Birth of Surya- Mythology & Astrology:
After his origination, the creator of the universe, Brahma, created Daksha Prajapati and his consorts Prasuti and Asikni, from whom were born many divine beings including Devi Diti and Aditi. Both Devi Diti and Aditi were married to Rishi Kashyap (one of the Saptarishi of this Manvantar). Devi Aditi gave birth to the Adityas or Devas, and Devi Diti gave birth to Daityas.
The Devas were benevolent in their approach. They were lawful, just, compassionate, and polite. On the other hand, the Daityas were vengeful, fierce, and desirous of immense power for themselves. Consequent to the traits of the 2 groups of beings, Brahma dev allowed the Devas to consume a portion of the yagya offerings and to bless the other beings (such as humans) with prosperity. The Daityas deeply resented this decision and a conflict arose between the Daityas and Devas – and Devas were being defeated by the Daityas.
It is during that time Devi Aditi gave birth to Surya – a child born with such immense brightness and lustre, that all the three worlds burned in his blazing heat and were blinded by his wonderful light. When Surya arrived on the battlefield, his mere presence was so powerful and domineering that he turned the Daityas to ashes merely by looking at them, and he put an end to the conflict between Adityas and Daityas.
Stories Connected with Puran and Jyotish – Surya, Devi Sanjna, and Devi Chaya:
Surya was married to Devi Sanjna, who was the daughter of Vishwakarma – the divine architect of the Devas. From this marriage were born 4 children – Vaivasavt, Yama, Yami, and Suvarchala (consort of Hanumanji).
Devi Sanjna could not tolerate the ‘tej’ (heat, vibrance, lustre) of Surya, and she left to perform tapasya in the form of a hare (female horse) so that she could elevate herself and lead a happy life with her husband. However, she left behind her shadow – Devi Chaya – in order to take care of her husband and children in her absence.
Surya, unaware of this, considered Devi Chaya to be his wife Sanjna and together with her he had 4 more children – Savarni Manu, Shani, Tapati, and Vishti.
Devi Chaya was partial towards her own children, and tended to neglect the children of Devi Sanjna, due to which Yama and Yami grew suspicious that Devi Chaya was not actually their real mother. Upon being agitated by Yama, who threatened to kick her, Devi Chaya cast a curse on him that his leg be infested by worms. This revealed the true identity of Devi Chaya, after which Surya dev went in search of Devi Sanjna in the form of a horse. This was a time when the tapasya of Devi Sanjna was complete, and together with Surya dev, she gave birth to the 2 Ashvini Kumar – who had the head of a horse and the body of a human.
Surya and Shani Dev- Mythology connection with Astrology between Sun & Saturn:
Immediately upon the birth of Shani, he cast such a dreadful sight on his father that he caused an eclipse upon Surya – bringing a period of immense suffering and pain to him merely by looking at him. The relationship between Surya and Shani was always strained, and Shani would always fight for the rights or status of his mother, Devi Chaya. He would go to the extent of punishing Surya with his Danda when Surya would insult Devi Chaya. Shanidev also had a lasting struggle to establish his identity and rights, since he was seen as the son born outside a marriage and his complexion was dark (coming from his mother Devi Chaya). Even to be recognised as a graha, Shanidev was made to undergo thousands of years of tapasya in a cold and deserted place.
Surya and Karan- Stories from Puran and Mahabharata:
Much like Shanidev, Karan was always humiliated in his life and he never received the status or respect he deserved as a child of Surya himself. He was deserted by his mother and raised as the son of a charioteer, seen as someone of a very low birth even though he possessed the ability to become a king of kings.
Some Predictive Techniques of Powerful Sun Decoding from the above Stories and Observed during the time of Astrology Consultation:
- The native has very good eyesight (physical) and vision (non-physical). Also, his eyes are very powerful and piercing – he appears to be staring through everything. This native creates fear and discomfort in people just by looking at them.
- The person vanquishes his enemies just by his presence – nobody dares to stand against him.
- This person cannot go unnoticed in any situation. His presence and leadership are always present.
- The native faces certain issues in his married life as he is unable to compromise with his spouse, and the spouse is not able to endure his pride/ego / dominating nature. This may even cause some temporary separation in the marriage.
- Further, the desire of the spouse becomes the cause for prominent trouble at least once in their lifetime.
- This person does not lower his standards for anybody else, and will instead ask them to raise their standards if they want to associate with him in any way.
- When it comes to making a sacrifice, others cannot match the native as he can sacrifice anything without fear if the situation demands it. There is no limit to how much he can give out to other people.
- The person speaks less and speaks to the point, and also speaks in a commanding/ordering tone.
- 5th from Sun – there is always an issue of social acceptance, validity, acceptability, respect, or position. This is evident in the lives of Shani Dev (rejected by own father and insulted by many others), Karan (rejected by own mother and insulted by many others), and Ashvini Kumar (Indra prevented them from drinking Soma).
- The natives also face certain resistance or opposition from their own children.
- The person has prominent sexual energy and procreative energy – he will be potent to give birth to multiple children (Visiting and praying in Sun temples like Konark temple is helpful for childbirth-related issues).
- This person will be extremely disciplined and punctual, with a no-nonsense personality. He will hold a good status and will have helpers to get the work done by other helpers.
- The person will always be busy and not waste a single second of his time (Surya was moving even while giving lessons to Hanumanji and Garud).
- The native is very impartial to everybody and has very high moral standards – he will deliver justice even when justice is not demanded by a person.
- The person is very respectful and dignified in his dealings with others, although he is not ‘soft’.
- The person has very good health, is always punctual, does not waste time, has some physical laziness does not prefer doing physical tasks, and rarely takes a break/holiday from his work.
- Sun is the karak of knowledge, dharma, tapas or spiritual energy, and the soul of the being.
Karakattwas of Surya as per Vedic Astrology:
Soul, knowledge, spiritual energy, father and father figures, discipline, confidence, self-belief, vision, eyesight, health, lustre or brightness, kingship or high authority, government, thick royal clothes, sacrificial nature, fame, leadership, intelligence, lineage, temple/place of worship, square shape, copper, ruby, red colour, time of sunrise, thick trees, throne, stage, sattvik / pure, sacrificial, East direction.
Appearance of the Sun according to Mythology and Vedic Astrology:
Surya cannot be seen by someone who just wishes to see him. In fact, it is almost impossible to look at the Sun directly without damaging the eyes. Surya has extremely dazzling brightness and scorching heat.
Surya has a very strong and sturdy body, with a very upright and confident posture. He is a medium height and is neither too short nor too tall. His hands and legs are proportionate to the rest of his body. His eyes are like piercing weapons of fire – very powerful and steady. He has less hair on his body, and the hair which is present is thin. His skin has a reddish hue. He wears thick royal clothes which are red. He wears a bright golden crown that is compatible with his immense power and status as the King of the planetary system. Seated on his grand chariot, Surya has 4 hands, holding a lotus in each of 2 hands, the third hand holding a staff, and the fourth holding a chakra. Surya is always moving in each second and is never stagnant; nor is he ever late or early – he is always precisely on time everywhere.
Seated on his grand golden chariot, Surya is taken everywhere by his charioteer Arun. Arun is the god of dawn and always arrives a little before Surya, to ensure everything is for the King to arrive. The chariot is drawn by 7 horses of different colours – symbolizing the 7 colours of light and the 7 chakras in the body. The names of the 7 horses are: Gayatri, Brihati, Ushni, Anushtup, Trishtubh, Jagati, and Pankti (these are the 7 chhand in hymns and mantras – each mantra is charged by a different energy of Surya and hence brings out a different result).
Some other Names of Surya mentioned in the Puranas:
Aditya (one with splendour), Mitra (friend to all), Pushan (nourisher of all), Arka, Surya, Ravi, Dinkar or Divakar (creator of the day), Prabhakar (creator of splendour), Rituraj or Ritukarta (creator of seasons), Bhaskar (creator of light), Suraj, Savitr (rises and sets).
Stotras Related to Surya that can be given as a Remedy of Sun at the time of Astrology Consultation:
- Surya sahasranaam stotram (1008 names of Surya).
- Surya Ashtottarashatanaamavali (108 names of Surya).
- Surya Dwaadashnaam (12 names of Surya).
- Ratha Saptami Shloka on Ratha Saptami.
- Aditya hridaya stotram – given by Agastya Rishi to Sri Ram just before his battle with Ravan, when Sri Ram was tired and worried in the middle of the battlefield.
- Aditya Kavacham.
- Dwadash Surya Stuti.
- Arun Prashna or Surya Upanishad – improving health and longevity.