Spiritual & Philosophy

Surya: Destroyer of Darkness, Ignorance, Cold, Diseases, Enemies

by Shanthi Deepti

Sun is the main and sole sustainer of life on Earth. Without Sun there is no light, no rain, no heat, no health and finally no life. This is the only natural source of vital vitamins and has the capability of healing diseases. All life on earth and all the activities in the ecosystem are driven by this ultimate solar energy. Sun is playing a very vital role in our daily lives. Because of this reason, since from time immemorial the Sun is worshiped across various cultures of world with various names. The Hindus call him as ‘Surya’. Egyptians called him ‘Ra’. Greeks called him as ‘Apollo’ and the list goes on. This book mainly concentrates on Surya - the Hindu Sun God, his origin, existence, family and few forgotten facts and stories about him as per Hindu Mythology. The Sun god in Hinduism is an ancient and revered deity. Surya is the only form of God who is visible to the naked eye every day. So, as per Hindu mythology he is very easily available and bestows his grace on mankind at the earliest. He bestows great benefits to mankind even before anyone asked for it. All this he does without expecting anything in return from mankind. He was the major deity in the early civilizations. Since then, many people even today worship Sun by paying oblations to him by performing Surya Namaskaram or Sandhya Vandanam. Worship of the Sun God was in existence right from the ancient times. The Sun also revered as the Dharam devata was believed to be the primary source of life-giving energy. T