Moving northward, the Sun completes one hundred and eighty circuits, traversing through each inner circle as it journeys along its path. The measure of this great circle is remembered as ten thousand plus eight thousand yojanas, and to this, fifty-eight more yojanas are added, thus establishing the diameter of this celestial path. The Sun moves gradually from the center through this vast circle, and just as a potter’s wheel spins, so too do the Moon and the Sun revolve in the heavens. In the southern course, the Sun turns swiftly, like a wheel spinning at full speed, covering a greater portion of the earth in a short time. During this southern journey, the Sun moves through twelve muhurtas by day, traversing the midst of thirteen and a half signs of the zodiac. At night, within mere moments, the Sun passes through these constellations, moving as if at the very center of the potter’s wheel, advancing slowly. When the Sun takes its northern course, it moves with slow, deliberate steps, and as a result, covers only a small portion of the earth over a long period. In this northern journey, the Sun passes through the constellations in eighteen moments by day; it travels amidst thirteen constellations, and at night, it traverses these in twelve moments. The wheel of time itself revolves even more slowly than these two courses; just as a lump of clay at the wheel’s center moves gently, so does the fixed point of the heavens. Thirty moments make up the cycle of day and night as they revolve upon the earth, with the celestial circles spinning between their boundaries. When the Sun moves northward, its motion during the day is considered slow, but at night, it becomes swift. Conversely, in the southern course, the Sun’s daytime motion is swift while its night journey is slow. Thus, by this distinction in motion, day and night are divided along the southern path of the goat and in the northern region known as Lokāloka. From the expansion of the worlds, outside the path of fire, the radiance of the Sun spreads forth from Puṣkara as far as its light can reach. On the outermost boundaries rises the mountain Lokāloka, standing ten thousand yojanas high. This mountain is both luminous and non-luminous, perfectly circular, encircling the stars, Moon, Sun, planets, and all the hosts of stars. Within Lokāloka, the worlds shine, bathed in light; this marks the very extent of creation, for beyond it lies only darkness. The world is visible because of the element of light, while beyond is utter non-light; Lokāloka forms the boundary, for the Sun itself revolves around them. Therefore, this boundary is called ‘twilight,’ as the sages teach, with dawn and dusk marking the intervals. Dawn is considered night by the wise, and dusk is considered day. A moment is divided into thirty parts, and in a day, there are fifteen such divisions; these portions of the days increase and decrease as the Sun moves. In the twilight moment, this decrease and increase occur, except for the Sun’s rays. When the Sun has passed three moments, morning is said to begin, and five portions are assigned to it. From the start of morning, three moments are called forenoon, followed by three moments of midday. After midday, the period is known as afternoon, reckoned by the wise as three muhūrtas. When afternoon has passed, the time is called evening. Thus, the day consists of fifteen muhūrtas, and three more; at the equinox, the day is said to be exactly fifteen muhūrtas in length. From that point, as the Sun moves north or south, the day increases or decreases; day consumes night, and night consumes day. The equinox stands as the midpoint between autumn and spring. The world is said to end at the limit of light, and beyond that is called darkness. In the space between the world and the darkness, the guardians of the worlds stand vigil. These four great souls remain until the dissolution of beings: Sudhāmā, Vairāja, Kardama the lord of creatures, Hiraṇyaromā, Parjanya, Ketumān, and Rājasa. These guardians, established at the four directions where the world meets darkness, are free from duality, pride, fatigue, and possessions. The northern peak of Agastya, revered by the divine sages, is known as the path of the ancestors and lies beyond the path of Vaiśvānara. There dwell those sages who desire offspring and perform the Agnihotra sacrifice; they sustain the world, abiding on the ancestral path. O lord of the people, those who seek worldly beginnings and blessings undertake actions; their path is the southern one. Whenever righteousness declines, these great ones restore it in every age through intense austerity, established boundaries, and sacred knowledge. Those born earlier are reborn in the houses of the later, and the later in the houses of the earlier, as death comes upon them. Thus, they revolve in this way until the dissolution of beings—eighty-four thousand householding sages in all. Taking the southern path of the Sun, they reach the dissolution of beings; this is the journey for those who performed rites and entered the cremation grounds. For the sake of worldly dealings, the initiation of beings, out of desire and aversion, and through union, as well as actions born of desire and enjoyment of sense objects, they enter the cremation grounds here, completing the cycle of worldly existence.