A composite form of Surya appears in Indian art in differentparts of India showing that such representations are based on some commonconcepts that were pan Indian character. One such representation shows acylindrical Linga with standing images of Siva, Vishnu, Brahma and Surya eachportrayed on one face of the shaft. Another form shows Surya with three headslike that of Brahma but in effect with four heads, the fourth at the back notbeing visible. Such images are endowed with eight hands wielding differentemblems including khatvanga a distinctly that of Siva. These images arealso called Martanda,and in some also identified with Martanda Bhairava. Almostakin to such images is the image of Surya appearing as Ardhanarisvara showingthe left half as a female with breasts and other symbols and also shown withfour heads. Such forms are also seen as Martanda a combination of Surya andSiva. In all these representations, the main concept is clearly theidentification of Surya with Siva. The Agamic texts like Kamikagama and thePurranic texts like Agni-purana give the description of this iamge, as acomposite form of Siva Surya.    A textof great interest throws welcome light on the composite nature of Surya andSiva, which is the subject of this paper.

Aditya-hradayam is an important text known to the Hindus. Itis found in the Yuddha kanda of the Ramayana as the 107th Chapter. According tothe text it is called Aditya hrdayam, “the heart of the Sun” (the secret of Sunor the inner meaning of Sun). Obviously it reflected the Sum mum bonumof the Concept of Sun for the ancient Indians. It is recited daily by thousandsof traditional men in Hindu society.

The text starts with the statement that the sage Agastyataught this secret to Rama in the battlefield on the final day of war betweenRama and Ravana. Thus it is found in a dramatic setting at the final battlebetween Rama and Ravana and is almost similar to the Gita of Mahabharata thatKrishna taught to Arjuna and which is the essence of Mahabharata. Similar isthe function of Aditya-hradayam though it consists of only about 25 verses. Itmay be called “the Gita of the Ramayana”.

Rama stood in the battlefield on the final day of the warthinking what he should do when Ravana stood before him, ready to fight. Allthe gods assembled there to witness the final event. The Sage Agastya arrivedat that moment and addressed Rama in the following  words.

“Listen You Rama! By hearing to this most ancient and secretAditya-hradayam you shall conquer all enemies. This is sacred, capable ofdestroying all enemies, will bestow eternal victory, is supremely benign andthe most auspicious among the auspicious which will wipe out all sins. It willcalm down all mental worries and give long life.

Worship the Sun that rises with rays, the giver of brightlight, adored by the celestials, the devas and the Asuras. He is “the soul ofall the Gods” Sarvadevatmakah; it is he who protects all the Devas and Asuraswith his rays. He is Brahma, he is Vishnu, he is Siva; he is Skanda and isPrajapati and other Divines like Indra, Kubera and the other directionaldeities. He is the creator of time. He removes darkness. He has thousand raysHe holds Agni within himself (Agni Garbha) and is the Lord of the Sky (Vyoma nathah) and is the knower of theRk, Yajus, and Sama Vedas; He resides in a mandali (circular) form. Heis the very Death (Mrityu). He is redin colour. He is Light among lights and is the Lord of the ganas of luminaries(Jyotir gnanam patih). He isferocious and a great hero. He is Martanda and is the Lord of Brahma, Vishnuand Siva (Brahma- Isana- Achyuta- Isa); he is Rudra in form and swallowsall beings (bhakshayati); he is the destroyer of darkness. He destroysthe world (nasayati esha vai bhutam)and also creates (tadeva srajati prabuh).He protects the world; he also burns the world with his rays. Whatever iscreated in this world and all the Vedas, Yagas, and the fruits of Yagas and thefruits of all sacrifices are but Sun. He is Sambhu. Rama! Worship thisDevadeva, the Lord of the Universe.  Youare sure of conquering Ravana this very moment. Those who sing the glory of theSun do not undergo suffering, either in times of danger, fear or in theforests.”

Listening to this teaching of Agastya and adoring the Sun,Rama was freed from worry and got ready to fight with Ravana ends the text.

The epithets of Surya mentioned in the text Aditya-hradayamhave deeper meanings and help us in understanding various Hindu thoughts andiconography. The study will throw light on the concept of Sun as visualized inthe text. That these were taught in the Ramayana particularly to Rama enhancesthe value of the text.

Agni-garbha: Suryaaccording to Aditya-hradayam is Agni-garbha i.e who holds Agni in embryoor one who holds Agni in himself, meaning that his essential nature is Agni.

Raudra-Vapuh. The word Raudrayavapushe i.e whose form is Rudra is connected with his nature as Agni. Thistext makes it clear that Surya’s form is Rudra. I have shown else where thatRudra and Surya are identical. Our earlier study that the Satarudriya hymn isaddressed to Surya as Rudra is further strengthened by this text. Many of theconcepts found in the Satarudriya are found repeated in this text. I have shownearlier that Rudra is none other than Agni. Rudro va esha yad Agnih Sothe epithets in the Aditya-hradaya that Surya is Agni-garbha and Raudra-vapuhrefer to the identification of Surya with Rudra .

Paramam Sivam andUgrah:  We may also note twoother epithets of Surya as Paramam Sivam and Ugra that areapparently contradictory, attributed to Surya in this text. The two bring outthe essential nature of Surya.  Withoutthe benign heat energy of the Sun, the vegetation cannot grow; the life onearth will not be sustained and human beings cannot live. It is the benign heat(another form of Agni) that makes Surya, the Supremely auspicious Siva - ParamamSivam. But Surya can also cause terrific destruction by his scorching heat.The Forests may be burnt down by devastating wild fire caused by his heat.Unbearable sunstrokes may destroy human and other living beings. So Surya isUgra ferocious, or terrific an attribute of Rudra. These mutually opposingtwofold nature are inherent in Surya, another form of Agni.   This is poetically visualized as male andfemale forms inherent in one and the same being that is the origin ofArdhanari, the androgynous form extolled as Ghora form and Sivaa form in theVeda. I have drawn attention to the concept of the dual deity Agna-Vishnu inthe Veda in which both the Ugra and Siva forms are attributed to this dualdeity.  The Aditya hradayam attributesthe Siva and Ugra forms to Surya and also calls him Rudra and Agni , thatdeserve notice.

Martanda; One of themost terrific forms of Siva is Martanda Bhairava in which form he consumes theworld. It is known that the Martanda Bhairava form of Siva arises from theconcept of Surya who is also called Martanda. It is the ugra form of Surya asone who can destroy the whole world that is alluded to by the word Martanda.This word is attributed twice to Surya in Aditya-hradayam emphasizing itsimportance. We have seen that Surya appears as Martanda at Darasuram temple inthe 12th cent. The most important point is that he appears asArdhanarisvara. I have also shown that there is a label in Chola script abovethe image reading Martanda. That Martanda is Siva and also appears asArdhanrisvara is thus attested.

Sarva-Bhakshyaya - Suryais called “one who swallows the entire Universe”. According to Kurma purana thewhole universe is swallowed by the Sun when the orbit of Sun –Surya mandalabursts at the end of aeons, which is called the ultimate destruction, Lokasamhara. Rudra is the Lord of destruction - Samhara kaaranah kartaaaccording to Saiva Siddhanta. Siva creates the world beginning withdestructions and that is alluded by the term Sarva bhkshya. There is aSutra in the Brahma-sutra of Vyasa that reads Atta caracara grahanad,the meaning of which is rendered by Sankara, Ramanuja, Srikanta and othercommentators, who agree in their interpretation. They state that the term Attaameaning one, who consumes, is derived from the root Att to eat,consume. Para Brahman is spoken of in Vedanta as the consumer of the Universe AttiBhakshayati. The identification of Surya with Siva as one who performs the samhaaraact is alluded in Aditya-hradaya by the term Sarva bhaksya. This alsopoint to Surya’s nature as Para Brahman, the Supreme Being.

Mrityuh: The all consuming aspect of Surya gives him theepithet Mrtyuh “the very death”. Mrtyuh is called in Tamil Kurru. Mrityu isalso another name of Rudra.

Naasayati esha vai Bhutam tadeva srjati Prabhuh: This lord not only destroys all elements but also createsthe world. This is an exact equivalent of the Saiva siddhanta expression thatSiva, the Destroyer is the Creator. Samhara kaaranah kartaa. The orderof the epithets, destroyer and Creator (nasayati and Srjati) occurringin this text is deliberate to emphasize that Surya is identical with Siva.   Lokan paati: Surya isspoken of in this verse as the protector of the world, including thecelestials, and the Asura ganas; Esha Deva-asura-ganaan lokaan paatigabhastibhih by which he is identified also with Vishnu. Vishnu is the protectorof the Universe. It is well known that Surya is also called Narayana aandadored as Surya Narayana. The protective power of Surya through his rays isVishnu. I have shown the shining power of Rudra is Vishnu.

Esha Brahma ca Vishnu ca Siva: This part of the Aditya-hradaya identifies Surya withBrahma, Vishnu and Siva. It has been shown that Surya is the Creator and so isBrahma. He protects all beings and is therefore Vishnu. He dissolves theUniverse and so is Siva. He is virtually the Trimurti. It is worth recallingthat that the composite forms of Siva in Linga, each face of the Linga showingone form Siva, Vishnu, Brahma and Surya comes from the description of Surya asthe embodiment of Trimurti. The appearance of Surya with four heads representingBrahma, Vishnu, Rudra and Surya in his Martanda form also comes from hiscomposite nature.

Skanda: Surya is calledin this text Skanda (Kumara-Subrahmanya). He is of the form of Agnias Agni garbha and is Skanda who is Agneya. Subrahmanya is Agni-kumara born ofAgni and is also called Agneya.

Prajapati: Surya is theLord of all beings Prajapatih as no living being can have its existence withouthis benevolence. He is the supporter of all lives and is thus Prajapati.

Mahendra: TheAditya-hradaya calls Surya as Mahendra (the Lord of the Celestials). The PrasnaUpanishad identifies Surya as Indra, the vital breadth prana of theworld. “Indra art thou by thy valour, O Life!. Rudra art thou as a protector.Thou movest in atmosphere as the Sun, the Lord of lights.” (S.RadhakrishnanP.657).

Dhanada: Aditya-hradayampraises Surya as Dhanada i.e. Kubera, the Lord of the Yakshas, Yakshas are theShining beings and Kubera is the Lord of Yakshas. Sun as the shining principleis called Yakshas. It must also be mentioned Siva himself is Yaksha svarupa.The “siva pancakshara stotra” calls Siva Yaksha svarupaya. Siva isspoken of as the friend of Kubera – Kubera bandhu in his shining form.

Kala: It is Surya whocreates time by his movement. He is therefore “the time” and the lord of time.Siva is called Kala also spoken as Kalagni Rudra which is a references to hisSurya form.

Soma: The Moon with itscool rays is a reflection of the illumination received from the Sun. It itselfis another form of Agni Together with Sun and moon, the three constitute thebasis of universal beings. So Surya is called Soma, the king among theCelestials.

Apam-patih :  Surya as Varuna is called the Lord ofwaters. By drawing waters of the ocean, configuring them into clouds andpouring as rains, Surya is the lord of Waters

Manu: Manu is the giverof orderliness, the law of rhythmic life also identical with Dharma (“theLord of dharma”). Surya the rising Sun who brings orderliness and makes mortalsto follow the True path. Satyena rajasa vartamanh nivesayan Savita ayatithis Savita arises, activating men to follow the truthful path, says the Veda.Manu is held as the Primordial giver of orderly life and so is none other thanSurya.

Jyotir-ganaanaam-pati: Theworld revolves around a group of luminaries like the moon, fire, stars,planets and the like. Surya is the Lord of the galaxy of Luminaries. Sarva-devatmaka: TheAditya hradayam stotra thus identifies Surya with almost all Gods or in otherwords it is Surya who is called by different names by his varying functions. Heis in essence, the one in all Gods and is therefore rightly called the Soul ofall divine beings Sarva-devatmaka. Surya is Bhuvanesvara the Lordof the entire Universe. Though Surya is given the epithets of all the divinepowers it is the aspect of Siva that comes in for frequent praise inAditya-hradayam.

I have shown elsewhere that the Dance of Siva as Nataraja isthe dance of Surya. For example the Kurma-purana holds the Samhara-tandava ofSiva is the Tandava of Surya. The Aditya-hradaya stotra alludes to the removalof darkness appearing as Lumanry in an orbit, as Nataraja dancing in the midstof prabha-mandala. Some of the epithets attributed to Surya in the textare to be understood from this angle.

Timiron-mathana Sambhuh:The Sun is Samnhu (Siva) says this text. It is as Sambhu that he diepels Timirah-darkness.Siva dances on the back of a dwarf, the Apasmara which symboloically representsdispelling darkness. In the same sense Surya is also addressed in this text asTamo bhedi, that cuts asunder Darkness. Surya is Tamoghna the destroyer ofdarkness. I have shown that the Tamil poet Kamban compares the rising sun tothe dance of Siva. A verse in Tirumandiram, a Tamil text of considerableantiquity likens the daning Siva to Surya. The dance of Siva Nataraja takesplace in Akasa the etrnal space, Surya is called the lord of space Akasa andmentioned as Vyoma-natha. Surya appears in the sky and rightly is the lord ofSky. He is the Lord over the celestial luminaries nakshatra-graha-taaras (nakhsatra-graha-taaraanaam-adhipa).He is Jyotir ganaanaam pati, he is the glowing light among the group of starsand planets. Nataraja’s dance takes place in the midst of these luminaries asrepresented by the halo. Surya’s movement in the sky represents his dance.  The place of his dance is ambara- the akasa.The Tandava of Siva goes by the name Akasa Tandava. The identification of Suryawith Siva Nataraja is thus well brought out by this text. Nataraja’s dance isworshipped by the Vedas Surya is praised in this text as Rk-Yajus-Sama-paragah“one who has learned the very end of the three Vedas.”

Esha jagarti supteshu  He is the inner conciousness when people are asleep. Saint Apparverbatim repeats the same idea for Siva in the 7th cent, as thesupreme light that is active while people sleep. Aditya-hradayam, theheart of the Sun, taught in the Ramayana to Rama that enabled him to win Ravanais in praise of Surya identical with Siva. Coming from the great epic Ramayanaand as the text adored by Rama, venerated for thousands of years in India, isindeed a great work that requires attention. The Sun assumes the supremeposition as the Isa, the lord of Brahma-Isana-and Achyuta. TheSun is worshipped in all Siva temples as Siva-Surya. The vital mantra of theHindus for the past four thousand years or more is the Gayatri hymn of theVedas that extols Surya as Savita. The Aditya-hradayam is truly the very heartof Hinduism. So the Aditya-hradyam says Aditya-Savita-Suryah. SaintAppar who lived in the 7th cent states in his Tevaram hymn, thatpeople worship Arka (Sun) but is it not, that Arka is the form of Hara (Siva)!Sekkilar narrates an interesting episode in the life of Saint Jnanasambandar inhis Periyapuranam.  Jnana-sambandar wasborn in the family of Vaidika brahmanas. At the appropriate age, the Brahminsinitiated him in the Vedic mantras by wearing sacred thread to him.Jnana-sambandar learnt all the Vedas and finally expounded to the Brahmins thatultimate end of all Vedic mantras are the five sacred syllables Namassivaya-Antiyurmantiram anceluttume. It shows that the Vedic Brahmins believed thatthe five syllables Namassivaaya occurring in the Satarudriya portion ofthe Yajurveda is the essence of the Vedas and that is addressed to Surya asRudra. Bhatta Bhaskara, the commentator on the Satarudriya calls Surya the PratyakshaParamesvara, the Supreme and visible Isvara.(see my article onNataraja and Sandhyavanadanam)