In the vast cycles of time known as Manvantaras—past, present, and future—there are beings who remain steadfastly devoted to their appointed stations. Throughout each Manvantara, seven distinct groups, making a total of fourteen, take their abode within the radiant sphere of the Sun. In every one of the fourteen Manvantaras, these hosts are present, fulfilling their cosmic duties. O noble sage, thus have I recounted, with both brevity and detail, as it occurred and as I have heard, the story of the wise Lord of the gods. These deities, ever attached to their ordained roles, dwell within the Sun, with each group of seven presiding for two consecutive months, forming twelve such groups throughout the year. With a single, mighty wheel, the Sun—the great illuminator of the day—swiftly traverses the heavens, his chariot drawn by green, immortal horses. Rotating upon this one-wheeled chariot, the Sun journeys ceaselessly through day and night, borne by seven horses, and in his course he encompasses the seven continents and the mighty oceans, casting his light upon the world. Now, consider the Moon, lord of the night, who wanders among the stars along his celestial path. His chariot is unique, equipped with three wheels and drawn by teams of horses on either side. Harnessed to this chariot are three hundred splendid, white horses—ten of which are slender, divine, tireless, and as swift as thought itself. With this resplendent chariot, Soma, accompanied by gods and ancestors, moves across the sky, shining with pure white rays, drawn by cows of watery whiteness. Beginning with the bright fortnight, Soma ascends beyond the Sun, and, as the days pass, he is gradually filled from within. During the waning phase, the nectar of Soma is consumed by the gods, yet it is constantly replenished. For fifteen days, the Sun, with a single ray called Suṣumnā, draws up this essence, gradually filling the Moon part by part with his own energy. Thus, by the Sun’s power, the Moon is replenished, and at the full moon, he appears radiant and complete, his disc whole and shining. In this way, Soma is filled during the bright fortnight as the days progress. Then, from the second to the fourteenth night of the dark fortnight, the gods partake of the Moon’s watery, sweet, and gentle nectar. Within half a month, the nectar gathered by the Sun’s rays is consumed, and at the full moon, the gods assemble to worship Soma, the divine nectar, preparing to drink. For one night, all the gods, together with the ancestors and sages, drink the Soma at the onset of the dark fortnight, when the Moon faces the Sun. As they drink, the digits of the Moon diminish within him—three hundred and thirty in number, and likewise thirty-three. In truth, thirty-three thousand gods partake of Soma, and thus, day by day, the Moon’s essence is consumed by the celestial beings. After half a month of drinking, the excellent gods depart at the new moon, and then the ancestors approach the Moon. At this time, when only a small portion remains of the fifteenth part, in the afternoon, the hosts of ancestors worship the lowest portion of the Moon. They drink for two portions of time, and the remaining essence, which flows out from the Moon’s rays at the new moon, becomes the nectar offered in sacred rites. Having drunk the best nectar and attained satisfaction for a month, the ancestors too depart, and the portion of the fifteenth day, consumed by them, is gradually restored. As the fifteenth part wanes at the new moon, it is filled again, and so the waxing and waning of the Moon at the beginning of each fortnight, as well as on the sixteenth day, are remembered. Thus, through the Sun’s influence, the Moon waxes anew with each fortnight. Now, the son of Soma—Mercury—rides a chariot yoked with eight horses, crafted from water and light, adorned with beautiful tawny steeds. The chariot of Shukra (Venus), the wise preceptor of the Daityas, is drawn by ten slender, multicolored horses, yoked with those of the earth. Mars’s chariot is splendid and made of gold, pulled by eight horses, as is that of Jiva (Jupiter), while Saturn’s chariot is forged of iron. Rahu’s chariot is drawn by ten horses of water, white and varied in color, and the chariots of Ketu and the Sun each have eight horses. All these planets are fixed to the pole star, and they move by the force of wind-rays, spinning in their ordained order. As many as there are stars in the sky, so many are the rays, and all are anchored to the pole star, revolving and causing it to revolve in turn. Their movement is likened to the rim of a wheel of firebrands, driven by the wheel of wind. Because he carries the lights, the wind is called Pravaha. The lunar mansions, the Sun, the planets, and the stars all face toward and away, forming a great wheel established in the sky. All are set in motion by the pole star, moving clockwise around it, as if to behold the lord—the pole star—fixed and unmoving in the heavens. The Sun’s orb is said to have a diameter of nine thousand yojanas, with a circumference three times that, as measured by the wise. The Moon’s extent is twice that of the Sun, and Svarbhanu (Rahu) is equal to both, moving beneath them. Svarbhanu has claimed the shadow of the earth, which is circular, and his great region, made of darkness, is the third among these celestial bodies. A sixteenth part of the Moon is allotted to Venus, according to the measure of their diameters, orbits, and distances. Jupiter is smaller by a quarter than Venus, and Mars and Saturn are likewise each a quarter less; their measures are not equal. Mercury is smaller by a quarter in both diameter and orbit compared to Mars and Saturn. All the shining forms in the sky—stars and constellations—are equal to Mercury in diameter and orbit, and the wise know that the stars associated with the Moon generally share these dimensions. Thus, O sage, is the wondrous order of the heavens, as established by the divine, where gods, ancestors, and celestial bodies move in their appointed courses, governed by cosmic law and radiant harmony.