The Samba Purana (, ) is one of the Saura

Upapurana The Upapuranas (Sanskrit: ') are a genre of Hindu religious texts consisting of many compilations differentiated from the Mahapuranas by styling them as secondary Puranas using the prefix ''Upa'' (secondary). Though only a few of these compilatio ...

s. This text is dedicated to

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 ...

. The recension of the text found in the printed editions has 84 chapters. Chapters 53-68 of this text are also divided into 15 s.

Content

Samba Purana is a text dedicated to the worship of Surya, the god of the sun. This text comprises a number of narratives dealing with creation, details of solar system, eclipses, geography of the earth, description of Surya and his attendants, construction of images of these deities, details of

yoga Yoga (UK: , US: ; 'yoga' ; ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals, as pra ...

, manners and customs, rites and rituals, recitations of

mantra A mantra ( ; Pali: ''mantra'') or mantram (Devanagari: मन्त्रम्) is a sacred utterance, a numinous sound, a syllable, word or phonemes, or group of words (most often in an Indo-Iranian language like Sanskrit or Avestan) belie ...

s, and ''

dāna (Devanagari: , IAST: ) is a Sanskrit and Pali word that connotes the virtue of generosity, charity or giving of alms, in Indian religions and philosophies. In Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, is the practice of cultivating generosi ...

'' (generosity). After the customary beginning in Chapter 1, the text consists the narrative of

Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...

's son

Samba Samba () is a broad term for many of the rhythms that compose the better known Brazilian music genres that originated in the Afro-Brazilians, Afro Brazilian communities of Bahia in the late 19th century and early 20th century, It is a name or ...

being infected by leprosy after being cursed by sage

Durvasa In Hindu scriptures, Durvasa (, ), also known as Durvasas (), is a legendary rishi (sage). He is the son of Anasuya and Atri. According to some Puranas, Durvasa is a partial avatar of Shiva, known for his short temper. Wherever he goes, he is ...

, and subsequently being cured by worshipping Surya in the temple constructed by him in Mitravana on the banks of the Chandrabhaga at what was Multan Sun Temple. This whole narrative is presented as a conversation between the king Brihadbala of

Ikshvaku dynasty The Solar dynasty or (; ), also called the Ikshvaku dynasty, is a legendary Indian dynasty said to have been founded by Ikshvaku. In Hindu literature, it ruled the Kosala Kingdom, with its capital at Ayodhya, and later at Shravasti. They ...

and the sage Vashishtha. In Chapter two, Samba, a son of Krishna was cursed to be afflicted by leprosy. In chapter 5, Samba was then advised by

Narada Narada (, ), or Narada Muni, is a sage-divinity, famous in Hinduism, Hindu traditions as a travelling musician and storyteller, who carries news and enlightening wisdom. He is one of the Manasputra, mind-created children of Brahma, the creator ...

to worship Surya. In Chapter 14, Samba engaged himself in

tapas Tapas () are appetisers or snacks in Spanish cuisine. They can be combined to make a full meal and are served cold (such as mixed olives and cheese) or hot (such as , which are battered, fried baby squid; or , spicy potatoes). In some bars ...

, meditating on Surya at Mitravan (identified by scholars as

Multan Multan is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, fifth-most populous city in the Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab province of Pakistan. Located along the eastern bank of the Chenab River, it is the List of cities in Pakistan by populatio ...

) which came to be called Sambapur. In chapter 16, Samba discovered an idol of Surya midstream in Chandrabhaga ( Chinab) river. Chapters 26-27 of this text narrate the story of bringing the eighteen

Maga Brahmin Maga Brahmins (also known as Sakaldwipiya Brahmin or Bhojaka Brahmins) are a class of Brahmins primarily concentrated in northern India. Mentions Hindu texts The earliest extant Hindu text to mention the Magas is Samba Purana (c. 7th-8th cen ...

s from by Samba and appointing them as the priests of the Surya temple in Mitravana. He is then told in chapter 27 that only the Maga Brahmins in Shakadvipa are capable of worshiping the idol of Surya. Samba then went to Shakadvipa and fetched Maga Brahmins to worship Surya. The Maga are described as reciting the Vedas in a mysterious way, they wear avayanga. They drink homa juice. Samba brought 18 families from Shakadvipa, flying on the divine bird

Garuda Garuda (; ; Vedic Sanskrit: , ) is a Hindu deity who is primarily depicted as the mount (''vahana'') of the Hindu god Vishnu. This divine creature is mentioned in the Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain faiths. Garuda is also the half-brother of the D ...

. The image of Surya explained that it was crafted in Shakadvipa itself, and eventually arrived at Mitravan. Much of the text is devoted to rituals associated with Sun worship.

History

R.C. Hazra in his Studies in the Upapuranas dates Samba Purana between 650 and 850 CE. The text in Brāhmaparvan of the

Bhavishya Purana The 'Bhavishya Purana' (') is one of the eighteen major works in the Purana genre of Hinduism, written in Sanskrit. The title ''Bhavishya'' means "future" and implies it is a work that contains prophecies regarding the future. The ''Bhavishya ...

is largely taken from the Samba Purana which is regarded to be older.

Govindpur Inscription of Poet Gangadhar

An inscription of Saka 1059 (1137-38 CE) was discovered by Cunningham at Govindpur in the Nawada division of the Gaya district. It gives the account of Maga Brahmins being invited by Samba. The scholarly family of Gangadhar belonged to a clan of Maga Brahmins. The inscription confirms that the tradition existed before Saka 1059, confirming the antiquity of the text of Samba Purana. The Gaya region is a major center of the Shakadwipiya Brahmins who use local village names as the exogamous divisions of their community.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * {{Puranas Puranas Surya Soma (drink) History of Multan