once more with thy rays.  Thou art called Indra, thou art Vishnu, thou art Brahma, thou art Prajapati.  Thou art fire and thou art the subtle mind.  And thou art lord and the eternal Brahma.  Thou art Hansa, thou art Savitri, thou art Bhanu, Ansumalin, and Vrishakapi.  Thou art Vivaswan, Mihira, Pusha, Mitra, and Dharma.  Thou art thousand-rayed, thou art Aditya, and Tapana, and the lord of rays.  Thou art Martanda, and Arka, and Ravi, and Surya and Saranya and maker of day, and Divakara and Suptasaspti, and Dhumakeshin and Virochana.  Thou art spoken of as swift of speed and the destroyer of darkness, and the possessor of yellow steeds.  He that reverentially adoreth thee on the sixth or the seventh lunar day with humility and tranquillity of mind, obtaineth the grace of Lakshmi.  They that with undivided attention adore and worship thee, are delivered from all dangers, agonies, and afflictions.  And they that hold that thou art everywhere (being the soul of all things) living long, freed from sin and enjoying an immunity from all diseases.  O lord of all food, it behoveth thee to grant food in abundance unto me who am desirous of food even for entertaining all my guests with reverence.  I bow also to all those followers of thine that have taken refuge at thy feet—­Mathara and Aruna and Danda and others, including Asani and Kshuva and the others.  And I bow also to the celestial mothers of all creatures, viz., Kshuva and Maitri and the others of the class.  O, let them deliver me their supplient.’

“Vaisampayana said, ’Thus, O great king, was the sun that purifier of the world, adored (by Yudhishthira).  And pleased with the hymn, the maker of day, self-luminous, and blazing like fire showed himself to the son of Pandu.  And Vivaswan said, ’Thou shall obtain all that thou desirest.  I shall provide thee with food for five and seven years together.  And, O king, accept this copper-vessel which I give unto thee.  And, O thou of excellent vows, as long as Panchali will hold this vessel, without partaking of its contents fruits and roots and meat and vegetables cooked in thy kitchen, these four kinds of food shall from this day be inexhaustible.  And, on the fourteenth year from this, thou shall regain thy kingdom.’

“Vaisampayana continued, ’Having said this, the god vanished away.  He that, with the desire of obtaining a boon, reciteth this hymn concentrating his mind with ascetic abstraction, obtaineth it from the sun, however difficult of acquisition it may be that he asketh for.  And the person, male or female, that reciteth or heareth this hymn day after day, if he or she desireth for a son, obtaineth one, and if riches, obtaineth them, and if learning acquireth that too.  And the person male or female, that reciteth this hymn every day in the two twilights, if overtaken by danger, is delivered from it, and if bound, is freed from the bonds.  Brahma himself had communicated this hymn to the illustrious Sakra, and from Sakra was it obtained by Narada and from Narada, by Dhaumya.  And Yudhishthira, obtaining it from Dhaumya, attained all his wishes.  And it is by virtue of this hymn that one may always obtain victory in war, and acquire immense wealth also.  And it leadeth the reciter from all sins, to the solar region.’