Dear Alakendu,
Its Mr. Spier not Dr. Spier, but more importantly, are you aware of any references in the literature to "eight" aspects or somethings of the sun.
Thanks,
Harry Spier


On Sat, Oct 14, 2023 at 11:11 PM alakendu das via INDOLOGY <indology@list.indology.info> wrote:
Dr Spier,

It , may , refer to 8 different aspects of Surya .

Regards
Alakendu Das

From: indology@list.indology.info
Sent: Sun, 15 Oct 2023 00:42:53
To: indology@list.indology.info
Subject: [INDOLOGY] Why is this hymn an aṣṭakam?


Dear list members,

I've been asked why the title of this hymn is sūryamaṇḍalāṣṭakam, when it has twelve verses and a phalam verse. Written after the collophon is sūryamaṇḍaladvādaśastotram . I do not know where that came from, whether from the transcriber or from what he was transcribing. 

Is it possible that the aṣṭakam in the title doesn't refer to the number of verses but is a qualifier of sūryamaṇḍala in the title? I.e. sūryamaṇḍalāṣṭakam means "the eight circles of the sun" ?

The hymn is:

 sūryamaṇḍalastotraṁ athavā sūryamaṇḍalāṣṭakam

namaḥ savitre jagadekacakṣuṣe jagatprasūtī sthitināśahetave

trayīmayāya triguṇātmadhāriṇe virañci nārāyaṇa śaṅkarātman

namo\'stu sūryāya sahasraraśmaye sahasraśākhānvitasambhavātmane

sahasrayogodbhavabhāvabhāgine sahasrasaṅkhyāyugadhāriṇe namaḥ

yanmaṇḍalaṁ dīptikaraṁ viśālaṁ ratnaprabhaṁ tīvramanādirūpam

dāridryaduḥkhakṣayakāraṇaṁ ca punātu māṁ tatsaviturvareṇyam 1

yanmaṇḍalaṁ devagaṇaiḥ supūjitaṁ vipraiḥ stutaṁ bhāvanamuktikovidam

taṁ devadevaṁ praṇamāmi sūryaṁ punātu māṁ tatsaviturvareṇyam 2

yanmaṇḍalaṁ jñānaghanaṁ tvagamyaṁ trailokyapūjyaṁ triguṇātmarūpam

samasta-tejomaya-divyarūpaṁ punātu māṁ tatsaviturvareṇyam 3

yanmaṇḍalaṁ gūḍhamatiprabodhaṁ dharmasya vṛddhiṁ kurute janānām

yatsarvapāpakṣayakāraṇaṁ ca punātu māṁ tatsaviturvareṇyam 4

yanmaṇḍalaṁ vyādhivināśadakṣaṁ yadṛgyajuḥsāmasu sampragītam

prakāśitaṁ yena ca bhūrbhuvaḥ svaḥ punātu māṁ tatsaviturvareṇyam 5

yanmaṇḍalaṁ vedavido vadanti gāyanti yaccāraṇa-siddhasaṅghāḥ

yadyogino yogajuṣāṁ ca saṅghāḥ punātu māṁ tatsaviturvareṇyam 6

yanmaṇḍalaṁ sarvajanaiśca pūjitaṁ jyotiśca kuryādiha martyaloke

yatkālakālādyamanādirūpaṁ punātu māṁ tatsaviturvareṇyam 7

yanmaṇḍalaṁ viṣṇucāturmukhākhyaṁ yadakṣaraṁ pāpaharaṁ janānām

yatkālakalpakṣayakāraṇaṁ ca punātu māṁ tatsaviturvareṇyam 8

yanmaṇḍalaṁ viśvasṛjaṁ prasiddhamutpatti-rakṣā-pralaya-pragalbham

yasmiñjagatsaṁharate\'khilaṁ ca punātu māṁ tatsaviturvareṇyam 9

yanmaṇḍalaṁ sarvagatasya viṣṇorātmā paraṁ dhāma viśuddhatattvam

sūkṣmāntarairyogapathānugamyaṁ punātu māṁ tatsaviturvareṇyam 10

yanmaṇḍalaṁ vedavido vadanti gāyanti yaccāraṇa-siddhasaṅghāḥ

yanmaṇḍalaṁ vedavidaḥ smaranti punātu māṁ tatsaviturvareṇyam 11

yanmaṇḍalaṁ vedavidopagītaṁ yadyogināṁ yogapathānugamyam

tatsarvavedyaṁ praṇamāmi sūryaṁ punātu māṁ tatsaviturvareṇyam 12

sūryamaṇḍalasustotraṁ yaḥ paṭhet satataṁ naraḥ

sarvapāpaviśuddhātmā sūryaloke mahīyate 13

iti śrī bhaviṣyottarapurāṇe śrīkṛṣṇārjunasaṁvāde

sūryamaṇḍalastotraṁ sampūrṇam

sūryamaṇḍaladvādaśastotram


Thanks,

Harry Spier



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