There is one ceremony or the other almost daily for Lord Venkateswara manifest on Tirumala.
Different ceremonies are conducted on a grand scale for the Lord with different time frames— daily, fortnightly, monthly, and yearly. Of them, special mention may be made of annual Brahmotsavas.
Devotees go on raptures witnessing the Lord on different carriages and earnestly wait for the earliest opportunity to visit them. Brahmotsavas are conducted twice this year much to their jubilation.
Because of the addition of one month as per the Telugu Calendar, two categories of Brahmotsavas are conducted this year, namely—Salakatla and Navaratri (nine-day).
Lord of the Seven Hills on the Solar Orb – Surya Prabha Vahana Seva
On the seventh day of Brahmotsavas, the Lord in red garlands moves about the streets of Tirumala on the Sun carriage (Surya Prabha Vahana Seva) drawn by seven horses.
Lord Venkateswara alone appears with golden armor on the Sun carriage as the morning rays of the Sun touch Him suggesting that He is the Surya Narayana in the middle of the solar orb. Brightness itself is a form of God. Indians worship the Sun- God as the visible God.
There is no life without the Sun who is the relative of the world, lover of the lotus, and torch-bearer for creation.
He is none else than a replica of Lord Vishnu, the beloved of Goddess Lakshmi who has made the Sun and the Moon His eyes.
radiates the world like an infinite Wheel of Light and revolves round the three ‘lokas’. He is the marvellous and direct embodiment of Trinity and Time.
He controls the movements of Planets, Subsequently representing the miraculous nature of Time being visible every moment and creates Days, Nights, Fortnights, Months, Seasons, ‘Ayanas’, and Years.
Saptaswaradha marthandam prachandam kasyapatmajam
Swetha padma dharam devam tam suryam pranamamyaham
The infinite-rayed Prabhakara is like an eye to the entire universe. With his unique illumination, one can see boundless Nature and the stupendous creation of God. Lord Aditya is eulogized as the Eye of the Universe and the Eye of the Almighty. One finds the sublime standard of sheen in the Lord.
Lord Sri Krishna confirmed in Gita that Lord Surya is similar to Himself ‘Adityanam aham Vishnum Jyothisham Raviramsuman’.
According to Mythology, many worshipped the magnificent God of Glitter for fulfilling their wishes.
By worshipping Lord Surya, King Satrajit obtained ‘Syamanthakamani’ which is capable of showering gigantic masses of gold.
Kunthi Devi, the mother of Pandavas got Karna as a son shining with ‘Kavachakundalas’ by praying to Lord Ravi.
Pleased with the invocation of king Dharmaraja, Lord Surya offered ‘Akshaya Patra’ to him to solve the crisis of food when the Pandavas were leading a horrible life in the forest.
After praying to Lord Surya, the great Sanskrit poet Mayura’s leprosy was cured.
Lord Rama won the battlefield by worshipping Lord Prabhakara. Lord Venkateswara, the gorgeous god of “Kaliyuga Vaikunta’ prayed to the Sun God and married Goddess Lakshmi.
Sage Yagnavalkya created Sukla Veda and Yajur Veda because of the grace of Lord Aditya.
Renowned as ‘Ramabhaktagresara,’ ‘Chiranjeevi’ and ‘Bhavishyadbrahma,’ Lord Hanuman became the chief disciple of Lord Surya and learned absolute knowledge from Him.
Rathasaptami is also named as Surya Jayanthi’. He moves his Chariot towards the northern direction from this day and gives blessings to devotees.
Let us pray to Lord Surya who is the direct and visible embodiment of all deities to fulfil our noble desires. Lord Surya sanctions wealth, health, progeny, education, and many accomplishments to His devotees. He protects equilibrium in Nature by His movement.
When He rises in the Sky, all movable and immovable entities will be awakened every day. He acts as the witness of ‘Karma’ by following the rule of punctuality. No one can conquer Time. Lord Surya reminds the world about the philosophy of passing Time every moment directly.
On the day of ‘Rathasapthami‘, let us have a holy bath after putting the ‘Jilledu (Arka)’ leaves on our heads and chant the following sloka to possess Lord’s benediction:
Sapta Sapta Maha Sapta Sapta Dweepa Vasundhara Saptarka Parnamaadhayasapthami Rathasapthami
The Pandavas had a divine vessel, Akshay Patra with them during their exile that ensured that there was no paucity of food for them during their difficult days. That vessel is used to give them any food they wish unlimitedly.
They were able to provide a full-fledged feast to their guests, irrespective of their numbers, even in the dense forest. They got that vessel by the grace of Lord Surya when Yudhishter prayed to him to grant a boon ensuring food for them and their guests.
Lord Surya who was pleased with him gifted Akshay Patra and said that it would give him any quantity of food. However, once Draupadi finishes her meal, it would not work for the day.
Prayers to Lord Surya
According to Mythology, there were many who worshipped the magnificent God of Glitter to fulfill their wishes.
By worshipping Lord Surya, King Satrajit obtained ‘Syamanthakamani’ which is capable of showering gigantic masses of gold.
Kunthi Devi, the mother of Pandavas got Karna as a son shining with ‘Kavachakundalas’ by praying to Lord Ravi.
Pleased with the invocation of King Dharmaraja, Lord Surya offered ‘Akshaya Patra’ to him to solve the crisis of food when the Pandavas were leading a horrible life in the forest.
After praying to Lord Surya, the great Sanskrit poet Mayura’s leprosy was cured.
Lord Surya Narayana is considered to be the prime of the universe. The sun rays are the source of all light in the universe. All beings are born, nurtured, and deceased due to the rays of the Sun. Lord Surya Narayana is the “Atma” of the universe. Worship of the Sun god has existed from ancient days.
Solar dynasty
Solar dynasty is to be the first Royal dynasty. Lord Sri Ramachandra was born in this solar dynasty. We have to worship Surya Narayana daily. Lord Sri Rama recited “Aditya Hridyam” to slay Ravanasura. Bharatiya Sampradaya insists on worshipping the Sun God.
“Aruna Mantra” is one of the significant Mantra mentioned in Vedas by praising Sun God. There are 12 Adityas in the Universe named Dwadasa Adityas. Lord Sriman Narayana resides in the middle among them.
The transition of the Sun to the zodiac called Makara (Capricorn) is called “Uttarayana” and is celebrated as “Makara Sankranti” – “Magasuddha Sapthami”. This period is very auspicious and is also dedicated to the Sun God by celebrating Rathasapthami as a festival.
Rathasapthami
Rathasapthami is equally celebrated as Makara Sankranti. It is also good to perform rituals for ancestors on this day. Any eye-related problems are resolved by praying to the Sun God. This is mentioned in Jyothisha Sastra.
One can gain healthy eyes and intellect by praying to Lord Surya Narayana. “Aroghyam Bhaskharadichyeth” which means – “Good Health is desired from Bhaskara – the Sun God”
By praying to the Sun God, one can obtain good health, mind, and intellect. When performing namaskara to the Sun God, one should recite “Surya Deva Namasthubhyam”. Sun God has a special status among Navagrahas and has special prayers for him.
Sun God is also known as Savitha as he is the source of birth.
Gayathri Mantra
Gayathri Mantra also relates to Surya Mantra. It is important to recite the Gayathri Mantra per Sun God to improve one’s intellect. Rathasapthami is an ancient festival that is to be celebrated wholeheartedly to get the grace of Lord Surya Narayana.
This would also rejuvenate our body. Sun God is not a planet, he is the Supreme being himself. When one does Namaskaram, it shows his obedience and gratitude towards others.
When performing Surya Namaskaram, our health and wealth are cherished by the blessings of Sun God. Surya Mantra, Surya Sthothram, Aruna Mantra are recited to acquire the blessings of the Sun God.
Procession of Surya Prabha Vahanam in Tirumala
Cured of Leprosy
A devotee named Mayurbhatta was cured of Leprosy after praying to Lord Surya Narayana. He composed Surya Satakam in praise of Lord Surya Narayana.
Many puranas, have mentioned the worship of the Sun God which benefits health and wealth. Akshaya Patra in Mahabharata and Aditya Hridyam in Ramayana are clear examples. All the beings have to show gratitude towards the Sun God by performing daily Surya Namaskar towards the east.
*Source – Saptagiri Magazine
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