O best of sages, in that wondrous moment, all the fixed supports and celestial abodes, bound together by radiant beams, broke apart and fell away. Thousands of mighty clouds, driven by the swirling force of the wind, were scattered in all directions, their thunderous noise echoing with terror. The earth, the heavens, and the underworld themselves were bewildered and thrown into great agitation by the whirling brilliance that shone forth. Witnessing the three worlds tossed and whirled in such turmoil, the divine sages, the gods, and even Brahmā himself began to praise the radiant one. “You are the primordial god of the gods, born for the welfare of the world,” they declared. “At the times of creation, preservation, and dissolution, you alone exist in threefold distinction. May there be well-being for you, O Lord of the universe, Sun who brings both heat and rain.” Indra and the other gods joined in, offering their praises as the radiant one was being depicted. “Victory to you, O Lord, Master of the universe! Victory to you, Lord of all the worlds!” they cried. The seven great sages, led by Vasiṣṭha and Atri, also offered their hymns. They praised him with auspicious words and the foremost Vedic declarations, and the Vālakhilya sages added their voices as well. Agni and the other gods, filled with joy, sang the glory of the radiant one. “O Lord, you are the liberation of those who seek freedom, the supreme object of meditation for those who contemplate. You are the path for all beings who revolve in the cycle of action; you are ever to be worshipped, O Lord of the gods. May there be peace for us, O Lord of the worlds. May peace always be upon us who walk on two legs, and peace upon those with four legs as well.” Then, the hosts of Vidyādharas, Yakṣas, Rākṣasas, and serpents—all of them, with hands joined in reverence and heads bowed—saluted the Sun. They spoke many sweet and pleasing words, wishing that the Sun’s radiance might be bearable for all beings he had brought forth. The Gandharvas Hāhā, Hūhū, Nārada, and Tumburu, masters of celestial music, began to sing to the Sun in the three modes—Ṣaḍja, Madhyama, and Gāndhāra—filling the air with modulations, rhythms, and harmonious combinations that delighted all. The celestial nymphs—Viśvācī, Ghṛtācī, Urvaśī, Tilottamā, Menakā, Sahajanyā, and Rambhā—danced before the Lord of the worlds, performing with expressive gestures of emotion, mood, and grace. Their singing was accompanied by the sounds of lutes, flutes, and many other instruments. Drums, cymbals, mridangas, paṭahas, anakas, divine kettledrums, and conches resounded by the hundreds and thousands, filling all space with their tumult. Amidst this grand celebration, Gandharvas and hosts of Apsarases sang and danced, and all kinds of instruments played, so that everything was filled with joyous clamor. Then, with hands joined and bodies bowed in devotion, all the gods offered their obeisance to the thousand-rayed Sun as he was being depicted. In the midst of this tumult, as all the gods had assembled, Viśvakarman, the divine architect, gradually diminished the Sun’s overwhelming radiance. As the image of the Sun reached down to the knees, skillfully crafted by Viśvakarman, the Sun did not approve of the depiction and was thus made to descend. Yet, even as the radiance was withdrawn, the form was not diminished; rather, a beauty more splendid than before shone forth. Thus, due to the influences of cold, water, heat, and time, and as praised by Hara, Kamala, and Vishnu, the Sun, hearing the inscription above, proceeds to the realm of daylight at the end of its lifespan. In this way, O best of sages, the birth of the Sun occurred in ancient times, and I have now fully described his supreme form. Yet, even after hearing this sacred tale, the sages, filled with devotion, implored, “Once again, tell us the story connected with the Sun; we are never satisfied, listening to this auspicious narrative. This radiant, mighty, blazing one—whose light equals a mass of fire—we wish to know the source of his power, O Lord.” So the tale continued: When the worlds were enveloped in darkness and all that is movable and immovable was lost, then, due to the qualities of nature, intellect arose first. From intellect, ego was born, which set the great elements in motion. Then air, fire, water, space, and earth came forth, and from these elements, the cosmic egg was formed. Within that cosmic egg, the seven worlds were established, as well as the earth with its seven continents and seven seas. There, I—together with Vishnu and Maheshvara—resided, all of us veiled by darkness, meditating upon that supreme Lord. Then, a being of immense radiance appeared, dispelling the darkness; through meditation and yoga, we recognized Savita, the Sun, at that time. Having realized the Supreme Self, each of us separately praised that Lord with divine hymns: “You are the primordial god among the gods, the sovereign Lord. You are the original creator of beings, O god of gods, O Sun. You are the life of all beings—gods, gandharvas, rakshasas, sages, kinnaras, siddhas, as well as serpents and birds. You are Brahma, you are Mahadeva, you are Vishnu, you are Prajapati; you are Vayu, Indra, Soma, Vivasvan, and Varuna as well. You are Time, the creator, destroyer, sustainer, and master; rivers, oceans, mountains, lightning, and rainbows are yours. You are dissolution and creation, manifest and unmanifest, eternal. From you, O Lord, comes knowledge, and beyond knowledge is Shiva. Beyond Shiva is you alone, O supreme Lord, with hands and feet everywhere, with eyes, heads, and faces everywhere. Thousand-rayed, thousand-faced, thousand-footed, and thousand-eyed, you are the origin of all beings—earth, atmosphere, heaven, the great, truth, austerity, and the world of progenitors.” Thus, the birth and glory of the Sun, the supreme source of light, were revealed and celebrated by all the gods, sages, and celestial beings, as the heart of the universe and the sustainer of all life.