Let us contemplate the sacred cycles of the moon and sun, for their phases mark the rhythm of time and the moments for holy rites. As the lunar half-month unfolds, beginning from the second day, the ritual of kindling the fire is performed at the junctions where the phases meet. Thus, at the start of each lunar phase, beginning with the first day, special moments are observed: in the evening and at Anumati, two lavas—brief intervals—are considered the proper time; likewise, two lavas mark the time for Rakā in the afternoon. As the waning fortnight progresses, when afternoon gives way to evening, this is recognized as the full-moon time. When the sun stands at vyatīpāta, poised above the celestial line, it signifies the end of an age; and so too, when the moon rises at this juncture, above the line, it marks the close of that cycle. On the full-moon vyatīpāta, if both the sun and moon are witnessed together, and they are established at the beginning of the lunar day, they are thus situated in a moment of cosmic harmony. At such a time, one should observe the sun and calculate the auspicious period; this is the proper moment for sacred rites, known as the sixth period. On the full-moon night, at the junctions of night, the moon shines full in the bright fortnight. Therefore, it is at night on the full-moon day that the moon attains its fullness. When, during the day, the sun and moon witness the full moon at their mutual vyatīpāta, the fullness is so complete that the afternoon is regarded as the full-moon day. This time is cherished by both the ancestors and the gods, who approve of it—hence it is called 'Anumati', and because of its fullness, it is known as the full-moon. On the night of the full moon, the moon shines with exceptional brilliance, and its radiant coloring inspires poets to name it 'Rākā'. When the sun and moon dwell together within the same constellation, that fifteenth night is called Amāvāsyā, the new moon. At Amāvāsyā, when the sun and moon come together in conjunction, their mutual appearance is called 'Darśa', for both are visible. On Amāvāsyā, two lavas are observed at the junctions of the lunar phases; this is termed the two-syllabled Kuhū, and it marks the festival juncture. When, on Amāvāsyā, the moon is seen from midday onward during the day, and then at night, as the sun arrives, the moon rises together with the sun, thus marking the morning. After midday, when the sun sets, joined with two lavas, the moon of the bright fortnight emerges from the solar disc. When the two celestial orbs release from each other, the interval between them is the time for the Anvāhāri offering and the Vaṣaṭ rituals of Darśa. This is recognized as the commencement of the season and the festival time on Amāvāsyā. During the day, when the moon is waning and pale on Amāvāsyā, this is why the daytime Amāvāsyā is considered the one in which the sun is present. The cuckoo calls it 'Kuhū', as the lunar cycle is completed at this time; thus, Amāvāsyā is known as Kuhū, named after that moment. When only a slender remnant of the moon remains, like the measure of Sinīvālī, Amāvāsyā enters the sun; at this time, it is called Sinīvālī. Anumati, Rākā, Sinīvālī, and Kuhū—these four are named, with the two-lava period referred to as Kuhū, and Kuhū is known by that measure. Thus, the time between the junctions of lunar phases is said to be two lavas; the duration of 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 time at the conjunctions known as Kuhū and Sinīvālī is considered two lavas; at the sun's node, together 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 order of days. Therefore, on the fifteenth day, the moon does not possess a sixteenth kalā; thus, the waning of the moon on the fifteenth day is declared. These ancestors, the gods who drink Soma and increase Soma, are the seasons and the year itself; indeed, the gods sustain them. Now, let us further understand the ancestors who partake of śrāddha—their path, their essential nature, and the attainment that comes from śrāddha. The path of the departed cannot be known, nor their return; not even by renowned austerity, much less by the physical eye. Here, these ancestors are considered the worldly ancestors of the gods and pitṛs; by the power of their righteousness, the twice-born say they attain union. Or, by the dharma of the āśramas, those established in knowledge, and others who are pleased by actions performed with faith. Through celibacy, austerity, sacrifice, offspring on earth, śrāddha, learning, and giving of food—these seven ways. Those attached to these actions continue until the fall of the body; with the gods and pitṛs who partake of warmth and Soma, having attained heaven, they rejoice and worship the pitṛs. This is declared as the well-known path of those with offspring and those who perform śrāddha; the offering made for them by their relatives of the same family. Those who partake of the monthly śrāddha surpass the Soma-worldly ancestors; these human ancestors are indeed the eaters of the monthly śrāddha. But others, whose actions and births are mixed, who have fallen from the dharma of the āśramas, and who are deprived of svadhā and svāhā offerings— Having lost their bodies and come to a difficult state, they become pretas at the abode of Yama, lamenting their own deeds, having reached the place of torment. Long and exceedingly emaciated, with disheveled hair and naked, afflicted by hunger and thirst, they wander here and there. All the rivers, lakes, and ponds, and all the lotus pools—they roam about, longing for others' food, being driven from place to place. Those who are cast into places of torment—such as the Śālmalī tree, the Vaitaraṇī river, the cauldron of Kumbhīpāka, and the burning sands— And those who are thrown into the forest of sword-leaves by their own actions, among the suffering and sleepless inhabitants of those realms—such is the fate of those who stray from righteousness, while those who uphold dharma and perform śrāddha ascend the noble path, sustained by the cycles of the moon and sun, and the blessings of the gods and ancestors.