The Attendants of Sūrya

Sūrya Parivāra · sūrya-parivāra, “the retinue of Sūrya”

Bhānu has other meanings too: see all meanings of Bhānu. Hasta has other meanings too: see all meanings of Hasta. Kalā has other meanings too: see all meanings of Kalā. Vimala has other meanings too: see all meanings of Vimala.

The attendants of Sūrya are the beings who serve Bhagavān Sūrya on his ratha and around his maṇḍala. In the Brahma Parva of the Bhavishya Purāṇa, Sumantu Muni tells King Śatānīka how Brahmā taught Rudra on the Kāñcana Parvata who was appointed to the ratha and by whom, beginning with Aruṇa, the charioteer. Brahmā also names those who stay with Bhagavān Sūrya in each pair of months, and he tells how the devas became army chiefs of Bhagavān Sūrya when the dānavas set out to kill him, with Kārttikeya on the left, Agni as Piṅgala on the right and the Aśvins at the two sides.

Who was appointed to the ratha

Brahmā tells Rudra who was given to the ratha, each by a devatā:

This Kṛshṇa is an attendant of that name. Oṃkāra, Vashaṭkāra, the sound of the Vedas, Śiva, Vināyaka, Ādiśesha, Ananta and Vāsuki, with a thousand nāgas equal to them, travel on the ratha. Gāyatrī, who is Sāvitrī Devī, with the morning and evening sandhyās, never leaves the Sūrya-maṇḍala. The ṛshis praise Bhagavān Sūrya, the gandharvas serve him with song and the apsarās with dance, and sarpas and rākshasas follow him and give protection. Sixty thousand Vālakhilya ṛshis attend on him and bow to him. The graha Isha, glossed Budha in the text, moves in the sky and protects.

Divaspati and Svabhuvu walk a single yojana ahead of the ratha. Bharga keeps close on its right and Brahmā on its left. All the grahas honoured by the world go behind the ratha, and Rāhu and Ketu stay in front. Kubera is on the south side and Varuṇa on the north, and these two often move forward. Vītihotra is on the left and Hari behind.

Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapter 53

The companions of each pair of months

Bhagavān Sūrya stays with each group for two months in turn. Brahmā names them:

The rākshasas called Mandehas also stay in Bhagavān Sūrya, appointed by the devatās, beginning with Brahmā himself, to guard him and the secret of the devatās. All these take refuge in Bhagavān Sūrya.

Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapter 52

The devas become his army chiefs

Sumantu Muni tells that Brahmā explained the chiefs of Sūrya‘s parivāra, the Pravaras, when the ṛshis asked. Eighteen pramathas stay near Bhānudeva, and fourteen more stay on his ratha. Two chief devatās, two chief ṛshis, two gandharvas, two pannagas, and two each of yakshas, siddhas, rākshasas, sons of Sūrya and chief apsarās stay with him at his rising and his setting. Their total number is eighty-four. All of them are named by names that carry their meaning.

Long ago Bhagavān Sūrya was fighting with the dānavas, who with their ministers had obtained the varas they desired and had set about killing him. All the devas assembled with Brahmā and resolved: “To slay them, let us become the chiefs of the army. Facing us, they will not be able to look toward Bhagavān Sūrya.”

So Kārttikeya took his place on the left and conducted the war. Bhagavān Sūrya said to the one named Daṇḍanāyaka, the master of all lokas: “You lead by daṇḍanīti, so you are Daṇḍanāyaka. You also write down the pāpa and puṇya of the people.” Agnideva stood on the right, and being of the colour of gorocana he is called Piṅgala. The two Aśvinī Kumāras stood on the two sides.

Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapter 124

The Pravaras at the doors

Brahmā then gives the places of the Pravaras:

• The first door: the very strong Rājña and Sausha, doorkeepers of Sūryaloka. Rājña is an avatāra of Kārttikeya and Sausha an avatāra of Śiva.
• The second door: the very bold Kalmāsha, who is Yama, and Garuḍa.
• South: Kubera, bearing a daṇḍa.
• North: Vināyaka.
• East: Raivata, the son of Bhagavān Sūrya, and Dindi, who is Rudra.

In his summing up he counts the two Aśvinī Kumāras; Daṇḍanāyaka and Piṅgala, the doorkeepers of Sūryaloka; Rājña and Sausha; Revata and Dindi; and eighteen others. All the parivāra devatās of Bhagavān Sūrya bear anvartha names (names that carry their meaning), formed from the meanings of dhātus (verbal roots). All of them bear many kinds of slaying weapons and surround Bhagavān Sūrya. Some are of like form, some of unlike form, and others take form at will. Together with the mighty Garuḍa they all follow him. The Ṛks, Yajus and Sāmas surround him on every side in many forms. When the ṛshis had heard this they worshipped Bhagavān Sūrya, became siddhas, and stayed in the sky.

Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapter 124

In the rathayātrā and the temple

In the rathayātrā of Bhagavān Sūrya, Brahmā tells Rudra, the Pratīhāri goes ahead of the ratha to clear the road, and after him the Daṇḍanāyaka, and after him Piṅgala. The two named Rakshaka and Dvāraka mount the ratha and stay in its rear part. Dindi is seated in its front part, and ahead of him is the Lekhaka, the scribe dear to Bhāskara.

At the end of the yātrā the ratha devatās are worshipped, and at times of utpāta (portents) those who dwell on the ratha of Bhagavān Sūrya are worshipped as the grahas are. The other ratha devatās are contemplated as standing in their places, with the dikpālas and lokapālas in the mind.

Nārada Maharshi tells Sāmba where they stand in the temple of Bhagavān Sūrya. Piṅgala is on his right and Daṇḍanāyaka on his left. The Aśvinī Kumāras are outside the deva-gṛha in the east. Rājña and Sausha are in the second kakshā, and Kalmāsha and Pakshin in the third. Daṇḍa and Māṭhara are towards the south. Kubera is in the north, with Vināyaka and Revata north of him.

When Viśvakarmā pared the body of Bhagavān Sūrya, the apsarās Viśvācī, Ghṛtācī, Urvaśī, Tilottamā, Menakā and Rambhā danced in many forms of nāṭya with hāva, bhāva and vilāsa.

Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapters 56, 58, 121, 130

Sources

• Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapters 52–53, 56, 58, 121, 124, 130