Surya the great Sun god
was one of the three chief gods of ancient Hinduism. He was the source of all
light and warmth and each night he rode across the sky in a flaming chariot
drawn by a seven-headed horse. He was himself radiant and fiery although
dwarfish in stature with red eyes and a body which glimmered and glinted like
burnished copper.
Once during a visit to
the celestial craftsman Vishvakarma, Surya fell in love with his daughter
Sanjana. She also grew to love him in spite of her father's repeated warnings.
"The heat of Surya in his full glory or rage is unbearable. Even the gods
cannot stand it," he warned. But Sanjana was determined to marry Surya,
and at last her father gave his consent to the marriage.
For some years after
their marriage they lived happily and Sanjana gave birth to a son, Manu
Vaivaswat, and twins, Yama and Yamini. Then one day at noon, Sanjana entered
near her husband who glowed and throbbed in the full passion of his zenith. He
tried to kiss her, but she backed away, feeling the intensity of his extreme
heat and afraid that his touch would burn her to ashes. The Sun god was
offended. "So, you refuse to be near me although you swore everlasting
devotion! I curse you through your children. Your eldest son, Manu Vaivaswat,
will be banished from heaven. At the beginning of the next age he will live on
Earth as the next father of mankind. There he will remain alone for years. Your
son Yama will be king of the underworld, lonely and despised by all, condemned
to bring misery to mankind - he will be the god of death. Your daughter Yamini
will be fickle like you and will live in the form of a wayward river. Their
suffering will cause you far greater pain than any I could inflict directly
upon your body."
When Sanjana heard her
husband's terrible words she began to appreciate the extent of his ferocity.
She fled to a forest and looking deep into the waters brought her reflection to
life. She named it Chaya, which means reflection or shadow. "You are
shadow," Sanjana told her, "and you can live with the heat and
ferocity of the Sun. Be kind to my children and do not give away my
secret." Saying this she turned herself into a mare so that Surya would
not trace her, and devoted her life to prayer.
For some years Chaya
lived in peace with Sanjana's husband and children and bore him two sons, Shani
the planet Saturn, and Manu Savarni, the father of mankind in another age as
well as a daughter Tapti, a river. The other children were unaware that Chaya
was not their mother and one day Yama became furious because she consistently
favored her own children, and raised his foot to kick her. Chaya cursed him so
that his foot became afflicted with sores which oozed worms. Stunned by Chaya's
vengeful behaviour, Surya finally realized she was not his real wife Sanjana.
He gave Yama a cockerel to pick out the worms on his leg, and having wrung the
truth from Chaya set out to find his real wife. It was not long before Surya
found Sanjana (who was still living as a mare) and he began to court her in the
form of a white horse, showing how kind and gentle he could be. During their
courtship they had three sons: the twin Ashwins who draw the sun chariot across
the sky at dawn, and Revanta, king of the Guhyakas, the invisible beings who
guard the treasures of Kubera, god of wealth. Only then did Surya tell his wife
who he was.
"I have known all
along," she replied, "but I fear you as the Sun god and cannot come
back." Downcast, Surya went to his father-in-law and asked him if he had a
solution. "Enter my lathe," Vishvakarma said, "and let me trim
an eighth of your radiance away. Then Sanjana will have nothing to fear."
Surya unhesitatingly did as he suggested and soon an eighth of each of the rays
of his body was removed. Only his feet stayed as brilliant as ever. Then Surya
went to Sanjana and explained what he had done. She was so moved by his
sacrifice that she returned with him to their home. There they lived in harmony
ever after, with the penitent Chaya, the shadow, as their handmaid.
Courtesy-www.allaboutbharat.org
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