The Sanskrit term ‘sankranti’ translates as ‘transference’ and is used to indicate the movement of sun from one constellation to the next through the year.Our ancients knew the nuances of creation millenia ago: the motion of sun and the planets, their shapes, sizes and the location of various heavenly bodies. The observance of twelve sankrantis in a year is an apt example of that knowledge. What our ancients also knew, and what the majority of Indians has forgotten, is the science of energy, the shakti of the various heavenly bodies and the changes in the energy patterns of creation as the sun and other celestial bodies underwent transition.
For a beginner, I prescribe a simple practice to tap into the energy of the Sun in transit on the day of Makar Sankranti. At the time of sunrise, sit or stand facing the direction of the sun. Pay reverence to the energy of Guru, and keeping the awareness of sun at the point between the eyebrows, begin with the ram chant (you may visit dhyafoundation.com for the correct chant). Continue with the chant as you take your awareness to the center of the chest cavity and finally to the point of the navel. By now the sun would be visible in the morning sky, a soft pink hue. Offer water to the sun at this point and close your eyes. Distribute the prana of the sun so acquired in your entire body. After some time, open your eyes and look at your palms or a green patch
Sun or Surya, is a shakti, which is of special importance to the dwellers of the earth. It is the energy of the sun that sustains life on the planet, something which is uncontested by modern science. The brilliance of the sun is an experience which each one of us has had, so brilliant that it is not possible to look at the bright sun with the naked eye. The rishis of yore followed the sun. The Gita says, you become what you follow, and so the rishis glowed like the sun and had powers comparable to those of the sun. To quote an example, Rishi Vishvamitra, who followed the sun and to whom is attributed the Mahamantra Gayatri, is known to have created a parallel universe by only chanting this mantra.
Surya is the devta of gyan, of infinite knowledge about the secrets of creation. He is the Guru to Lord Hanuman and the progenitor of the glorious Suryavansh, in which were born heroes like Manu, King Bhagirath, King Raghu and Lord Ram. Surya existed before religion, and provides heat and light to every entity on earth irrespective of their religion, race or birth. The sun knows no religion. Interestingly, a Western university recorded the sound of sun, and the sound it emits is the sound of Om (you may hear it on dhyan foundation website). It is sound which manifests as colors, which further manifest into the five elements that constitute everything in physical creation. The rishis of Bharatvarsh tapped into the sound of Creation, and thousands of years ago, gave us the mantra–Om.
A word of caution: do not look at the bright sun directly. Practice under supervision. The practice yields the best results when followed by massaging and feeding desi cows and bulls. The desi cows and bulls have a hump, which is called the Suryaketu nadi, which harnesses the energy of the sun. The same can be accessed by service to the cows and bulls. Visit a Dhyan Foundation gaushala and experience for yourself the magic of this wondrous being.
Makar Sankranti was of special significance in the ancient world, for it corresponded with the onset of the apparent northward movement of the sun (uttarayan in Sanskrit). That there is no superstition in this is evident from the subsequent naming of the southernmost latitude in the sun’s trajectory as the Tropic of Capricorn by modern scientists–named after the constellation Capricornus (Makar, in Sanskrit) in which sun entered at the point. It marked the beginning of the auspicious period, for henceforth the days would become longer and brighter. Bhishma Pitamah, of the Mahabharata era, waited for this day to leave his body to facilitate his moksha.
Sun was special, not just to Bharatvarsh, but all across the world. The English, till date, wish each other ‘a sunny day’ every time they greet. The ancient Egyptians worshipped the sun as Atum and Horus, Mesopotamians as Shamash, Germans as Sol, and Greeks as Helios and Apollo. The Roman Empire, too, celebrated the birth of the unconquered sun on the winter solstice (uttarayan) which coincided with December 25th at the time.
With the shift in the earth’s axis, the phenomenon of uttarayan has shifted from makar sankranti (sun’s entry into Capricornus, January 14 as per Indian Calendar) to December 22, which is when sun is in dhanu (Sagittarius). These subtle changes in the movement of the sun, and their impact on various aspects of creation are routinely observed and experienced by surya sadhaks at Dhyan Ashram, and applied through the science of sound or mantras under the guidance of Guru, for the benefit of creation.
For a beginner, I prescribe a simple practice to tap into the energy of the sun in transit on the day of Makar Sankranti. At the time of sunrise, sit or stand facing the direction of the sun. Pay reverence to the energy of Guru, and keeping the awareness of sun at the point between the eyebrows, begin with the ram chant (you may visit dhyafoundation.com for the correct chant). Continue with the chant as you take your awareness to the center of the chest cavity and finally to the point of the navel. By now the sun would be visible in the morning sky, a soft pink hue. Offer water to the sun at this point and close your eyes. Distribute the prana of the sun so acquired in your entire body. After some time, open your eyes and look at your palms or a green patch.
A word of caution: do not look at the bright sun directly. Practice under supervision. The practice yields the best results when followed by massaging and feeding desi cows and bulls. The desi cows and bulls have a hump, which is called the Suryaketu nadi, which harnesses the energy of the sun. The same can be accessed by service to the cows and bulls. Visit a Dhyan Foundation gaushala and experience for yourself the magic of this wondrous being.
Yogi Ashwini of Dhyan Ashram may be reached at [email protected]
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