Saura or Saurya () is a denomination of

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 ...

whose adherents worship the Sun god

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 the

Saguna Brahman ''Saguna brahman'' ( 'The Absolute with qualities'; from Sanskrit ' 'with qualities', ''guṇa'' 'quality', and ''Brahman'' 'the Absolute') is a concept of ultimate reality in Hinduism, close to the concept of immanence, the manifested divine ...

. In the contemporary period, the Sauras are a very small movement, much smaller than other larger denominations such as

Vaishnavism Vaishnavism () ), also called Vishnuism, is one of the major Hindu denominations, Hindu traditions, that considers Vishnu as the sole Para Brahman, supreme being leading all other Hindu deities, that is, ''Mahavishnu''. It is one of the majo ...

Shaivism Shaivism (, , ) is one of the major Hindu denominations, Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Para Brahman, supreme being. It is the Hinduism#Demographics, second-largest Hindu sect after Vaishnavism, constituting about 385 million H ...

. There was a rapid decline of the Sauras in the 12th and 13th century CE, due to the Muslim conquests. Their heartlands, primarily in Western Punjab, were the first lands in India, barring Sindh, to fall in these conquests.

History

The Sun has been worshipped in various forms since the time of the ''Rigveda'' in India. The prominence of the Saura sect is expounded by the supremacy of the

Gayatri Mantra The Gāyatrī Mantra (), also known as the Sāvitrī Mantra (), is a sacred mantra from the ''Ṛig Veda'' ( Mandala 3.62.10), dedicated to the Vedic deity Savitr. The mantra is attributed to the rajarshi Vishvamitra. The term Gāyatr ...

in the Vedic prayers. The theology of the sect appears in a number of documents like the ''

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; , , ) is one of the two major Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India revered as Smriti texts in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the events and aftermath of the Kuru ...

'', the ''

Ramayana The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...

'', the ''

Markandeya Purana The ''Markandeya Purana'' (; IAST: ) is a Sanskrit text of Hinduism, and one of the eighteen major Puranas. The text's title Markandeya refers to a sage in Sanatana Dharma, who is the central character in two legends, one linked to Shiva and oth ...

'', and a fifth century inscription.

Mahabharata

On one occasion, when leaving his chambers in the morning,

Yudhishthira Yudhishthira (Sanskrit: युधिष्ठिर, ud̪ʱiʂʈʰiɾᵊ IAST: ''Yudhiṣṭhira''), also known as Dharmaputra, is the eldest among the five Pandavas, and is also one of the central characters of the ancient Indian epic ''Ma ...

encounters one thousand Saura

Brahmins Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...

with eight thousand followers.

Worship

The priests of the Saura sect were called magas, bhojakas, or sakadivipiya Brahmins. In the Saura sect, the god Surya is the lord of the

Trimurti The Trimurti ( /t̪ɾimʊɾt̪iː/) is the triple deity of supreme divinity in Hinduism, in which the cosmic functions of creation, preservation, and destruction are personified as a triad of deities. Typically, the designations are that ...

, the eternal Brahman, and the supreme spirit, the soul of all creatures, self-existent, unborn, the cause of all things and the foundation of the world. The worship of the Sun is prescribed to be performed by its adoration during various periods (just-risen, the meridian, and setting), chanting the deity's prayers, and the wearing of his marks in the form of a circular red ''

tilaka In Hinduism, the tilaka (), colloquially known as a tika, is a mark worn usually on the forehead, at the point of the Ajna, ''ajna chakra'' (third eye or spiritual eye) and sometimes other parts of the body such as the neck, hand, chest, or the ...

'' on the forehead.

Texts

The most important text of the Saura sect is the ''Saura Samhita''. Its only extant copy is currently in Nepal and has been dated to 941 CE, but is considered to be older. Another text of importance is the Surya Shataka, a Sanskrit poem of a hundred stanzas. The poem was composed in the ''sragdhara'' meter and written in the gaudi style by Mayurbhatta, a poet in the court of

Harshavardhana Harshavardhana (Sanskrit: हर्षवर्धन; 4 June 590 – 647) was an emperor of Kannauj from April 606 until his death in 647. He was the king of Thanesar who had defeated the Alchon Huns, and the younger brother of Rajya ...

and a rival of Banabhatta. Surya as the bestower of ''

moksha ''Moksha'' (; , '), also called ''vimoksha'', ''vimukti'', and ''mukti'', is a term in Jainism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Sikhism for various forms of emancipation, liberation, '' nirvana'', or release. In its soteriological and eschatologic ...

'' (release) is emphasised in this text. The '' Samba Purana'', a Saura Upapurana, is a text entirely dedicated to Surya.

References

{{Reflist Hindu denominations Surya