Upon the earth stands a mountain of great renown, called Śṛṅgavān. It rises with three majestic summits: one toward the south, another gleaming with the luster of silver, and a third shining brilliantly like crystal. This mountain, Śṛṅgavān, is celebrated for its triple peaks, and it holds a special place between the seasons of autumn and spring, maintaining a balanced, middle course. During this time, the summits of Śṛṅgavān glow as though anointed with rays as red as blooming lotuses, radiating a sacred brilliance. In this realm, a day and night together are measured as fifteen muhūrtas. At this particular season, the moon is understood to reside in the fourth part of the Viśākhā constellation. Soon after, the moon shifts to the very head of Kṛttikā, marking the precise moment of the equinox, as declared by the wise and ancient sages. The equinox is the time when day and night are perfectly equal, a sacred juncture recognized and revered. Among the Brāhmaṇas, this moment is known as the divine mouth, a gateway of celestial significance. At this time, the lunar phases are presided over by Sinīvālī, Kuhū, Rākā, and Anumati, the deities who govern the moon’s changing forms. Alongside them are the southern deities: Nabho and Nabhasya, Aviṣa and Ūrja, Saha and Sahasya. Next to be known are the Ārtavas, the five years personified as the sons of Brahmā, who mark the cycles of time. At the turning of each season, the new moon serves as the gateway for sacred rites, guiding the proper observance of rituals. Those who understand this timing never become confused in their duties to ancestors or to the gods. From the light that pervades the world, the realm known as Lokāloka is remembered—a boundary between the known and the unknown. At this threshold stand four great beings who arose from the primordial flood of non-being: Hiraṇyaromā, Parjanya, Ketumān, and Rājasa. These guardians of the worlds are stationed in the four directions at the edge of Lokāloka. Beyond this, the path of the ancestors, the Pitṛs, lies outside the fiery path of Vaiśvānara. Those who ensure the continuation of the world are established upon this ancestral path, setting forth upon the southern way, desiring to reach their destined worlds. They are purified through austerity, adherence to sacred boundaries, and the pursuit of learning. From the earlier generations, the later ones are born, even as the former pass away. There are said to be eighty-eight thousand householding sages, who, through the performance of ritual actions, entered the cremation grounds. Through inclination and aversion, through deeds and union, by these various means, those who attained perfection have entered the grounds of transformation. One such place is north of Nāga street, another lies south of the constellation of the Seven Sages. There, perfected beings reside, pure and steadfast in celibacy. Among them, again, are eighty-eight thousand sages who have mastered the retention of their vital essence, abstaining from worldly union and refraining from sexual intercourse. Through union without desire, and by perceiving the flaws in the objects of sense, these sages manifest immortality at the time of cosmic dissolution. Others are distinguished by their merit or demerit, whether through acts such as the slaying of a fetus or the performance of the horse sacrifice. Above and beyond these sages, Dhruva is remembered as residing in his exalted place. There too remain the upholders of the worlds, such as Dharma and Dhruva himself. Now, the sage promises to reveal in due order all the events yet to come, describing the movements of the sun, the moon, and all the planets—every celestial event, whether occurring in sequence or without confusion, will be declared, illuminating the workings of the cosmos for all who listen.