To the north of the great southern mountain lies the region known as Puṇḍra, famed for its abundant rainfall. In this land, the rain is born from frost, and the winds that descend from the Himalaya bring forth snow. Driven by its own force, the rain traverses the vast Himalayas, pouring down upon the great mountain, and then, what remains continues its journey onward. Thereafter, upon the face of the elephant—symbolizing the earth—a double rain is declared, ensuring the plentiful growth of living beings. The nourishing clouds and their sustenance have all been described, yet it is the Sun alone who is taught to be the ultimate creator of rains. Rain, heat, cold, night, twilight, and day, as well as all auspicious and inauspicious results, proceed from Dhruva, the steadfast pole star. Presided over by Dhruva, the Sun holds the waters, and these waters are present within all living beings. When both moving and unmoving beings are consumed by heat, their waters rise as smoke and depart completely from this world. From that smoke, clouds are formed in what is called the 'cloud-region.' With his rays, the Sun draws water from all the worlds. From the ocean, the Sun’s rays, united with the wind, carry water upward; then, according to the seasons and the passage of time, the Sun revolves on his course. He restrains the waters within the white clouds with his white rays, and, stirred by the wind, these waters fall as rain. For six months, the rains descend, nourishing all beings. Thunder is caused by the winds, and lightning arises from fire. The very word 'megha' (cloud) comes from the root 'mih,' meaning to rain, revealing the cloud’s nature. The waters do not perish; thus, the existence of clouds is established. The Sun, fixed by the pole star, is both the creator and sustainer of rainfall. The wind, too, established by the pole, gathers the rain once more, and after the eclipse ceases, it moves from the Sun to the circle of stars. At the end of its journey, it enters the Sun again, who is established by the pole. Thus is described the arrangement of the Sun’s celestial chariot. This chariot is wondrous: it has a single wheel, five spokes, and three hubs, with a golden, minute axle. It is said to have eight wheels, one rim, and a radiant wheel. The chariot measures a hundred thousand yojanas in both breadth and length, and its shaft is twice the size of its base. Created by Brahma for a divine purpose, the chariot is unattached, golden, and yoked with horses driven by the wind. The steeds are the sacred meters, arranged according to the wheels, and the chariot resembles that of Varuna in its features. By means of this chariot, the radiant Sun travels daily across the sky. The various parts of the Sun and his chariot are conceived as the components of the year, set in proper order: the navel of the Sun is the single wheel, the spokes are the years, and the rim is the six seasons. Night is the yoke, righteousness the upright banner, the ends of the axle are the ages, and the divisions of time are the bearers of the seasons. The marks of the chariot are remembered as the boundary, the row of teeth, and the moments; the blink is its movement, and the shaft is its division. The ends of the axle are both purpose and desire. The seven meters—Gāyatrī, Triṣṭubh, Jagatī, Anuṣṭubh, Paṅkti, Bṛhatī, and Uṣṇik—are the horses, swiftly carried by the wind. The wheel is fixed on the axle, and the axle on the pole; the wheel turns with the axle, and the pole rotates with the axle as well. The axle, together with the wheel, revolves, impelled by the force of the pole star. Thus, by the power of its purpose, the arrangement of the Sun’s chariot is maintained. By the combination of its many parts, the chariot is established, and by it, the shining god moves through the sky toward the heavens. The ends of the yoke and axle are on the right side of the chariot; as it revolves, the rays are like the two arms of the wheel and yoke. The circles of the chariot, as it moves through the sky, spin like a potter’s wheel, forming a circle in every direction. The ends of the yoke and axle, driven by waves of wind, move across the fixed circle everywhere. As the chariot revolves, its rays increase in the circle during the Sun’s northern course; in the southern course, the circles are likewise formed. The two rays of the chariot, bound to the ends of the yoke and axle, are held by the pole star—these two draw the Sun’s chariot. When these rays are drawn by the firmly established pole star, the Sun moves within, revolving through the circles. Traversing eighty hundred circles between two points, when the pole star is released, once again the pair of rays and yoke guide the Sun. In the same way, the Sun moves through the outer circles, swiftly encircling and passing through them. This divine chariot, presided over by the gods, carries the Sun month by month in perfect order, accompanied by many sages. Gandharvas, apsarases, chiefs of serpents, and rākṣasas dwell with the Sun, two by two, in each successive month. Among the lords of creatures who accompany him are Dhātā, Aryaman, Pulastya, and Pulaha, as well as the serpents Vāsuki and Saṃkīrṇa. The foremost gandharvas, Tumburu and Nārada, and the apsaras Kṛtasthalā and Puñjikasthalā, also journey with the Sun, ever singing and dancing in his radiant presence.