By the power of Soma, the Ādityas are made strong, and by Soma’s essence, the great earth herself is mighty. Among all the stars that shine in the heavens, Soma is set at their very heart, radiating its influence. When a man drinks, he believes he consumes Soma as the herbs are pressed, yet the true Soma, known only to the Brahmins, is not for mortal consumption. Each time Soma is drunk, it is miraculously replenished; Vāyu, the wind, is its guardian, and the months themselves are its form. Soma is shielded by coverings and protected by the sacred Barhish grass. It stands attentive to the pressing stones, yet no mortal partakes of its true essence. In the time when Sūryā chose her husband, her bedding was splendid, her eyes anointed with ointment, and heaven and earth themselves served as her covering. Raibhya attended the ceremony, while Nārāśaṃsī spread the seat. Sūryā’s auspicious garment, adorned with song, was brought forth. Hymns became the steps of the ceremony, the Kurīra served as the canopy, and the metres were the veils. For Sūryā, the Aśvins were the best men, and Agni led the way. Soma became the suitor, the Aśvins the chosen attendants, when Sūryā, praised as a bride, was given to her husband by Savitṛ’s thoughtful will. Her mind formed the axle of her journey, heaven was her covering, and two bright oxen drew her chariot as she went to her new home. Two cows, invoked with Ṛc and Sāman chants, accompanied her; her ears became the wheels, and her path through heaven was both moving and still. Her shining chariot wheel turned, its axle firmly set. Sūryā ascended the chariot shaped by mind, striving toward her husband. Savitṛ sent forth the draught animal for her journey; in the season of the Maghā stars, the cows are sacrificed, and in Phalgunī, they are yoked for the journey. When the two Aśvins, inquiring, arrived with their three-wheeled chariot for Sūryā, they wondered: where was their one wheel, and where did they place the yoke? As the lords of beauty came to choose Sūryā, all the gods were aware. Pūṣan, the son, chose the father. Of Sūryā’s wheels, two are known by the Brāhmaṇas according to the seasons, but the hidden third wheel is known only to the wise. Aryaman, the good friend and knower of marriage, is worshipped; as a cucumber is released from its stalk, so is the bride released from her father’s house—though not from her deeper bonds. She is released well-bound, not to be lost, just as Indra is blessed with good sons. She is freed from the noose of Varuṇa with which Savitṛ, the gracious, had bound her; now, in the womb of truth and the world of good deeds, may she be happy, strong, and supported. May Bhaga lead her by the hand, and may the Aśvins carry her forth in their chariot. She enters her new home as mistress, ready to speak wisely in the assembly. Here, may her beloved children flourish; in this house, she tends the sacred fire, unites with her husband, and in old age, speaks with wisdom among her people. She is urged to stay, not to part, to enjoy the full span of life, playing with sons and grandsons, rejoicing and blessed with well-being. Through the power of the gods, the two children, moving through past and future, reach the ocean of life; one beholds all beings, the other arranges the seasons, and thus she is born anew. Ever new, she arises with each dawn, a sign of days, coming first with the morning. She distributes the offerings to the gods, and may she, radiant, attain a long, brilliant life. May discord be removed, wealth divided among the priests, and as she joins the path of sacred rites, the wife enters her husband’s home. If harmful acts arise, their attachment becomes visible, and the husband is bound by family ties. When evil stains the body, it is as if the husband covers himself with the wife’s garment. Expectation, chastisement, and even severe trials—these, too, are forms of Sūryā, purified by the priest. Anything parched, bitter, or poisonous is not to be given; only the priest who knows the Sūryā rite is worthy of the bride. He alone removes misfortune, the priest who knows the auspicious garment and the expiation by which the wife is unharmed. Together, the couple is blessed with fortune, abundance, and immortality, as invoked at the wedding. The Lord of Prayer is asked to make the husband pleasing, and the charming companion speaks words of blessing. The bride is urged to remain, not to go elsewhere; may the cows increase with offspring, and may all that is auspicious in Sūryā and Soma’s radiance be directed to her by the gods. May the cows enter with their young, and may the husband not diminish the share due to the gods. Pūṣan, the Maruts, Dhātṛ, and Savitṛ are invoked to grant prosperity. May the paths of friends who come to choose the bride be straight and true, and may Bhaga, Aryaman, and Dhātṛ grant radiance. Whatever brilliance is found in dice, in strong drink, or among cows, may the Aśvins protect her with that radiance. If ever the sinless one was struck, or if dice or drink were tainted, may the Aśvins protect her with that same radiance. The one who, without fuel, shines among the waters and is praised by the wise in sacrifice—O child of the waters, grant sweet waters, the very waters by which Indra grew mighty. The radiant grasp that defiles the body is washed away with water; all that is bright and shining is uplifted. The priests bring her bathing water, the waters drive away barrenness, and Pūṣan circles the fire of Aryaman as the father-in-law and brother-in-law await her. May gold, water, union, and the yoke all be auspicious; may the waters with a hundred purifications bless her, and may she touch her husband’s body in harmony. In the sky is the chariot, the axle, and the yoke; O Indra of a hundred powers, you made Sūryā’s skin flawless and pure. Thus, with the blessings of gods and the sanctity of the rites, the bride enters her new home, radiant and secure, surrounded by the prayers and hopes of her family and the divine.