Surya bears great significance in the MahabharataВ as well. Interestingly, Lord Rama himself is a descendant of Surya вЂ“ he is a Suryavanshi, that is, hailing from the dynasty of the Suryavanshas. He imparts training to HanumanВ to help him lead the Vanara Sena or the Army of Monkeys. Sugriva was the one who helped Rama defeat the terrible demon king, Ravana. In the Ramayana, Surya is said to be the father of King Sugriva.

While Shani Deva bestows positive or negative results for one's deeds committed during one's lifetime, Yama Deva grants these results after one's death. Incidentally, Surya Deva's sons, Shani and Yama, are the judges of human life and karma. Surya's other wife, Ragyi, gave birth to their son, Revanta or Raivata. In due course of time, Chhaya gave birth to 2 sons, namely, Savarni Manu and Shani (Planet Saturn) and 2 daughters, namely, Tapti and Vishti. Later, she also gave birth to the Ashvin twins, who were the divine horsemen and physicians to the Devas.Д«eing unable to bear the extreme radiance emitted by Surya, Sharanya created a superficial shadow of herself, called Chhaya. Sharanya was the motherВ of Vaivasvata Manu (or Satyavrata, the present Manu) and the twins Yama (the God of Death) and his sister Yami. Surya, or Vivasvata, had 3 queens, namely, Sharanya (also called Saraniya, Saranyu, Sanjana or Sangya), Ragyi and Prabha. The commonest among them are Aditya, Adideva, Angaraka, Arka, Bhaga, Brahma, Dhanwantari, Dharmadhwaja, Dhatri, Dhumaketu, Indra, Jaya, Maitreya, Prabhakara, Ravi, Rudra, Savitri, Soma, Teja, Vaisravana, Vanhi, Varun and Vishnu. The other most common form of Surya, namely, Mitra, is found mostly in Gujarat.Yet another temple, the Balarka Surya Mandir built in Uttar Pradesh in the 10th Century, was destroyed in the 14th Century, during the Turkish invasion. The very grand and elaborate Konark Temple in Orissa, the Uttararka and Lolarka in Uttar Pradesh, the Balarka temple in Rajasthan and the Sun Temple at Modhera, Gujarat, are all dedicated to his form of Arka. Surya in the form of ArkaВ is worshipped mostly in North and Eastern India.But two of the most common forms of the deity are Arka and Mitra. He is worshipped in the early hours of dawn, especially on Hindu festivals such as Makar Sankranti, Ratha Saptami, Chhath and Samba Dashami. One can find many temples, all over India, dedicated to the worship of Surya. The Sauras worship him as one of the five major forms of God. Surya Devata is regarded as the Supreme Being among the followers of the Saura sect, which has now become very small and is almost endangered. Certain groups of Rakshasas, called the Yatudhanas, were staunch followers of the Sun God. Incidentally, Surya is worshipped by people, saints and even asuras or demons. Surya Devata in Hinduism is considered to be an eye of the Virata Purusha, or the Vishwarupa (Universal Form) of Lord Sri KrishnaВ himself. Surya is sometimes shown with 2 hands, holding one lotus in each and sometimes with 4 hands, holding a lotus, Sankha (conch), Chakra (discus) and Gada (mace). These 7 horses represent the colors of the rainbow and the 7 chakras in the subtle human body as well. Surya is often portrayed as riding a chariot driven by 7 horses or alternatively, by 1 horse with 7 heads. The main deity of the Navagrahas or the Nine Planets of Hindu Astrology as well, he is also considered as one of the Navagrahas.

Surya narayana stotram in tamil