“’In days of yore, while the great Rishi Bharadwaja was saying his prayers by the side of the celestial Ganga, one of the three feet of Vishnu, when he assumed his three-footed form, reached that spot.[1861] Beholding that strange sight, Bharadwaja assailed Vishnu with a handful of water, upon which Vishnu’s bosom received a mark (called Sreevatsa)[1862].  Cursed by that foremost of Rishis, viz., Bhrigu, Agni was obliged to become a devourer of all things.  Once on a time, Aditi, the mother of the deities, cooked some food for her sons.  She thought that, eating that food and strengthened by it, the deities would succeed in slaying the Asuras.  After the food had been cooked.  Vudha (the presiding deity of the luminary known by that name), having completed the observance of an austere vow, presented himself before Aditi and said unto her,—­Give me alms.  Aditi, though thus solicited for food gave him none, thinking that no one should eat of the food she had cooked, before her sons, the deities, had first taken it.  Incensed at the conduct of Aditi who thus refused to give him alms, Vudha, who was Brahma’s self through the austere vow he had completed, cursed her, saying that as Aditi had refused him alms she would have a pain in her womb when Vivaswat, in his second birth in the womb of Aditi, would be born in the form of an egg.  Aditi reminded Vivaswat at that time of the curse of Vudha, and it is for that reason that Vivaswat, the deity who is adorned in Sraddhas, coming out of the womb of Aditi, came to be called by the name of Martanda.  The Prajapati Daksha became the father of sixty daughters.  Amongst them, three and ten were bestowed by him upon Kasyapa; ten upon Dharma; ten upon Mann; and seven and twenty upon Shoma.  Although all the seven and twenty that were called Nakshatras and bestowed upon Shoma were equal in respect of beauty and accomplishments, yet Shoma became more attached to one, viz., Rohini, than the rest.  The rest of his spouses, filled with jealousy, leaving him, repaired to their sire and informed him of this conduct of their husband, saying,—­O holy one, although all of us are equal in point of beauty, yet our husband Shoma is exclusively attached to our sister Rohini.—­Incensed at this representation of his daughters, the celestial Rishi Daksha cursed Shoma, saying, that thenceforth the disease phthisis should assail his son-in-law and dwell in him.  Through this curse of Daksha, phthisis assailed the puissant Shoma and entered into his body.  Assailed by phthisis in this way, Shoma came to Daksha.  The latter addressed him, saying,—­I have cursed thee because of thy unequal behaviour towards thy wives.  The Rishi then said unto Shoma,—­Thou art being reduced by the disease phthisis that has assailed thee.  There is a sacred water called Hiranyasarah in the Western ocean.  Repairing to that sacred water, do thou bathe there.—­Counselled by the Rishi, Shoma proceeded thither.  Arrived at Hiranyasarah, Soma bathed in that sacred water.