the refuge of those wishing for emancipation.  Thou sustainest and discoverest the world, and sanctifiest and supportest it from pure compassion.  Brahmanas versed in the Vedas appearing before thee, adore thee in due time, reciting the hymns from the respective branches (of the Vedas) they refer.  Thou art the adored of the Rishis.  The Siddhas, and the Charanas and the Gandharvas and the Yakshas, and the Guhyakas, and the Nagas, desirous of obtaining boons follow thy car coursing through the skies.  The thirty-three gods[8] with Upendra (Vishnu) and Mahendra, and the order of Vaimanikas[9] have attained success by worshipping thee.  By offering thee garlands of the celestial Mandaras[10] the best of the Vidyadharas have obtained all their desires.  The Guhyas and the seven orders of the Pitris—­both divine and human—­have attained superiority by adoring thee alone.  The Vasus, the Manilas, and the Rudras, the Sadhyas, the Marichipas, the Valikhilyas, and the Siddhas, have attained pre-eminence by bowing down unto thee.  There is nothing that I know in the entire seven worlds, including that of Brahma which is beyond thee.  There are other beings both great and endued with energy; but none of them hath thy lustre and energy.  All light is in thee, indeed, thou art the lord of all light.  In thee are the (five) elements and all intelligence, and knowledge and asceticism and the ascetic properties.[11] The discus by which the wielder of the Saranga[12] humbleth the pride of Asuras and which is furnished with a beautiful nave, was forged by Viswakarman with thy energy.  In summer thou drawest, by thy rays, moisture from all corporeal existences and plants and liquid substances, and pourest it down in the rainy season.  Thy rays warm and scorch, and becoming as clouds roar and flash with lightning and pour down showers when the season cometh.  Neither fire nor shelter, nor woolen cloths give greater comfort to one suffering from chilling blasts than thy rays.  Thou illuminest by thy rays the whole Earth with her thirteen islands.  Thou alone are engaged in the welfare of the three worlds.  If thou dost not rise, the universe becometh blind and the learned cannot employ themselves in the attainment of virtue, wealth and profit.  It is through thy grace that the (three) orders of Brahmanas, Kshatriyas and Vaisyas are able to perform their various duties and sacrifices.[13] Those versed in chronology say that thou art the beginning and thou the end of a day of Brahma, which consisteth of a full thousand Yugas.  Thou art the lord of Manus and of the sons of the Manus, of the universe and of man, of the Manwantaras, and their lords.  When the time of universal dissolution cometh, the fire Samvartaka born of thy wrath consumeth the three worlds and existeth alone And clouds of various hues begotten of thy rays, accompanied by the elephant Airavata and the thunderbolt, bring about the appointed deluges.  And dividing thyself into twelve parts and becoming as many suns, thou drinkest up the ocean