To that supremely intense form, assumed to absorb the essence of the waters over eight months, I offer my reverence. To the form united with Agni and Soma, radiant with the combined qualities of the Rig, Yajur, and Sama Vedas, I bow. Homage to that eternal Light, the very source of the threefold Veda, whose form is beyond all and who is invoked by the sacred syllable Om—subtle, gross, and pure. In this spirit, the steadfast goddess Aditi composed hymns day and night, fasting and performing austerities, seeking to propitiate Vivasvat, the Sun. Long did she persist in her penance, until at last, the glorious Sun appeared before her, O twice-born. Aditi, daughter of Daksha, beheld before her a great mass of radiance, veiled in dazzling light, standing upon the earth. Blazing with flames and nearly impossible to look upon, this vision filled the goddess with utmost fear. With a trembling heart, she prayed, “O Lord of Cows, origin of the world, be gracious! I cannot see you—grant me your favor so I may behold your form, O Sun, compassionate to your devotees, protector of your worshippers—protect my sons.” Then, from that overwhelming radiance, the shining Sun manifested, appearing before her with a form like molten copper. The radiant lord addressed the goddess, who bowed before him yet could not see him clearly: “Choose a single boon from me, whatever you desire.” With deep humility, Aditi bowed her head, pressing her knees to the ground, and addressed Vivasvat, the bestower of boons: “O god, be gracious! My sons have lost the three worlds, and their shares of the sacrifice have been seized by the Daityas and Danavas, who have become stronger. For this reason, O Lord of Cows, grant me your favor: become their brother by a portion of yourself and destroy their enemies. Let my sons once again partake of the sacrificial shares and become rulers of the three worlds, O Sun. You are called the remover of distress—please accomplish this task and fulfill the desire of my sons as I have requested.” The blessed Sun, the dispeller of darkness, gazed upon the bowed Aditi with kindness and replied, “By a thousandth part of myself, I will fully enter your womb; I will swiftly destroy your sons’ enemies, bringing them contentment.” Having spoken thus, the radiant Lord disappeared. Aditi, having obtained her heart’s desire, ended her austerities. From among the Sun’s thousand rays, the one called Suṣumnā entered her; and at the year’s end, her wish was fulfilled. The Sun took up residence in the womb of the mother of the gods, and Aditi, with utmost concentration, performed difficult vows such as Kṛcchra and Cāndrāyaṇa. With purity, she bore that divine embryo, saying, “I sustain this divine child.” At that moment, Kaśyapa addressed her, his words tinged with some anger. Ever-fasting Aditi, angered in turn, replied, “Why do you call this egg slain? Behold, this egg is here. It is not slain; only the death of the adversaries will come.” Incited by her husband’s words, the goddess released that embryo, blazing with radiance. When Kaśyapa beheld the embryo, shining with the splendor of the rising sun, he bowed with reverence and praised it with primordial words. As he praised, the divine being emerged from the egg, radiant and beautiful as a lotus petal, his brilliance filling all directions. Then, from the sky, a bodiless voice, deep as a rain-cloud, addressed the sage Kaśyapa: “This egg, O sage, has been declared by you as slain; therefore, this son of yours, born of Aditi, will be known as Martanda. He will slay the asuras, those enemies who seize the shares of sacrifice.” The gods heard this proclamation from the heavens. The Danavas, their strength shattered, were seized by incomparable dismay. Indra then summoned the Daityas to battle. With the gods filled with joy, the Danavas advanced, and between the gods and asuras a terrible battle erupted. In that conflict, the whole world seemed ablaze with showers of weapons and missiles, as the blessed Martanda watched. Burned by his radiance, the great asuras were reduced to ashes; then all the dwellers of heaven rejoiced as never before. They praised Martanda, the source of radiance, and also Aditi; thus the gods regained their rightful domains and their shares of sacrifice as before. The blessed Martanda too assumed his own dominion, surrounded above and below by rays like clusters of kadamba flowers. He shone like a mass of fire, though his form was not yet fully distinct. At this point, a question arose: “How did the Sun later obtain a form even more beautiful, shaped like a kadamba sphere? Tell me that, O Lord of the world.” It was then that Tvashtar, after propitiating and bowing before Vivasvat, gave his daughter, Samjna, in marriage to the Sun. The lord of cattle begot three children in her: two splendid sons and a daughter, Yamuna. But the radiance of Martanda Vivasvat was so intense that he scorched the three worlds, with all their moving and unmoving beings. Unable to bear his overwhelming brilliance, Samjna, seeing his form shaped like a sphere, spoke to her own shadow: “I shall go, blessings to you, to my father’s abode; you must remain here unchanged, by my command, O auspicious one. These two sons and this beautiful daughter are to be considered as mine; you must never reveal this to the Lord.” Thus unfolds the sacred tale of the birth of Martanda, the Sun, his triumph over the asuras, and the origin of his beautiful form, as well as the story of Samjna and her shadow.