Markandeyapurana 16.43

16.43

duṣṭatoyādibhogena teṣāṃ duṣkṛtakarmiṇām /
upasargāḥ pravartante maraṇāya sudāruṇāḥ //

Then the sun failed to rise, and there was continual night for many lengths of day. Thereupon the gods grew afraid, fearing “How indeed should not all this universe pass into dissolution, when the Vedas are not uttered, and when it is deprived of oblations with fire and of the Svadhā and Svāhā? Without the ordinance of day and night, there is an end of months and seasons: and again from the cessation of these south and north are not known in the sun’s half yearly course. And without knowledge of the half yearly course where would be time, such as the year? Without the year no other knowledge of time exists. By reason of the utterance of that devoted wife, the sun rises not: without the sun’s rising, bathing giving of gifts and the other actions can not indeed exist; nor indeed does the fire spread, and sacrifices are seen to cease; nor indeed do we get satisfaction without the homa sacrifice. Mortals satisfy us with the appropriate shares of the sacrifices: we favour mortals with rain for the perfecting of their grain and other crops. When plants have ripened, mortals sacrifice to us with sacrifices; worshipped in their sacrifices &c., we bestow on them their desires. For we pour rain downwards, and mortals make their rain ascend; for we rain with showers of water, men with showers of clarified butter. And evil-minded men, who do not give us the periodical sacrifices,[6] being greedy eat themselves our share of the sacrifice. We defile the water, the sun, fire and the winds, and the earth for the destruction of those mischievous sinners. Through partaking of bad water &c., very dire portents work towards the death of those doers of evil deeds. But to those high-souled men, who after delighting us consume the remainder themselves, let us allot the blissful worlds. Therefore all this universe of a truth does not exist, unless these things increase and endure. How indeed may the days be liberated?” —so conversed the gods with one another.