Among the radiant beings who preside over the universe—Rudra, Upendra, Indra, the Moon, the foremost of Brahmins, and all the gods of heaven—there is the Supreme Self, the lord of all worlds, the great god who is the progenitor of all beings. From this Supreme Self, everything arises, and into him, at last, all things dissolve. O Brahmins, know that the planet which is the Sun, shining with unparalleled brilliance, is the knower of the world. It is through the Sun that moments, muhūrtas, days, nights, and fortnights are measured; without the Sun, there could be no reckoning of time. Without the distinction of seasons, there would be no flowers, roots, or fruits, and all activities of living beings, whether in heaven or on earth, would come to a halt. The Sun is time itself, he is fire, and he is Prajāpati manifest in twelve forms. He is a mass of radiance, the destroyer of darkness, and pervades all the worlds. His heat reaches everywhere—on all sides, above, and below—completely dispelling darkness in every direction. With his rays, the Sun illumines the entire world. Among these rays, seven are the foremost, serving as guides for the planets. Of these, Viśvaśravā stands out as supreme among the prosperous and virtuous. The ray called Suṣumṇa nourishes the moon as it wanes. Hari-keśa, at the front, is honored as the progenitor of the stars, while Viśvaśravā at the back is known by the wise as the source of Venus. The sixth ray, Arvāvasu, is the origin of Jupiter. Thus, by the Sun’s power, the planets, constellations, and stars exist. Because the stars and planets are marked by these rays, they are called nakṣatras. The Sun, as the maker of nakṣatras, assigns their regions. The stars are called tārakās because they cross the sky and because of their shining whiteness. Even the austerities of ascetics are sustained by continually receiving the radiance of the Sun. Because the Sun takes in the radiance of the waters, he is called Savitā. He is perceived in whiteness, immortality, and coolness, shining in a vessel that is white, silver-like, auspicious, and round. The Sun’s disc is dense with radiant energy and white in color. Throughout all the Manvantaras, the stars, Sun, and planets depend on each other. The Sun enters the solar region, and the Moon, likewise, enters the lunar region. Jaiva is known as Bṛhaspati, Lauhita as Lohita, Baudha as Budha, and Svarbhānu is established in his place as Svarbhānu. O virtuous one, accept all these luminous bodies, for their positions remain until the dissolution of the elements in this world. Those who are proud again occupy the divine stations. In this Manvantara, the planets are known as Vaitānika. Among the radiant ones, Dharmasuta, Soma, and Vasu are regarded as gods. The god of great brilliance is remembered as the divine teacher, son of Agni. Śanaiścara, the deformed one, is the son of Saṃjñā and Vivasvat. The stars, called ṛkṣa, are remembered as the daughters of Dakṣa.