Om Adityaya Namah ~ Jai Surya Dev!

Om Adityaya Namah ~ Jai Surya Dev!

Surya Devata in Hinduism is considered to be an eye of the Virata Purusha, or the Vishwarupa of Shri Vishnu Himself. Incidentally, Surya is worshipped by people, saints and even asuras or demons. Certain groups of Rakshasas, called the Yatudhanas, were staunch followers of the Sun God. Surya Devata is regarded as the Supreme Being among the followers of the Saura sect, which has now become very small and is almost endangered. The Sauras worship him as one of the five major forms of God.

Lord Surya is hailed by 108 names. The commonest among them are Aditya, Adideva, Angaraka, Arka, Bhaga, Brahma, Bhanu, Dhanwantari, Dharmadhwaja, Dhatri, Dhumaketu, Indra, Jaya, Maitreya, Prabhakara, Ravi, Rudra, Savitri, Soma, Teja, Vaisravana, Vanhi, Varun and Vishnu.

The Vedas are said to reside in the rays of the Sun, which hold the Vedic mantras. The Vedas are the manifestation of solar intelligence, the light of consciousness on Earth. The sacred syllable OM itself is the sound of the Sun and the essence of the Vedas. The Vedic mantras carry light and power both for the body and the mind. India, therefore, should be at the forefront of solar research in order to keep up with its ancient Vedic heritage.

In Vedic Astrology, Sun is considered as the significator of Body, Health, Eyes, Social Status, Father, Political Career, Ancestral Properties, Influencial Family Name and Profession.
Whenever SUN goes weak in one’s horoscope or during transit, these issues will be effected considerably.
Due to its immense power to rejuvenate life on earth, SUN is considered as GOD in Hinduism and few other religions. The Rig-Veda holds Surya, the sun-god, in highest reverence for unless there was light even the manifest does not manifest. Rigveda says, it is sun that wakes one up from sleep. It is due to the sun that all can work and are active.‪ All living beings of the creation depend on the sun. The sun removes physical, mental and spiritual weaknesses and makes one healthy and long lived. It's the source of energy for the entire universe. Even temples like Konark Sun temple in Odisha, Surya Narayana temple in Andhra Pradesh are built for SUN.

In the Ramayana, Surya is said to be the father of King Sugriva. Sugriva was the one who helped Rama defeat the terrible demon king, Ravana. He imparts training to Hanuman to help him lead the Vanara Sena or the Army of Monkeys. Interestingly, Lord Rama himself is a descendant of Surya – he is a Suryavanshi, that is, hailing from the dynasty of the Suryavanshas.

Surya bears great significance in the Mahabharata as well. According to this epic, Kunti receives the diksha for a mantra from the short-tempered sage, Durvasa. She was given the boon that whenever she chanted this mantra, she would be able to summon a Deva and also bear a child by him. Without realizing its seriousness, Kunti tested the mantra, summoning Surya. As Surya was forced to fulfill the obligation of the mantra, she miraculously begot a child from him, while actually retaining her virginity. Not able to bear the thought of becoming an unwed mother, princess Kunti was compelled to abandon her son, Karna, who later grew up to be one of the greatest ever warriors and a central character in the battle of Kurukshetra.

As per Linga Purana, Sun is the Manifestation of Shiva’s Power. Lord Shiva manifests himself in the form of Sun. The Sun radiates twelve different types of rays which have specific impacts and influences on the world.
The first ray is called Amrit and the deities derive their power from it.
The second ray is called Chandra and it helps in the preservation of medicinal herbs.
The third ray is called Shukla and it helps in the propagation of religiousness in the world. It also helps the food crops to become ripe.
The name of the fourth ray is Harikesha and all the constellations get their nourishment from it.
The fifth ray is called Vishwakarma and it gives the planet mercury.
The sixth ray is called Sanyadwasu and it nurtures the planet--Mars.
The seventh ray is called Arvavasu and it nurtures the planet Jupiter.
The eighth ray is called Surat and it nurtures the planet --Saturn.
The nineth ray is called Susumana and it nutures the moon, etc.

As per Linga Purana ~ The chariot of Surya is believed to have been created by Lord Brahma. It is made up of gold and its wheels have five spokes each. The chariot is very huge in size and its expanse covers the area of nine thousand yojan.  It is pulled by seven horses which are of green complexion. The movement of Sun results into the occurrence of day and night. The Surya is the source to which all the living beings owe their existence. All the deities derive their effulgence from Surya, who in turn derives its own radiance from Lord Mahadev. Time is determined with the help of Surya's movement. One can not even imagine the various units of time, like Kshana, muhurta day, night, fortnight, month, season etc. without the existence of Surya. The Sun, which illuminates the whole world is nothing but the medium through which the almighty Rudra manifests himself. The Sun sheds thousands of rays among which seven are prominent-Sushumna, Rishikesh, Vishwakarma, Vishwatyacha, Annadh, Sarvavasu and Swarah.