Sūrya: a focused sun-deity reading
Sūrya
Read the cited source passages on this page →
Explore a sun-deity passage in the Bhagavad Gītā, with Vivasvān’s name, a named translation, and questions for further study.
Start with a named passage
Bhagavad Gītā 4.1 names the sun-god Vivasvān. In A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda’s translation, Kṛṣṇa describes teaching yoga to Vivasvān, who passes it to Manu, and Manu to Ikṣvāku. Read this as the text’s account of the transmission of teaching.
Read the source
Source passages to read on this page
Read the selected passages in English below. Translation, commentary and handbook guidance are labeled separately; the adjacent links let you check the source.
Bhagavad Gītā 4.1
Kṛṣṇa speaks to Arjuna in the Gītā’s dialogue. The surrounding chapter remains linked for context.
Reference: Swami Swarupananda; Śrīmad-Bhagavad-Gītā, Advaita Ashrama, Mayavati (1909); Ramakrishna Order / Advaita Vedānta. Check the cited passage or chapter →
English translation
I told this imperishable Yoga to Vivasvat; Vivasvat told it to Manu; (and) Manu told it to Ikshvaku:
Public-domain 1909 English translation. Line breaks and evident OCR errors corrected against the passage; translator’s comments are not included. Original Sanskrit is identified separately.
Read the original Sanskrit
Original Sanskrit · Devanāgarī
श्रीभगवानुवाच ।
इमं विवस्वते योगं प्रोक्तवानहमव्ययम् ।
विवस्वान्मनवे प्राह मनुरिक्ष्वाकवेऽब्रवीत् ॥ १ ॥
Bhagavad Gītā 10.21
Kṛṣṇa speaks to Arjuna in the Gītā’s dialogue. The surrounding chapter remains linked for context.
Reference: Swami Swarupananda; Śrīmad-Bhagavad-Gītā, Advaita Ashrama, Mayavati (1909); Ramakrishna Order / Advaita Vedānta. Check the cited passage or chapter →
English translation
Of the Adityas, I am Vishnu; of luminaries, the radiant Sun; of the winds, I am Marichi; of the asterisms, the Moon.
Public-domain 1909 English translation. Line breaks and evident OCR errors corrected against the passage; translator’s comments are not included. Original Sanskrit is identified separately.
Read the original Sanskrit
Original Sanskrit · Devanāgarī
आदित्यानामहं विष्णुर्ज्योतिषां रविरंशुमान् ।
मरीचिर्मरुतामस्मि नक्षत्राणामहं शशी ॥ २१ ॥
Follow the names and the sequence
The edition provides Sanskrit, transliteration, word meanings, a translation, and a purport. Its word meanings explicitly identify Vivasvān as the sun-god’s name. Start with the verses and translation supplied on this page. For optional study of the linked edition, record separately what its commentary adds.
A second passage to compare
In the same edition’s Gītā 10.21, Kṛṣṇa identifies himself with the radiant sun among lights. Compare the two verses as religious descriptions: one concerns transmission of teaching, while the other is part of a description of divine manifestations.
A careful reading notebook
Make one entry for each verse. Note the name used for the sun or sun-deity, the speaker, and what the statement does in the dialogue. Use the Sanskrit word meanings to avoid assuming that every English reference to the sun serves the same purpose.
- Which name appears in the passage?
- Who is speaking, and to whom?
- What is being passed on in verse 4.1?
- How does verse 10.21 differ in purpose?
From reading to community practice
The Gītā reading guide helps distinguish translation and commentary. If you want to learn a sun-related prayer or observance, ask a teacher for its exact title, textual source, translation, and local practice. The temple visit guide can help prepare that conversation.
Sources & scope
VedaBase: Bhagavad-gītā As It Is 4.1 — Translation and commentary by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda. This guide introduces a sun-deity passage in this edition; it does not survey Sūrya worship or prescribe a ritual.
Source consulted October 7, 2026. This handbook’s orientation is not a substitute for the source’s complete text and explanation.