Part 31 - Symbolic relevance of the Horse in Sun-worship

Frequently in the Vedas, as the symbol of the Sun-god, the horse is used.

For example, the sacrificial steed is believed to be fashioned out of the Sun:

sūrādaśvam vasavo nirtaṣṭa;^[1]

A white steed is believed to be the leader of the dawn:

śvetaṃ nayantī sudṛśīkamaśvam/^[2]

The close association of the Sun with the horse becomes clear with the use of the term ketava, i.e. the seven horses, etc., and others that draw the Sun-god.^[3]

The term ketava is interpreted by Sāyaṇācārya as:

ketavaḥ prajñāpakāḥ sūryāśvāḥ yadvā sūryaraśmayaḥ/^[4]

The horses of the Sun are directly worshipped in the Vedas.^[5] As the symbol of the Sun, the horse is employed in different Vedic rituals like Aśvamedha, Ṣoḍaśin, etc.^[6] At the time of establishment and re-establishment of the fires in the rituals, a horse is employed and that is the symbol of the Sun-god.^[7] All these indicate the horse’s employment as the animal fetish during the Vedic period.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Ibid., 1.163.2

[2]:

Ibid., 7.77.3

[3]:

cf., udu tyaṃ jātavedasaṃ devaṃ vahanti ketavaḥ/ Ibid., 1.50.1 sapta tvā harito rathe vahanti deva sūrya/ Ibid., 1.50.8

[4]:

Sāyaṇācārya, Ibid., 1.50.1

[5]:

cf., ā sūryo yātu saptāśvaḥ kṣetraṃ yadasyorviyā dīrghayāthe/ Ṛgvedasaṃhitā, 5.45.9 ayukta sapta haritaḥ sadhasthādyā ī vahanti sūryaṃ ghṛtācīḥ/ Ibid., 7.60.3

[6]:

cf., Aitareyabrāhmaṇa, 8.20

[7]:

Vide, Keith, A.B., Op cit., Part-II, p.316