Sun-worship Vratas (5) Ādityaśayana

The Ādityaśayanavrata is observed on the seventh day with a Sunday and Hastā constellation, or when there is saṃkrānti of the Sun on the seventh with the Sunday.

Here, the image of the goddess Umā and Lord Śiva are worshipped and salutation is offered to the Sun, identifying his various limbs starting from the feet along with the constellation from Hastā onwards:

haste ca sūryāya namoʹstu pādāvarkāya citrāya ca gulphadeśam/
svātīṣu jaṅghe puruṣottamāya/ dhātre viśākhāsu ca jānudeśam…/^[1]

The worshipper also salutes different weapons of the deity. If someone owing to poor health or otherwise, unable to observe the fast on the specific day, he may take his meals at night abstaining from oil, flesh, green vegetables and salt and eating moderately. On the Punarvasu asterism, he should put some rice along with ghṛta in a vessel of Fig leaves and putting some gold on it, gives it to the Brāhmaṇa. Again, at the end of the vrata he should have to make various gifts along with the milching cow.^[2] After that the worshipper prays the Sun-god. The worshipper never becomes bereft of their sons and other dear ones if he observes this vrata. He attains divine felicity and becomes free from all disease, grief and sufferings.^[3] The Padmapurāṇa also refers to this vrata elaborately.^[4]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Ibid., 55.7-17

[2]:

cf., ityevaṃ dvija naktāni kṛtvā dadyātpunarvasau/ śāleyataṇḍulaprasthamaudumbaramaye ghṛtm// saṅsthāpya pātre viprāya sahiraṇyaṃ nivedayet/ saptame vastraygmaṃ ca pāraṇe tvadhikaṃ bhavet//

[3]:

cf., na bandhuputreṇa dhanairviyuktaḥ patnībhirānandakaraḥ surāṇām/ nābhyeti rogaṃ na ca śokaduḥkhaṃ yā vāʹtha nārī kuruteʹtibhaktyā// idaṃ vasiṣṭhena purāʹrjunena kṛtaṃ kubereṇa

[4]:

Padmapurāṇa, 5.24.64-96