Part 6 - Sūrya, the Ultimate Reality

The Sun-god is eulogized as the eternal soul in the Vedas, i.e. viśvātman.^[1] He is mentioned as the paraḥ puruṣaḥ which symbolizes the Supreme Soul.^[2] The worshipper, meditating upon him, desires final emancipation.^[3] In the Vedic texts, the meditation on the Sun is delineated as the best means of achieve the Brahman.^[4] The same idea of meditation on Brahman is repeated in the Purāṇas in his worship. As he is the very means of attaining the Brahman, the Ultimate Truth, he is mentioned in the Purāṇas as the destroyer of darkness and sin.^[5]

The soul of the Sun is Vedic, i.e. vedātman, He abides in the Vedas: vedasansthitaḥ and the Self that consists of with the Vedic knowledge.^[6] As he is consisted of the Vedic knowledge, he is regarded as the eternal.

The same idea is delineated in the other Purāṇas and in the Mārkaṇḍeyapurāṇa, the deity is mentioned as composed of Ṛc hymns, repository of Yajus and origin of the Sāman hymns:

ya ṛṅmayo yo yajuṣāṃ nidhānaṃ sāmnāṃ ca yo yoniracintyaśaktiḥ/
trayīmayaḥ stūlatayārdhamātrā parasvarūpo guṇapārayogyaḥ.^[7]

He is the lord of all, i.e. sarveśvara.^[8] Due to his different forms, the deity is called viśvarupa.^[9] Again, he is called yogīśvara as because he is the lord of Yogins.^[10]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Matsyapurāṇa, 97.16

[2]:

Mārkaṇḍeyapurāṇa, 99.20

[3]:

Ibid.

[4]:

Chāndogyopaniṣad, 3.19.4; Maitryopaniṣad, 6.3

[5]:

cf., kṣaṇamudayācalamaulimaṇiḥ suraṇamahitahito jagataḥ/ tvamu mayūkhasahasravapurjagati vibhāsi tamāṃsi nudan// Ibid., 104.6

[6]:

Ibid.

[7]:

Ibid., 100.6

[8]:

Ibid., 100.10

[9]:

Bhaviṣyapurāṇa, 1. 67.18

[10]:

Mārkaṇḍeyapurāṇa, 106.65