Surya Devotional Songs

The planet Sun is worshiped as Lord Surya or Suryadeva in Hinduism. Lord Surya is considered very important by the Hindu community and is worshipped on various auspicious occasions and festivals. Lord Surya is also given a special place in the Panchdeva worship. Lord Surya is worshiped as a visible deity because it is easy for living beings to see Him everyday. Ancient Surya temples and their remains are found in many places of the world including India, which proves that Suryopasana i.e. worshipping Suryadeva has been considered highly important since ancient times. Surya has been described in the Vedas as the Soul of creation and even in the present era, the necessity of the Surya for life on Earth has been proved. In the Vedic period, the Aryans considered the Surya to be the creator of the entire universe. Suryadeva has an important place among the deities mentioned in Rigveda. It is said in Yajurveda- "Chakshho Suryo Jayat", that is, the Surya has been described as the eye of supreame God. According to Chandogya Upanishad, one may get a son by worshipping Lord Surya and doing His Dhyana. In Brahmavaivarta Purana, Surya is considered to be the personification of God. The glory of Lord Surya is described in various religious texts including Ayurveda, Astrology, Shruti, Smriti and Puranas. In the Navagraha Mandal, Surya is revered as the king of the nine planets. Worshiping Lord Surya leads to good health and longevity. Lord Surya is also worshiped with the wish of increasing lineage. Suryadeva is also addressed by the various names like Narayana, Tapendra, Bhaskar, Diwakar, Hiranyagarbha, Khagesha, Mitra etc. Surya Origin Once upon a time in ancient times, the enmity between the Deities and the Demons became severe. The demons forcefully expelled all the deities from heaven and started ruling Heaven themselves. Devraja Indra was sad and reached His mother and informed Mata Aditi about the whole incident. Seeing Indra and other deities in pain, Mother Aditi started rigorous penance to please Lord Surya. Lord Surya was very pleased with the hard penance and devotion of Goddess Aditi. Surya Deva appeared before Goddess Aditi and said, "O Goddess! I am pleased with your devotion and penance; tell me what boon you want?" Goddess Aditi was happy after seeing Lord Surya and said, O Lord! "My only wish is that you be born as my son and give me Motherhood." Suryadeva said, Tatha Astu Devi! You have pleased me with your penance; hence your wish will be fulfilled, saying the Lord Surya disappeared from there. Once a discord occurred between Aditi and her husband Prajapati Kashyap over some issue. At that time Goddess Aditi was pregnant. Prajapati Kashyapa called the child in her womb Mrit i.e. dead in anger. At the same time, a Ray of Light emerged from Aditi's womb, from which Lord Surya appeared. Lord Surya told Sage Kashyapa and Goddess Aditi that both of you should worship this ray of light every day. When the appropriate time comes, a son will be born from this bright bundle and will remove all your sorrows and troubles. Goddess Aditi and Prajapati Kashyapa started worshipping that mass regularly everyday. When the right time came, a son appeared out of that bright Ray of Light mass. That sun was named Vivasvan by Prajapati Kashyapa. During the battle between the deities and demons, all the demons, seeing themselves incapable of bearing the might of Vivasvan, and ran away from the battlefield. Surya Deva Family Maharishi Kashyapa and Goddess Aditi are the parents of Lord Surya. In Hindu religious texts, two wives of Lord Surya are described. Goddess Sangya and Goddess Chhaya. Indra is the elder brother of Surya Deva. Lord Surya has ten younger brothers, whose names are Dhata, Pusha, Aryama, Tvashtra, Bhaga, Anshuman, Mitra, Varuna, Parjanya and Vamana respectively. Shani, Yamraja, and Yamuna are the most popular children of Lord Surya, but apart from these, Vaivaswat Manu, Ashwini Kumar, Revant, Tapati, Savarni Manu, Sugriva, Karna and Bhadra etc. are the children of Surya Deva. Surya Deva Iconography Lord Surya is depicted in a four-armed form with blood and a yellow complexion. He holds Sankha, Chakra and Padma in his three hands and his fourth hand remains in Varada Mudra. In various paintings and sculptures related to Lord Surya, He is shown riding on a chariot. Aruna is the charioteer of Lord Surya and this chariot is pulled by seven horses. This divine chariot travels thirty-four lakh eight hundred Yojanas in one Muhurta (two hours). Sunstone, Sudarshan Chakra, mace, lotus, and trident are some of the main weapons of Lord Surya. Importance of Surya Deva in Astrology In Hindu Vedic Astrology, Surya has been described as a male planet and its caste is Kshatriya, metal is copper, gemstone is ruby, and as semi-precious stones, it is described as Tamra, Mahsuri, Laladi etc. The presiding deity of the planet Sun is Lord Shiva. According to the Vedic seasons, the Sun is considered related to the summer season. Temple, palace, forest, fort and riverbank are the abode of the Surya. Surya represents the eyes, face, stomach and heart in the human body. According to astrology, the Maha Dasha of Surya lasts for 6 years. In astrology, Surya has been called the casue of Soul. According to astrology, Surya is the lord of Kritika, Uttarashadha and Uttaraphalguni constellations. Surya is the lord of the fifth sign Leo in the zodiac. In the birth chart, Surya represents the Father and affects wood, gold, copper jewellery etc. Planet Surya affects things like wheat, Ghee, stone, medicine and ruby etc. Due to negative influence of Surya in the horoscope, eye, headache, blood pressure, baldness, fever and bile related diseases arise. According to Samudrika Shastra, the origin of the ring finger in the palm is called Surya Parvat. The lines drawn on the Surya Parvat are called Surya Rekha. By looking at these lines, results related to political and marital life are considered. According to Numerology, the Surya represents number 1. If a person is born on 1, 10, 19, 28 of any months then his Moolank will be 1 and lord will be Surya.