कृत्तिकादीनि नक्षत्राणीन्दो: पत्न्यस्तु भारत । दक्षशापात् सोऽनपत्यस्तासु यक्ष्मग्रहार्दित: ॥ २३ ॥
krttikadini naksatran- indoh patnyas tu bharata daksa-sapat so ’napatyas tasu yaksma-graharditah
- krttika-adini
- headed by Krttika
- naksatrani
- the constellations
- indoh
- of the moon-god
- patnyah
- the wives
- tu
- but
- bharata
- O Maharaja Pariksit, descendant of the dynasty of Bharata
- daksa-sapat
- because of being cursed by Daksa
- sah
- the moon-god
- anapatyah
- without children
- tasu
- in so many wives
- yaksma-graha-arditah
- being oppressed by a disease that brings about gradual destruction.
O Maharaja Pariksit, best of the Bharatas, the constellations named Krttika were all wives of the moon-god. However, because Prajapati Daksa had cursed him to suffer from a disease causing gradual destruction, the moon-god could not beget children in any of his wives.