Sun Worship - Suryopanishad::Vedas and Upanishads

The 12 Names of Surya - the Sun
1) Om Maitreya nam-ah (The friend of all)
2) Om Ravaye nam-ah (Praised by all)
3) Om Suryaya nam-ah (The guide of all)
4) Om Bhanave nam-ah (The bestower of beauty)
5) Om Khagaya nam-ah (Stimulator of the senses)
6) Om Pushne nam-ah (The nourisher of all)
7) Om Hiranyagarbhaya nam-ah (The creator)
8) Om Marichaye nam-ah (Destroyer of disease)
9) Om Adityaya nam-ah (The inspirer)
10) Om Savitre nam-ah (The purifier)
11) Om Arkaya nam-ah (The radiant)
12) Om Bhaskaraya nam-ah (The illuminator)

Sun Worship - Suryopanishad::Vedas and UpanishadsSun Worship - Suryopanishad

By T N Sethumadhavan,
October 2009

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Chapter :

Introduction

It is customary to perform Panchaayatana puja daily among Hindu homes. It is a
daily worship of the five deities viz., Ganesha, Shiva, Shakti, Vishnu and
Surya (The Sun). Surya occupies a special status among these five deities
because He is the only Pratyaksha Devata i.e. He is the only one Deity who is
visible to the naked eye not based on any Anumanam (inference) or any other
means of knowledge like Sabda etc.

The objective of
another prescribed daily ritual, Sandhyaavandanam, is the worship of Surya during
the Morning, the Mid Day and the Dusk. The Gayatri mantra recited during this
ritual is the most sacred invocation to the Sun God praying for a Good Day
similar to the modern “Good Day to You” type.

Worship of the Sun God
or Suryopasana is as ancient as Hinduism itself having its origin from Vedic
times. Hence numerous hymns addressed to Him are found in all the four Vedas -
e.g. Saura   Sukta of the Rg Veda, Aruna Prashna of the Taittiriiya
Aranyaka, Surya Namaskara mantras, Surya Upanishad of Atharva Veda etc. These
hymns describe the celestial body as the source of energy and sustainer of all
life on the planet earth.

They portray the Sun
as the store house of inexhaustible power and radiance. The Sun god is also
referred to as Aditya. The origin of the worship of the Sun in India is thus
several centuries old.

Suurya is usually
equated with Brahman as "asaavaadityo brahma", meaning the Sun is the
icon of Brahman.

Rig Veda says "Surya
Atma Jagatastasthushashcha" meaning the Sun God is the Soul of
all beings, moving and non-moving.

References to the Sun
worship are also found in the Puranas. The famous Aditya Hridayam is a part of
the Yuddha Kanda of Valmiki Ramayana wherein Sage Agastya initiates Rama into
Sun worship to bolster up His spirits while facing Ravana in the battlefield.
We find references to Surya in the Mahabharata also.

Mayura, who lived in
the court of Harshavardhana composed the Surya Satakam in
praise of Surya and is believed to have been cured of blindness.

Surya Upanishad

One of the famous Vedic Hymns in praise of the Sun God is Surya Upanishad which
finds place in the Atharva Veda. It is reproduced below in its transliterated
form from the original Sanskrit together with its free English translation.

Shanti Mantra:

Peace Invocation

aum bhadram karnebhih
shrunuyaama devaah

bhadram
pashyemaakshabhiryajatraah

sthirairangaistushhtuvaansastanuubhirvyashema
devahitam yadaayuh

svasti na indro
vriddhashravaah   svasti nah puushhaa vishvavedaah

svasti nastaarkshyo
arishhtanemih  svasti no brihaspatirdadhaatu

aum shaantih shaantih
shaantih 

Om! O Devas, may we
hear with our ears what is auspicious;

May we see with our
eyes what is auspicious,

O ye worthy of
worship!

May we enjoy the term
of life allotted by the Devas, Praising them with our body and limbs steady!

May the glorious Indra
bless us!

May the all-knowing
Sun bless us!

May Garuda, the
thunderbolt for evil, bless us!

May Brihaspati grant
us well-being! 

Om! Peace, Peace,
Peace!