2. Description of Solar Family

The Mārkaṇḍeyapurāṇa contains the account of solar family in chapters 74-75 and chapters 103-105. According to this description the account of solar family may be stated briefly thus:

Mārtaṇḍa i.e. Sūrya married Saṃjña, the illustrious daughter of Viśvakarman. She gave birth to two sons and a daughter viz. Vaivasvata (i.e. the son of Vivasvat), Yama and Yamunā. Being unable to bear the splendour of Sūrya, Saṃjñā, Sūrya’s wife decided to go to her father’s home. After fashioning her body as Chāyāsaṃjñā and telling her to handle all the situation, Saṃjñā went to the abode of Viśvakarman, her father. Then Viśvakarman suggested Saṃjñā to return to her husband’s house. After that Saṃjñā saluted her father respectfully and went to the Northern Kurus. Being afraid of Sūrya’s splendour she changed herself into a mare’s shape and practised austerities there.^[1]

In the meantime Chāyāsaṃjñā gave birth to two sons and a charming daughter, viz. Sāvarṇi, Śanaiścara and Tapatī respectively.^[2] One day Chāyāsaṃjñā, though she was affectionate, cursed Yama, being angry for raising his right leg to strike her in righteous indignation.^[3] She cursed him that his foot would fall that very day to the earth as he spurned her, his father’s wife, disrespectfully with his foot.^[4] Yama became terrified on hearing the curse of his own mother. He was deeply afflicted at that curse, and then Yama, being terrified and deeply troubled at the curse went to his father for its remedy. His father showed his inability to avert the curse as it was a mother’s curse. Hearing the Yama’s speech Sūrya asked Chāyāsaṃjñā about his wife Saṃjñā. Chāyāsaṃjñā made acquainted herself to be Tvaṣṭā’s daughter Saṃjñā. Sūrya asked her repeatedly and while he prepared to curse her, Chāyāsaṃjñā told the Sun the incidents about what had happened.^[5] At the enquiry of Sūrya about Saṃjñā, Viśvakarman told that Saṃjñā was sent to her husband’s home.^[6] Then Sūrya, collecting his mind in meditation, perceived her in mare’s shape practising austerities among the northern Kurus. The Sun understood the purpose of her austerities. After that Sūrya requested Viśvakarman to pare down his splendour and then Viśvakarman, paring down the splendour of the year revolving Sūrya obtained the praises of the gods.^[7]

At that time, Sūrya, assuming the form of a horse, went to the Northern Kurus and saw Saṃjñā there disguised in mare’s shape.^[8] Thereupon as the two met there and joined their noses, two sons, Nāsatya and Dasra issued from the mare’s mouth and at the termination of the flow of semen Revanta was born.^[9] Then Sūrya displayed his own peerless form. She, gazing upon his true form, felt a keen joy and then she changed her form and then Sūrya brought his loving wife to his home.^[10] Afterwards, out of love for his son, the father made an end of the curse by saying that insects, taking some flesh from his foot, would go forth to the earth, and thus he was saved.^[11] At last Sūrya allotted different offices to his children. Thus Saṃjñā’s eldest son, Vaivasvata became the lord of the seventh manvantara; the second son, Yama, became the lord of manes, and the daughter, Yamunā, became the river flowing from the recesses of mount Kalinda. The Aśvins were made god’s physicians, Revanta was also appointed as the king of the Guhyakas. Again Sāvarṇika, the lord of the eight manvantara, Śanaiścara was appointed as the planet Saturn among the planets and Tapatī as a river.^[12]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

ittuktvā sā tadā pitrā tathetyuktā ca sā mune /
sampūjayitvā pitaraṃ jagāmāthotarānkurun //
sūyatāpamanicchantī tejasastasya bibhyatī /
tapaścacāra tatrāpi vaḍavārūpadhāriṇī // Mārkaṇḍeyapurāṇa, 74. 22-23

[2]:

Ibid., 75.33-34

[3]:

Ibid., 74.26-27

[4]:

pituḥ patnīmamaryādaṃ yanmāṃ tarjayase padā /
bhubi tasmādayaṃ pādastavādyaiva patiṣyati // Ibid., 74.29

[5]:

Ibid., 74.34-46

[6]:

Ibid., 74.38

[7]:

Ibid., 74.41-42

[8]:

Ibid., 75.21

[9]:

tataśca nāsikāyogaṃ tayostatra sametayoḥ /
nāsatyadasrau tanayāvaśvīvaktravinirgatau //
retaso’nte ca revantaḥ khaḍgī carmī tanutradhṛk /
aśvārūḍasamudbhūto bāṇatūṇasamanvītaḥ // Ibid., 75. 23-24

[10]:

Ibid., 75.25-26

[11]:

Ibid., 75.28

[12]:

Ibid., 75.29-33