Vedic Gods-I: Sooryan celebrated in AruNam /Soorya NamaskAram: Part I

[Guest guest]

SrI:

 

Dear VedAbhimAnis:

 

adiyEn has been writing about Veda Mantrams from AruNa PraSnam . One of the readers of the postings from Chennai asked a few questions about Sooryan as celebrated in Vedams and Dhivya Prabhandhams . His question was : AzhwArs make reference to 12 Sooryans ( Swamy NammAzhwAr in Periya ThiruvandhAti and and Poygai AzhwAr in his Mudhal ThiruvandhAthi) ,where as AruNam( Yajur Veda Samhitai) informs us that there are only eight Sooryans . He also shared with me his recent findings of 8 figures of Sooryan in the Soorya Prabhai Vaahanam used at ThirucchAnUr for Sri PadmAvathi ThAyAr's utsavams .Our reader wanted to know which number is right . Are ther 8 or 12 AadhityAs ? Are the 8 Sooryans just the names of the eight Sooryans or 8 different positions of the Sooryan from the equator to the poles? ?.The number of AadhityAs is confusing because both ( Sanskrit Vedams and AzhwAr's Tamizh Vedams) are considered as Iyka KaNDa Vedams . If so , how can we have a conflict between the two Vedams ? This is a very good question and adiyEn thought that we can focus on this "anamoly " and use it to post a few essays on Vedic Gods referred to in AruNam .

 

The Name and Lore of Sooryan:

 

Let us state at the outset that the Sanskrit Name, Sooryan means " The Supreme Light". He is depicted in general with two hands holding lotus flowers driving around

Mahaa Meru mountain in a divine chariot drawn by seven horses representing the seven colours of the Rainbow ( Violet , Indigo, Blue, green , Yellow,orange and red).

 

Book 1 Hymn 35 of Rg Vedam salutes the Sooryan driving in His chariot with one wheel with His charioteer AruNan and watching all happenings in the world as ViSva Saakshi ( Part of Maadhyhnika UpasthAna mantram):

 

AasatyEna rajasA vartamAnO nivESayan amrutam martyam cha

hiraNyayEna savitA rathEnaa dEvO yaati bhuvanAni paSyan

 

(Meaning): " Throughout the dusky firmament advancing, laying to rest the immortal and mortal , borne in the golden chariot He cometh , SavitAr , God who looks on every creature" as the universal witness and dispenses fruits as per their karmAs.

 

He has temples in Soorya NaarAyaNan Koil ( near Aadhuthurai) , KanjanUr , Arasavalli in A.P , Thriumangalakkudi and Konark in Orissa . His chariot houses the Vaidhika VimAnam at Thirukkudanthai AarAvamudhan's Temple .

 

AruNa PraSnam from the VedAs, SooryAshtakam and Adhitya Hrudhayam from IthihAsams are his favorites . His vastram is red . He is invoked in Yaagams with YeRukku samith and his favorite flower is Red Lotus. His favorite dhAnyam and NaiVedhyam are Wheat and Sakkarai Pongal. The mode of worship is Soorya NamaskAram . He is the Father of KarNa and Sugreevan in the IthihAsams .

The religion where He is the center of worship as established by Aadhi Sankara,

as one of the six Mathams , is Souram .

 

Vedic Gods :

 

There are many Vedic Gods: Agni, Sooryan , Indhran, Bruhaspati, Rbhus, ViSvE dEvA: , Ushas,VaruNan , Mitra , Asvin DEvAs , the Maruts, Vaayu , VishNu et al.

They are all celebrated in Rg Vedam , the oldest of the four Vedams.We will focus first on Sooryan (Aadhityan) inview of His celebration through Soorya Namaskaram using AruNa PraSnam .The AadhityAs are recognized in the VedAs as the sons of Aditi Devi and KaSyapa PrajApati .

 

Time Line for Sources/developments on Vedic Gods

 

Sruti ,BrahmaNAs ,AaraNyakAs , Upanishads , Brahma Sutrams , smritis, ItihAsams ,PurANams/VishNu PurANam and dhivya Prabhandhams( Tamizh Vedams) are the chronological order. We have to take this order into account , while understanding the evolution of the numbers of AadhityAs ( 8 or 12 ?).

 

In Rg Veda , the SooryAs/AdhityAs are eight ( Rg Veda: Hymn LXXII, Book 10).

As a category of Gods ,these Rg Vedic AdityAs not to be mixed up with Maruts, VisvE dEvAs and the Rbhus . We mentioned earlier that the 8 AadhityAs are the sons of Aditi and KaSyapar . When She ascended to Her former home in the heaven,

Aditi Devi is said to have taken the first seven of Her sons with Her and left the last son , MartanDa behind . The names of the First 7 sons , who ascended to heaven with Her are: VaruNa, Mitra, AryamAn , Bhaga , Amsa , DhAtru and Indhra.

 

Taittiriya YajurvEda Samhita gives the number of AdityAs as Eight .It views the name of the 8th Aadhityan left behind is VivasvAn . The BrahmaNAs( Satapatha BrahmaNa) lists the number of AadhityAs as TWELVE . VishNU PurANam follows suit.

 

The names of the Rg Vedic AadhiytAs are :

 

(1) VaruNa (2) Mitra (3) AryamAn (4) Bhaga (5) AmSa (6) Dhaatr(7) Indra and

(8) MartaanDa .

 

The Names of the TWELVE AadhityAs according to VishNu PurANam are:

 

(1) Amsa (2) Aryaman (3) Bhaga (4) DhUti (5) Mitra (6) Pushan (7) Sakra (8) Savitr

(9) Tvashtar (10) VaruNa (11) VishNu and (12) Vivasvat .

 

To be continued ,

V.Sadagopan