With a heart full of reverence, let us listen to the sacred observances dedicated to the radiant Lord, the Supreme Self, the Sun. By following the prescribed procedures, one is to observe the Sun’s vow every month, seeking His pleasure and grace. When twelve months have passed, and the thirteenth month arrives, the devotee should offer thirteen cows, each beautifully adorned with garments and ornaments, their faces gilded and their udders full with milk. Yet, if one’s means are modest but the heart is pure and free from envy, even the humble gift of a single cow suffices. It is important not to act deceitfully with wealth, for delusion leads only to downfall. Whoever performs the Kalyāṇa Saptamī, following this sacred method, is cleansed of all sins, honored in the world of the Sun, and blessed with endless life, health, and prosperity. This auspicious Kalyāṇa Saptamī ever removes all sins, is worshipped by the gods, dispels evil, and bestows only good fortune. Even hearing or reciting the account of Kalyāṇa Saptamī brings liberation from sin and grants boundless rewards. Now, listen to the Viśoka Saptamī, an observance that frees one from sorrow in this world. In the month of Māgha, on the sixth day of the bright fortnight, the devotee bathes with black sesame seeds, fasts, cleanses the teeth, and partakes of rice with pulses. Then, vowing to fast, one remains celibate through the night. At dawn, after bathing and reciting prayers, purified in body and mind, the devotee worships the Sun with a golden lotus, red oleander flowers, and a pair of red garments, offering them with the invocation, “To the Sun!” With earnest prayer, one beseeches, “O Sun, just as you ever free the world from sorrow, may I too be free from sorrow, and may I hold devotion to you in every birth.” After worshipping with devotion on the sixth day, the devotee honors the twice-born. Upon sleeping, sipping cow’s urine, and rising, one resumes the daily rites. Brahmins are to be fed, accompanied by a vessel of jaggery, and offered a pair of garments and the lotus. On the seventh day, the devotee eats food free from oil and salt, observes silence, and listens to the Purāṇas, seeking prosperity. This observance continues through both fortnights until the seventh day of the bright fortnight of Māgha returns. At the vow’s conclusion, the devotee offers a pot adorned with a golden lotus, a furnished bed, and a tawny, milk-giving cow. Whoever observes Viśoka Saptamī thus, without miserliness, attains the highest state—free from sorrow for a hundred million and one thousand births, untouched by disease or misfortune. All desires prayed for are fulfilled in abundance, but one who performs the vow without desire attains the Supreme Brahman. Even hearing or reciting the story of Viśoka Saptamī brings one to Indra’s world, never to be born into suffering again. Let us now hear of another observance, the Phala Saptamī, which destroys sin and leads the devotee to heaven. In the auspicious month of Mārgaśīrṣa, on the seventh day, after fasting and with steadfast resolve, the devotee has a golden lotus fashioned. A golden image of the Sun, together with a measure of sugar, is offered to a householder Brahmin at both dawn and dusk, with the prayer, “May the Sun be pleased with me.” With devotion, the Brahmins are worshipped, and on the eighth day, they are served a meal with milk. The devotee continues the vow, subsisting on fruit until the next Kṛṣṇa Saptamī. Observing that day as well, the devotee gives a golden fruit adorned with a golden lotus, just as before, along with a vessel of sugar, cloth, and garlands. This practice is maintained for a year, observing both the seventh days each month. At each observance, the devotee recites the Sun’s names—Bhānu, Arka, Ravi, Brahmā, Sūrya, Śakra, Hari, Śiva, Śrīmān, Vibhāvasu, Tvaṣṭṛ, Varuṇa—invoking their blessings. On each seventh day, a name is recited; on each fortnight, fruit is offered. At the end of the vow, a pair of Brahmins is honored with cloth and ornaments, and a sugar pot adorned with golden lotus petals is given. With a heart full of longing, the devotee prays, “O Sun, as the wishes of your devotees are never in vain, so may I gain endless rewards for seven births.” Whoever performs this sevenfold vow is purified of all sins and honored in the Sun’s world. Even grave sins are destroyed by this observance. One who faithfully performs the seventh-day vow remains free from disease and delivers twenty-one beings, both past and future, to blessedness. Even hearing or reciting this account brings blessedness. Now, let us hear the sacred vow of the Sugar Seventh-day, which also destroys sin and grants endless life, health, and prosperity. On the seventh day of the bright fortnight of Mādhava, with firm resolve, the devotee bathes in the morning, uses white sesame, and adorns with white garlands. On a clean spot, a lotus is drawn with saffron at its center, and fragrance and incense are offered to Savitṛ with reverence. A water pot and a vessel of sugar are placed together, adorned with white cloths and garlands, and worshipped with gold, invoking, “Since you are the essence of all the Vedas, Vedavādi, nectar of all, grant me peace.” After drinking pañcagavya, the devotee sleeps on the ground beside the offering, remembering the Sun’s hymn and listening to the Purāṇas. When a day and night have passed, on the eighth day, the devotee performs the daily rites and gives all the offerings to a learned Brahmin. Brahmins are to be fed, as able, with sugar, ghee, and rice pudding; the devotee partakes of food without oil and salt, remaining self-controlled. Thus, by honoring these sacred vows with sincerity and devotion, one is blessed by the Sun, freed from sin, and graced with health, prosperity, and endless spiritual rewards.