SOORYA NARAYANA: THE LIGHT DIVINE

SOORYA NARAYANA: THE LIGHT DIVINE

At the Summer Solstice, Makara Samkranti, the Sun is at its highest point in the sky. Many ancient cultures marked this date as significant, and the concept of Sun Worship is nearly as old as mankind itself. In societies that were primarily agricultural, and depended on the sun for life and sustenance, it is not surprising that the sun became deified.

In Hinduism, the Sun is called Soorya; and God is Soorya Narayana. The Sun is a source of life, power and energy, light and warmth. It is what makes the crops grow. Since the Sun’s impact upon life upon earth is very great, it is revered equally with the Supreme. It is held to be a very exalted Deva, being the Chief Power among the nine Grahas. Both Soorya and Soorya Narayana are therefore, used interchangeably to refer to the Being. For example, we say that God is the “Creator of the world, as well as Day.” But He performs these functions through the Sun. Soorya is praised as Divaakara and Jagatkartaara –‘the Cause of the day and the world.’

Soorya is the visible manifestation of God’s Power upon earth, or His Blessing, for, without which, we cannot survive. When the Sun rises, the world is blessed with heat and light; He is the bestower of light and life to the totality of the cosmos. With his unblinking, all-seeing eye, he is the stern guarantor of justice. With the almost universal connection of light with enlightenment or illumination, Soorya is the source of wisdom. We pray: ‘Lord of the world, Giver of liberation to the wise, the destroyer of error – to That Soorya I bow.’

SOORYA NARAYANA IS THE LIGHT DIVINE

It is written in the Veda: ‘Looking at the transcendent Light beyond darkness, we have come to Soorya, the Supreme God – the Light that is most excellent.  (Rg. Veda. 1. 50:10)

Soorya, though connected with an object of physical perception – the Sun – implies more than a physical object; its Light; ‘most excellent’, symbolizes the Spiritual Glory.

Sun worship was very popular among ancient civilizations of Egypt, Greek, Rome, the American Indians, Iran, China, Mesopotamia, etc. The Hindus are among the very few who have retained its worship as a symbol of Divine Power. Kings ruled by the power of the Sun and claimed descent from the Sun. The heroes of India, the Kshatriyas, are, from the beginning, attached to Soorya. Rama claimed lineage from the Sun – Soorya-Vansha. Sri Krishna said that He had also taught the Gita to Vivasvan, a Soorya Deity.

Soorya is glorified in the Vedas as an all-seeing God who observes both good and evil actions. He destroys not only darkness but also evil and diseases.“Salutation to Soorya, the destroyer of sickness. O Lord of the world, please give me long life, health and prosperity.”

The Sun is the origin of Time; Soorya is declared to be the Father of Time by the Scriptures. It regulates and limits the number of years one lives; the Sun diminishes every day a fraction of our allotted life-span.

Consider also the service the Sun does to the world! It is the source of all life upon this planet. Without his rays, it will be a desolate waste. The Sun draws up into the sky waters from seas, rivers and lakes, and forming the clouds, pours rain upon the crops of all lands. In this respect, it is the Universal Gardener.

Good and bad cannot be kept in the same vessel; the good also turns bad. Darkness and light, Night and Day, cannot co-exist. It is like the story of the Sun and Darkness. The Sun God was proud that he had no enemies left.

One day, He was very impressed by the 108 names offered to Him in worship by a devotee. He listened to the Names as the devotee uttered them in steadfast faith. He became alerted when the devotee referred to Him as Andhakaaraveshi – the enemy of darkness. The Sun God could not tolerate the existence of an enemy. So He declared war for this demon called Darkness. He went into all the places in search of Darkness, but as soon as He spotted it, the enemy, darkness, disappeared, so that he was not able to catch hold of him. The moral of the story? Darkness cannot exist in the presence of light. Before the Splendour of the Divine Light, the darkness of ignorance disappears.

(Pandit Ramdial Balbadar is a prominent Aachaarya (Teacher) of Hinduism in Guyana. He is the compiler and author of many titles and has over 30 years experience in Pandits’ Training across Guyana. He is currently the President of the Sanatan Vaidic Dharma Pandits’ Sabha, Region 3).