There exists a vast host of thirty million demons known as the Mandehas. These malevolent beings are infamous for their relentless desire to devour the Sun as he blazes in the heavens, threatening to engulf his radiance. In response to this peril, Brahma himself, accompanied by the assembled gods and the foremost among the Brahmanas, took decisive action. They endowed the sacred Gayatri with the power of the Omkara and the very essence of Brahman, imbuing it with the strength needed to counter such darkness. At this time, a being of great brilliance and immense strength arose, joined by the radiant Valakhilya sages, whose rays shone forth in support. Together, they stood as guardians of the Sun’s journey. To understand the flow of time that governs the Sun’s path, it is said that a muhūrta is made up of thirty kalās, and with thirty such muhūrtas, the cycle of a full day and night is completed. The waxing and waning of days follow their ordained order, measured by the portions of the day. When the Sun has moved beyond three muhūrtas from the first crescent of dawn, the following three muhūrtas mark the period called saṃgava, the morning time. From the zenith of the Sun at midday, the following period is known as the afternoon. After the afternoon has passed, the time is called evening. At the equinox, the tenth and fifth muhūrtas are regarded as the day, signifying the balance between day and night. Thus, day devours the night, and in turn, the night devours the day, in an eternal cycle. The Moon, too, partakes equally of the kalās of both day and night. A month is composed of two fortnights, and a season is formed from two months. In the measurement of time, there are fifteen nimeṣas and vidyuts, as well as kāṣṭās. There are thirty-seven mātrās, calculated as seven plus one, with two more added. The count of vidyuts reaches four thousand and eight hundred, though some say there are four hundred and two vidyuts when combined. Time is further divided into five sections, beginning with the year, as determined according to the four Manus. The first division is called saṃvatsara, the second is parivatsara, and of these, the fifth is known as vatsara; this reckoning of time is aligned with the great yugas. There are one thousand eight hundred and thirty sunrises, and three hundred and sixty-five years of the Sun. Sixty-one days and nights together make up a single season. This is the measure known as Citrabhānu, which should be understood as the solar year. These four measures bring certainty to the calculations found in the Purāṇas. In the celestial realm, there stands a mountain whose three peaks appear to touch the very vault of the sky. The breadth of its path and its expanse are described with wonder. Its southern summit is called the silver peak, while another shines like crystal. With these three summits, the mountain is famed as Śṛṅgavān. Between autumn and spring, the Sun maintains a middle course over this mountain. Its peaks glow as if bathed in rays as red as blooming lotuses. Ten and five muhūrtas together make up the day and night of this sacred measure. At this time, the Moon is to be understood as residing in the fourth part of the Viśākhā constellation. Thereafter, the Moon is positioned at the head of Kṛttikā. This moment is recognized as the equinox, as declared by the great sages. When day and night are equal in length, that is known as the equinox—a time revered as the divine mouth among the Brahmanas, signifying a sacred gateway in the cycle of time.