厂奴谤测补, the Time [Part 4]

Vedic influence on the Sun-worship in the Puranas

by Goswami Mitali | 2018 | 68,171 words

This page relates 鈥楽urya, the Time鈥� of the study on the Vedic influence of Sun-worship in the Puranas, conducted by Goswami Mitali in 2018. The tradition of observing Agnihotra sacrifice and the Sandhya, etc., is frequently observed among the Hindus. Another important innovation of the Sun-worship in the Puranas is the installation of the images of the Sun in the temples.鈥擳his section belongs to the series 鈥淰edic Influence on the Sun-Worship in the Puranas鈥�.

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Part 4 - 厂奴谤测补, the Time

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厂奴谤测补 is mentioned as the soul of the time in the 笔耻谤腻峁嘺蝉, i.e. 办腻濒腻迟尘补苍.^[1] As soon as the Sun rises and becomes visible to all, it is called the day and as it sets, night befalls.

In the 惭补迟蝉测补辫耻谤腻峁嘺, a beautiful narration of it is found:

udite tu puna岣� s奴rye 奴峁膩gnestu sam膩vi艣at/
p膩dena tejasa艣c膩gnestasm膩t santapate 诲颈惫腻//
辫谤腻办腻艣测补峁� ca tathau峁ａ箛ya峁� ca saury膩gneye tu tejas墨/
paraspar膩nuprave艣膩d膩py膩yete 诲颈惫腻ni艣am//^[2]

厂奴谤测补 is eulogized as the cause of the day and night who possesses the celestial fire in his body. With his rising, a fourth of the heat of that fire enters into the earth; and as a result of that, heat is also created in the day time along with the lustre. Again, at sunset, the day enters into the water and brightness and shine are observed in the water during the night.^[3] Thus, 厂奴谤测补 stands as the divider of the day and night and determines the time. The Sun as the creator of the day and night is frequently mentioned in the Vedas,^[4] and from such idea of the Vedas, has developed the idea of worshipping the Sun-god as the creator of the day and night in the 笔耻谤腻峁嘺蝉.

Again, in the 笔耻谤腻峁嘺蝉, the Sun-god is observed as the creator of the direction:

耻诲补测腻蝉迟补尘腻产丑测腻峁� ca sm峁泃e p奴rv膩pare tu vai/^[5]

The direction, in which the Sun rises, is called the east and the part opposite to it, where he sets, is called the west. Besides this, 尘耻丑奴谤迟补, ayana, 蝉补峁僰谤腻苍迟颈, etc., are the divisions of time, created by the Sun with its movement.^[6] All these ideas of worshipping the deity as the creator of 尘耻丑奴谤迟补, ayana, etc., originated in the Vedas which is already dealt with in detail in the second chapter under the subhead 鈥�厂奴谤测补, The Time鈥�.

The Sun is eulogized as the creator of the seasons in the 笔耻谤腻峁嘺蝉. Frequently in the Vedas, he is called as the creator of it. The 痴腻箩补蝉补苍别测颈蝉补峁僪颈迟腻 refers the name of the six seasons along with its different characters, e.g. cold, heat, etc.^[7]

Following the same, the Sun-god is worshipped in the 笔耻谤腻峁嘺蝉, for his different nature of creating excessive cold or heat, etc.:

yacca 谤奴辫补峁� 迟补惫腻迟墨迟补峁� 丑颈尘辞迟蝉补谤驳腻诲颈艣墨迟补濒补尘/^[8]

Again, the twelve months of the year are identified with the twelve 膧诲颈迟测补蝉 in the 笔耻谤腻峁嘺蝉.^[9] The identification of the 膧诲颈迟测补蝉 with the twelve months is indeed the continuation of the Vedic tradition of worshipping the deity connecting with the twelve months of the year.^[10] The various parts of the Sun along with his chariot are regarded as the various parts of the year.^[11] For example, the day is regarded as the naves of the wheel of the chariot of the Sun-god; the years and six seasons are regarded as the spokes of the wheel and its peripheries respectively.