Å›rÄ«-Å›aunaka uvÄca
Å›uko yad Äha bhagavÄn
viṣṇu-rÄtÄya śṛṇvate
sauro gaṇo mÄsi mÄsi
nÄnÄ vasati saptakaḥ
teá¹£Äá¹ nÄmÄni karmÄṇi
niyuktÄnÄm adhÄ«Å›varaiḥ
brÅ«hi naḥ Å›raddadhÄnÄnÄá¹
vyÅ«haá¹ sÅ«ryÄtmano hareḥ
Å›rÄ«-Å›aunakaḥ uvÄca - ÅšrÄ« Åšaunaka said; Å›ukaḥ - Åšukadeva GosvÄmÄ«; yat - which; Äha - described; bhagavÄn - the great sage; viṣṇu-rÄtÄya - to King ParÄ«ká¹£it; śṛṇvate - who was listening; sauraḥ - of the sun-god; gaṇaḥ - the associates; mÄsi mÄsi - in each month; nÄnÄ - various; vasati - who reside; saptakaḥ - the group of seven; teá¹£Äm - of them; nÄmÄni - the names; karmÄṇi - the activities; niyuktÄnÄm - who are engaged; adhÄ«Å›varaiḥ - by the various features of the sun-god, who are their controllers; brÅ«hi - please speak; naḥ - to us; Å›raddadhÄnÄnÄm - who are faithful; vyÅ«ham - the personal expansions; sÅ«rya-Ätmanaḥ - in His personal expansion as the sun-god; hareḥ - of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Hari.
Śrī Śaunaka said: Please describe to us, who have great faith in your words, the different sets of seven personal features and associates the sun-god exhibits during each month, along with their names and activities. The associates of the sun-god, who serve their lord, are personal expansions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Hari in His feature as the presiding deity of the sun.
After hearing an account of the exalted conversation between Åšukadeva GosvÄmÄ« and MahÄrÄja ParÄ«ká¹£it, Åšaunaka now inquires about the sun as the expansion of the Supreme Lord. Although the sun is the king of all planets, ÅšrÄ« Åšaunaka is specifically interested in this effulgent globe as the expansion of ÅšrÄ« Hari, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
The personalities related with the sun are of seven categories. In the course of the sun’s orbit there are twelve months, and in each month a different sun-god and a different set of his six associates preside. In each of the twelve months beginning from VaiÅ›Äkha there are different names for the sun-god himself, the sage, the Yaká¹£a, the Gandharva, the ApsarÄ, the RÄká¹£asa and the NÄga, making a total of seven categories.
