Lanka Kaanda

166 - A mental view of Sri Rama on Mount Suvela and a description of the rising moon

Chaupais

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Description

"Dwelling in the eastern quarter, which may be compared to a mountain-cave, this lion of a moon, an embodiment of supreme grandeur, glory and strength, struts through the forest of the sky having rent asunder the crown of a mad elephant in the form of the darkness. The stars appear like so many pearls strewn all over the sky, which serve to adorn the lovely dame of night." "Now tell me, brethren," continued the Lord, "What you think, each of you, of the dark spot in the moon." Said Sugriva, "Listen, O Lord of the Raghus: it is only the shadow of the earth that is seen in the moon." "The demon Rahu struck the moon," said another; "and the spot is nothing but a scar left on the latter's bosom." A third suggested: "When Brahma (the Creator) fashioned the face of Rati (consort of the god of love), he took out the essence of the moon (thus leaving a hole in the orb thereof). The hole is still visible in the heart of the moon and through it can be seen the shade of the blue." The Lord said, "Poison is the moon's most beloved brother; that is why he has lodged it in his heart and, diffusing his envenomed rays, torments parted lovers."