Verse 3.1.1

॥ तृतीयोऽध्यायः ॥
असौ वा आदित्यो देवमधु तस्य द्यौरेव तिरश्चीनवंशोऽन्तरिक्षमपूपो मरीचयः पुत्राः ॥ ३.१.१ ॥

|| tṛtīyo'dhyāyaḥ ||
asau vā ādityo devamadhu tasya dyaureva tiraścīnavaṃśo'ntarikṣamapūpo marīcayaḥ putrāḥ || 3.1.1 ||

1. The sun over there is honey to the gods. Heaven is the crossbeam, the mid-region is the beehive, and the rays are the eggs.

Word-for-word explanation:

Asau vai ādityaḥ devamadhu, the sun over there is the honey of the gods; tasya dyauḥ eva tiraścinavaṃśaḥ, heaven is its crossbeam [that supports it]; antarikṣam apūpaḥ, the mid-region is the beehive; marīcayaḥ putrāḥ, the rays are the eggs.

Commentary:

This section begins the praise of the sun. The sun represents the sum total of the good work done by human beings. This is why the sun is like honey to the gods and why they love it. Heaven is said to be the crossbeam. It supports the mid-region, which is the beehive. The sun-rays attract water from the earth, and the water-drops in these rays are like the eggs of the bees.