Once, a question arose: If the Sun is the original, eternal god, why did he perform austerities, seeking boons like an ordinary being? To answer this profound mystery, the supreme secret regarding the radiant Sun was revealed—a secret once asked by Mitra and narrated to the great sage Nārada. Long ago, it was said, the Sun exists in twelve distinct forms. Among these, Mitra and Varuṇa themselves undertook austerities. Varuṇa, sustained by water, remained by the western ocean, while Mitra, subsisting on air, performed penance in the sacred grove known as Mitravana. At that time, Nārada, the great yogi, self-controlled and wise, journeyed across all the worlds, starting from the lofty peak of Mount Meru and Gandhamādana. Wandering, he arrived at Mitravana, where Mitra was deeply absorbed in austerity. Seeing Mitra engaged in such penance, Nārada’s curiosity was piqued. He reflected on the nature of this deity—imperishable and undecaying, manifest and unmanifest, eternal, the one who upholds the three worlds as a single essence, the great-souled father of all the gods, even beyond the highest. Nārada wondered: “Which gods or ancestors should this supreme being worship?” And so, he addressed Mitra directly. Nārada spoke, “In the Vedas and Purāṇas, with all their branches, you are praised as the unborn, eternal creator, the unsurpassed foundation. All that was, is, and will be abides in you. The four stages of life, beginning with the householder, are established in you. Day and night, beings worship you, seeking refuge in your forms. You are the eternal divinity, the father and mother of all. But which ancestor or god should you worship? We do not know.” Mitra replied, “Though this is not usually spoken, it must be told. It is the supreme, eternal secret. Because you are devoted, O Brahmin, I will declare it to you as it truly is. That which is subtle, unknowable, unmanifest, unmoving, and constant—devoid of senses, sense-objects, and all beings—is called the inner self of all, the knower of the field, distinct from the three qualities, conceived as the Person. He is known as the blessed Hiraṇyagarbha, as intellect, as the great principle in yoga, and as primordial matter. In Sāṃkhya philosophy, he is described; in yoga, he is known by many names and forms. He is threefold, the soul of the universe, remembered as Śarva and the imperishable. By him, who is of single essence, the threefold world is sustained; bodiless, he dwells within all bodies. Though residing in bodies, he is untouched by actions; he is the inner self of mine, yours, and all embodied beings. He is the witness of all, yet cannot be grasped by anyone, anywhere. Possessed of qualities and without qualities, universal, he is attainable through knowledge. With hands and feet everywhere, with eyes, heads, and faces everywhere, with ears everywhere in the world, he pervades all. With the universe as his head, arms, feet, eyes, and nose, he alone moves freely in the field. Here, the bodies are the fields; he, the soul of yoga, knows them as he wishes, and thus is called the knower of the field. He lies in the unmanifest city, and thus is called the Person. The universe, manifold and knowable, is said to be him everywhere. Therefore, because of his manifold forms, he is remembered as the Universal Form, yet his greatness is one, and he is remembered as the One Person. He alone, eternal, bears the name ‘Great Person’; following the order of creation, he brings forth himself by himself. The inner self creates himself a hundredfold, a thousandfold, a hundred thousandfold, and by the millions. Just as water fallen from the sky enters the earth, each according to its own quality, so does he enter the essence of qualities. As the single wind, though one, becomes fivefold in bodies, so too is his unity and diversity—of this there is no doubt. Just as fire, by differences of place, attains distinct names, so does he attain such designations among Brahmā and the others. Just as from a single lamp, thousands of lamps are kindled, so from the One, thousands of forms are produced. When he realizes his own self, then he becomes alone; but when dissolution into oneness occurs, multiplicity arises from him. In this world, nothing—whether moving or unmoving—is eternal; he alone is imperishable, immeasurable, and all-pervading. Therefore, O best of twice-born, from the unmanifest arises the threefold nature; that which abides as both manifest and unmanifest is called Prakriti. Know that as the womb of Brahman, which is both being and non-being, and which is revered in all rites, both divine and ancestral. Truly, there is no one higher than that—not father, nor even god, O twice-born; he is to be known as the self, and therefore I worship him. Even those who dwell in heaven, embodied beings, bow to him; by him, they attain the path of the gods and the fruit destined by the seers. The gods and those established in their own ashramas, taking refuge in his various forms, worship with devotion the primordial one, and he grants them their goal. He is indeed all-pervading and without qualities; thus, understanding as much as I know, I worship the Sun. And those whose minds are absorbed in him, who have taken refuge in the one principle—for them, this too is supreme: they enter the One.” Thus, the supreme secret was revealed, showing that the Sun’s austerities are not those of an ordinary being, but are rooted in the eternal, universal self, to whom all worship ultimately returns.