At the dawn of creation, as ordained by the Self-born, the planets took their rightful places in the cosmos. Venus, radiant with sixteen shimmering rays, entered its own abode; Jupiter, the wise preceptor, settled into the house of Jupiter, and fiery Mars found its place in the realm of Mars. In the same way, Saturn entered its own domain, accompanied by the god Saturn himself; Mercury moved into Mercury’s abode, and Rāhu, the shadowy planet, took its station in the dwelling of Rāhu. All the stars, too, entered the constellations to which they belonged. These planets and luminaries, shining in their courses, are under the care of those of virtuous soul. Since the beginning of the kalpa, these heavenly bodies were set in motion by the will of the Self-born, and their positions remain fixed until the time of cosmic dissolution. Throughout all the manvantaras, these abodes are the dwellings of the gods. The deities, filled with their own glory, repeatedly take their places in these celestial realms. These abodes endure together with gods who have passed, those yet to come, those who will never come, and those who exist now, all remaining in their designated stations. In this present manvantara, the planets are known as celestial. The Sun, son of Vivasvat and Aditi, is called the Sun of the Vaivasvata manvantara. The radiant Soma, born of a sage, is both a god and a Vasu. Śukra, the illustrious deity, is known as the Bhārgava, a worshipper of the Asuras. Bṛhaspati, the god of great brilliance and the teacher of the gods, is the son of Aṅgiras. Budha, charming and delightful, is remembered as the son of a sage. Śanaiścara, Saturn, of unusual appearance, is the son of Saṃjñā and Vivasvat. Agni, the fire god, was born from Vikeśī, and the youthful one blazes with red flames. The daughters of Dakṣa became the stars and constellations, while Svarbhānu, the son of Siṃhikā, is the Asura who brings distress to beings. Among the Moon, stars, planets, and Sun, those who are self-regarding are mentioned. Their positions and the deities stationed there have been described as before. The solar abode of Vivasvat, the thousand-rayed one, is fiery and bright; the Moon’s abode is watery and white. Budha’s, or Mercury’s, realm is watery, dark, and delightful; Śukra’s, or Venus’s, is likewise watery and white, shining with sixteen rays. Mars, or Bhauma, dwells in an excellent red abode with nine rays; Bṛhaspati’s, or Jupiter’s, is a great yellow domain with sixteen flames. Śanaiścara’s, or Saturn’s, abode is black, adorned with eight rays. Svarbhānu’s realm is darkness itself, the dwelling of the afflicter of beings. All the stars are to be known as Ṛṣis, each shining with a single ray, their abodes pure white and suited to those of virtuous fame. They are formed of condensed water, created at the beginning of the kalpa, and by uniting with the rays of the Sun, they shine with luminous nature. The support of Savitṛ, the Sun, spans nine thousand yojanas, and its circumference is three times that, according to the disc’s measure. The Moon’s extent is twice that of the Sun, while Svarbhānu’s is equal to both and moves below them. When the shadow of the earth was lifted, a circular form was created; the great station of Svarbhānu, the third among them, is composed of darkness. Emerging from the Sun, Svarbhānu moves equally during the lunar phases, traveling from the Moon to the Sun and back again, always in harmony with the lunar cycles. Because it pushes Svarbhānu, this form is called Svarbhānu. The sixteenth part of the Moon is assigned to Bhārgava, or Venus. From the supports and circles, measured from the tip of a yojana, Jupiter’s domain is lacking a quarter compared to Bhārgava’s. Both Vakra (Mars) and Sauri (Saturn) are each a quarter less than Jupiter, and Budha (Mercury) is a quarter less than those two. The stars and constellations, radiant in form, are equal to Budha in extent and their circuits. One who knows reality understands that most stars are joined with the Moon, and the forms of stars and constellations are mutually deficient. The lowest circles of stars measure four hundred, three hundred, and two hundred yojanas. There is no measure less than half a yojana among them. Above these are three planets, moving at a great distance: Sauri (Saturn), Angiras (Jupiter), and Vakra (Mars), all known as slow-moving, their motions already described in order. All these planets arise among these very constellations. The Sun, O best of sages, is the son of Vivasvat and Aditi. Born in Viśākhā, the first among planets is the radiant son of Dharma. Soma, the god, is a Vasu. The cool-rayed maker of night, the Moon, was born in Kṛttikā; the sixteen-rayed son of Bhrigu, Śukra (Venus), follows the Sun. The foremost of star-planets arose in the field of Tiṣya; there, Jupiter, son of Aṅgiras, with twelve rays, was born. In Pūrvaphalgunī, the teacher of the world, the planet with nine rays and a red body, son of Prajāpati, arose. In Pūrvāṣāḍhā, the planet was born; in Revatī, in the place of seven rays, Sauri (Saturn), Śanaiścara, was established. Saumya, Budha (Mercury), arose in Dhaniṣṭhā, shining with five rays. The dark one, son of Death, the destroyer of beings, Śikhi, was also born. The great, all-consuming planet appeared in Āśleṣā. Likewise, the daughters of Dakṣa arose in their own named stars. Rāhu, composed of the very essence of darkness, is by nature a black disc. He was born in Bharaṇī and is the planet that afflicts the Moon and the Sun. All these stars and planets, beginning with Bhārgava and the rest, are to be understood as such, for when the birth constellations are afflicted by them, they become inauspicious.