The purport of the following verse is that all heavenly bodies are attracted by the sun, and the sun together with the other spheres is upheld by the attracting power of God.

(The verse is capable of two interpretations according as the word Indra is taken to mean God or the sun. in the original the two interpretations are given together, but we have taken the liberty to give them separately dor the sake of greater clearness.. – Tr.)

O Glorious and Mighty Lord! When thou puttest forth Thy great attributes of strength and prowess they uphold all the worlds according to the at all times.

The glorious sun, by putting forth his powerful rays which possess the properties of attraction, illumination and motion, keeps all the worlds in order through the force of his attraction. Rigveda VI.1.6.3.

It is for this reason that the heavenly bodies do not deviate from their orbits.

Like the preceding verse the following also contains the science of attraction.

O Glorious and Mighty Lord! (or the Glorious sun!) when they mortal (in the one case) and aerial (in the other) subjects obey thy law of support (in the one) and of attraction (in the other) then alone all the worlds are rendered firm and habitable. This is the reason why they move in their appointed orbits. Rigveda VI.1.6.4.

• The next verse also is the same effect.

O God! Thou has made the sun. with Thy infinite power and refulgent Self Thou art upholding the spheres, the sun, etc. All the globes, the sun, etc. are made firm by Thy power of attraction. As such globes as the earth, etc., are upheld by t he sun’s attraction so sun himself and the other worlds also are upheld by the law of God. Rigveda VI.1.6.5.

The next verse means that God and the sun are upholding all worlds by means of attraction and illumination.

O God through Thy Might alone the sun upholds the dark and the luminous globes. Thou art, like a friend, the regulator of all the worlds. That wonderful body – the sun dispels darkness with its bright rays and with its power of support and attraction makes the dark and the luminous globes, which in their own turn afford support to others, steadfast. The worlds are

• attached to the sun like the hair to the body. As the hair are fixed in the skin so the worlds are kept in their places by the power and attraction of the sun. Rig. IV.5.10.3.

It is, therefore, proved that the suns, etc., uphold the whole of this universe and God upholds the suns, etc.

The next verse also contains the science of attraction. The Supreme Lord (or the sun) is upholding all spheres with His (or his) glorious (or brilliant) power of attraction and with the gift of knowledge (or light) which makes the happiness-producing activities possible.

He (or he) vouchsafes true knowledge (or the bundle of rays) to the abode of mortal man, or fixes its place for it. He (or he) bestows immortality (emancipation) or rain which produces vegetation and hence is a source of life)

• on the earth (i.e., its dwellers – Tr.)The self-effulgent Lord (or the brilliant sun) upholds al the worlds and makes everything visible and the form and color of all objects clear and distinct. Yajur-Veda. XXXII.43

(By reading the words ‘dyubhi-raktubhih’ of the next preceding verse (i.e., from XXXIII 42 -Tr) into this verse the meaning would be that the sun attracts all the globes day and night, i.e., at every moment. Besides this, all the globes possess their own power of gravitation; but God is the repository of infinite power of attraction. Rajas is the name of the globes. Yaskacharya – the author of the Nirukta – says “The globes are called Rajansi Nirukta IV 19. The word ‘ratha’ signifies knowledge or light which is the source of happiness

• See Nirukta IX.2. The word Vishvanara, means the sun. Nirukta XII. 2. There are many verses in the Vedas like this which treat of the power of support and attraction.