the worlds

Under Daksha’s śāpa, Soma began to grow thinner day by day. As the moon grew smaller, the plants dried up and lost their rasa (sap). As the plants weakened, all living beings began to fail. Distress spread through the worlds.

The devas were alarmed. They went to Soma and learned the cause. Then they went to Daksha and begged him, “O Pūjya (revered one)! Relent. Soma is shrinking to a shadow. His loss is destroying all creatures: plants, herbs and seeds. When these die, we too will die. When we die, what will be left of the worlds? O Lokaguru (teacher of the worlds), please show us grace.”

The changed śāpa and the remedy

Daksha Prajāpati heard the prayer of the devas and said, “Great ones, I cannot take back my word. But I can tell you how it may be eased. For half of each month Soma will grow thin. That is fixed. For the other half he will grow full again. This is true as I speak it. For the cure, let him go to the western ocean and bathe at the meeting of the Sarasvatī and the sea. There he shall worship Devadeva. Then his fullness will return.”

Soma followed the advice of the ṛshis and the devas. He came to the Sarasvatī and reached its foremost tīrtha, Prabhāsa, where it meets the sea. There, on the amāvāsyā (new moon) day, he dipped himself in its waters. The great light gave light again to all the worlds and regained his cool radiance.

All the devas went with Soma to Prabhāsa and bathed. Then they went back to Daksha. Daksha, now calm, sent them all back to their places. He told Soma, “Do not dishonour women. Never cause pain to brāhmaṇas. Go, and always keep right conduct, honouring my words.”

Soma returned to his home. All the people were glad and happy as before.

Prabhāsa, the foremost tīrtha

From the day Soma was restored, the tīrtha was called Prabhāsa, “that which causes a shining to appear”, because the moon (Śaśadhara) regained his prabhā (radiance) there. The text says that even now Soma bathes at Prabhāsa on every amāvāsyā day and gains pushṭi and tushṭi (nourishment and contentment) anew. For this reason people celebrate and honour Prabhāsa as the greatest of all tīrthas.

Balarāma began his pilgrimage along the Sarasvatī at Prabhāsa.

Sources

• Mahābhārata, Śalya Parva, Chapter 35