Surya Dev and His Seven Horses: Mythology, Meaning, and Spiritual Secrets
Surya Dev, the radiant Sun-God, speeds across the sky in his chariot of light. Ancient texts describe him as a golden deity, arms outstretched with lotuses, riding a flaming chariot drawn by seven powerful horses. Each dawn, Surya’s steeds gallop ahead of his chariot, scattering darkness and heralding a new day. In Hindu mythology, Surya is more than a bright star – he is Aditya, the child of sage Kashyapa and Mother Aditi, and the embodiment of knowledge and life. His story weaves through the Rigveda, Puranas, Mahabharata, and Upanishads, inspiring heroes like Rama and Karna (Karna being born of Surya) and daily practices like sun salutations. This journey begins with that first morning light and carries us through millennia of devotion and symbolism, where each of Surya’s seven horses shines with sacred meaning.
Origins of the Sun God
Surya’s birth is told in many legends. He is one of the Adityas – the solar deities born to the sage Kashyapa and his wife Aditi. The Mahabharata and Puranas recount that Kashyapa and Aditi gave rise to all the Adityas (of whom Surya is chief), as well as other beings like the asuras and devas. In the Rig Veda, Surya is often called Vivasvān, the “bright one,” and at times identified with Vivasvat, the sun of the first manvantara. He is husband to Sanjña (also called Saranyu), the daughter of the divine craftsman Tvastr (Visvakarma), and to her shadow Chhaya. From these unions Surya begot many children – notably the twin physicians the Aśvins, Lord Yama (god of death), and Sage Manu (the first man). In art and scripture, Surya often stands with his family: at his sides the twin dawn goddesses Uṣā and Pratyuṣā, and the two queens Sanjña and Chhaya. In one beautiful metaphor, the Surya Upanishad even declares that all beings originate from the sun, and that ultimately “What the Sun is, that I am” – teaching that Surya represents the universal Self (Ātman).
The Chariot and Its Seven Horses
Surya’s chariot is legendary. Scriptures describe a resplendent golden car racing across the heavens, driven by his divine charioteer Aruna (the personification of dawn). The Surya Upanishad paints the scene vividly: “He sits in a golden chariot pulled by seven horses, driving the wheel of time, bringing the promise of prosperity and refuge from darkness.” Even the Rig Veda alludes to Surya’s vehicle: it speaks of a wheeled car drawn by numerous steeds or sometimes by seven specifically. Over time this number seven became fixed in myth. By the Puranic era the sages agreed: Surya’s chariot is yoked to seven horses, symbolizing his full power and completeness.
Ancient temples immortalize this cosmic chariot. The famous 13th-century Konark Sun Temple in Odisha is literally built as Surya’s chariot. Its massive stone structure rests on 24 carved wheels, each nearly 12 feet across, and is pulled by seven lifelike horses. Konark Temple represents a colossal chariot of Surya adorned with twelve pairs of intricately carved wheels which function as sundials. Look closely and you’ll find Aruna at the front of the chariot, his hand on the reins. In sculpture and painting, Surya is typically shown standing tall on the chariot, two lotuses in hand, with Aruna in the lead. The seven horses rush forward together – a majestic vision of the sun racing across the eastern sky each morning.
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Symbols and Secrets: What the Seven Horses Mean
The seven horses of Surya carry deep symbolism. Traditional interpretations layer multiple meanings into this sacred number:
- Vedic Meters (Chandas): Ancient scholars long held that each horse represents one of the seven poetic meters used in the Vedas. Texts explicitly list the horses as Gāyatrī, Bṛhatī, Uṣṇī́h, Jagatī, Triṣṭubh, Anuṣṭubh, and Pankti. Since meter gives life to Vedic chants (the hymns often sung to Surya), the horse-meters tie the sun’s journey to sacred speech.
- Solar Rays: Rigvedic hymns themselves call Surya’s horses his “form of rays.” A famous verse describes the propitious, gracious, pervading, wonderful horses of the Sun, in the form of rays that greet and illuminate everything. In this way, each horse embodies a beam of sunlight dispersing through the sky.
- Spectrum of Light and Seven Colors: In iconography and folk lore, the horses are often drawn in different colors. Some medieval temple paintings even show a single horse with seven heads, an allegory for white sunlight splitting into the seven rainbow hues. By linking Surya’s steeds to the seven colors (VIBGYOR), legends teach that the Sun’s light encompasses all energies of the visible spectrum.
- Seven Planets: Another layer comes from the Puranas and astronomy. The same sources that name the horses also enumerate seven chief solar rays (Susumna, Harikesha, and others), each said to nourish one of the planets. In other words, Surya’s team carries cosmic energy across the heavens: each horse (or ray) supports a different celestial body. In iconography, one of the horses (often the middle one) is white and known as Bharadwaja, symbolically representing the Moon as well.
- Time and Harmony: Seven is also the number of days in the week, linking Surya’s steeds to time itself. Legends explain that the seven days are ruled by Sun, Moon, and five classical planets, so each horse could signify one day of the week. More abstractly, the number seven stood for completeness and cosmic order in many ancient cultures. Surya’s seven horses come to symbolize cosmic harmony and completeness.
- Spiritual Energies (Chakras): In modern yogic interpretation, the seven horses are likened to the seven chakras of the body. Just as Surya lights all worlds, his steady march is a metaphor for awakening all energy centers in the human spine. Many yoga schools view the Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation) sequence itself as purifying the seven chakras – again reflecting Surya’s complete illumination.
In short, the seven horses symbolism combines natural and metaphysical themes: from the scientific (rainbow colors, planetary cycles, a seven-day week) to the sacred (Vedic chants, cosmic order, inner light). Each horse carries a dimension of Surya’s meaning: health, energy, knowledge, prosperity – all emanating from the one Sun.
Aruna and Kashyapa: Surya’s Loyal Companions
No tale of Surya Dev is complete without Aruna, his dawn-boy charioteer. Aruna, literally “the red one,” is born prematurely and embodies the first reddish gleam of morning. The epic Mahabharata tells how Kashyapa’s wife Vinata (sister of Kadru) hastily broke open her egg, causing Aruna to emerge half-formed. Embittered at his mother’s impatience, he cursed her – but fate spared her: Kashyapa eventually placed Aruna at Surya’s side. In the sky, Aruna drives the horses ahead of Surya’s chariot. The iconographic tradition explains his role: because Aruna is the personification of dawn’s glow, he naturally leads the way at sunrise.
In one telling, Brahmā himself asks Aruna to serve as Surya’s driver to shield the world from too-intense sunlight. In carvings and paintings, you’ll often see Aruna in front of the Sun, holding the reins or a goad. His story reminds us that the dawn is both herald and guardian – a transition point between night and day.
Surya’s father, Sage Kashyapa, anchors the Sun God in a cosmic family tree. Kashyapa (one of Brahma’s mind-born sons) married Aditi, and fathered the Adityas with her – including Surya. Other daughters of Kashyapa (like Kadru and Diti) bore serpents and demons respectively. Thus Surya’s lineage as son of Kashyapa and Aditi makes him brother to the Ashvins and cousins to beings like Garuda (Aruna’s own brother). The Vedas even call Surya the “son of Kashyapa” in passing lore. In sum, Aruna and Kashyapa stand as Surya’s devoted attendants and mentors: Aruna constantly serves as his charioteer, and Kashyapa first blessed him with life and a divine role.
Also read: 10 Key Teachings from the Bhagavad Gita
Surya’s Light: Health, Power, and Spirituality
For devotees, Surya Dev is a universal source of health and vitality. He is the very life breath (prāṇa) of the world. Ancient texts invoke Surya as the great physician: hymns pray to banish disease and darkness from the body and mind. Even the Rig Veda and later scriptures like the Mahabharata and Puranas repeatedly call upon Surya to heal illness and nightmares. This reputation endures in Ayurveda, where sunlight is said to balance the doshas and strengthen immunity.
Spiritually, Surya symbolizes knowledge, power, and the ultimate Truth. The Surya Upanishad goes so far as to equate Surya with Brahman – the supreme reality – saying he is creator, sustainer, destroyer, and indeed identical with one’s own Self. A famous line from that Upanishad declares, “From the Sun arise all beings. The Sun sustains them all. Into the Sun they all vanish… What the Sun is, that I am.” This teaching underscores that the inner light of wisdom is the same light shining from the sun each day.
Surya’s power is also expressed in culture and practice. The daily Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation) is a sequence of yoga postures dedicated to the sun’s energy. Sunrise salutations, mantras, and Ayurvedic routines (like drinking water before sun-up) are ways to absorb Surya’s purifying rays. Temples charge people’s faith: on Makar Sankranti, Hindus across India worship Surya to thank him for longer days ahead. In Eastern India, Chhath Puja is also celebrated to honor Surya Dev’s vital role in sustaining life.
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