In the cycle of existence, mortals are nourished by rain and herbs, overcoming hunger through food and drink. The sun, ever radiant, sustains all beings by offering warmth and fostering the growth of cows, whose milk further nourishes life. At the moment of release—when the cosmic order is renewed—Savitā, the divine sun, again upholds all that moves and does not move, maintaining the harmony of creation. In this grand procession, Savitā, also known as Hari, is released and carried by swift horses. These auspicious, flawless steeds ensure the movement of the Vedic order, traversing the seven continents and oceans. They possess forms at will, are as swift as the mind, and are harnessed together on the left side in perfect unity. These horses, in their celestial journey, circle eighty-three hundred orbs within a year, tirelessly carrying Savitā from the beginning of a kalpa until the great dissolution. The lord of the day, praised by great sages with well-composed hymns, moves through the heavens, drawn by winged and celestial horses. Ten horses are harnessed to his chariot—five on the left and five on the right—guiding his path. His rays, like those of the sun, wax and wane in a perpetual rhythm. The chariot, complete with horses and charioteer, arises from the waters, drawn by ten slender, divine, untiring horses swift as thought. Among these assembled steeds are Śveta, Cakṣuḥśravā, Yaju, Caṇḍa, Manas, Vṛṣa, Vājī, Nara, and Haya. These are the ten horses of the Moon, each bearing its own name. Soma, the Moon, surrounded by gods and ancestors, proceeds on his celestial journey. At the end of each half-month, Soma is replenished, his radiance waxing with the passage of days. When waning, for fifteen days, the Sun with a single ray diminishes the Moon’s light. Yet, when nourished by the ray called Suṣumnā, his luminous digits increase. Thus, by the Sun’s power, the Moon is nourished and grows day by day during the bright fortnight. The very essence of the waters—the Moon’s substance—is made entirely of sap, a nectar gathered together by the Sun’s radiance within half a month. For one night, all the gods, along with ancestors and sages, partake of this nectar. Gradually, as it is consumed by gods and ancestors, the portions diminish. Three and three thousand gods drink the Soma, causing the bright phases to wane and the dark phases to be replenished. After drinking for half a month, the best of the gods depart at the new moon. When only a small portion remains on the fifteenth day, those who are left drink for two more days the remnants. Having drunk Svadhā for the satisfaction of the month, they proceed to the nectar. In the dark fortnight, the gods likewise drink the nectarous essence, and all those ancestors known as Kavyas partake as well. The gentle seasons are recognized, and the months remembered as Barhishads. On the fifteenth day, the portion consumed by the ancestors is replenished at the new moon. Thus, through the Sun’s influence, the Moon continually waxes and wanes, sustaining the cosmic order and nourishing gods, ancestors, and mortals alike.