Listen with reverence to the glory of the Sun, the radiant Self who pervades all existence. The Sun is the Lord of all worlds, the God of gods, the master of all creatures, the very root and supreme deity of the three worlds. He is the source, sustainer, and dissolver of all that is. When offerings are placed properly into the sacred fire, they journey to the Sun himself. From the Sun, rain is born; from rain, food arises; and from food, all beings are nourished and brought forth. Thus, all that exists is born from the Sun, and in the Sun all dissolves. The creation and dissolution of worlds themselves once arose from him. For those who seek meditation, the Sun is the object of contemplation, and for those longing for liberation, he is the gateway to release. In him, beings attain extinction, and from him, they are born again and again, cycling through existence. All measures of time—moments, muhūrtas, days and nights, fortnights, months, years, seasons, and yugas—persist eternally because of the Sun. Without the Sun, these reckonings of time do not exist. Without time, there is no order, nor any activity of the sacred fire. Without the turning of seasons, how could there be flowers and fruits? How could crops ripen, or the multitude of grasses and herbs flourish? Without the Sun, the activities of all creatures, both here and in heaven, would cease. By the Sun’s power, all things return to him, for he is the thief of water, drawing it up to himself. Yet, without rain, the Sun does not scorch; he neither burns nor parches the earth, nor does he reach his boundary. But when water is abundant, the Sun blazes forth in his full might. With each season, the Sun’s appearance changes: in spring, he is tawny; in summer, golden; in the rains, he shines white; in autumn, he is pale. In winter, he appears coppery; during the cold season, he is red. Thus, the colors of the Sun are declared, each arising from the nature of the seasons. By the Sun’s colors and the character of each season, prosperity and abundance come to the world. Now, O best of the twice-born, hear the common names by which the Sun is known. There are twelve such names: Āditya, Savitṛ, Sūrya, Mihira, Arka, Prabhākara, Mārtaṇḍa, Bhāskara, Bhānu, Citrabhānu, Divākara, and Ravi. There are also twelve divine forms remembered: Viṣṇu, Dhātṛ, Bhaga, Pūṣan, Mitra, Indra, Varuṇa, Aryaman, Vivasvān, Aṃśumān, Tvaṣṭṛ, and Parjanya. These twelve Ādityas are established separately, each presiding over a month as the Sun rises in order through the year. Viṣṇu shines in Caitra, Aryaman in Vaiśākha, Vivasvān in Jyeṣṭha, and Aṃśumān in Āṣāḍha. Parjanya brightens Śrāvaṇa, Varuṇa rules Prauṣṭhapada, Indra presides over Āśvayuja, and Dhātṛ shines in Kārttika. In Mārgaśīrṣa, Mitra radiates; in Pauṣa, Pūṣan; in Māgha, Bhaga; and in Phālguna, Tvaṣṭṛ. Each of these deities shines with a unique number of rays: Viṣṇu with twelve hundred, Aryaman with thirteen hundred, Vivasvān with fourteen, Aṃśumān with eight, and others accordingly. As the Sun moves north, his rays increase; as he moves south, they decrease. Thus, the thousand rays of the Sun’s realm bring grace to the world. In this way, the twenty-four names of the Sun have been declared, and there exists another thousand names as well. O Lord of creatures, what merit and supreme path await those who praise the Sun with these thousand names? Listen, O best of sages, to the eternal essence: it is enough to recite this auspicious hymn of a thousand names. Now, hear the secret, pure, and auspicious names of Bhāskara, the Sun: Vikartana, Vivasvān, Mārtaṇḍa, Bhāskara, Ravi, the illuminator of the worlds, the glorious one, the eye of the world, the great lord, witness of the worlds, lord of the three worlds, creator, destroyer, dispeller of darkness, the burning one, the tormentor, pure, with seven horses as his vehicle, with rays as hands, Brahmā, worshipped by all the gods. These twenty-one names are the cherished hymn to Ravi. He is the giver of health, bestower of wealth and fame, known as the king of hymns, and renowned in the three worlds. Whoever, O best of the twice-born, praises the Sun at dawn and dusk, at sunrise and sunset, having become pure, is freed from all sins. Whatever is of the mind, speech, body, or action—all is destroyed by a single recitation in the presence of the Sun. Whether it is the recitation of a mantra, offering oblations, worship at twilight, or the use of incense, water, and sacrificial offerings—these acts, too, are purified by the Sun’s mantra. In giving food, in charity, in prostration, in circumambulation—this great mantra is honored. It removes all sins and is supremely auspicious. Therefore, O twice-born, with effort, praise this boon-giving god with this hymn, for he grants the fruits of all desires. The god you have described as the Sun is, in truth, eternal and beyond all qualities, yet he has appeared again in twelve forms, as you have heard. But how did the Sun’s radiance, his rays, and his great brilliance arise in the womb of a woman? On this, there is great doubt. Daksha, the great progenitor, had sixty excellent daughters. Among them were Aditi, Diti, Danu, Vinata, and others as well. Thus begins the story of how the Sun’s divine light came to be born in the world.