Everyday in the morning , one can see hundreds of devotees chanting the mantras and offering water to the Sun god in India. Since ages, Hindu society follows morning ritual of offering water to sun at Sun rise. I have tried to ask lots of experts from different places and fields to know rationale behind it. There are numerous articles on internet suggesting Benefits of giving water to Sun. All of them agreed on benefits, nobody has the answer for actual benefits. I went through many authorized experts and books like.
- Aditya-Hridayam (The meditation of Sun in the heart )
- Brihata Hora Shastra
- NASA website
- Few Health related website
- Few Astrologers
- Few Brahmana
- A Physicist
- Two Astronomists
- Foremost Vastu Shastra Expert. Dr Jessie J Mercay
- Surya Sidhanta
Who is Sun?
Rigveda says, it is sun that wakes one up from sleep. It is due to the Sun that all can work and are active.
As per Vedic Scriptures, He is the very embodiment of all Gods. He is self-luminous and sustains all with his rays. He nourishes and energizes the inhabitants of all the worlds as well as the host of Gods and demons by his Rays.
He is the Brahma (the creator), Visnu (the Sustainer), Shiva (the destroyer), Skanda (the son of Siva), Prajapati (progenitor of human race), the mighty Indra (king of heaven), Kubera (the god of wealth and lord of riches), Kala (eternal time), Yama (the Lord of death), Soma (the moon god that nourishes), and Varuna (the lord of sea and ocean).
Indeed, he is Pitris (ancestors, manes), the eight Vasus, the Sadhyas, the twin Ashwins (physicians of Gods), the Maruts, the Manu, Vayu (the wind God), Agni (the fire God), Prana (the Life breath of all beings), the maker of six seasons and the giver of light.
Students and scientists are aware of nuclear reactions happening at surface of sun. For us, it’s the only source of energy. Imagine a world without Sun. what will we do to survive? Being the source of light and warmth, he has the ability to control the seasons and the power to grant or withhold the ripening of the crops.
As per Ancient Vedas
Water offered to Sun in the evening converts the drops of water to stones that kill the demons. For humans, most likely demons are like all sicknesses like typhoid TB, pneumonia etc. When a devotee takes water in his hands while standing in front of or facing the sun and drops water on the ground the rising direct Sunʼs rays fall from the head to feet of the devotee in a uniform flow. This way water heated by Sun rays and its colors penetrates every part of the body. This is the reason why the Vedas direct the devotee to offer water when the Sun is about to set.
As per Astrology
Astrology is totally based on light. All colors represent a particular planet. Human being is made up of five elements as Water, Air, Ether, Earth and Fire. Every planet in our horoscope represents a relation. A person with a weak Sun or afflicted Sun might have not warm relations with father or he might have lost him also. For such persons, It is a recommended Vedic remedy to offer water to Sun .
As per Scientists
“Solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation has been used since ancient times to treat various diseases. This has a scientific background in the fact that a large number of molecules (chromophores) in different layers of the skin interacts with and absorbs UV.
…Phototherapy is a valuable option in the treatment of many psoriatic and nonpsoriatic conditions, including atopic dermatitis, sclerosing skin conditions such as morphea, scleroderma, vitiligo, and mycosis fungoides. Phototherapy is the treatment of certain skin disorders with UV radiation which can be produced by the sun, fluorescent lamps, short arc lamps with UV filters and lasers.
Depending on the shape of the spectrum of radiation emitted by the source, phototherapy can be divided into broadband UVB (290-320 nm), narrow band UVB (310-315 nm), monochromatic UVB (308 nm from an excimer laser), broadband UVA (320-400 nm) and UVA-1 (340-400 nm).
…Traditionally, broadband UVB phototherapy has been used to treat psoriasis, which is an inflammatory skin disease, characterized by keratinocyte hyperproliferation with 1-2 percent prevalence in the general population. However, now more often narrowband UVB or monochromatic UVB are used for the clearance of psoriasis. Narrow-band UVB clears psoriasis faster and produces longer remissions than broadband UVB. Action spectra for UV-induced erythema, DNA damage, photoimmune suppression, squamous cell carcinoma and vitamin D synthesis are very similar, all in the UVB spectral region of 280-310 nm.
Narrowband UVB do not contain the most erythemogenic and carcinogenic wavelengths.
As per Health and Nutrition experts
New evidence presented in the April-June issue of Dermato-Endocrinology confirms that exposure to the sun in appropriate and measured timeframes has a number of health benefits unrelated to vitamin D production, such as:
Enhancing mood and energy through the release of endorphins | Protecting against and suppressing symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS) |
Treating skin diseases, such as psoriasis, vitiligo, atopic dermatitis, and scleroderma. UV radiation also enhances skin barrier functions | Inducing nitric oxide (NO), which helps protect your skin against UV damage and offers cardiovascular protection, promotes wound healing through its antimicrobial effect, and has some anti-cancer activity |
Melatonin regulation through the “third eye” of the pineal gland photoreceptors | Relieving fibromyalgia pain |
Standard treatment for tuberculosis 100 years ago, long before the advent of antibiotics | Treating neonatal jaundice |
Can be used to sterilize your armpits and eliminate the cause of most body odor | Treating Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) |
Synchronizing important biorhythms through sunlight entering your eye and striking your retina | Regulating body temperature |
Protecting against melanoma and decreasing mortality from it | May be effective in treating T Cell lymphoma |
Vastu Shastra
The earth has a flow of energy that is called “the grid.” This flow of energy is related to the earth’s rotation at the equator.It flows North and South in alignment with true north rather than magnetic north. When a house or structure is aligned precisely with “The Grid” the effects of Vastu are realized.
Another value of using the grid is that solar energy flows east to west as the sun moves across the sky. When a home is properly aligned with the north/ south grid , it is automatically aligned with the east west grid. Grid lines in a built space are carriers of energy values and qualities. Of properly designed, The micro space, in our house is foetus, Garbha or Bindu.
This micro abode is the repository of light and sound. The free space is Light and the Light is Moolam or source of the universe and universal forms. Light is Brahman, Atman, Vastu Brahman .
Our body is also manifestation of energy. As per Vastu shastra , it is also governed by direction and all universal laws
What happen when we offer water to Sun?
Sun light is carrier of energy and it penetrates our body’s energy circle known as aura. As sun light passes through water, it divided into seven colors as shown in picture below.
No human being is perfect. Any deficiency in our personality is related to some missing energy. Ayurveda talks about this imbalance as Dosha. Astrology see it as a deficiency in any house horoscope.
It is recommended in the water offering ritual to keep the vessel above chest. When these refracted lights enters human body. The surface area of our chest is highest in human body, so chest can absorb maximum refracted light.
There is no known evidence or study to see, how it affects our energy aura. There is no available documented study over the same. It’s a matter of individual practice and realization.
I hope , i am able to provide you enough foundation to prepare your belief as per your own perspective . Either you have faith on scriptures or You trust scientific facts.
Obeisance to Lord Sun
Salutations to the Lord, who creates heat by his brilliant rays. He alone creates, sustains and destroys all that has come into being. Salutations to Him who by His rays consumes the waters, heats them up and sends them down as rain again.