Project SHIVOHAM

Aravind Markandeya

Project Shivoham explores the history, wisdom, science, symbolism and forgotten stories of Indian civilization.

  1. 5d ago

    Dwadasha Adityas - The 12 Forms of the Sun

    Why are there twelve months in a year? Why is the zodiac divided into twelve Rashis? And why does Bharatiya tradition speak of twelve forms of Surya? These are the Dwadasha Adityas — the twelve manifestations of the Sun. In this episode, we explore the extraordinary relationship between Surya, time, astronomy, Jyotisha Shastra and the number twelve. We begin with a simple idea: imagine the sky as an enormous celestial clock. As the Earth moves around the Sun, the Sun appears to move through twelve regions of the zodiac over the course of a year. Twelve Rashis. Twelve solar months. And within Bharatiya tradition, twelve Adityas. We explore Dhata, Aryaman, Mitra, Varuna, Indra, Vivasvan, Tvashta, Vishnu, Anshuman, Bhaga, Pusha and Parjanya, and their traditional connection with the twelve Rashis. But the story goes much deeper. The Adityas appear across the Vedic tradition. Surya is praised in the Aditya Hridayam of Sri Ramayanam. Bharatiya astronomical works such as the Surya Siddhanta studied celestial movements and divisions of time. Kashi preserves a tradition of twelve sacred Aditya shrines. Surya Namaskaram continues to honour Surya through twelve positions and names. And the Gayatri Mantra itself invokes the divine radiance of Savita to illuminate our intellect. And the tradition did not disappear into history. When India launched its first dedicated solar observatory, it carried an ancient name into modern space science: Aditya-L1. From the Rigveda to modern astronomy, this is the story of the Dwadasha Adityas — twelve forms of Surya and one extraordinary civilizational idea that has survived for thousands of years.

    Dwadasha Adityas - The 12 Forms of the Sun

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Project Shivoham explores the history, wisdom, science, symbolism and forgotten stories of Indian civilization.