Dr. R. Nagaswamy #6B8E23 A composite form of Surya appears in Indian art in different parts of India showing that such representations are based on some common concepts that were pan Indian character. One such representation shows a cylindrical Linga with standing images of Siva, Vishnu, Brahma and Surya each portrayed 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 not being visible. Such images are endowed with eight hands wielding different emblems including khatvanga a distinctly that of Siva. These images are also called Martanda, and in some also identified with Martanda Bhairava. Almost akin to such images is the image of Surya appearing as Ardhanarisvara showing the left half as a female with breasts and other symbols and also shown with four heads. Such forms are also seen as Martanda a combination of Surya and Siva. In all these representations, the main concept is clearly the identification of Surya with Siva. The Agamic texts like Kamikagama and the Purranic texts like Agni-purana give the description of this iamge, as acomposite form of Siva Surya. A text of great interest throws welcome light on the composite nature of Surya and Siva, which is the subject of this paper. Aditya-hradayam is an important text known to the Hindus. It is found in the Yuddha kanda of the Ramayana as the 107th Chapter. According to the 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 bonum of the Concept of Sun for the ancient Indians. It is recited daily by thousands of traditional men in Hindu society. The text starts with the statement that the sage Agastya taught this secret to Rama in the battle field on the final day of war between Rama and Ravana. Thus it is found in a dramatic setting at the final battle between Rama and Ravana and is almost similar to the Gita of Mahabharata that Krishna taught to Arjuna and which is the essence of Mahabharata. Similar is the 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 war thinking what he should do when Ravana stood before him, ready to fight. All the gods assembled there to witness the final event. The Sage Agastya arrived at that moment and addressed Rama in the following  words. rāma rāma mahābāho śṛṇu guhyaṁ sanātanam | yena sarvaan ariin vatsa samare vijayishhyasi || āditya hṛdayaṁ puṇyaṁ sarva śatru vināśanam | jayā vahaṁ japen nityaṁ akṣayyaṁ paramaṁ śivam || "Listen You Rama! By hearing to this most ancient and secret Aditya-hradayam you shall conquer all enemies. This is sacred, capable of destroying all enemies, will bestow eternal victory, is supremely benign and the most auspicious among the auspicious which will wipe out all sins. It will calm down all mental worries and give long life. Worship the Sun that rises with rays, the giver of bright light, adored by the celestials, the Devas and the Asuras. He is "the soul of all the Gods" Sarvadevatmakah; it is he who protects all the Devas and Asuras with his rays. He is Brahma, he is Vishnu, he is Siva; he is Skanda and is Prajapati and other Divines like Indra, Kubera and the other directional deities. He is the creator of time. He removes darkness. He has thousand rays. He holds Agni within himself (Agni Garbha) and is the Lord of the Sky (Vyoma nathah) and is the knower of the Rk, Yajus, and Sama Vedas; He resides in a mandali (circular) form. He is the very Death (Mrityu). He is red in colour. He is Light among lights and is the Lord of the ganas of luminaries(Jyotir gnanam patih). He is ferocious and a great hero. He is Martanda and is the Lord of Brahma, Vishnu and Siva (Brahma- Isana- Achyuta- Isa); he is Rudra in form and swallows all beings (bhakshayati); he is the destroyer of darkness. He destroys the world (nasayati esha vai bhutam) and also creates (tadeva srajati prabuh). He protects the world; he also burns the world with his rays. Whatever is created in this world and all the Vedas, Yagas, and the fruits of Yagas and the fruits of all sacrifices are but Sun. He is Sambhu. Rama! Worship this Devadeva, the Lord of the Universe.  You are sure of conquering Ravana this very moment. Those who sing the glory of the Sun do not undergo suffering, either in times of danger, fear or in the forests." 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-hradayam have deeper meanings and help us in understanding various Hindu thoughts and iconography. The study will throw light on the concept of Sun as visualized in the text. That these were taught in the Ramayana particularly to Rama enhances the value of the text. Agni-garbha: Surya according 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. This text makes it clear that Surya’s form is Rudra. I have shown else where that Rudra and Surya are identical. Our earlier study that the Satarudriya hymn is addressed to Surya as Rudra is further strengthened by this text. Many of the concepts 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-vapuh refer to the identification of Surya with Rudra . Paramam Sivam and Ugrah:  We may also note two other epithets of Surya as Paramam Sivam and Ugra that areapparently contradictory, attributed to Surya in this text. The two bring out the essential nature of Surya.  Without the benign heat energy of the Sun, the vegetation cannot grow; the life on earth 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 - Paramam Sivam. 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 sun strokes may destroy human and other living beings. So Surya is Ugra ferocious, or terrific an attribute of Rudra. These mutually opposing two fold nature are inherent in Surya, another form of Agni.   This is poetically visualized as male and female forms inherent in one and the same being that is the origin of Ardhanari, the androgynous form extolled as Ghora form and Sivaa form in the Veda. I have drawn attention to the concept of the dual deity Agna-Vishnu in the Veda in which both the Ugra and Siva forms are attributed to this dual deity.  The Aditya hradayam attributes the Siva and Ugra forms to Surya and also calls him Rudra and Agni , that deserve notice. Martanda; One of the most terrific forms of Siva is Martanda Bhairava in which form he consumes the world. It is known that the Martanda Bhairava form of Siva arises from the concept of Surya who is also called Martanda. It is the ugra form of Surya as one 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 its importance. We have seen that Surya appears as Martanda at Darasuram temple in the 12th cent. The most important point is that he appears as Ardhanarisvara. I have also shown that there is a label in Chola script above the image reading Martanda. That Martanda is Siva and also appears as Ardhanrisvara is thus attested. Sarva-Bhakshyaya - Surya is called “one who swallows the entire Universe”. According to Kurma purana the whole universe is swallowed by the Sun when the orbit of Sun –Surya mandala bursts at the end of aeons, which is called the ultimate destruction, Lokasamhara. Rudra is the Lord of destruction - Samhara kaaranah kartaa according to Saiva Siddhanta. Siva creates the world beginning with destructions and that is alluded by the term Sarva bhkshya. There is a Sutra in the Brahma-sutra of Vyasa that reads Atta caracara grahanad, the meaning of which is rendered by Sankara, Ramanuja, Srikanta and other commentators, who agree in their interpretation. They state that the term Attaa meaning 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 Atti Bhakshayati. The identification of Surya with Siva as one who performs the samhaaraact is alluded in Aditya-hradaya by the term Sarva bhaksya. This also point to Surya’s nature as Para Brahman, the Supreme Being. Mrityuh: The all consuming aspect of Surya gives him the epithet Mrtyuh “the very death”. Mrtyuh is called in Tamil Kurru. Mrityu is also another name of Rudra. Naasayati esha vai Bhutam tadeva srjati Prabhuh: This lord not only destroys all elements but also creates the world. This is an exact equivalent of the Saiva siddhanta expression that Siva, the Destroyer is the Creator. Samhara kaaranah kartaa. The order of the epithets, destroyer and Creator (nasayati and Srjati) occurring in this text is deliberate to emphasize that Surya is identical with Siva. Lokan paati: Surya is spoken of in this verse as the protector of the world, including the celestials, and the Asura ganas; Esha Deva-asura-ganaan lokaan paati gabhastibhih by which he is identified also with Vishnu. Vishnu is the protector of the Universe. It is well known that Surya is also called Narayana and adored as Surya Narayana. The protective power of Surya through his rays is Vishnu. I have shown the shining power of Rudra is Vishnu. Esha Brahma ca Vishnu ca Siva: This part of the Aditya-hradaya identifies Surya with Brahma, Vishnu and Siva. It has been shown that Surya is the Creator and so is Brahma. He protects all beings and is therefore Vishnu. He dissolves the Universe and so is Siva. He is virtually the Trimurti. It is worth recalling that the composite forms of Siva in Linga, each face of the Linga showing one form Siva, Vishnu, Brahma and Surya comes from the description of Surya as the embodiment of Trimurti. The appearance of Surya with four heads representing Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra and Surya in his Martanda form also comes from his composite nature. Skanda: Surya is called in this text Skanda (Kumara-Subrahmanya). He is of the form of Agni as Agni garbha and is Skanda who is Agneya. Subrahmanya is Agni-kumara born of Agni and is also called Agneya. Prajapati: Surya is the Lord of all beings Prajapatih as no living being can have its existence without his benevolence. He is the supporter of all lives and is thus Prajapati. Mahendra: The Aditya-hradaya calls Surya as Mahendra (the Lord of the Celestials). The Prasna Upanishad identifies Surya as Indra, the vital breadth prana of the world. “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-hradayam praises Surya as Dhanada i.e. Kubera, the Lord of the Yakshas, Yakshas are the Shining beings and Kubera is the Lord of Yakshas. Sun as the shining principle is called Yakshas. It must also be mentioned Siva himself is Yaksha svarupa. The “siva pancakshara stotra” calls Siva Yaksha svarupaya. Siva is spoken of as the friend of Kubera – Kubera bandhu in his shining form. Kala: It is Surya who creates 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 his Surya form. Soma: The Moon with its cool rays is a reflection of the illumination received from the Sun. It itself is another form of Agni Together with Sun and moon, the three constitute the basis of universal beings. So Surya is called Soma, the king among the Celestials. Apam-patih :  Surya as Varuna is called the Lord of waters. By drawing waters of the ocean, configuring them into clouds and pouring as rains, Surya is the lord of Waters Manu: Manu is the giver of orderliness, the law of rhythmic life also identical with Dharma (“the Lord of dharma”). Surya the rising Sun who brings orderliness and makes mortals to follow the True path. Satyena rajasa vartamanh nivesayan Savita ayati, this 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 than Surya. Jyotir-ganaanaam-pati: The world 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: The Aditya hradayam stotra thus identifies Surya with almost all Gods or in other words it is Surya who is called by different names by his varying functions. He is in essence, the one in all Gods and is therefore rightly called the Soul of all divine beings Sarva-devatmaka. Surya is Bhuvanesvara the Lord of the entire Universe. Though Surya is given the epithets of all the divine powers it is the aspect of Siva that comes in for frequent praise in Aditya-hradayam. I have shown elsewhere that the Dance of Siva as Nataraja is the dance of Surya. For example the Kurma-purana holds the Samhara-tandava of Siva is the Tandava of Surya. The Aditya-hradaya stotra alludes to the removal of darkness appearing as Lumanry in an orbit, as Nataraja dancing in the midst of prabha-mandala. Some of the epithets attributed to Surya in the text are to be understood from this angle. Timiron-mathana Sambhuh: The Sun is Sambhu (Siva) says this text. It is as Sambhu that he dispels Timirah-darkness. Siva dances on the back of a dwarf, the Apasmara which symboloically represents dispelling darkness. In the same sense Surya is also addressed in this text as Tamo bhedii, that cuts as under Darkness. Surya is Tamoghna the destroyer of darkness. I have shown that the Tamil poet Kamban compares the rising sun to the dance of Siva. A verse in Tirumandiram, a Tamil text of considerable antiquity likens the daning Siva to Surya. The dance of Siva Nataraja takes place in Akasa the etrnal space, Surya is called the lord of space Akasa and mentioned as Vyoma-natha. Surya appears in the sky and rightly is the lord of Sky. 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 stars and planets. Nataraja’s dance takes place in the midst of these luminaries as represented 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 Surya with Siva Nataraja is thus well brought out by this text. Nataraja’s dance is worshipped 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 Appar verbatim repeats the same idea for Siva in the 7th cent, as the supreme light that is active while people sleep. Aditya-hradayam, the heart of the Sun, taught in the Ramayana to Rama that enabled him to win Ravana is in praise of Surya identical with Siva. Coming from the great epic Ramayana and as the text adored by Rama, venerated for thousands of years in India, is indeed a great work that requires attention. The Sun assumes the supreme position as the Isa, the lord of Brahma-Isana-and Achyuta. The Sun is worshipped in all Siva temples as Siva-Surya. The vital mantra of the Hindus for the past four thousand years or more is the Gayatri hymn of the Vedas that extols Surya as Savita. The Aditya-hradayam is truly the very heart of Hinduism. So the Aditya-hradyam says Aditya-Savita-Suryah. Saint Appar who lived in the 7th cent states in his Tevaram hymn, that people 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 in his Periyapuranam.  Jnana-sambandar was born in the family of Vaidika brahmanas. At the appropriate age, the Brahmins initiated him in the Vedic mantras by wearing sacred thread to him. Jnana-sambandar learnt all the Vedas and finally expounded to the Brahmins that ultimate end of all Vedic mantras are the five sacred syllables Namassivaya-Antiyur mantiram anceluttume. It shows that the Vedic Brahmins believed that the five syllables Namassivaaya occurring in the Satarudriya portion of the Yajurveda is the essence of the Vedas and that is addressed to Surya as Rudra. Bhatta Bhaskara, the commentator on the Satarudriya calls Surya the Pratyaksha Paramesvara, the Supreme and visible Isvara. (see my article on Nataraja and Sandhyavanadanam)