Sāmbapura

Sāmbapura · sāmba-pura, “the city of Sāmba”

Sāmbapura is a city on the bank of the river Candrabhāgā, and the permanent seat of Bhagavān Sūrya in Jambūdvīpa. Sāmba, the son of Śrī Kṛshṇa and Jāmbavatī, built it in his own name with a Sūrya temple after Sūrya freed him of kushṭha. The Bhavishya Purāṇa tells that it is the first seat of Sūrya, called Mitrapada, because Sūrya in his form as Mitra performed tapas there long before Sāmba set up the mūrti.

The permanent seat of Sūrya

Sumantu Muni tells King Śatānīka that Sūrya Deva has three seats in this dvīpa: Indravana, Muṇḍīra and Kālapriya, famous in the three lokas, and one more told by Brahmā long ago. On the bank of the river Candrabhāgā is a city called Sāmbapura. This is Sūrya Deva’s permanent seat in this dvīpa, and he dwells there always. To bless the people, Bhagavān Sūrya dwells in this city of Sāmba in twelve parts, with a gaze of grace, looking on all sides for the welfare of the world, and he himself accepts the pūjās done there according to rule.

Sumantu then tells who Sāmba was: among the twelve Ādityas, the Āditya named Vishṇu received the name Vāsudeva in this world, and of him the mighty son Sāmba was born in Jāmbavatī. Sāmba came under a śāpa from his father Śrī Kṛshṇa and was seized by kushṭha. By him the mūrti of Sūrya was established, and he built a city in his own name.

Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapter 72

How Sāmba came to build it

Durvāsa Maharshi pronounced a śāpa of kushṭha on Sāmba when Sāmba, proud of his beauty, mocked his look and his walk. Later, after Nārada Maharshi had shown Śrī Kṛshṇa the women of the antaḥpura shaken at the sight of Sāmba, Śrī Kṛshṇa too pronounced a śāpa of kushṭha on him, and Sāmba got the disease and an ugly form. Struck down by the śāpa, Sāmba worshipped Sūrya Deva well and got back complete health and his former form. Then, with bhakti, he built a city in his own name with a Sūrya temple.

Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapters 72–73

Mitrapada, the first seat

King Śatānīka doubted: if Sāmba established Sūrya on the bank of the Candrabhāgā at a later time, how can it be the first seat? Sumantu answered that it is indeed the first seat of Bhagavān Sūrya; Sāmba established the mūrti there later.

Sūrya, the first, Lokanātha, Jagatpati, in time past stayed here in his form as Mitra and performed tapas, living on air alone. Of the twelve mūrtis of Sūrya, Mitra, the twelfth, dwells on the bank of the Candrabhāgā for the good of the world. Blessing bhaktas and giving many kinds of varas, he always dwells in this place. So this place, giver of puṇya, is the first seat of Sūrya. It is called Mitrapada because Āditya dwells here by the name Mitra. Sāmba worshipped Sūrya in this very place, became worthy of his grace, and by Sūrya’s own command established the Sūrya mūrti here.

Sumantu closes with the phala: the twelve Āditya mūrtis are to be followed and worshipped. Those who bow to Āditya Deva with bhakti reach his loka, the supreme place, and one who worships the twelve Ādityas thus is freed from all pāpas and goes to Sūrya Loka.

Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapter 74

Sources

• Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapters 72–74