suryA in sanAtana dharma

surya has a special place in sanAtana dharma. People translate sUrya as "sun", which is the partial truth because sUrya is much more than just a ball of fire. sUrya is our "pratyaksha dEvata". He represents light, energy, cosmic order (सूर्य एव ग्रहाणां गतिः | सूर्यस्य गुरुत्वाकर्षणम् ग्रहाणां चक्रव्यूहेन कार्यं करोति ), knowledge (gAyatri mantra), enlightenment (gAyatri mantra), life and life giving force, vitality, wisdom etc. He is the source of all life and energy on this planet. It is because of sUrya that kAla or time exists (kAlaḥ sUryaḥ prabhAkarah). It is due to sUrya that bhoomi has aakarshaNa shakti, the gravitational force (सूर्य एवं गुरुत्वाकर्षण). He is the primary deity among the 9 celestial objects (the navagrahas) that have direct influence on us.  

Through the day, surya is offered "arghya" - prAtaH sandhya, madhyAnika sandhya, and sAyam sandhya. "sandhya" is the intersection - first intersection is that of the night with day, second the day with the noon, and the third noon with the night and this cycle continued. We are expected to wake up before sunrise and welcome him into our hearts through prAtah sandhya, thank him for his presence during mAdhyAnika, and bid him farewell with sAyam sandhya. 

surya gAyatri 

sUrya is the direct evidence for that supreme brahman or the source of everything. He does the role of and is the agent of brahma, vishnu and maheshwara because it is surya who sprouts a seed, it is sUrya that sustains it, and it is sUrya that dries and destroys it through his rays. That's why sUrya is described in the Aditya hridayam as the brahma, vishnu, maheshwara, skanda and prajApati (एष ब्रह्मा च विष्णुश्च शिवः स्कन्दः प्रजापतिः).  

ॐ आदित्याय विद्महे दिवाकराय धीमहि। तन्नः सूर्यः प्रचोदयात्॥

There is a gaAyatri mantra dedicated for surya

• Om - we invoke the universal cosmic sound that pervades everything.
• aadityayA - to that son of aditi who was there from the beginning of this creation 
• vidmahe - vid means to know, to contemplate upon; we invest our intellect to know that aaditya
• divAkara - div is light, kara is creator; I meditate upon that creator of light
• tat - that
• sUryaH - sU - to shine, to become evident, to make evident, to manifest; one who manifests everything.  
• pracodayAt - may he enlighten or inspire us; move us; instigate us into action.  

Translation: "Om! we aspire to know the aaditya (surya, the son of aditi) and meditate upon the divAkara (the one creates the day), may that surya (who originates this universe and the knowledge within it) enlighten or inspire us". sUrya not just shines the world outside but enlightens the world within.   

The vitalizing energy of sUrya

We all know how valuable sUrya is and I do not have to emphasize it. Lack of good exposure to energy from sUrya can lead one to depression and many physical and mental illnesses. surya has the power to move us, motivate us, and spring us into action. surya is enabled by the Lord at the center. This is demonstrated in Ramayanam when Rama is feeling dejected, agasatya asks Rama to meditate upon Aaditya to revitalize himself and find the motivation to fight rAvaNa. The bhargo devaH inside Aaditya is सर्वशत्रुविनाशनम्, i.e. can destroy all enemies and doubts. Meditating upon sUrya is all auspicious, removes all sins, erases all worries, sadness, and increases one's life span (सर्वमङ्गलमाङ्गल्यं सर्वपापप्रणाशनम् । चिन्ताशोकप्रशमनमायुर्वर्धनमुत्तमम्). 

The potent rays of sUrya: 

The rays of sUrya is "arka". arka also means life, spirit, a flash of lightning, fire, a praise or hymn, a learned man etc. You can easily see the significance of the rays of sun. sUrya is described as "sahasrArchi" - one with thousands or infinite rays of light. In Sri Vishnusahasranama Sri Vishnu is described as "sahasraarchi-sapta-jihvah-saptaidhaah-sapta-vaahanaha", and this is a great indication to show why it is said in Bhagawad Gita "ādityānām ahaṁ viṣhṇur jyotiṣhāṁ ravir anśhumān", among the AdityAs, I am Vishnu and among the bright luminous aspects I am ravi-anshumAn - the radiant sun. This is an indication that sUrya is not to be seen merely as a ball of fire. He is lot more than that. 

It is the rays of sun that enables us to see. He is the one who enables us to see the colors around us. He is said to have 7-rays, which is the VIBGYOR of the modern times. These 7-rays are symbolized in many ways: 

1. saptaashva - he has seven horses, each representing or symbolizing a color or the rhythm of this universe. The seven ashvAs of sUrya are the seven meters or chandas: gAyatri, brihati, ushnih, jagati, trishtubh, anushtubh, pankti. These seven rays represent the seven days and the seven chakrAs (or energy centers), 
2. sapta-pRANAs (mahA-prANa - main vital force, apAna - the downward prANa that eliminates, samAna - the equilibrium maintaining energy, udAna - that which governs speech and expression, vyAna - the circulatory energy, nAga - reflex actions, kUrma - that which governs spinal cord and eyes and is the stabilizing force). 
3. sapta-jihva: mahA-jihva - the primary tongue that is the root for all other tongues, vAk-jihva - for speech and communication. rasa-jihva - the one for taste and flavor, dharma-jihva - the speech of dharma and virtues, kAma-jihva - tongue for desire and pleasure, ajnAna-jihva - the indifferent toungue, nirmAna-jihvA - the jihva of craetion and manifestation. All these "tongues" are within and outside us. These tongues do not work in the absence of sUrya.  

gAyatri mantra or the brahma gAyatri (rigveda 3.62.10): 

the brahma gAyatri is one of the most popular mantrAs from the vedic texts. I do not think there is any "Hindu" who would not know this brahma gAyatri. This also demonstrates the value of sUrya in the lives of sanAtana dharmis. We pray to the deity who resides in the sun to illuminate us from within. The sUrya who is shining the universe is the sUrya who is shining with us. He is the source of all knowledge, wisdom and spiritual awareness. It is only through sUrya that the seed of knowledge can sprout within us. So, the brahma gAyatri invokes the savitr dEvata, and meditates upon the bhargodEva to create the awareness within. This is important because, in sanAtana dharma everything is within us. We are the reservoir of knowledge and wisdom but we have forgotten to tap into it. gAyatri mantra is the tool that ignites the fountain of consciousness from within.  

ॐ भूर्भुवः स्वः। तत्सवितुर्वरेण्यं। भर्गो देवस्य धीमहि। धियो यो नः प्रचोदयात्॥

• ॐ (Om): we invoke the universal cosmic sound that represent the ultimate reality or consciousness
• भूः (bhūr): physical realm or Earth 
• भुवः (bhuvaḥ): mental realm or atmosphere or the space
• स्वः (svaḥ): spiritual realm or heaven, the realm of the divine
  
  "ॐ भूर्भुवः स्वः" is the vyAhriti - the declaration, that it is OM that pervades the earth, the space and beyond (heavens). 

"तत्सवितुर्वरेण्यं। भर्गो देवस्य धीमहि। धियो यो नः प्रचोदयात्" is the actual gAyatri mantra. It is a way to invoke the bhargo deva within us, and to seek inspiration and internal enlightenment through the invocation of "light" within us. The bharga burns the ignorance within us and removes the dust on our intellectual mirror to provides us clarity.  

• तत् (tat): That (the supreme reality or consciousness).
• सवितुः (savituh): Of savitr dEvata, representing the source of light and life
• वरेंयम् (vareṇyaṃ): the all desirable, who is worthy of worship.
• भर्गः देवस्य (bhargaḥ): of the deity that produces the effulgence or brilliance in the sun; the luster. 
• धीमहि (dhImahi): meditate or contemplate upon
• धियः (dhiyaḥ): Intellects
• यो (yo): Who.
• नः (naḥ): Our.
• प्रचोदयात् (prachodayāt): May inspire or illuminate.

"Om! We meditate upon that divine, all desiring "light" (which is the source of all wisdom, knowledge and spiritual evolution) of the deity in the sun. May that divine light illuminate our intellects". 

Lot more can be said about sUrya but I will stop here for now. It all started with the 7-rays or horses of sun that I read about in the morning on FB that I thought I will dump some thoughts here.