Human Values and Astrology
Value: Dharma Sub-value: Courage
Planet (graha) Sun (Surya)
Adi deva Namasthubhyam,
Praseeda mama Bhaskara,
Divakara namasthubhyam,
Prabha kara Namostute.
Salutations to the primeval God,
Please be kind to me, he who creates the morn.
Salutations to you, the creator of day,
Salutations to you, the creator of light.
Saptha aswa radha roodam,
Prachandam, Kasypathmajam,
Swetha padma dharma devam,
Tam suryam pranamamyaham
My salutations to the Sun God,
Who rides on chariot with seven horses,
Who is the brightest of lights,
Who is the son of Sage Kashyapa,
And who wears the white lotus flower.
Lohitham Radha maroodam,
Sarva loka pitamaham,
Maha papa haram devam,
Tam suryam pranamamyaham
My salutations to the Sun God,
Who is reddish brown in colour,
Who rides on a chariot,
Who has created all the worlds,
And who is the god who kills all the sins
Trigunyam cha maha sooram,
Brahma Vishnu Maheswaram,
Maha papa haram devam,
Tam suryam pranamamyaham
My salutations to the Sun God,
Who is blessed with three-fold qualities,
Who is a greatest of heroes,
Who has within himself the great trinity
And who is the god who kills all sins.
Bramhitham teja punjam cha,
Vayu maa kaasa meva cha,
Prabhum cha sarva lokaanam,
Tam suryam pranamamyaham
My salutations to the Sun God,
Who developed by the sparkling,
Of air, fire and ether,
And who is the lord of all the universe.
Bandhooka pushpa sankaasam,
Hara kundala bhooshitham,
Eka chakra dharma devam,
Tam suryam pranamamyaham
My salutations to the Sun God,
Who is as red as the hibiscus flower,
Who wears ornaments of garlands and earrings,
And who is the god who has one great Wheel.
Viswesam Viswa karthaaram,
Maha Theja pradheepanam,
Maha papa haram devam,
Tam suryam pranamamyaham
My salutations to the Sun God,
Who is the Lord of all the universe,
Who created all the universe,
And who is the God who can destroy all sins.
Sri Vishnum jagathaam nadam,
Jnana Vijnana mokshadham,
Maha papa haram devam,
Tam suryam pranamamyaham
My salutations to the Sun God,
Who is the lord of peace,
Who is the Lord of this world,
Who showers on us knowledge, science and salvation,
And who is the God who can destoy all sins.
Phala Sruthi
Suryashtakam idham nithyam,
Gruha peeda pranasanam,
Aputhro labhathe puthram,
Daridhro dhanavan Bhaveth.
If one recites daily this octet on Sun God,
The sufferings of his house will vanish,
If he does not have a son will get one,
And if he is poor, he would become wealthy.
Aamisham madhu panam cha,
Ya karothi raver dhine,
Saptha janma bhaved rogi,
Janma janma dharidhratha.
The one who eats meat,
Or drinks alchholic drinks on Sundays,
Will become sick for seven births,
And would be poor from birth to death.
Sthree thails madhu maamsani,
Yasth yejathu raver dhine,
Na vyadhi soka dharidhryam,
Surya lokam sa gachathi.
One who forsakes on all Sundays,
Woman, oil bath, meat and drinks,
Will never be sick nor sad nor poor.
And would reach the land of The Sun after death.
The Sun
The Sun is superior among all the planets, and he becomes pleased with whoever reveres him consistently. Among the planets, he is God incarnate in solar form. Those who regularly and devotedly remember the Sun lose all their worries, disease and poverty, for unwavering worship of the Sun destroys all obstructions and fulfils all cherished desires.
Everything originates from the Sun for he is the soul of all. He is the king of the sky; the ruler of all that falls between the earth and the celestial regions. Lord of the east, the Sun rules both Sunday and the constellation Leo. He is the Cause of the Day, the Terrific Fiery-Rayed One, the Significator of World Bliss. He is called the Shiner, the Enlivener, the Generator, the Life-Giver, the Life-Maker, the Day-Causer and He-whose-rays-are-piercingly-hot. The haritas, the Sun’s green horses, are the seven solar rays, which are the seven Vedic metres: Gayatri, Trishrup, Anustrup, Jagati, Pankti, Bhrhati and Ushnik. There is no reckoning of time without the Sun and without time, there can be no poetry, no seasons, no rhythm in the world.
Above all, consider the service the Sun does to this world! That is within the daily experience of all; every one is witness to that. The Sun is the source of all life, plant and animal, upon this planet. Without His rays, it will be a desolate waste. He draws up into the sky the waters of seas and lakes, and from the clouds He pours rain on the crops. He is ever the Dharmadevatha (the God giving righteousness, right action), scattering His rays equally on all.
The Sun is central to our lives, and in Vedic Astrology, is centre-stage as it is the most powerful luminary, directing light and energy into the heart of the person. The Sun is the kernal, the central core, bathes in the glare of the spotlights, is the eye of the storm, yet, shows the path to the truth of what it means to be human: the Sun indicates the path of righteousness, dharma.
Human Values
Our values are our principles, our guides to action. Values are our internal codes of conduct, the principles upon which we run our lives and make our decisions. Our values are first given to us by our parents. These values develop, expand and are tested in experience. Other people impress their values upon us. We may take on the values of people we admire, such as our peers, our teachers, or elders in the Community. Our moral values are often sourced from our faith. The practice of human values also includes self-knowledge. This points to an important principle – that of self-inquiry. Up to 70% of our time should be spent in self-inquiry. Without knowing the self, one cannot reach the goal of life.
Our values often include universal principles such as truthfulness, peace, love, right conduct and non-violence. These principles are often essential for our personal and social survival. In our observation, when we reverse the order of perception, we can often work out what values are active and guiding a situation or an event or a reaction (our own)(someone else’s) when we analyse the motives of either ourselves or others. We keep in mind that behaviour reveals choices – choices are based on our values. Our values guide our actions.
Dharma is the eternal order, the basis of the Universe, for everything in the universe follows its proper dharma, its order, its righteousness, its right action. It is the dharma of an orange to taste as an orange and give Vitamin C; it is not the dharma of oranges to taste like watermelons and give so many seeds. It is the dharma of rain to fall on everything alike and to provide moisture and water for growth. It is the dharma or right conduct of birds to fly, nest and feed their young. It is the dharma of fish to live in water and to spawn its eggs into water; few (if any) fish can survive on land. An individual’s dharma must be fulfilled by adherence to the duties and obligations relating to each person’s inherent nature, profession, status and stage of life as laid down by the ancient lawgivers. Dharma sustains the world. It is not only divinely ordained but part of divinity itself: ‘Dhārayati iti dharma’ – that which sustains is dharma.
The Sun and Courage:
Courage is a quality of spirit that enables you to face danger or pain without showing fear. We may speak of courageousness, bravery and braveness as character traits, particularly in leadership. Personal courage is the strength of spirit to face one’s own fears and inner demons. So courage is a kind of spirit, character, fibre, trait, attribute, that we can see in others and their actions, their achievements.
Modern terms for courage are heart, mettle, nerve and spunk. One reaches for strength, courage and nerve within in order to complete tasks, or undertake efforts alone. Great achievements in the way of courage are called heroism, gallantry, valour – matters we see in the battlefield, under risk, and perhaps, threat of loss of life. People who evince courage show fearlessness, fortitude, are dauntless and intrepid activists.
We spoke earlier that courage is a quality of spirit; that courage emerges from the soul. The Sun – Sol – is significator of the Soul in human life. The Sun represents human connection to the Divine. Like the Divine, the Sun is self-effulgent light and this light is shed upon all without fear or favour. So the Sun represents the brilliance, radiance, Kingly energy of The Source of the All, and hence, is dharmadevatha, the God representing following of dharma in all human activty, following of right conduct.
The Sun does not signify blind courage. The sun, the self-effulgent source of light, is the light within and gives light to the intellect, the inner faculty of discrimination of good and bad, right conduct and behaviour lacking in right conduct. Where the sun gives will power and determination, this can be combined with courage. Pride, is not an element of courage, pride is not an element of spirit, pride does not emerge from the light within. Pride is from the ego, the ahamkara, the desire for recognition. Courage emerges from spirit, and spirit is the embodiment of humility and servitude.
So we can say that the Sun is the God – Lord Surya – who gives dharma and upholds dharma in all that it does; in this, the Sun gives the example of triple purity of thought, word and action. These are elements of right order of the entire universe. Dharma, the strength of the soul, gives the spiritual essence of courage, and hence, takes the Sun as its significator for courage.
Surya Astakam chanted daily is given below:
