Text 13
uśanasā budho vyākhyātas tata upariṣṭād dvi-lakṣa-yojanato budhaḥ soma-suta upalabhyamānaḥ prāyeṇa śubha-kṛd yadārkād vyatiricyeta tadātivātābhra-prāyānāvṛṣṭy-ādi-bhayam āśaṁsate.
uśanasā — with Venus; budhaḥ — Mercury; vyākhyātaḥ — explained; tataḥ — from that (Venus); upariṣṭāt — above; dvi-lakṣa-yojanataḥ — 1,600,000 miles; budhaḥ — Mercury; soma-sutaḥ — the son of the moon; upalabhyamānaḥ — is situated; prāyeṇa — almost always; śubha-kṛt — very auspicious to the inhabitants of the universe; yadā — when; arkāt — from the sun; vyatiricyeta — is separated; tadā — at that time; ativāta — of cyclones and other bad effects; abhra — clouds; prāya — almost always; anāvṛṣṭi-ādi — such as scarcity of rain; bhayam — fearful conditions; āśaṁsate — expands.
Mercury is described to be similar to Venus, in that it moves sometimes behind the sun, sometimes in front of the sun and sometimes along with it. It is 1,600,000 miles above Venus, or 7,200,000 miles above earth. Mercury, which is the son of the moon, is almost always very auspicious for the inhabitants of the universe, but when it does not move along with the sun, it forbodes cyclones, dust, irregular rainfall, and waterless clouds. In this way it creates fearful conditions due to inadequate or excessive rainfall.