Vedic influence on the Sun-worship in the Puranas

by Goswami Mitali | 2018 | 68,171 words

This page relates ‘Procedure of Worshipping the Sun-god’ of the study on the Vedic influence of Sun-worship in the Puranas, conducted by Goswami Mitali in 2018. The tradition of observing Agnihotra sacrifice and the Sandhya, etc., is frequently observed among the Hindus. Another important innovation of the Sun-worship in the Puranas is the installation of the images of the Sun in the temples.—This section belongs to the series “Salient Traits of the Solar Divinities in the Veda”.

Part 43 - The Procedure of Worshipping the Sun-god

Generally, the Vedic worship consists of the recitation of the hymns and the offerings through the sacrificial institution, and accordingly the Sun-god is also worshipped with these methods.

The hymns recited for the deities are either the prayer, or the praise. The whole Vedic texts consist of the praise and the prayers towards different divinities. The solar divinities are somewhere worshipped with the prayer,[1] and somewhere, with the praise.[2] Different hymns devoted to the Sun-god are found in the Saṃhitās, Brāhmaṇas, Upaniṣads, in the Śrautasūtras and the Gṛhyasūtras. There are some mantras, which are not to be recited, but to be murmured. The murmuring of the mantras is called japa. The utsarga ceremony contains the reference of murmuring in favour of the Sun-god—sauryāṇi japitvā.[3] Here and there in the Gṛhyasūtras, the references of japa in connection with the Sun-god are scattered.

The procedure of the Sun-worship becomes clear by the study of the Sandhyopāsanā, or Sandhyā or Sandhyāvandanā and its constituents viz. japa,[4] i.e. the muttering of the Gāyatrī, the arghya,[5] the ācamana,[6] i.e cleansing the mouth, the prāṇāyama,[7] the inhalation and exhalation of the air, the mārjana,[8] the aghamarṣana[9] and the upasthāna.[10] The student performs Sandhyopāsanā twice in a day; once in the morning and other in the evening. The Gṛhyasūtras contains the references of japa while the Dharmasūtras contain the references of ācamana, prāṇāyāma etc. The Sandhyā is regarded as the ideal worship for every twice-born householder and the whole procedure of Sandhyā is included in the general worship of the deity.

Again, the Sun-god is worshipped with offerings. Offerings are either the oblations or the libations. Oblations are the clarified butter that are poured on fire and the libations are the Soma juice that is sprinkled over the fire or the ground or sometimes on the sacred grass strewed on the floor. The Vedic texts contain the references of the oblation of the clarified butter towards the solar divinities, viz. Mitra, Viṣṇu, to the Aśvins, Ādityas, etc.[11] Again, there are references of the libation to the Aśvins on the Kuśa grass,[12] Mitra over the fire,[13] etc. the Taittirīyasaṃhitā contains the references of the oblations and the libations towards the Āditya,[14] Sūrya,[15] Pūṣan,[16] Savitṛ and the Aśvins.[17]

The two methods of salutation and the meditation are also ordained for the deities Sūrya[18] and Savitṛ[19].

As the horses of the Sun-god are regarded to be the object of reverence, they are saluted—

bhadrā aśvā haritaḥ sūryasya citrā etagvā anumādyāsaḥ/
namasyanto diva
ā pṛṣṭhamasthuḥ pari dyāvāpṛthivī yanti sadyaḥ//[20]

The Upaniṣadic literature contains the references of the meditation of the Sun. It is advised in the Chāndogyopaniṣad that, one should meditate on the sevenfold sāman in the Sun. The Sun-god is the sāma, as because, he is always the same.[21]

The Aitareyabrāhmaṇa directs that the recitation of the hymns should be in accordance with the movement of the Sun.[22] According to the types of the heat, the tone of the utterance of the mantras get changed, i.e. gentle tone in the morning due to the gentle heat, stronger tone in the midday due to the stronger heat. Different times are prescribed in different texts, for the worship of the Sun-god. In some contexts two times of worship is mentioned for the deity, [23] i.e. the morning and the evening, somewhere as three,[24] i.e. the morning, the noon and the evening and somewhere as seven connected with the seven different times of the day, i.e. pre-sunrise, post rise, the cow gathering, the midday, the past mid day, past afternoon and the post sun set, thinking the god as the symbol of Brahman.[25]

Thus, the importance of the deity Sūrya is delineated in the Vedic texts. Sūrya is indeed the deified form of the atmospheric Sun. Among the salient traits of the deity, the most important is that, being the creator of the day and night, he provides heat and light towards the whole universe, and stands as the ultimate cause of the food and nutrition. Besides the Sun, the traits of the other solar deities are also eulogised in the Vedas. Due to their importance, they are worshipped with great devotion in the Vedic pantheon.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Ṛgvedasaṃhitā 1.50.11,12,13;7.68;7.70

[2]:

Ibid., 1.115

[3]:

Śāṅkhyāyanagṛhyasūtra, 6.6.4

[4]:

cf., ojoʹsīti japitvā kaste yunaktīti yojayitvoṃ bhūrbhuvaḥ svastatsaviturityaṣṭau kṛtvaḥ prayuṅkta ityāmnātāḥ kāmā ādevo yātīti triṣṭubhañ rājanyasya yuñjata iti jagatiñ vaiśasya/ Mānavagṛhyasūtra, 1.2.3

āpaḥ punantu pṛthivīṃ pṛthivī pūtā punātu mām/ punantu brahmaṇaspatirbrahmapūtā punātu mām/ yaducchiṣṭamabhojyaṃ yadvā duścaritaṃ mama/ sarvaṃ punantu māmāpoʹsatāṃ ca pratigrahaṃ svāheti// Baudhāyanadharmasūtra,2.5.8.11

[5]:

cf., śrotriyasya tu pādyamarghyamannaviśeṣāṃśca prakarayet// Gautamadharmasūtra, 5.32

[6]:

cf., āsīnastrirācāmeddhṛdayaṅgamābhiradbhiḥ/ Āpastambadharmasūtra,1.5.16

śucau deśa āsīno dakṣiṇaṃ bāhuṃ jānvantarā kṛtvā yajñopavītyāmaṇibandhanātpāṇī prakṣālya vāgyato hṛdayaspṛśastriścaturvāʹpa ācāmet// dviḥ parimṛjyate// pādau cābhyukṣet// khāni copaspṛśecchīrṣaṇyāni// mūrdhani ca dadyāt/ suptvā bhuktvā kṣutvā ca punaḥ// Gautamadharmasūtra, 1.35-40

[7]:

cf., prāṇāyāmāstrayaḥ pañcadaśamātrāḥ/ Gautamadharmasūtra,1.55

savyāhṛtikāṃ sapraṇavāṃ gāyatrīṃ śirasā saha/ triḥ paṭhedāyataprāṇaḥ prāṇāyāmassa ucyate// savyāhṛtikāssapraṇavāḥ prāṇāyāmāstu ṣoḍaśa/ api bhrūṇahanaṃ māsātpunantyaharahardhṛtāḥ// Baudhāyanadharmasūtra,4.1.30

[8]:

Ibid., 2.4.2

[9]:

cf., athātaḥ pavitrātipavitrasyāghamarṣaṇasya kalpaṃ vyākhyāsyāmaḥ/ tīrthaṃ gatvā snātaḥ śucivāsā udakānte sthaṇḍilamuddhṛtyāsakṛlktinnena vāsasā sakṛtpūrṇena pāṇināʹʹdityābhimukhoʹghamarṣaṇaṃ svādyāyamdhīyita/ prātaśśataṃ madhyāhne śatamaparāhṇe śatamaparimitaṃ vā/ uditeṣu nakṣatreṣu prasṛtapāvakaṃ prāśnīyāt/ jñānakṛtebhyoʹjñānakṛtebhyaścopapātakebhyaḥ saptarātrātpramucyate/…

Ibid., 3.5.1-7

[10]:

cf., vāruṇībhyāṃ rātrimupatiṣṭhata imaṃ me varuṇa tattvā yāmīti dvābhyām// Ibid., 2.4.11

[11]:

cf., pīpāya dhenuraditirṛtāya janāya mitrāvaruṇā havirde/ Ṛgvedasaṃhitā,1.153.3

bhavā mitro na śevyo ghṛtāsutirvibhūtadyumna evayā u saprathāḥ/ adhā te viṣṇo viduṣā cidarghyaḥ stomo yajñaśca rādhyo haviṣmatā// Ibid., 1.156,1

Also vide, Ibid., 2.27.1; 3.59.1; 6.51.1; 10.108.1; Taittirīyasaṃhitā 2.6.8

[12]:

cf., dasrā yuvākavaḥ sutā nāsatyā vṛktavarhiṣaḥ/ ā yātaṃ rudravartanī//Ṛgvedasaṃhitā, 1.3.3

trirno aśvinā yajatā divedive pari tridhātu pṛthivīmaśāyatam/ tisro nāsatyā rathyā parāvata ātmeva vātaḥ svasarāṇi gacchatam//Ibid., 1.34.7

Also vide, Ibid., 1.47.4; 1.116.1; 1.117.1

[13]:

cf., pra sa mitra marto astu prayasvānyasta āditya śikṣati vratena/ na hanyate na jīyate tvoto nainamaṃho aśnotyantito na dūrāt// Ibid., 3.59.2

[14]:

Taittirīyasaṃhitā,1.8.7

[15]:

Ibid., 1.8.2

[16]:

Ibid., 1.8.8

[17]:

Ibid., 1.8.8

[18]:

cf., pataṅgamaktamasurasya māyayā hṛdā paśyanti manasā vipaścitaḥ/
samudre antaḥ kavayo vi cakṣate marīcīnāṃ padamicchanti vedhasaḥ// Ṛgvedasaṃhitā, 10.177.1

[19]:

cf., na yasyendro varuṇo na mitro vratamaryamā na minanti rudraḥ/ nārātayastamidaṃ svasti huve devaṃ savitāraṃ namobhiḥ//bhagaṃ dhiyaṃ vājayantaḥ puraṃdhiṃ narāśaṃso grāspatirno avyāḥ/ āye vāmasya saṃgathe rayīṇāṃ priyā devasya savituḥ syāma// Ibid., 2.38.9,10

Also vide, Ibid., 3.62.10; 4.1.11;5.82.8

[20]:

Ibid.,1.115.3

[21]:

cf., atha ādityaṃ saptavidhaṃ sāmopāsītā, sarvadā samastena sāma, mām pratīti sarveṇa samastena sāma/ Chāndogyopaniṣad, 2.9.1

[22]:

Aitareyabrāhmaṇa,3.44

[23]:

Kauṣītakibrāhmaṇa, 2.2;2.8

[24]:

cf., … udyantamādityamupatiṣṭhate… etayaivāvṛtā madhye santamudbhargoʹsi pāpmānām ma udvṛṅdhīti, etayaivāvṛtāstam yantaṃ saṃvargoʹsi pāpmānam me saṃvṛṅdhīti…/ Kauṣītataki Upaniṣad, 2.7

[25]:

Chāndogyopaniṣad, 2.9.8

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