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Solar worship has been described as the real religion of India,^[1] which is observed by A.S. Geden and thus, nit becomes clear that from very early period, the worship of the Sun-god was prevalent in India. Due to the benevolent aspect of it, the Sun is worshipped as deity. The importance of this natural force is well noted by

碍腻迟测腻测补苍补 in the 厂补谤惫腻苍耻办谤补尘补峁嚹�:

ekaiva v膩 尘补丑腻苍腻迟尘腻 诲别惫补迟腻 tat 蝉奴谤测补 颈迟测腻肠补办峁�a迟别/^[2]

There is one great god and he is called as S奴rya. In the B峁沨ad诲别惫补迟腻, 艢补耻苍补办补 directs the Sun as the very soul of all other gods.^[3] In the 峁歡vedic passage 颈苍诲谤补峁� 尘颈迟谤补峁� 惫补谤耻峁嘺尘补驳苍颈尘...,^[4] it is clearly stated that Indra, Mitra, 痴补谤耻峁嘺, Agni鈥攁ll these are the names of one and the same divine being, the one Supreme Spirit under various manifestations.

S膩ya峁嚹乧膩rya, while interpreting the relevant passage states that the respective Divine Being is the 膧诲颈迟测补 itself:

amumev膩dityamekameva vastuta岣モ��medh膩vino鈥�产补丑耻诲丑腻 vadanti/^[5]

In the 颁丑腻苍诲辞驳测辞辫补苍颈峁�a诲, the Sun-god is worshipped as the symbol of Brahman.^[6]

S奴rya is the direct personification of the atmospheric Sun.^[7] It is the most clearly conceived and defined form of the solar divinities.

艢补峁卥补谤腻肠腻谤测补 says,

迟惫补尘补苍迟补谤颈办峁�e使箩补蝉谤补峁� carasi uday膩stamay膩bhy膩m/^[8]

With the rising and setting, the Sun creates the day and night. Being the creator of the day and night, it provides heat and light towards the whole universe and gives food and vegetation to all the creatures. Different aspects and positions of the Sun have given rise to independent Sun-gods in the Vedic literature and thus a group of solar divinities is formed.

The rising, mounting and setting are the three important aspects of the Sun. In his stimulative aspect, S奴rya is worshipped under the name 厂补惫颈迟峁�, cf. 蝉补惫颈迟腻 sarvasya pra蝉补惫颈迟腻.^[9] 痴补谤耻峁嘺 is the nocturnal Sun.^[10] Mitra is regarded as the Sun-god of the day.^[11] In his friendly aspect, he is called Mitra.^[12] Being Mitra, he preserves the whole universe from destruction.^[13] Again, S奴rya is 痴颈峁ａ箛耻, the god of wide space, representing the sunbeam in the sky.^[14] S奴rya is called 笔奴峁�a苍, nourishing the whole world with its abundance of rays.^[15] Again, besides these, S奴rya is invoked in the Vedic literature under the names Bhaga, Vivasvat, the 础艣惫颈苍蝉, Aryaman, Parjanya, etc. In this way, several names are found used for the Sun-god and a common group of 膧诲颈迟测补 is formed. Here follows a discussion on the salient traits of the prominent solar divinities in the Veda.

Footnotes and references:

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[1]:

Geden, A.S., Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics (ed.), Vol. XII, p.83

[2]:

厂补谤惫腻苍耻办谤补尘补峁嚹�, 2.14.20

[3]:

B峁沨ad诲别惫补迟腻, 1.61-65; 68-69

[4]:

峁歡vedasa峁僪it膩, 1.164.46

[5]:

S膩ya峁嚹乧膩rya, Ibid.

[6]:

cf., 腻诲颈迟测补峁� brahmetyup膩ste/ 颁丑腻苍诲辞驳测辞辫补苍颈峁�a诲, 3.19.4

[7]:

cf., 迟惫补尘补苍迟补谤颈办峁�e carasi 蝉奴谤测补岣�/笔谤补艣苍辞辫补苍颈峁�a诲, 2.9

[8]:

艢腻峁卥补谤补, Ibid.

[9]:

Nirukta, 10.31

[10]:

cf., 补蝉迟补峁� gacchan 蝉奴谤测补 eva varu峁嘺 颈迟测腻肠补办峁�a迟别/ S膩ya峁嚹乧膩rya on 峁歡vedasa峁僪it膩, 7.87.1

[11]:

cf., aharabhim膩nina峁� 诲别惫补峁� 尘颈迟谤补峁� v膩 ahariti 艣rute岣�/ S膩ya峁嚹乧膩rya, Ibid.,1.89.3

[12]:

cf., mitrasya priyatamasya n峁涐箛膩m/ 峁歡vedasa峁僪it膩, 7.62.4

[13]:

cf., 尘颈迟谤补岣� pram墨te岣�/ tr膩yate/ Nirukta, 10.21

[14]:

cf., atha yad vi峁�ito bhavati tad vi峁ａ箛urbhavati/ Ibid., 12.18

[15]:

cf., atha yad ra艣mipo峁�a峁� pu峁�yati tat 辫奴峁Ｄ� bhavati/ Ibid., 12.16