Surya Shataka Explained
| Religion: | Hindu |
| Surya Shataka |
| Author: | Mayurabhatta |
| Verses: | 100 |
| Period: | 7th century |
| Language: | Sanskrit |
The Surya Shataka [1] is a 7th-century Sanskrit hymn composed in praise of the Hindu sun god Surya by the poet Mayura Bhatta, comprising one hundred verses.[2]
Etymology
Surya Shataka translates to a "century of stanzas in praise of the Sun" in Sanskrit.[3]
Description
Tribhuvanapala, in his commentary of this hymn, makes six divisions of this work. Verses 1 to 43 extol the rays of Surya, 44 to 49 praise the horses of the deity, and 50 to 61 hail Aruna, the charioteer of the sun god. Verses 62 - 72 extol the chariot of Surya, 73 - 80 praise the Suryamandala (circular motions of the sun), and 81 to 100 hail various depictions of the sun.[4]
Legend
The composition of the Surya Shataka is commonly regarded to have cured the poet of leprosy due to the grace of Surya.[5] In other accounts, the illness cured is stated to be blindness.[6]
According to temple tradition, Mayura undertook a penance to propitate Surya at the Deo Surya Mandir located at Deo in present-day Aurangabad district, Bihar. While he was composing the verses, he was troubled by a brahmarakshasa, but he was able to defeat him and please the sun god to be cured of leprosy. The hundred verses he composed became known as the Surya Shataka.[7]
Hymn
The first verse of the Surya Shataka is as follows:[8] [9]
See also
Notes and References
- Book: Das, Sisir Kumar . A History of Indian Literature, 500-1399: From Courtly to the Popular . 2005 . Sahitya Akademi . 978-81-260-2171-0 . 112 . en.
- Book: Dictionary of Indology By Vishnulok Bihari Srivastava. 2009. 9788122310849. 8 September 2014. Srivastava. Vishnulok Bihari.
- Book: Encyclopaedia Britannica: A Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and General Literature . 1891 . R.S. Peale . 287 . en.
- Book: Mayur Bhatta . Suryasatakam of Mayur Bhatta . xxviii.
- Book: Banerji, Sures Chandra . A Companion to Sanskrit Literature: Spanning a Period of Over Three Thousand Years, Containing Brief Accounts of Authors, Works, Characters, Technical Terms, Geographical Names, Myths, Legends and Several Appendices . 1989 . Motilal Banarsidass Publ. . 978-81-208-0063-2 . 336 . en.
- Book: Ayyar, P. V. Jagadisa . South Indian Customs . 2001 . Asian Educational Services . 978-81-206-0153-6 . 21 . en.
- Book: Sun Worship in India: A Study of Deo Sun-Shrine By Anirudha Behari Saran, Gaya Pandey. 1992. 46. 9788172110307. 7 September 2014. Saran. Anirudha Behari. Pandey. Gaya.
- https://sanskritdocuments.org/doc_z_misc_navagraha/sUryashataka.html Surya Shatakam of Mayur Bhatta (in Sanskrit with English translation by P. R. Kannan)
- Book: Mayur Bhatta . Suryasatakam of Mayur Bhatta . 2.
