Vaisampayana said:—O king, Soma’s father the Divine Rishi Atri was the mind-begotten son of Brahmā when, in the days of yore, he grew desirous of creating progeny (1). Atri, with all his sons, began to do good unto all creatures, by his words, mind and action (2). That innocent, highly effulgent and virtuous-souled Rishi, of firm vows, formerly pratised, with his arms raised, the most excellent penance of silence for three thousand celestial years. This we have heard (3–4). O descendant of Bharata, when that Rishi, having controlled his senses, began to practise penances steadfastly his person assumed the mild lustre of the moon (5). This moon-like lustre, of the person of that one of controlled senses, soon spread over the sky. Then from his eyes tears began to trickle down and flood the ten quarters (6). Thereupon the ten goddesses delightedly conceived in ten different ways. Though they all did it unitedly they however could not keep it (7). Thereupon the effulgent, all-protecting moon in the embryo fell down lighting up all the quarters (8). When the quarters could not bear this conception any more the embryo, along with them, fell down on earth (9). Beholding the moon thus fallen Brahmā, the grand-father of all, got on his chariot for doing good unto all people (10) That chariot was made of the Vedas; its form was virtue and it carried Brahmā; thousands of _Mantra_ horses wore yoked to it; this we have heard (11). When that great soul, the son of Atri, came down on earth, all the deities and the seven mind-begotten sons of Brahmā began to chant his glories (12). In the same way, O my child, Angira’s sons and Bhrigu with his sons began to hymn his glories with Rik and Yayush _Mantras_ (13). Having his glories thus chanted by the Rishis the effulgent moon had his increasing lustre stationed in a circular form in the sky. It fully lighted up the three worlds (14). In his that most excellent chariot the highly illustrious moon circumambulated, for twenty-one times, the world bounded by the sea (15). His lustre, that melted down on earth on account of the motion of his car, became plants that shone in their effulgence (16). O king, those plants conduce to the nourishment of the gods, ancestral manes, men, beasts, birds, reptiles and other creatures; the moon is thus the nourisher of the universe (17). O great one, having acquired lustre through his own deeds and the chanting of his glories by the Rishis the divine moon carried on hard austerities for one thousand _Padma_ years (18). The moon was the asylum of all those silvery goddesses in the shape of water who upheld the universe. He became celebrated by his own actions.