This excerpt from the Anusanga Pada of the Brahmanda Purana describes the gods of the different planets and the Nakshatras they were born in in the present Vaivasvata Manvantara. In particular, it says this:
Tvisiman, the son of Dharma, the lord moon god, the son of Vasu, the cool-rayed cause of nights was born in the constellation Krittika
This excerpt from the Upodhghata Pada of the Vayu Purana says much the same thing:
Tvisimat, the son of Dharma, known as Vasu is the lord Moon.
But this runs counter to my understanding of things. I thought the moon god was Soma son of Atri, not Tvisiman son of Dharma. As I discuss in this answer, Atri and Anasuya have three prominent sons: Brahma's incarnation Soma, Vishnu's incarnation Dattatreya, and Shiva's incarnation Durvasa.
And I thought Soma was the moon god in the present Vaivasvata Manvantara. That's what this excerpt from the Prabhasa Kanda of the Skanda Purana and numerous other scriptures say. So my question is, who is the current moon god, Soma son of Atri or Tvisiman son of Dharma.
This excerpt from the newly released Amar Chitra Katha comic book "Saptarshi" may shed light on how there could be multiple claimants to the title of current moon god:
Chandra was born from the Churning of the Ocean, while Soma also called Chandra is the son of Atri. Soma merges with Chandra to become one.
But is there any scriptural basis for this?
