Martanda () in

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

is the eighth and last of the Vedic solar deities called

Adityas In Hinduism, Adityas ( ) refers to a group of major solar deities, who are the offspring of the goddess Aditi. The name ''Aditya'', in the singular, is taken to refer to the sun god Surya. Generally, Adityas are twelve in number and consi ...

. He is known as an Aditya by virtue of being born to Aditi.

Etymology

Mârtânda is etymologically derived from ''mârta'', meaning “dead or undeveloped” (a word connected with ''mrita'', the past participle of ''mri'', "to die") and ''ânda'', "an egg or a bird". The name denotes a dead sun, or a sun that has sunk below the horizon.

Mentions

Book 10, Hymn 72 of the

Rigveda The ''Rigveda'' or ''Rig Veda'' (, , from wikt:ऋच्, ऋच्, "praise" and wikt:वेद, वेद, "knowledge") is an ancient Indian Miscellany, collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns (''sūktas''). It is one of the four sacred canoni ...

has the following verse: ::''Eight are the Sons of Aditi who from her body sprang to life.'' ::''With seven she went to meet the Gods she cast Martanda far away.'' ::''So with her Seven Sons Aditi went forth to meet the earlier age. She brought '' ::''Martanda thitherward to spring to life and die again.'' Aditi at first had only seven sons but later gave birth to an eighth son named Mārtanda. Although many hymns in the Rigveda mention him along with the other Adityas as a form of

Surya Surya ( ; , ) is the Sun#Dalal, Dalal, p. 399 as well as the solar deity in Hinduism. He is traditionally one of the major five deities in the Smarta tradition, Smarta tradition, all of whom are considered as equivalent deities in the Panchaya ...

, as evident from the verse above, Aditi shunned him. Sun temple martand indogreek

The ''Taittirîya Aranyaka'' reads: ::''Tat parâ Mârtândam â abharat'' ::(She set aside Mârtânda for birth and death) The Aranyaka then proceeds to give the names of the eight sons as

Mitra ''Mitra'' (Proto-Indo-Iranian language, Proto-Indo-Iranian: wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-Iranian/mitrás, ''*mitrás'') is the name of an Indo-Iranians#Religion, Indo-Iranian divinity that predates the Rigveda, Rigvedic Mitra (Hindu god), Mitrá ...

Varuna Varuna (; , ) is a Hindu god. He is one of the earliest deities in pantheon, whose role underwent a significant transformation from the Vedic to the Puranic periods. In the early Vedic era, Varuna is seen as the god-sovereign, ruling the sky ...

, Dhâtṛi, Aryaman, Amsha,

Bhaga Bhaga (), is the Vedic god of wealth, as well as a term for "lord, patron" and "wealth, prosperity". He is an Āditya, a group of societal deities who are the sons of Aditi. Bhaga's responsibility was to make sure that people received a shar ...

Indra Indra (; ) is the Hindu god of weather, considered the king of the Deva (Hinduism), Devas and Svarga in Hinduism. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes Indra is the m ...

and

Vivasvat Surya ( ; , ) is the Sun Dalal, p. 399 as well as the solar deity in Hinduism. He is traditionally one of the major five deities in the Smarta tradition, all of whom are considered as equivalent deities in the Panchayatana puja and a means t ...

. But no further explanation is added, nor is it told which of these eight sons represented Mârtânda.The Taittirîya Aranyaka, I, 13, 2-3 In the post-Vedic period, when the number of Adityas increased to twelve, the name ''Vivasvat'' was added to the canon. Vivasvat and Martanda are often used interchangeably. Martand Sun temple in

Anantnag Anantnag ( ; ), also called Islamabad ( ; ), is the administrative headquarters of Anantnag district of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir in the disputed Kashmir region.The application of the term "admi ...

, Jammu and Kashmir is dedicated to Mārtanda. Today the temple is in ruins and Martanda is no longer venerated there. However a temple complex nearby named Martand Tirth serves as a modern replacement.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Martanda Hindu gods Adityas

Etymology

Mentions

See also

References