Having partaken of the divine nectar called soma, the Sun, with a single radiant beam, nourishes the soma within the soma-drinkers through a special ray known as Sushumna. All the earlier phases—those that have unfolded in the past—are likewise sustained by Sushumna, each segment receiving nourishment day by day. As this process unfolds, the dark phases of the Moon steadily diminish, while the bright phases increase. In this way, by the Sun’s energy, the very body of the Moon is continually nourished. On the night of the full moon, the Moon appears as a luminous, complete circle. During the bright fortnight, the soma within the Moon grows day by day, being first enjoyed by the gods as nectar, and the remnants are then received by the ancestors. For fifteen days, the Sun, using a single ray, draws from the Moon; as Sushumna nourishes, each portion is taken in turn, day after day. As Sushumna continues to nourish, the bright phases wax fuller, causing the dark phases to wane. Thus, the soma is replenished even as it diminishes, rising again and again in both the bright and dark halves of the month. This soma, cherished by the ancestors, is remembered as being earthly in form, beloved, and flowing in fifteen nectar-filled streams. Now, let me explain the junctions where the lunar phases meet, and how these phases are connected, just as the joints of a reed are bound together. In the same way, the year, the months, and the fortnights—both bright and dark—are recalled, along with the distinctions of the full moon, the knots, and the points of junction. The lunar phases of each half-month, starting from the second day, and the ritual of kindling the sacred fire, are performed at these very junctions. Thus, at the beginning of the lunar phases, at the junctions commencing from the first day, two brief moments—called lavas—are set aside in the evening and at Anumati. Similarly, two lavas mark the time for Rakā in the afternoon. When, in the waning fortnight, the afternoon has passed and evening falls, this is known as the full-moon time. When the Sun stands at vyatīpāta, at the celestial node, it marks the end of an age; and when the Moon rises at the end of an age, positioned above this line, the two are thus joined. On the full-moon vyatīpāta, if one beholds both Sun and Moon together, established at the start of the lunar day, then they are truly so situated. At that moment, having observed the Sun, one should make the proper calculations, for this is the auspicious time for sacred rites, called the sixth period. On the full-moon night, at the junctions of the night, the Moon is full during the bright fortnight; thus, the Moon attains fullness at night on the day of the full moon. When, during the day, both Sun and Moon witness the full moon at the time of their mutual vyatīpāta, then, due to this fullness, it is considered the full-moon day in the afternoon. Because the ancestors, together with the gods, approve of this time, it is called ‘Anumati,’ and for its fullness, it is known as the full moon. Because the Moon shines with exceptional brilliance on the full-moon night, and due to its special coloring, poets call it ‘Rākā.’ When the Sun and Moon dwell together in the same constellation, that fifteenth night is called Amāvāsyā—the new moon. When, at Amāvāsyā, the Sun and Moon come into conjunction, their mutual appearance is called ‘Darśa,’ for they are seen together. On Amāvāsyā, two lavas are recognized at the junctions of the lunar phases; this is called the two-syllabled Kuhū, and the time is marked as a festival juncture. The Amāvāsyā during which the Moon is visible from midday onward and then again at night, when the Sun arrives, the Moon rises together with the Sun—this is the morning Amāvāsyā. After midday, when the Sun sets, having joined with two lavas, the Moon of the bright fortnight emerges from the solar disc. When the two orbs, Sun and Moon, are separating, the interval between them is the time for the Anvāhāri offering and the Vaṣaṭ rituals of Darśa; this is known as the season’s commencement and the festival time on Amāvāsyā. When the Moon is waning and pale on Amāvāsyā during the day, that is why the daytime Amāvāsyā is said to be the one in which the Sun is present. The cuckoo calls this time ‘Kuhū,’ for it is then that the lunar cycle is completed; thus, this Amāvāsyā is known as Kuhū, named for that moment. When only a slender remnant of the Moon remains, just the measure of Sinīvālī, Amāvāsyā enters the Sun; at this time, it is called Sinīvālī. Anumati, Rākā, Sinīvālī, and Kuhū—these four mark the special moments; the two-lava period is called Kuhū, and Kuhū is known by this measure. Thus, the time between the junctions of the lunar phases is said to be two lavas; the duration of the lunar days is equal, as are the offerings and the utterance of ‘vaṣaṭ.’ When the Moon and Sun are in conjunction or opposition, and on both the full and new moon days, the period called parva is of double measure. The times at the conjunctions called Kuhū and Sinīvālī are considered to be two lavas; at the Sun’s node, with the Moon, the parva time is reckoned in kalās. Because the Moon becomes full on the fifteenth day, the full moon is completed by ten and five kalās, in the proper order of days. Therefore, on the fifteenth day, the Moon does not have a sixteenth kalā; thus, the waning of the Moon on the fifteenth day is explained. In this way, the ancestors and the gods who partake of soma and increase soma are themselves the seasons and the year; indeed, the gods sustain them. Now, let me explain further about the ancestors who receive śrāddha offerings: their path, their true nature, and the attainment that comes from śrāddha. The path of the departed cannot be known, nor their return—not even through renowned austerity, much less by the physical eye. Here, these ancestors are regarded as the worldly ancestors of the gods and pitṛs; by the power of their righteousness, the twice-born say, they attain union. Or else, by the dharma of the āśramas, those established in knowledge, and others who are pleased by actions performed with faith, also reach this state.