In the order of the seasons—summer, winter, and the rains—the cosmic order unfolds: righteousness is released, then cold, then rain, each in its proper time, day and night. The sun moves ceaselessly, turning his rays day by day, fully satisfying the gods, the ancestors, and humankind. In the waxing and waning of the lunar fortnights, and at the end of time itself, the gods partake of the essence he offers. Each month, the nectar preserved in the sun’s rays for the sake of good rainfall is drunk by the ancestors, as well as by the gods, the gentle beings, and the Kavyas. Nourished by the waters drawn up by the sun’s rays and then returned as rain, mortals are sustained by the plants that grow, thus overcoming hunger with food. In this way, the gods are satisfied for half a month, the ancestors for a month with nectar and oblations, and humans live constantly by food—all of which the sun bears, supported by cows. Thus, the sun swiftly moves with a single wheel, traveling at the end of each day with his tireless, unceasing horses. Hari, the divine, is borne by green horses; together with the Haris, he drinks the waters, only to release them again in a thousand streams. That Hari, sometimes bewildered, is always carried by his swift steeds. Day and night, the sun circles the world in his chariot with a single wheel, swiftly traversing the seven continents and the oceans with his seven teams of seven horses. These horses, of metrical forms, are yoked to the wheel; their stability comes from those who can take on forms at will, moving as they desire, swift as thought itself. With green, tireless, tawny horses—lords versed in the Vedas—the sun’s circle proceeds, marking the passage of days both outside and within. At the dawn of each kalpa, these are joined together to carry the great flood of beings, while the Vālakhilya sages envelop the sun’s chariot as it wanders through days and nights. The great sages praise this chariot with their composed words, and the hosts of Gandharvas and Apsarases serve it with songs and dances. The lord of the sky, ever revolving with birds, winged horses, and steeds, moves along his ordained paths, and the stars and the moon follow as well. The rays of the sun, remembered for their increase and decrease, are mirrored in the moon. The chariot of the moon is known to have three wheels and is drawn by horses on either side. This chariot, together with its horses and charioteer, arises from the womb of the waters, equipped with three white, excellent horses and wheels. Ten divine horses, unattached and swift as thought, once yoked, carry this chariot without fatigue. Among them are Śveta and Cakṣuḥśravā—all of one color, shining with the brilliance of conch shells. Their names are Aja, Tripatha, Vṛṣa, Vājī, Nara, Haya, Aṃśumān, Saptadhātu, Haṃsa, and Vyomamṛga. These ten horses of the moon, by their very names, carry the god Chandra tirelessly. Surrounded by the gods, Soma journeys with the ancestors, beginning from the bright fortnight, when the sun stands apart. The upper portion of Soma is filled day by day; then, as the sun approaches the sacrificial post, the waning of Soma begins. For fifteen days, the sun, with a single ray, consumes Soma, then fills it again, portion by portion, day by day. When the ray known as Suṣumnā is absorbed, the digits of the moon increase in the bright fortnight; thus, they decrease in the dark and are replenished in the bright. By the sun’s power, the body of the moon is restored, and at the full moon, its bright, complete orb is visible. Thus, Soma is replenished day by day during the bright fortnight, and then, from the second to the fourteenth day of the dark fortnight, it wanes. The gods drink the nectar, the very essence of water, which is entirely made of Soma—sweet, gentle, and immortal. The nectar gathered in half a month by the sun’s energy is sought by the gods at the full moon for their consumption. For one night, together with the ancestors and sages, the gods partake of Soma at the beginning of the dark fortnight, when it faces the sun. The essence is gradually diminished, and there are three hundred and thirty-three in total who drink. The gods drink Soma for thirty-three thousand cycles, and as it is consumed, the dark phases of the moon increase. As the bright phases wane, the dark ones grow; thus, by the course of days, the gods drink the nectar of the night-maker. Having drunk for half a month, the gods depart at the new moon, and then the ancestors approach the night-maker at the new moon. In the fifteenth part, with only a little remaining in the night-maker, on the next day, the ancestors again partake on the last day. They drink for two phases of time, and the remaining phases are released as nectar from the rays at the new moon. At the completion of the half-month, having drunk, they depart with the nectar—these are the Saumyas, the Barhishads, and the Agnishvattas. The ancestors called Kavyas—all of them—and the Kavyas who are said to be of five years, are included as well. The Saumyas are known as great ascetics, as are the Saumya Barhishads; the three Agnishvattas are established in the ancestral lineage. When the ancestors drink the phase on the fifteenth day, as long as it is diminished, that part is the fifteenth. Likewise, at the new moon, the interval is filled by the other; waxing and waning occur at the beginning of the fortnight, and on the sixteenth day, the moon perishes—thus, due to the sun, there is decrease and increase in the night-maker. Now, I shall describe the chariot of the stars and planets, and then the chariot of Rahu, and finally, the radiant and shining chariot of the son of Soma.