Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Srimad Bhagavatam 9.14.3

tasya drigbhyo 'bhavat putrah

somo 'mritamayah kila

vipraushadhy-udu-gananam

brahmana kalpitah patih

SYNONYMS

tasya -- of him, Atri, the son of Brahma; drigbhyah -- from the tears of jubilation from the eyes; abhavat -- was born; putrah -- a son; somah -- the moon-god; amrita-mayah -- full of soothing rays; kila -- indeed; vipra -- of the brahmanas; oshadhi -- of the drugs; udu-gananam -- and of the luminaries; brahmana -- by Lord Brahma; kalpitah -- was appointed or designated; patih -- the supreme director.

TRANSLATION

From Atri's tears of jubilation was born a son named Soma, the moon, who was full of soothing rays. Lord Brahma appointed him the director of the brahmanas, drugs and luminaries.

PURPORT

According to the Vedic description, Soma, the moon-god, was born from the mind of the Supreme Personality of Godhead (candrama manaso jatah). But here we find that Soma was born from the tears in the eyes of Atri. This appears contradictory to the Vedic information, but actually it is not, for this birth of the moon is understood to have taken place in another millennium. When tears appear in the eyes because of jubilation, the tears are soothing. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura says, drigbhya anandasrubhya ata evamritamayah: "Here the word drigbhyah means 'from tears of jubilation.' Therefore the moon-god is called amritamayah, 'full of soothing rays.' " In the Fourth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam (4.1.15) we find this verse:

atreh patny anasuya trin

jajne suyasasah sutan

dattam durvasasam somam

atmesa-brahma-sambhavan

This verse describes that Anasuya, the wife of Atri Rishi, bore three sons -- Soma, Durvasa and Dattatreya. It is said that at the time of conception Anasuya was impregnated by the tears of Atri.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness