Part 1 - Introduction (Solar divinities in the Veda)

Solar worship has been described as the real religion of India,^[1] which is observed by A.S. Geden and thus, nit becomes clear that from very early period, the worship of the Sun-god was prevalent in India. Due to the benevolent aspect of it, the Sun is worshipped as deity. The importance of this natural force is well noted by

Kātyāyana in the Sarvānukramaṇī:

ekaiva vā mahānātmā devatā tat sūrya ityācakṣate/^[2]

There is one great god and he is called as Sūrya. In the Bṛhaddevatā, Śaunaka directs the Sun as the very soul of all other gods.^[3] In the Ṛgvedic passage indraṃ mitraṃ varuṇamagnim...,^[4] it is clearly stated that Indra, Mitra, Varuṇa, Agni—all these are the names of one and the same divine being, the one Supreme Spirit under various manifestations.

Sāyaṇācārya, while interpreting the relevant passage states that the respective Divine Being is the Āditya itself:

amumevādityamekameva vastutaḥ…medhāvino…bahudhā vadanti/^[5]

In the Chāndogyopaniṣad, the Sun-god is worshipped as the symbol of Brahman.^[6]

Sūrya is the direct personification of the atmospheric Sun.^[7] It is the most clearly conceived and defined form of the solar divinities.

Śaṅkarācārya says,

tvamantarikṣeʹjasraṃ carasi udayāstamayābhyām/^[8]

With the rising and setting, the Sun creates the day and night. Being the creator of the day and night, it provides heat and light towards the whole universe and gives food and vegetation to all the creatures. Different aspects and positions of the Sun have given rise to independent Sun-gods in the Vedic literature and thus a group of solar divinities is formed.

The rising, mounting and setting are the three important aspects of the Sun. In his stimulative aspect, Sūrya is worshipped under the name Savitṛ, cf. savitā sarvasya prasavitā.^[9] Varuṇa is the nocturnal Sun.^[10] Mitra is regarded as the Sun-god of the day.^[11] In his friendly aspect, he is called Mitra.^[12] Being Mitra, he preserves the whole universe from destruction.^[13] Again, Sūrya is Viṣṇu, the god of wide space, representing the sunbeam in the sky.^[14] Sūrya is called Pūṣan, nourishing the whole world with its abundance of rays.^[15] Again, besides these, Sūrya is invoked in the Vedic literature under the names Bhaga, Vivasvat, the Aśvins, Aryaman, Parjanya, etc. In this way, several names are found used for the Sun-god and a common group of Āditya is formed. Here follows a discussion on the salient traits of the prominent solar divinities in the Veda.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Geden, A.S., Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics (ed.), Vol. XII, p.83

[2]:

Sarvānukramaṇī, 2.14.20

[3]:

Bṛhaddevatā, 1.61-65; 68-69

[4]:

Ṛgvedasaṃhitā, 1.164.46

[5]:

Sāyaṇācārya, Ibid.

[6]:

cf., ādityaṃ brahmetyupāste/ Chāndogyopaniṣad, 3.19.4

[7]:

cf., tvamantarikṣe carasi sūryaḥ/Praśnopaniṣad, 2.9

[8]:

Śāṅkara, Ibid.

[9]:

Nirukta, 10.31

[10]:

cf., astaṃ gacchan sūrya eva varuṇa ityācakṣate/ Sāyaṇācārya on Ṛgvedasaṃhitā, 7.87.1

[11]:

cf., aharabhimāninaṃ devaṃ mitraṃ vā ahariti śruteḥ/ Sāyaṇācārya, Ibid.,1.89.3

[12]:

cf., mitrasya priyatamasya nṛṇām/ Ṛgvedasaṃhitā, 7.62.4

[13]:

cf., mitraḥ pramīteḥ/ trāyate/ Nirukta, 10.21

[14]:

cf., atha yad viṣito bhavati tad viṣṇurbhavati/ Ibid., 12.18

[15]:

cf., atha yad raśmipoṣaṃ puṣyati tat pūṣā bhavati/ Ibid., 12.16