Surya, or Savitri, the Sun god

This deity rejoices in several names, but these are the two names interchangeably given to him in the Vedas. Some  think Surya is used when the sun is visible, and Savitri when invisible to his worshippers ; 1 but from the character ascribed to Savitri in the Vedas, it seems more natural to regard him as the sun shining in his strength, and Surya as the rising and setting sun. Savitri is described as “ golden-eyed, goldenhanded, and golden-tongued. He rides the heavens in a chariot drawn by seven ruddy, white-footed mares. As the Vivifier and Quickener he raises his long arms of gold in the   morning, rouses all beings from their slumber, infuses energyinto them, and buries them in sleep in the evening.”  Surya is one of the three supreme deities of the Vedas, and with Agni and Vayu he constitutes the earliest Hindu Triad. His ancient title is Prajapati, “ Lord of Creatures,” because he was regarded as the great source of light and warmth, and therefore lord of life itself. His ancestry is distinguished and worthy of so great a deity. He is called the son of Dyaus Pi tar, the Heaven Father. Ushas (Aurora)  was his daughter. The two Asvins, his charioteers and physicians to the gods, ever young and handsome, were his twin sons by Sanjna, who fled from him in the form of a mare. In their three-wheeled chariot they make the circuit of the world every day

Surya’s wife was Sanjna, daughter of Visvakarma (Tvashtri), the Hindu Vulcan. She bore him three children, of whom one was Yama, Judge and Regent of the Dead. But after living with him for some years she was so utterly oppressed by his brightness and glory that she was compelled to leave him. She returned to her father’s house, but left  Chhaya (the Shade) in her place, v'ho bore him two sons, the morning and the evening twilight. Her father was angry with her for forsaking her husband, but, as he considered her complaint reasonable, he put the luminary on his lathe and cut away one-eighth of his effulgence, trimming him in every part except his feet. The fragments that were cut off fell blazing to the earth, and out of them Visvakarma shaped the wonder-working Discus of Vishnu, the trident of of Siva, the lance of Kartikeya (the god of war), and the weapons of Kuvera (the god of riches). Then Sanjna consented to return to her too glorious husband. Max Muller shows us very clearly the processes by which the Sun has gradually developed into a supreme being ; still after all the centuries worshipped as one of the great gods of the Hindus :

“ The first step leads us from the mere light of the sun to that light which in the morning wakes man from sleep, and seems to give new life, not only to man, but to the whole of nature. He who wakes us in the morning, who recalls the whole of nature to new life, is soon called ‘ the giver of daily life.’  “ Secondly, by another and bolder step, the giver of daily light and life becomes the giver of light and life in general. He who brings light and life to-day, is the same who brought life and light in the first of days. As light is the beginning of the day, so light was the beginning of creation, and the sun, from being a mere light bringer or life giver, becomes a creator, then soon also a ruler of the world.  “ Thirdly, as driving away the dreaded darkness of the night and likewise as fertilising the earth, the sun is conceived as a defender and kind protector of all living things. “ Fourthly, as the sun sees everything and knows everything, he is asked to forget and forgive what he alone knows.” 

“ The Emperor Akbar endeavoured, Muhammadan though he was, to introduce a special form of Sun worship into his dominions. He ordered his subjects to adore the Sun four times a day • morning, noon, evening, and midnight. His  majesty had one thousand and one Sanskrit names of the Sun collected, and read them daily, devoutly turning to the Sun. He then caught hold of both his ears by their upper parts and turning himself quickly round used to strike the lower ends (the lobes) with his fists. He ordered his band to play at midnight, and was weighed against gold at his solar anniversary.”  To this deity worship has been rendered for many centuries and is continued up to the present day. There are  now few temples and images to the Sun ; but every devout Hindu, on rising in the morning, stands on one leg, and with face turned eastward, addresses him with the Gayatri, the most sacred text in the Vedas : “ May we attain the excellent glory of the divine Vivifier ; so may he enlighten, or stimulate our understanding.” It is a text which when recited conveys incalculable benefits  to the user. The Skanda Purana says :

After this eulogy can we be surprised at the continuance of Sun worship ? “ Nowadays the Sun has largely become a village godling under the name of Suraj Narayan, or ‘Narayan (or Vishnu) occupying the Sun.’ In the chilly winter mornings, as you  wake in camp, you can often hear the coolies yawning and muttering Suraj Narayan as the first gleam of fight spreads over the eastern sky. One of the marks of Narayan worship is that many villagers in North India do not eat salt on Sundays (which corresponds, curiously enough, with our own day of rest) and will not sell their milk for making butter on that day, but prefer to use it in making rice cakes to give to the Brahmans. It is the custom to walk “ with the Sun ” in circumambulating a shrine or temple. When the bride and bridegroom circle the sacred fire in the marriage ceremony they follow the course of the Sun. The Hindu bride is brought out to salute the rising Sun on the morning after she has begun to five with her husband. ‘ Happy truly is the bride on whom the Sun shines.’ The cattle when treading out the com follow the path of the sun.

“ There is a special sect of Sun Worshippers called the Nlmbarak. They are Vaishnavas and, as their name implies,  they worship ‘ the Sun in the Nlm tree.’ The story runs that their founder invited a Bairagi (a wandering ascetic) to  dine with him. He prepared the dinner, but unfortunately delayed to call his guest until the Sun had well nigh set. Now the holy man was forbidden by the rules of his order to eat except during the daytime, and was afraid he would be compelled to refuse the dinner ; but at the solicitation of his host, Suraj Narayan, the Sun god, descended on the Nlm tree under which the feast was spread and continued beaming upon them till the feast was over.” in human form and to have left traces on earth of his descent. The Ajodhya royal family of ancient times claimed the Sun as their progenitor. Rama, the great hero-god, was Sun-descended.  To-day the reigning family of the Udaipur Rajputs, a very ancient royal race, claim direct descent from the Sun. Consequently at Udaipur his worship has special prominence. The city bears many marks of the belief in this legend. The chief gate, the chief apartment of the palace, and the royal parasol, all bear the image of the Sun god.