Balance: The Sun and the Male – Female principle


rising sun

The Sun – which reflects both the energy and nature of the Source of All Creation, reflects the masculine and feminine principles of this Source, Brahmam. Where there is Brahmam, there is Shakti. The Sun is the Atma, atmakaraka, Soul, Ego, the personality principle. It is ceaseless in its activities; it is dharmadevata, the Lord of Dharma – as the Sun is continuously following right conduct, dharma. There are many gifts that the Sun gives to life on Earth; it also reflects the Universal Law, as above, so below.

Astrology includes the masculine and feminine energies. The Sun – Lord Suryanarayana is both masculine and feminine. There is no astrology without the Goddess Sri. Prayers were always done to Goddess Sri at the end of the reading and during the propitations and homams. Astrology began and ended with the balance of masculine and feminine, with worship of Sri.

The source and sustenance of all creation, whether at the level of matter or life or mind, is one and one only. It is Shakti, energy. When that energy is in a static condition, with neither evolution or involution, when the universe to be created is not even in a seed-form, as it were, it is called Brahman. When it starts evolving into this creation, sustains it, and withdraws it back into itself, it is called Shakti … if Brahman is likened to the word, Shakti is its meaning. If Brahman is like fire, Shakti is its burning power. The two are inseparable, one in two, two in one.

It is to be kept in mind that all life in the Universe has feeling and consciousness. The amount of consciousness and feeling is appropriate to the state and form a life-form possesses. Jyotisha (Vedic Astrology) reveals that all planets are in fact forms of divinity. There are no unconscious, inanimate forms of divinity. All forms of divinity possess varying degrees of omnipotence, omnipresence, omniscience and omnifelicity. The planetary divinities — navagrahas in Vedic Astrology — are not excluded from these divine phalas (aspects or powers).

Activities of The Sun

The Sun, Surya in Vedic Astrology, indicates more than a simple assignation of the Sun to characteristics such as Self, Personality, Soul, Ego. It is said that the Sun represents the Atma, karaka of true self-esteem, confidence and humility. The Sun is said to provide the confidence required for making and executing of decisions in a congruent and steadfast manner. The Sun is said to be sattvic in nature, kshatriaya in caste, male, of red complexion, of pitta dosha and to have charactistics such as pure, intelligent and courageous.

The Sun – Lord Suryanarayana, occupies a unique position in our lives:

  • The Sun is the visible manifestation of the Lord;
  • The Sun is the source of Time (Kala);
  • The Sun limits and regulates the number of years each one lives;
  • The Sun daily diminishes a fraction of the allotted span of life;
  • The Sun is the supreme arbiter, the maker of man’s destiny;
  • Every deed of ours is performed under the auspices of the Sun and dedicated to Him whether one wills or not;

The Sun gives the example of selfless service, and is a karma yogi, one ever engaged in action without seeking the fruits of the action. The following is within the experience of everyone; everyone may witness the activity of the Sun:

  • The Sun is the source of all life, plant and animal, upon this planet;
  • The Sun gives life to Earth; without the rays of the Sun, the Earth would be a desolate waste;
  • The Sun draws up into the sky the waters of seas and lakes;
  • The Sun causes precipitation; from the clouds, rain pours on the crops;
  • The Sun is the Lord of Dharma – Righteousness – for the Sun is ever scattering the rays equally on all;

The Sun is the renunciate par excellence; He is the great Karma Yogi, the great Nishkama Karma Yogi. (This means taking up action without seeking the fruits of that action.)

  • The Sun, without a second’s thought of His own glory or of rest, performs His Duty without thought of reward;
  • The Sun is humble and steady in work;
  • The Sun performs service which is something no one else can fulfill;
  • The happiness the Sun contributes is something no one else can confer;
  • The Sun has no pretensions to pride;
  • The Sun moves above unconcerned with the consequences of His energising mission of service.

Sun, from Satellite


Imagine the patience with which the Sun puts up with all that extreme heat for the sake of the world and of humanity.

  • It is The Sun who keeps the human body warm and comfortable;
  • This material body is so full of energy and intelligence, on account of the solar energy that it imbibes.
  • If the sun is idle for a moment, the world will be consumed in flames. Instead, he is fostering the world.
  • He feels it as his mission, his purpose, and not as his service.

Dharma in the Aspects and Activities of the Sun

Dharma is the basis of the Universe. All the universe rests on dharma, righteousness, right conduct. It is the dharma of the Sun to rotate on its own orbit of 90 days, what astronomers calls the barycentre. It is the dharma of an apple to taste like an apple and not like a mango. It is the dharma of water to fall, and to flow downhill towards the ocean; it is the dharma of the Earth to rotate on its axis and provide mankind with night and day, and the seasons. If we look at the dharma-in-action of the Sun, the first awareness is that the Sun is teaching us that when one is oneself, there will be no exhaustion or elation, no disgust or pride. The Sun, verily the Lord of Dharma (dharmadevata) proceeds on its course ever the same, sama.

Dharma indicates that the task of Surya is not something imposed from outside and taken up under compulsion; that is why it is performed systematically and smoothly.

The Sun, as exemplar of Dharma, exhorts mankind to use the time that He creates and allots, fully and fruitfully, not merely for living comfortably and safely, but for living a moral and elevating life, worthy of the destiny that is man’s.

As above, so below:

The law of correspondence, As above, so below, embodies the principle of Oneness throughout all the universes and dimensions of existence. Everything in this world is reaction, reflection, resound. The Easwara principle of God, Goddess, All-that-is, is contained within humanity. Brahman has its cognate, Shatkti. If Brahman is like fire, Shakti is its burning power. The two are inseparable, one in two, two in one. The Sun has both a masculine principle and a feminine principle. So also does humanity. The DNA has 22 identical pairs of X and Y chomosomes. It is the 23rd pair which determines gender. The atom is made of electron, proton, neutron.

There was a spiritual aspirant who used to repeat the mantra “Sivoham” as commanded by his guru. One day someone asked him the meaning of the mantra he was chanting. He said Sivoham meant “I am Siva”. But when questioned what his relationship with Parvati was, he slapped his own cheeks and said with a tone of having committed a great sin, “aparaadham! aparaadham!” (blasphemy). If he really had faith in the mantra he was chanting, he would have surely said, “Parvati is a part of my own being.” Easwara and Parvati are present in every individual. The combination of these two aspects constitutes mankind. The masculine and feminine are inherent with the DNA, the cells, the atma – the soul – of the Human. As above, so below.

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