SOLAR DYNASTY – WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

 

             SOLAR DYNASTY – WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Maharaja Porus was a Kshtriya King of Sabharwal caste.  He belonged to the Solar Dynasty, not the Lunar Dynasty as some historians have claimed.

            The kings of the Lunar dynasty worship the moon, but those of the solar dynasty are the devotees of the Sun.

            According to HHinduism the Sun is the object of worship in the Saura or the Saurya cult. The name of the cult is derived from ‘which means the sun. The phenomena associated with the sun inspired the Vedic poets to conceive of several solar deities, to whom the name ‘Adityas’ is given.

            Originally. ‘Adityas’ meaning ‘sons of Aditi’ (the unbounded), was the group name of all the gods.  But subsequently, the term got restricted to its denotation and came to mean only the solar deities. Of these divinities, the most important are   Surya and Savitr.

            Surya is a very concrete solar deity, as he is the personification of the orb of the sun. In the Vedic hymns, Surya is described as the eye of the gods.  He is far-seeing, all-seeing, the spy of the entire world. He beholds all beings, and stands as the witness of the good and bad deeds of mortals. He arouses men from their slumber and impels them to activity.  He is the soul of all that moves or is stationary.   He is the preeminent god of light. Savitr is the god who stimulates and stirs the sun that sets. His striking feature is the golden colour.  He is golden-eyed, golden-handed, golden-tongued. The well-known Gayatri-mantra is addressed to him. The seer of this mantra meditates on the most resplendent and adorable light of Savitr, and appeals to him for the guidance of thoughts and actions on the right paths.

            The source of the information given above is several books on Hinduism and Sulka-yajurveda.