Surya

Surya Temple at Ranakpur, India. Click on image for full size (118K JPEG) Image courtesy of Corel Corporation

In the Hindu mythology, Surya represents the Sun god. He is depicted as a red man with three eyes and four arms, riding in a chariot drawn by seven horses. Surya holds water lilies with two of his hands. With his third hand he encourages his worshipers, and with his fourth hand he blesses them. Surya's wife is Sanjna.

Surya Temple at Ranakpur, India. Click on image for full size (118K JPEG) Image courtesy of Corel Corporation

In Hindu mythology, Surya represents the Sun god. Surya is depicted as a red man with three eyes and four arms, riding in a chariot drawn by seven mares. Surya holds water lilies with two of his hands. With his third hand he encourages his worshipers whom he blesses with his fourth hand. In India, Surya is believed to be a benevolent deity capable of healing sick people. Even today, people place the symbol of the Sun over shops because they think it would bring good fortune.

When Surya married Sanjna, his wife could not bear the intense light and heat. Therefore, she fled into a forest where she transformed herself into a mare to prevent Surya from recognizing her. But Surya soon discovered Sanjna's refuge. He went to the same forest disguised as a horse. Sanjna gave birth to several children, and eventually reunited with her husband.

However, the heat and the light of Surya were so intolerable that Sanjna was always exhausted doing her domestic duties. Finally, Sanjna's father decided to help her and trimmed Surya's body reducing his brightness by an eighth. Thus, Sanjna could more easily live close to her husband.

Surya Temple at Ranakpur, India. Click on image for full size (118K JPEG) Image courtesy of Corel Corporation

In the Hindu pantheon, Surya is the Sun god. He is one of the twelve Adityas, the guardians of the months of the year. Surya is depicted as a red man with three eyes and four arms, riding in a chariot drawn by seven mares. Aruna who represents the dawn drives Surya's chariot. Surya holds water lilies with two of his hands. With his third hand he encourages his worshipers whom he blesses with his fourth hand. In the states of Bihar and Tamilnad, Surya is believed to be a benevolent deity capable of healing sick people and bringing good fortune. That is why, the symbol of the Sun is also today placed over shops and stalls in open market.

Surya's wife is Sanjna (conscience). When they married, Sanjna could not bear the overpowering light and heat of Surya. Therefore, she fled into a forest, arranging for her handmaid to take her place. In the forest, Sanjna transformed herself into a mare to prevent Surya from recognizing her. But Surya soon discovered the refuge of his wife. He went to the same forest in the guise of a horse and mated with her.

As a result, Sanjna gave birth to several children and eventually reunited with her husband. However, the heat and the light of Surya were so intense that Sanjna was always exhausted doing her domestic duties. Finally, Sanjna's father decided to help her and trimmed Surya's body reducing his brightness by an eighth. Thus, the heat produced by the Sun god was more tolerable.