Chapter 1: With Sanskrit and Hindi Commentaries

The meaning of "I shall give," mentioned in the previous verse, is clarified here as "I shall give through my own partial manifestation Sanskrit: svāṃśa; referring to a personified fragment of the Sun's energy." If you ask why I [the Sun] should not speak it myself, the text says: No. No living being can withstand my splendor, for I reside in the solar orb with the brilliance of a thousand suns. The implication is that you, being unable to remain in my presence for a long duration, would not be able to hear the teaching from me.

Now, if you argue, "By the power of my own penance, I am capable of staying near you for a long time to listen," the text responds: To tell. For me, residing in the solar orb and being constantly moved by the Proavaha wind The celestial wind believed in ancient Indian cosmology to drive the planets, I am never still by my own power; I do not have a single moment of leisure to speak. Because it is impossible to stop this rotation, it is impossible to stay in one place. Thus, since you are stationary and I am in constant motion, our long-term association is impossible, and hearing from me is unfeasible. Furthermore, you do not have the power to occupy my station to hear from me, as there is no divine command for such a thing. || 6 ||

Hindi Commentary: No one can endure my splendor, and I also have no time. This person, who is my partial manifestation, will speak to you with full detail. || 6 ||

Now, concluding the recitation of the Sun's words, the text describes the beginning of the dialogue between the Sun's partial manifestation and Mayasura:

Having said this, the God vanished after commanding his partial manifestation.

That person then spoke this to Maya, who stood bowed with folded hands. || 7 ||

"The God," meaning the one residing in the solar orb, having spoken as previously described, and having commanded his "partial manifestation" Suryanshapurusha: a personified being representing a portion of the Sun's power who stood before him, saying: "Explain the entire greatness of the planets to Maya"—the word "and" should be understood here to imply that without such a command, he would not have spoken to Maya. "Vanished" means he became invisible to the eyes of the Sun's manifestation and Maya.

Now to the subject at hand: "That person," commanded by the Sun, spoke the following words to Mayasura. If one asks why he spoke without being questioned, the text provides two adjectives for Maya: "bowed" and "standing with folded hands." "Bowed" means humble, performing a salutation with intense devotion and faith. "Folded hands" Sanskrit: Prāñjali; the Anjali mudra refers to the joining of the palms, which indicates a mental state of one-pointed concentration. This clearly describes a physical salutation involving a bowed head and joined palms. The implication is that by this salutation—which signals the request, "Lord, I bow to you, favor me and tell me this"—Maya did indeed ask, and thus the person spoke to him. || 7 ||

Hindi Commentary: The Sun God, having said this and giving orders to his partial manifestation, vanished. And to Maya, who stood bowing with folded hands, the Sun's manifestation spoke. || 7 ||

Now, wishing to impart the knowledge to Maya as promised in the dialogue, the Sun's manifestation says, "Listen to my words with care":

Listen with a one-pointed mind to that supreme knowledge

which in age after age was told by the Sun himself to the Great Sages. || 8 ||

O Maya, "with a one-pointed mind" means one whose mind is fixed on a single object. Withdrawing your mind from other subjects and giving it to my words, listen to this science of light Jyotisha: Vedic astronomy and astrology. The meaning is: perceive it directly through the union of the soul and mind via the ears. If you ask...