Forlong - Rivers of Life

Sun Worship.
river Soorasvati, which bounds the sacred lands on the west, gets its name from the
sun, and so also the country near Mathoora (Mathura), which gave birth to the gallant
band of Soora-Sena, who led the van of the Kooroo army.
It must be borne in mind that Aditya was the mother of “the Gods,” or the Adityas
of whom Indra was chief; and that Kasyapa by the sister, Diti, had “Demons.” Thus:
Kasyapa and Aditya had
12 Adityas, or Sooras, 1 or Solar races, of whom
Indra is chief. These were worshippers of the
male energies, as Lingams, and of Siva and
Krishna—hence KOOROOS.
Fig 184. Fig. 185.
487
Kasyapa and Diti had
Daityas or Asooras, i.e. Demons or Titans—all
worshippers of Sakti, or the female energies in
Pārvati, Bavāni, and their incarnations,
hence Lunars. These are the PANDOOS.
Sun-worship is still the dominant faith of our little planet; only an infinitesimal
portion of its inhabitants really disregard its rites and symbolism, and none its phases
and fetes; whilst by far the greater part sincerely and elaborately worship the sun.
Let us glance at the daily doings of hundreds of thousands, probably millions of
Hindoos—many of them highly cultured men. The first actions of a pious Brahman in
the morning are connected with “the Lord of day.” After ablution, he sits down and
prays, then touches various parts of his body with water, now and then sipping a little;
he then holds his breath in intense meditation, inhaling and exhaling with effort,
and trying to spiritualize his mind; he washes again and again his mouth and nostrils,
then rises and stands on one foot, resting the other against the ankle or heel, and prays
towards the east, gazing intently before him and stretching forth his open hands in a
hollow form, as if to embrace his God. He then takes the Argha, or a Yoni-shaped
boat-vessel, Maya’s representative, like that on page 186, and “fills it with plenty,” viz.,
sesamum seed, flowers, barley, water, and red sandal-wood and placing it on his head,
presents it to the sun, saying: “Thou art a manifesation of God, omnipresent, produced,
and producing everywhere.” The offering is then put away, and prayers are
again solemnly offered up. Various similar ceremonies take place at evening and
sometimes at noonday. The votaries of most faiths similarly worship their Gods.
The sun is commonly the Eastern’s crowning ornament in all articles of worship,
and especially of the Lingam; usually
it is united to the moon, see Plate
X. 10 and page 207, where we also
see the vehicle, or chirping “Lovebird
of Venus”—the Kamali; for
birds are often messengers of love
in all countries, and thousands of
stories are told of Venus’ Wag-tail,
which border, however, on the indecent;
I have shown the idea in Fig.
TWO SUNS ON IRISH CROSSES, CO. LOUTH. THE SIVAIK HAND ON THE DISK OF FERTILITY
98, page 226, in allusion to Colenso’s drawing of the bird on the Linga-in-Argha.
One of the names of the sun, says Müller, quoting from the Veda-Savatār
1 Evidently connected with the twelve signs of the Zodiac.