As the seasons turn, the Sun expresses his presence in manifold ways, each month and time guided by the deities who preside over his rays. In the cold of winter and late winter, he releases frost through three rays, under the watchful care of Indra, Dhātā, Bhaga, Pūṣā, Mitra, Varuṇa, and Aryaman. As the months progress, Aṃśu, Vivasvān, Tvaṣṭā, Parjanya, Viṣṇu, Varuṇa in Māgha, and Sūrya in Phālguna each direct the Sun’s energy. With the arrival of spring, Aṃśu presides in Caitra; in Vaiśākha, Dhātā becomes the giver of heat; Indra in Jyeṣṭha; Aryaman and Ravi in Āṣāḍha. In Śrāvaṇa, Vivasvān shines forth; Bhaga is remembered in Prauṣṭhapada; Parjanya in Āśvayuja; and Tvaṣṭā and Ravi in Kārtika. Mitra is honored in Mārgaśīrṣa, Viṣṇu the eternal in Pauṣa, and Varuṇa’s solar work is said to manifest through five thousand rays. Pūṣā, the god Aṃśu, shines with six thousand rays, while Dhātā radiates with seven thousand, and Śatakratu with eight thousand. Vivasvān moves with ten rays, Bhaga with eleven, Mitra with seven, and Tvaṣṭā with eight. Aryaman moves with ten rays, Parjanya with nine, and Viṣṇu heats the earth with six thousand rays. The Sun’s color, too, changes with the seasons: in spring, he is tawny; in summer, he blazes with golden brilliance; in the rainy season, he turns white; in autumn, he is pale; in winter, his hue is coppery; and in late winter, he becomes red. Such are the colors that arise from the Sun. The Sun imparts strength to herbs, offers oblations to the ancestors, and delivers nectar to the gods, placing these three gifts in the three realms. This thousand-rayed solar force accomplishes the world’s purposes, dividing itself as it reaches the worlds, releasing both cold and heat through the agency of water. This radiant, shining orb—called the Sun—is the very foundation and origin of the stars, planets, and the Moon. All lunar, stellar, and planetary bodies arise from the Sun. Soma, the lord of the stars, is the left eye of the cosmic ruler, while the Sun himself is the right eye. Their gaze guides all beings in this world. The five remaining planets are to be known as sovereigns, moving according to their own will, and are associated with Fire, the Sun, Water, and the Moon. Listen now to the nature of these: Skanda, commander of the gods, is called Aṅgāraka among the planets. The wise declare Budha to be Nārāyaṇa, the god; Yama, lord of all worlds, is himself directly the lord of beings. Śanaiścara, the great, slow-moving planet, is the teacher of gods and demons, and the two shining ones—Śukra and Bṛhaspati—are said to be sons of Prajāpati. All the three worlds have the Sun as their root—of this, there is no doubt. From the Sun arises the entire universe: gods, demons, humans, Rudra, Indra, Upendra, the Moon, the best of Brahmins, Agni, and all dwellers in heaven. The radiance of all that shines, all worldly brilliance, the soul of all, the lord of all worlds—Mahādeva, the lord of creatures—are rooted in him. The Sun alone is the lord of the three worlds, the supreme and original deity; from him everything arises, and into him all dissolves. The creation and dissolution of worlds proceed from the Sun, and the radiant, resplendent Ravi is not easily known. All reckonings of time—moments, instants, days, nights, fortnights, months, years, seasons, even the great ages—exist only because of the Sun. Without him, there is no order, no daily sequence, no division of seasons, nor flower, root, or fruit. Without the Sun, there is no ripening of crops, nor the multitude of grasses and herbs; indeed, without him, there is no existence for living beings, either here or in heaven. Bhāskara, the Sun who is the form of Rudra and heats the world, is the very embodiment of fire and time, the twelvefold lord of creatures. He burns the three worlds, both moving and unmoving; he is the total mass of all brilliance, pervading all the worlds. By day and by night, taking the highest path, he heats this world from all sides—above, below, and around. Just as a shining lamp, suspended in the middle of a house, dispels darkness equally in every direction, so too does the Sun, lord of planets and master of the world, with a thousand rays, illuminate all directions with his beams. Of the thousand rays of the Sun, seven are the best, the sources of the planets: Suṣumna, Harikeśa, Viśvakarman, Viśvavyacā, Ādya, Saṃnaddha, and Para. Sarvāvasu and Svarāṭ are also named among them. Suṣumna, the Sun’s ray, kindled the southern sign and moves downward, upward, and below. Harikeśa, in front, is the source of the stars; Viśvakarman, on the right, strengthens the ray for Mercury; Viśvavyacā, behind, is remembered as the source of Venus. Saṃnaddha is the ray for Mars; Sarvāvasu is the ray for Jupiter; and another ray nourishes Saturn, called Śanaiścara. Thus, by the Sun’s radiance, the stars, planets, and constellations shine in the heavens.