Meditate on the Benevolent Sun and Nature on Four-Day Chhath Festival

In Vedic scriptures, the Sun God—known primarily as Surya or Aditya—is revered as the soul of the universe, a visible form of the Supreme Being, and the life-giving sustainer of life, nature and existence.

The Rigveda declares Surya as the 'soul of all that moves and does not move' - Atma jagatastasthushashcha. Unlike unseen deities, Surya is regarded as Pratyaksha Brahman—a tangible, visible god whose energy, light, and warmth can be experienced directly every single day.The scriptures credit Surya with organizing the cosmos, maintaining order, driving away darkness, and serving as the source of rain, food, and biological life. The Sun symbolizes divine omniscience and witness to all human actions. In the scriptures, Sun God stands for spiritual wisdom and  moving people from the darkness of ignorance to light.

In the ancient iconography, the Sun God is traditionally depicted riding a chariot pulled by seven horses, representing the seven meters of Sanskrit prosody or the colours of sunlight, guided by his charioteer Aruna - dawn. The Sun as Aditya symbolises ultimate reality and the primal sound of Om

However, the ancient Chhath festival dedicated to the Sun God has been ritualized, commercialized and politicized and has lost its real essence.

Surya Mantra Recitation as meditation

(1) ॐ सूर्याय नमः

Om Suryaya Namah !

(2) ॐ ह्रां ह्रीं ह्रौं सः सूर्याय नमः !

Om Hram Hrim Hroum Sah Suryaya Namah

(3)जपाकुसुमसंकाशं काश्यपेयं महाद्युतिम। 

तमोऽरिं सर्वपापघ्नं प्रणतोऽस्मि दिवाकरम्॥

Japa-kusuma-sankasham Kashyapeyam Mahadyutim l

Tamorim Sarvapapaghnam Pranathosmi Divakaram ll

(4) ॐ भास्कराय विद्महे दिवाकराय धीमहि तन्नो सूर्यः प्रचोदयात्॥

Om Bhaskaraya Vidmahe Divakaraya Dheemahi Tanno Suryah Prachodayat

Here a Sun prayer for quiet personal reflection and meditation

O Radiant Sun God, maker of the day and dispeller of all darkness, I offer my humble salutations to You. Shining with the vibrant brilliance of a crimson hibiscus flower, O noble God, I bow before Your boundless light. Drive away the shadows from my path, cleanse my mind of all evils, and grant me purity of spirit .As I meditate upon Your divine glow, O giver of light and life, awaken my mind and illuminate my intellect with wisdom. Om Shanti!