Savitri (deity)
Savitri ( Sanskrit सवितृ savitṛ m. “Invigorating”) was a Vedic god with a solar character who merged with the sun god Surya at an early age .
Beings in the Rigveda
Eleven hymns are dedicated to Savitri in the Rigveda . A hymn addressed to him, the Savitri ( sāvitrī ), is considered the most important mantra of the Vedas and is also called Gayatri mantra ( gāyatrī ) because of the meter .
Savitri is one of the Adityas and is considered to be the driver who causes every movement in humans and animals, he wakes up and brings the beings to rest. He gave the Ribhus immortality. He sees all beings, cleanses from sin and drives away diseases and demons.
Savitri is described as golden, its golden sheen illuminating the sky, earth and the air space in between. He is called golden-eyed, golden-tongued and especially golden-handed. He stretches his golden arms up and his golden chariot is pulled by two brown horses with white fetters.
Savitri and Surya
Already in the Rigveda there is not always a clear distinction between Savitri and the sun god Surya . In some places Savitri, who is described as the driver of the sun, is clearly different from Surya, but in others he seems to be almost identical with him. In later Hinduism , Savitri merged with Surya and is considered to be the nocturnal aspect of the sun, while Surya embodies the aspect of the daytime sun. Other interpretations see in Savitri the sun before sunrise, which wakes the world up and drives it to daily action.
literature
- Hans Wilhelm Haussig (Ed.): Gods and Myths of the Indian Subcontinent (= Dictionary of Mythology . Department 1: The ancient civilized peoples. Volume 5). Klett-Cotta, Stuttgart 1984, ISBN 3-12-909850-X .
- John Dowson: Hindu Mythology & Religion . 14th edition, Rupa, New Delhi 2004.