Text 23
kṛttikādīni nakṣatrāṇ-
īndoḥ patnyas tu bhārata
dakṣa-śāpāt so ’napatyas
tāsu yakṣma-grahārditaḥ
kṛttikā-ādīni — headed by Kṛttikā; nakṣatrāṇi — the constellations; indoḥ — of the moon-god; patnyaḥ — the wives; tu — but; bhārata — O Mahārāja Parīkṣit, descendant of the dynasty of Bharata; dakṣa-śāpāt — because of being cursed by Dakṣa; saḥ — the moon-god; anapatyaḥ — without children; tāsu — in so many wives; yakṣma-graha-arditaḥ — being oppressed by a disease that brings about gradual destruction.
O Mahārāja Parīkṣit, best of the Bhāratas, the constellations named Kṛttikā were all wives of the moon-god. However, because Prajāpati Dakṣa had cursed him to suffer from a disease causing gradual destruction, the moon-god could not beget children in any of his wives.
Because the moon-god was very much attached to Rohiṇī, he neglected all his other wives. Therefore, seeing the bereavement of these daughters, Prajāpati Dakṣa became angry and cursed him.