Why We Worship the Sun

Today is Good Friday and since the Christ is a solar deity in a sense (the "sun" of God moving through the 12 disciples who are the 12 zodiac signs), I thought it would be nice to discuss the worship of the Sun of the Vedic and Tantrik context. In this class, which is part of our How To Do Tantrik Puja Series, we explore the sandhya vandana, the ancient practice of worshipping the sun with water at dawn/twilight and show how this ritual has been adapted into a Tantrik context. We discuss the significance of the sun as symbol for Brahman, the Unchanging Absolute of the Vedas, Existence-Consciousness-Bliss. We also make a few points about the Tantrik cult of the sun known as the Saurya Marga! It was a fun class! Thank you all for coming. Next, we'll go into more detail about the "arghya-dānam", the offering to the Sun and Mā willing, we'll cover the dhyāna-mantras and offering mantras for the Sun worship section of our ritual manual. 

oṁ namo vivasvate brahman bhāsvate viṣṇutejase। 
jagatsavitre śucaye savitre karmadāyine॥ 
eṣo’rghyaḥ oṁ hrīṁ haṁsaḥ mārtaṇḍabhairavāya prakāśaśaktisahitāya oṁ śrīsūryāya svāhā। 

"Salutations to Vivasvān, who is Brahman, the Absolute Reality, The Effulgent One (Consciousness) who is God's brilliance, the world-mover, the pure Sun who is the giver of all action we make you this offering, O Bhairava of the Setting Sun, you who are radiance (prakāśa) and self-reflection (vimarśa)! Salutations to Śrī Sūrya, the Sun!"

oṁ raktāmbujāsanam aśeṣa-guṇaika-sindhuṁ bhānuṁ 
samasta-jagatām-adhipaṁ bhajāmi 
padma-dvayābhaya-varān dadhataṁ karābjaiḥ 
māṇikya-mauli-maruṇa-aṅga-ruciṁ trinetram 

OM seated on a red lotus, a single ocean of endless qualities the shining one, lord of all the world, I praise you, O three eyed one, Holding two lotuses and offering the gestures of fearlessness and boon-giving in your lotus like hands, Adorned with a ruby crown, your body glows red! 

oṁ javākusumasaṅkāśaṁ kāśyapeyaṁ mahādyutim 
dhvāntāriṁ sarvapāpaghnaṁ praṇato’smi divākaram 

OM deep red like a hibiscus glower, the descendent of Kāśyapa, supremely radiant, the enemy of darkness and the destroy of all sin, I bow before you, the maker of the day! 

oṁ namaḥ savitre jagadekacakṣuṣe jagatprasūtisthitināśahetave 
trayīmayāya triguṇātmakāriṇe viriñcinārāyaṇaśaṅkarātmane 

Salutations to Savitre, the single eye of the world, the non-dual witness of all things, the source of the world's creation, maintenaince and dissolution, the embodiment of the three states of waking, dreaming and deep sleep, the maker of the three qualities of the Self, the very essence of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva!

You'll find a complete playlist of lectures on Tantra in both theory and practice here.

Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and Friday 10am PST and again Friday at 6pm PST.
Use this link and I will see you there:
https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815

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Jai Mā!