Aruna
Encyclopedia
In to Hindu mythology
Hindu mythology
Hindu religious literature is the large body of traditional narratives related to Hinduism, notably as contained in Sanskrit literature, such as the Sanskrit epics and the Puranas. As such, it is a subset of Nepali and Indian culture...

 and Hindu
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...

 scriptures, Aruṇá or Aruṇ (अरुण) is a personification of the reddish glow of the rising Sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...

, which is believed to have spiritual powers. The presence of Aruṇá, the coming of day, is invoked in Brahmin prayers to Surya
Surya
Surya Suraya or Phra Athit is the chief solar deity in Hinduism, one of the Adityas, son of Kasyapa and one of his wives, Aditi; of Indra; or of Dyaus Pitar . The term Surya also refers to the Sun, in general. Surya has hair and arms of gold...

.

Mythology

According to the solar mythology of Hinduism, the legend states that Vinata
Vinata
Vinata . One of the thirteen daughters of Prajapati Daksha. Married to Kashyapa along with her 12 sisters. She bore him two sons, named Aruṇá and Garuda known as the Suparnas....

 was one of the wives of rishi Kashyapa, and she bore him two sons, named Aruṇá and Garuda
Garuda
The Garuda is a large mythical bird or bird-like creature that appears in both Hindu and Buddhist mythology.From an Indian perspective, Garuda is the Hindu name for the constellation Aquila and...

, bringing them out as eggs. Vinata was promised that her sons would be powerful if she waited for them to hatch from their eggs. However, her impatience to hatch them took root, and she broke one of them. From the broken egg a flash of lighting, Aruṇá, emerged sprang forth. He was as radiant and reddish as the morning sun. But, due to the premature breaking of the egg, Aruṇá was not as bright as the noon sun as he was promised to be. Aruṇá's brother, Garuda, was born regularly, and eventually became the main vehicle of Vishnu.

Aruṇá is sometimes considered a part of Surya, as he is the vision and driving force behind its path through the sky. In some stories, Aruṇá drives the chariot of Surya
Surya
Surya Suraya or Phra Athit is the chief solar deity in Hinduism, one of the Adityas, son of Kasyapa and one of his wives, Aditi; of Indra; or of Dyaus Pitar . The term Surya also refers to the Sun, in general. Surya has hair and arms of gold...

, while in others, he is a manifestation of Surya, serving as a sign of the coming of the Sun God. He is also referred to as Anoora in some contexts.

Aruna is also believed to be the father of Jatayu
Jatayu
Jatayu could mean:*Jatayu , the bird in the Hindu epic Ramayana.*Jatayu Airlines, an Indonesian airline company.*Jatayu , a character in the Feluda stories by Satyajit Ray....

 and Sampati
Sampati
In Hindu theology, Sampati was one of the two sons of Aruṇa and was the brother of Jatayu...

 (King of the Vultures), who are both mentioned in the Ramayana
Ramayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...


Comparative mythology

According to Monier-Williams's dictionary, one of the meanings of aruṇa is 'the red-and-black berry of the retti-plant' : this would resemble the berry "which changed its colour ... from red to black" (Greek Myths 90.c) as described by Polu-eidos, who discovered "a swarm of bees" (Greek Myths, 90.d), just as a swarm of bees assailed Aruṇa (according to the Devī-Bhāgavata Purāna 10:13:109-116).
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