Surya Namaskara…A Small Observation…
Surya Namaskara was a part of the daily ritual of our ancients. If we search the origin of surya namaskara, The definition of "origin", is "the point where something begins or arises"
Hence numerous hymns addressed to Surya found in all the four Vedas - e.g. Saura Sukta of the Rg Veda, Aruna Prashna of the Taittiriiya Aranyaka, Surya Namaskara mantras, Surya Upanishad of Atharva Veda etc. These hymns describe the celestial body as the source of energy and sustainer of all life on the planet earth. They portray the Sun as the store house of inexhaustible power and radiance.
The observations show that this procedure is derived from the Vedas, the oldest texts of Hindu literature. Trucha Kalpa Nitya Vidhi. (Each Mantra in Veda is called a “rucha”. Group of three rucha is called as Trucha. “Trucha Kalpa Namaskarah” is one method of performing Surya Namaskars.) And Aditya Prasna is the popular ancient Vedic forms of performing salutations to the Sun. “Aditya Hrudayam” which is mentioned in Ramayana, similar to the present day Surya Namaskar. It is a procedure of saluting The Sun, taught to Sri Rama by Sage Agastya, before his fight with Ravana. It is described in the "Yuddha Khanda" of Ramayana.
Aditya Hradayam in this context can mean "Sun in the heart," "prayer of Sun from heart" or, "praying to that Sun which resides in the heart." In the centuries to follow sages developed various rites and practices based on Aditya Hradayam, In which a practitioner performs a series of Sun Salutations while visualizing Sun in specified chakras and reciting mantras based on the various names of Sun.
We find references to Surya in the Mahabharata also. Mayura, who lived in the court of Harshavardhana composed the Surya Satakam in praise of Surya and is believed to have been cured of blindness.
It is customary to perform Panchaayatana puja daily among Hindu homes. It is a daily worship of the five deities’ viz., Ganesha, Shiva, Shakti, Vishnu and Surya (The Sun). Surya occupies a special status among these five deities because He is the only Pratyaksha Devata i.e.
Sandhyaavandanam, is the worship of Surya during the Morning, the Mid Day and the Dusk. The Gayatri mantra recited during this ritual is the most sacred invocation to the Sun God.
In "A Catalogue raisonnée of oriental manuscripts" (Year: 1860, Page 246) Rev. William Cooke Taylor, noted that a short book with 71 leaves with "Tricha calpa vidhi" from "Aditya Puranam" was preserved. He describes the vidhi as "Modes of rendering homage to Sun, with praise and spells; the object being health or delivery from disease" through a series of Sun Salutations in different posturs.
The Hatha Yoga Pradipika, the yoga text does not mention "Sun Salutations" but mentions a sūrya-bhedana (sun-piercing) kumbhaka (II, 44 and 48-50) and the Gheraṇḍa Saṁhitā mentions sūrya-bheda kumbhaka (58-59).
The documented book with clear depictions of asanas is the "Sritattvanidhi", though there is no mention of "Sun Salutations" in the text, it does describe the asanas "Sarpasana" (Bhujangasana), "Gajasana" (Adhomukh Swannasan), "Uttanasana" and series of asanas done in tandem, similar to Sūrya Namaskāra.
i expect more studies needed on the same subject...waiting your valuable comments...
Surya Namaskara was a part of the daily ritual of our ancients. If we search the origin of surya namaskara, The definition of "origin", is "the point where something begins or arises"
Hence numerous hymns addressed to Surya found in all the four Vedas - e.g. Saura Sukta of the Rg Veda, Aruna Prashna of the Taittiriiya Aranyaka, Surya Namaskara mantras, Surya Upanishad of Atharva Veda etc. These hymns describe the celestial body as the source of energy and sustainer of all life on the planet earth. They portray the Sun as the store house of inexhaustible power and radiance.
The observations show that this procedure is derived from the Vedas, the oldest texts of Hindu literature. Trucha Kalpa Nitya Vidhi. (Each Mantra in Veda is called a “rucha”. Group of three rucha is called as Trucha. “Trucha Kalpa Namaskarah” is one method of performing Surya Namaskars.) And Aditya Prasna is the popular ancient Vedic forms of performing salutations to the Sun. “Aditya Hrudayam” which is mentioned in Ramayana, similar to the present day Surya Namaskar. It is a procedure of saluting The Sun, taught to Sri Rama by Sage Agastya, before his fight with Ravana. It is described in the "Yuddha Khanda" of Ramayana.
Aditya Hradayam in this context can mean "Sun in the heart," "prayer of Sun from heart" or, "praying to that Sun which resides in the heart." In the centuries to follow sages developed various rites and practices based on Aditya Hradayam, In which a practitioner performs a series of Sun Salutations while visualizing Sun in specified chakras and reciting mantras based on the various names of Sun.
We find references to Surya in the Mahabharata also. Mayura, who lived in the court of Harshavardhana composed the Surya Satakam in praise of Surya and is believed to have been cured of blindness.
It is customary to perform Panchaayatana puja daily among Hindu homes. It is a daily worship of the five deities’ viz., Ganesha, Shiva, Shakti, Vishnu and Surya (The Sun). Surya occupies a special status among these five deities because He is the only Pratyaksha Devata i.e.
Sandhyaavandanam, is the worship of Surya during the Morning, the Mid Day and the Dusk. The Gayatri mantra recited during this ritual is the most sacred invocation to the Sun God.
In "A Catalogue raisonnée of oriental manuscripts" (Year: 1860, Page 246) Rev. William Cooke Taylor, noted that a short book with 71 leaves with "Tricha calpa vidhi" from "Aditya Puranam" was preserved. He describes the vidhi as "Modes of rendering homage to Sun, with praise and spells; the object being health or delivery from disease" through a series of Sun Salutations in different posturs.
The Hatha Yoga Pradipika, the yoga text does not mention "Sun Salutations" but mentions a sūrya-bhedana (sun-piercing) kumbhaka (II, 44 and 48-50) and the Gheraṇḍa Saṁhitā mentions sūrya-bheda kumbhaka (58-59).
The documented book with clear depictions of asanas is the "Sritattvanidhi", though there is no mention of "Sun Salutations" in the text, it does describe the asanas "Sarpasana" (Bhujangasana), "Gajasana" (Adhomukh Swannasan), "Uttanasana" and series of asanas done in tandem, similar to Sūrya Namaskāra.
i expect more studies needed on the same subject...waiting your valuable comments...
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