Soma (Chandra)

In Mahabharata: Volume 7, Daksha gives his twenty-seven daughters to Soma as wives. The account links the daughters with the nakshatras used to compute time. Rohini is singled out for her beauty, and Soma is especially affectionate towards her. He dwells with Rohini for a long time, while the other wives complain to their father that Soma does not live with them. Daksha tells him to treat all his wives equally. Soma continues to live with Rohini, however, and the others return to Daksha. They bow before him and ask him to make Soma accept them all. Daksha becomes angry and inflicts tuberculosis on Soma.

Soma decays from one day to the next. He makes many efforts to escape the disease and performs sacrifices, but neither frees him from the curse. As the moon wanes, the herbs lose their taste, juices and energy, and people grow weak. Daksha says that his curse cannot simply be undone, but offers a means of recovery. Soma must treat all his wives equally and bathe at a sacred place along the Sarasvati. For half the month he will wane, and for the other half he will wax. Soma travels to the supreme sacred place of Prabhasa and bathes there on the new moon. He regains his cool rays and shines upon the world again.