Sûryâ is a solar goddess in Vedic tradition, known as the daughter of the Sun-God Savitar. She is the central figure in the sacred marriage hymn of Rigveda 10.85, which describes her divine wedding and serves as the archetype for human marriage rites.
Etymology and Identity
Sûryâ is identified as the daughter of Savitar, the solar deity. The hymn states: "The Sun-God Savitar bestowed his willing Sûryâ on her Lord" (10-85.9). Her name derives from the solar lineage, and she is closely associated with cosmic order; the opening verse declares that "by Sûrya are the heavens sustained" (10-85.1).
The Divine Marriage
Suitors and Betrothal
Sûryâ's marriage narrative involves multiple divine figures. According to the hymn, "Soma was he who wooed the maid" (10-85.9), making the moon-god her primary suitor. The Aṣvins (divine twin horsemen) served as groomsmen and also came "as wooers unto Sûryâ's bridal," a proposal to which "all the Gods agreed" (10-85.14).
The text provides a sequence of Sûryâ's divine associations: "Soma obtained her first of all; next the Gandharva was her lord. Agni was thy third husband: now one born of woman is thy fourth" (10-85.40). This succession—from Soma to Gandharva to Agni to a mortal husband—establishes a mythological pattern for human marriage.
The Bridal Procession
The hymn provides elaborate details of Sûryâ's wedding procession, rich with cosmological symbolism:
Attendants: "Raibhî was her dear bridal friend, and Nârâṣansî led her home" (10-85.6)
Groomsmen: "The bridesmen were the Aṣvin Pair; Agni was leader of the train" (10-85.8)
Adornment: "Lovely was Sûryâ's robe: she came to that which Gâthâ had adorned" (10-85.6)
The Celestial Chariot
Sûryâ's bridal chariot is described in cosmic terms:
The chariot itself possessed remarkable qualities: "Clean, as thou wentest, were thy wheels; wind was the axle fastened there. Sûryâ, proceeding to her Lord, mounted a spirit-fashioned car" (10-85.12). Its steers "were steady, kept in place by holy verse and Sâma-hymn" and "thy path was tremulous in the sky" (10-85.11).
The bride is instructed to "Mount this, all-shaped, gold-hued, with strong wheels, fashioned of Kinṣuka and Ṣalmali, light-rolling, bound for the world of life immortal" (10-85.20).
Auspicious Timing
The hymn specifies ceremonial timing: "The bridal pomp of Sûryâ, which Savitar started, moved along. In Maghâ days are oxen slain, in Arjunîs they wed the bride" (10-85.13).
Appearance and Attributes
Physical Description
Sûryâ is described with distinctive coloring: "Her hue is blue and red" (10-85.28).
Sacred Garments
Her bridal attire holds ritual significance:
"The fringe, the cloth that decks her head, and then the triply parted robe—Behold the hues which Sûryâ wears; these doth the Brahman purify" (10-85.35)
The garment is characterized as "Pungent...and bitter...filled, as it were, with arrow-barbs, empoisoned and not fit for use. The Brahman who knows Sûryâ well deserves the garment of the bride" (10-85.34)
Cosmic Symbolism
The Mystery of the Wheels
The hymn contains an esoteric teaching regarding Sûryâ's chariot wheels. When the Aṣvins came as suitors, the question arises: "Where was one chariot wheel of yours?" (10-85.15). The answer involves hidden knowledge: "The Brahmans, by their seasons, know, O Sûryâ, those two wheels of thine: One kept concealed, those only who are skilled in highest truths have learned" (10-85.16).
Celestial Pair
The hymn references a divine pair associated with cosmic cycles: "By their own power these Twain in close succession move; they go as playing children round the sacrifice. One of the Pair beholdeth all existing things; the other ordereth seasons and is born again" (10-85.18).
Role in Marriage Ritual
Sûryâ's wedding serves as the paradigm for human marriage ceremonies. The hymn transitions from mythological narrative to ritual prescription.
Dismissal of Viṣvâvasu
Before the human marriage can proceed, the Gandharva Viṣvâvasu must be ritually dismissed: "Rise up from hence: this maiden hath a husband. I laud Viṣvâvasu with hymns and homage. Seek in her father's home another fair one, and find the portion from of old assigned thee" (10-85.21). This is repeated: "Rise up from hence, Viṣvâvasu: with reverence we worship thee. Seek thou another willing maid, and with her husband leave the bride" (10-85.22).
Liberation from Varuṇa's Bond
The bride is freed from divine bonds: "Now from the noose of Varuṇa I free thee, wherewith Most Blessed Savitar hath bound thee. In Law's seat, to the world of virtuous action, I give thee up uninjured with thy consort" (10-85.24).
Blessings Invoked
Multiple deities are called upon to bless the bride:
Pûshan: "Let Pûshan take thy hand and hence conduct thee" (10-85.26)
Aṣvins: "may the two Aṣvins on their car transport thee" (10-85.26)
Agni: "Agni hath given the bride again with splendour and with ample life" (10-85.39)
Indra: "O Bounteous Indra, make this bride blest in her sons and fortunate" (10-85.45)
Aryaman and Bhaga: "Let Aryaman and Bhaga lead us: perfect, O Gods, the union of the wife and husband" (10-85.23)
Domestic Role
The bride is directed toward her household duties: "Go to the house to be the household's mistress and speak as lady to thy gathered people" (10-85.26). She is enjoined: "Happy be thou and prosper with thy children here: be vigilant to rule thy household in this home. Closely unite thy body with this man, thy lord. So shall ye, full of years, address your company" (10-85.27).
Her authority extends broadly: "Over thy husband's father and thy husband's mother bear full sway. Over the sister of thy lord, over his brothers rule supreme" (10-85.46).
Desired Qualities
The ideal bride should be "Not evil-eyed, no slayer of thy husband, bring weal to cattle, radiant, gentle-hearted; loving the Gods, delightful, bearing heroes, bring blessing to our quadrupeds and bipeds" (10-85.44).
Protective Rituals
Warding Off Evil
The wedding involves apotropaic elements to protect the couple:
Driving off fiends: "the fiend who clingeth close is driven off" (10-85.28)
The woollen robe ritual: "Give thou the woollen robe away: deal treasure to the Brahman priests. This female fiend hath got her feet, and as a wife attends her lord" (10-85.29)
Banishing consumptions: "Consumptions, from her people, which follow the bride's resplendent train—These let the Holy Gods again bear to the place from which they came" (10-85.31)
Journey Protection
Safety during the bridal journey is invoked: "Let not the highway thieves who lie in ambush find the wedded pair. By pleasant ways let them escape the danger, and let foes depart" (10-85.32). The paths should be "Straight in direction...and thornless, whereon our fellows travel to the wooing" (10-85.23).
Veneration and Worship
The hymn records devotion to Sûryâ alongside other cosmic deities: "To Sûryâ and the Deities, to Mitra and to Varuṇa, who know aright the thing that is, this adoration have I paid" (10-85.17).
Witnesses to the wedding are instructed: "Signs of good fortune mark the bride; come all of you and look at her. Wish her prosperity, and then return unto your homes again" (10-85.33).
Associated Deities
Legacy
The Sûryâ hymn (Rigveda 10.85) establishes the divine prototype for marriage. Human brides are identified with Sûryâ, and the ritual sequence—from the dismissal of Viṣvâvasu to the invocation of blessings for progeny—derives from this mythological wedding. The final benedictions emphasize continuity: "Be ye not parted; dwell ye here; reach the full time of human life. With sons and grandsons sport and play, rejoicing in your own abode" (10-85.42).
The concluding prayer invokes cosmic unity: "So may the Universal Gods, so may the Waters join our hearts. May Mâtariṣvan, Dhatar, and Destri together bind us close" (10-85.47).
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