O Narada, the secret and sacred teaching has now been revealed to you. Through my devotion, O sage among the gods, you too have recollected the Supreme. Whether by gods, sages, or the ancient seers, this Supreme—bestower of all boons—is ever remembered and worshipped as the Sun, the Self of all. Long ago, the Sun himself imparted this very knowledge to you, Narada. And now, O best of the twice-born, I have recounted to you the story of the Sun, just as it was once told. This narrative is most worthy to be shared, but it must never be given to one who lacks devotion to the Sun. Whoever recites or even listens to this sacred account will surely enter into the radiance of the god of a thousand rays—of this, there is no doubt. One who is afflicted, or suffering from disease, is freed by hearing this story of the Sun; the seeker of knowledge attains wisdom and the fulfillment of all desires. Whoever recites these teachings, O sage, swiftly attains their destined path, and whatever they wish for, they surely obtain. Therefore, always remember the blessed Sun—the creator, ordainer, and lord of the entire world. O best of sages, know that all the three worlds have their root in the Sun. From him arises this entire universe: gods, asuras, and humans. The radiance that pervades all belongs to Rudra, Upendra, Mahendra, the foremost of brahmins, the dwellers of heaven, and those of great splendor. The Sun alone is the Self of all, the Lord of all worlds, the God of gods, the Lord of creatures, the root and supreme deity of the three worlds. Every offering properly placed in the fire ultimately reaches the Sun; from the Sun comes rain, from rain comes food, and from food all beings arise. All is born from the Sun, and into him all dissolves; the coming into being and ceasing of worlds has its origin in the Sun. For meditators, he is the object of meditation; for those who seek liberation, he is the path to release. In him, beings attain extinction, and from him, they are born again and again. Moments, muhūrtas, days, nights, fortnights, months, years, seasons, and yugas—all exist perpetually because of the Sun. Without the Sun, these reckonings of time do not exist; without time, there is no order, nor any activity of fire. Without the distinction of seasons, there would be neither flowers nor fruits, nor the ripening of crops, nor the multitude of grasses and herbs. Without the Sun, there would be no activity for creatures, neither here nor in heaven. By the power of the world, all things enter the Sun, who is the thief of water. Without rain, the Sun neither burns nor parches, nor reaches his boundary; but with water, the Sun blazes forth. In spring, the Sun is tawny; in summer, golden; in the rains, white; in autumn, pale. In winter, he appears coppery; in the cold season, red. Thus have the colors of the Sun, arising from the seasons, been declared. By the colors and natures of the seasons, the Sun brings prosperity and abundance. Now, O best of the twice-born, listen as I declare the common names of the Sun. There are twelve, each distinct: Āditya, Savitṛ, Sūrya, Mihira, Arka, Prabhākara, Mārtaṇḍa, Bhāskara, Bhānu, Citrabhānu, Divākara, and Ravi. As the twelve Ādityas, the Sun is also remembered as Viṣṇu, Dhātṛ, Bhaga, Pūṣan, Mitra, Indra, Varuṇa, Aryaman, Vivasvān, Aṃśumān, Tvaṣṭṛ, and Parjanya. These twelve Ādityas are established separately, and they rise in order with the twelve months. Viṣṇu shines in Caitra, Aryaman in Vaiśākha, Vivasvān in Jyeṣṭha, and Aṃśumān in Āṣāḍha. Parjanya shines in Śrāvaṇa, Varuṇa in Prauṣṭhapada, Indra in Āśvayuja, and Dhātṛ in Kārttika. In Mārgaśīrṣa, Mitra shines; in Pauṣa, Pūṣan; in Māgha, Bhaga; and in Phālguna, Tvaṣṭṛ. Viṣṇu always blazes with twelve hundred rays; Aryaman with thirteen hundred; Vivasvān with fourteen rays; Aṃśumān with eight; Parjanya, Varuṇa, and Aryaman, like Vivasvān, likewise. Tvaṣṭṛ, like Mitra, shines with eleven hundred rays; Indra with twelve; Dhātṛ with eleven hundred. Mitra shines with a thousand rays, Pūṣan with nine hundred; when the Sun takes his northern course, his rays increase, and when he turns south, his rays decrease. Thus, the thousand rays from the Sun’s realm bestow their grace. Thus have the twenty-four names been declared in detail, and another thousand is also proclaimed. O Lord of creatures, you may wonder what merit and supreme path belong to those who praise the Sun with that thousand names. Hear, O best of sages, the eternal essence: it is enough to recite this auspicious hymn of a thousand names. The names which are secret, pure, and auspicious I shall now declare—listen to those of Bhāskara, the Sun. He is Vikartana, Vivasvān, Mārtaṇḍa, Bhāskara, Ravi—the illuminator of the worlds, glorious one, the eye of the world, the great lord. He is the witness of the worlds, lord of the three worlds, creator, destroyer, dispeller of darkness, the burning one, the tormentor, pure, and he rides in a chariot drawn by seven horses. Thus, O sage, has the glory of the Sun been revealed—may you ever remember and honor him, the source, sustainer, and dissolver of all that exists.