Thoughts on Importance of Surya Upaasanaa

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I dream of all six darshans and all five dèvatā sampradāyas (Sūrya, vishNu, shiva, dèvī, gaNapati) flourishing in India. We need Sānkhya-nyāya-vaishéshika-mimāmsā to find guru-shishya tradition again. We need a strong resurrection of independent saura and gāNapatya sampradāyas. 

Sūrya = hiraNyagarbha = brahmadèva = creator 

viShNu = investor = sustenance

shiva = destruction

dèvī = māyā

gaNapati = anugraha

Sūrya upāsanā is upāsanā of hiraNyagarbha brahmā

All five are important. We have focussed a lot on sustenance and destruction in past 1000 years. Times were such. Sustenance and destruction were key traits needed to Hindus. Hence vishNu and shiva are the most prevalent dèvatās in last 1000 years. Dèvī is extremely prevalent too. Māyā needed to maintain the dvaita and do required puruShārtha and parākrama to defend dharma. gaNapati prevalent only in mahārāshTra. And here and there in other KrishNa-Godāvari basin states. 

Other regions have very few temples where gaNapati is the main presiding deity (except those built by Marathas). But anugraha part is at least alive in some parts of India. But the creation or the creative part is sūrya-brahmadèva. Now brahmadèva in his four-headed form cannot be worshipped widely (BhRgu’s shāpa). But we used to worship creator/creativity in form of sūrya nonetheless. There is a reason why Shruti calls viranchi as hiraNyagarbha. Hindus have neglected it in last 1000 years. 

Hindus need to worship and invoke the creator now. Rest of India needs to worship and invoke anugraha kāraka gaNapati now (happening slowly in cities - surprisingly thanks to Bollywood actually - but I will take it). I believe preserving gāNapatya tradition gave a certain edge to western coast of India in medieval times as opposed to rest of India. First deed that Shivaji did was jīrNoddhāra and punah-prāNapratishTHāpanā of a desecrated and abandoned gaNapati in Pune. 

We need to popularise sūrya upāsanā to jumpstart Hindu creativity. We need to popularise gaNapati upāsanā in rest of India to jumpstart Hindu “awakening”. Yes. When Hindus gave up daily sandhyā Vandana (which is mandatory to every Hindu), we threw away our best asset. Even Brahmins are giving it up now, kicking away the ladder that put them where they are. And looking at this downfall of Brahmins, others feel it’s OK too.

Surya upasana is important for Hindu creativity in sense of Hindu birth-rate too. Hindus need to produce more "suprajaa" (good offspring). The issue of "suprajaa" (not just numerical but qualitative too) is most important. 

I wish and pray that surya upasana revives again in India with fervor.