According to the Puranas, Chandra (the Moon god) had twenty-seven wives, the daughters of the progenitor Daksha, each representing one of the twenty-seven constellations (nakshatras), and four sons.

The Shalya Parva recounts that of these wives, Chandra loved Rohini the most and never left her side.

The other wives became upset and complained to their father, Daksha.

Daksha summoned Chandra and urged him to treat all his wives equally — but Chandra ignored his advice.

Feeling rejected, the other wives once again turned to Daksha:

“We will return to your house and live with you since Soma (Chandra) neglects us.”

Daksha, enraged, cursed Chandra with kshaya-roga — a wasting disease, consumption.

Chandra performed many sacrifices in an attempt to heal, but nothing worked.

As a result, the growth of medicinal plants stopped and all living beings began to fall ill.

Seeing this, the gods pleaded with Daksha to lift or at least ease the curse.

Unable to revoke his curse entirely, Daksha advised Chandra to bathe in the sacred Sarasvati River, which would allow him to regain health for half a month.

Chandra followed this guidance, and so, for fifteen days, the Moon waxes and Chandra recovers — then, for the next fifteen days, he wanes and declines again.

This is why we see the Moon’s phases today.

The Mystery of the Moon

The Vedas describe the Moon as twice as large as the Sun and twice as far from Earth as the Sun.

In contrast, modern science views the Moon as Earth’s satellite and a potential “launch pad” for space exploration.

So what, truly, is the Moon?

The Vedas explain that, like the Sun, the Moon is a higher planet of the material universe — a deva-loka — a celestial realm where divine beings reside.

On this Moon, there are magnificent palaces built by Vishvakarman, the architect of the gods, and kalpa-vrikshas — wish-fulfilling trees.

But none of this can be perceived unless one’s consciousness is aligned with the divine order.

The Moon is a heavenly planet — and it can’t be reached by spacecraft, but by cultivating divine consciousness.

The Vedas, together with Jyotish, expand the horizons of how we see the world.

They reveal its layered and complex nature, reminding us that everything depends first and foremost on consciousness.