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<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Short description|Hindu goddess of clouds and dusk}}<br />
{{Redirect2|Saranya|Sanjana||Saranya (disambiguation)|and|Sanjana (disambiguation)}}<br />
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}<br />
{{Infobox deity<br />
| type = Hindu<br />
| image = Sanjna Surya Chhaya.jpg<br />
| caption = Surya with consorts Sanjna and [[Chhaya]]<br />
| name = Sanjna<br />
| Devanagari = संज्ञा<br />
| Sanskrit_transliteration = Samjñā<br />
| affiliation = <br />
| gender = Female<br />
| god_of = Goddess of Clouds and Dusk<br />
| consort = [[Surya]]<br />
| father = [[Vishvakarma]]<br />
| children = [[Yama (Hinduism)|Yama]], [[Yamuna in Hinduism|Yami]], [[Ashvins]], [[Shraddhadeva Manu]] and [[Revanta]]<br />
| siblings = [[Trisiras]] (twin brother)<br>[[Chhaya]] (reflection)<br />
| other_names = Saranyu, Saranyu, Surenu, Sandhya, Sanjana, Suvarchala, Randal, Sauri<br />
}}<br />
'''Sanjna''' or '''Samjna''' (Sanskrit: संज्ञा, IAST: ''Samjñā''), also known as '''Saranyu''' ({{lang-sa|सरन्यू}}, IAST: ''Saraṇyū'') and '''Sandhya''' (Sanskrit: सन्ध्या), is a [[devi|Hindu goddess]] and the chief wife of [[Surya]], the Sun god. She is one of the earliest goddesses in the pantheon and is found in the ''[[Rigveda]]''. Saranyu also appears in later texts including the ''[[Harivamsa]]'' and the ''[[Markandeya Purana]]''. The most prominent legend of Saranyu is about her temporary abandonment of Surya and creation of [[Chhaya]]. In most texts, Saranyu is the mother of the death god [[Yama (Hinduism)|Yama]], the river-goddess [[Yami]], the [[current Manu]], the divine twin physicians [[Ashvins]] and the god [[Revanta]].<br />
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== Etymology and epithets==<br />
''{{IAST|Saraṇyū}}'' is the female form of the adjective ''{{IAST|saraṇyú}}'', meaning "quick, fleet, nimble", used for rivers and wind in the ''[[Rigveda]]'' (compare also [[Sarayu]]).{{sfn|Kinsley|1986|p=16}} Saranyu has been described as "the swift-speeding storm cloud".<ref>{{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Erinyes |volume=9 |page=745}}</ref> In the later text named Harivamsa (5th century C.E.), Saranyu is known as Sanjna or Samjna , which means 'image', 'sign' or 'name'. In the Puranas, Samjna is known by many other names including Sandhya, Sanjana and Suvarchala.<ref name= "wendy" /><ref name="Kurma Purana">{{Cite book|last=Daniélou|first=Alain|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1HMXN9h6WX0C&q=Samj%C3%B1%C4%81|title=The Myths and Gods of India: The Classic Work on Hindu Polytheism from the Princeton Bollingen Series|date=December 1991|publisher=Inner Traditions / Bear & Co|isbn=978-0-89281-354-4|language=en}}</ref><br />
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==Textual sources and family==<br />
[[File:Suryadeva.jpg|left|175px|thumb|Statues of Surya and his two consorts {{mdash}} Samjna and Chhaya]]<br />
The earliest evidence of Sanjna is found in the ''[[Rigveda]]'' (c. 1200-1000 BCE), where she is referred to as Saranyu, and described to be the daughter of deity [[Tvastar]] (who is known as [[Vishwakarma]] in later texts) and she has a twin brother named [[Trisiras]].{{sfn|Kinsley|1986|p=16}} Her husband is mentioned as Vivasvan, which is interpreted as a synonym of [[Surya]]. With him, she has six children. After some centuries, the same story is recited in Yaksha's ''Nirukta'' (c. 500 BCE). Some centuries after Yaksha, the text of ''[[Bṛhaddevatā]]'' also narrates the same story with additional details of Ashvin's birth.<ref name = "wendy" /> The epic ''[[Harivamsa]]'' (c. 5th century CE) mentions her as Sanjna and later in the Puranas like the ''[[Markandeya Purana]], the [[Matsya Purana]]'' and the ''[[Kurma Purana|Kurma]]'', Sanjna is referred to as Vishwakarma's daughter and her shadow is called [[Chhaya]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Pattanaik|first=Devdutt|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rjL3ogbdJNkC&q=Saranya&pg=PA67|title=The Goddess in India: The Five Faces of the Eternal Feminine|date=September 2000|publisher=Inner Traditions / Bear & Co|isbn=978-0-89281-807-5|language=en}}</ref> However in ''[[Bhagavata Purana]]'', Chhaya is her biological sister.<ref name="Prabhupada">{{cite web|url=http://srimadbhagavatam.com/sb/8/13/en|title=Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: Chapter 13: Description of Future Manus|last=Prabhupada|author-link=Prabhupada|publisher=The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.|accessdate=5 July 2010|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110215012049/http://srimadbhagavatam.com/sb/8/13/en|archivedate=15 February 2011}}</ref> Most sources indicate that the children of Surya by Saranyu are:<br />
*[[Shraddhadeva Manu]] — ancestor of humans<ref name = "wendy" /><ref name = "Vettam" /><br />
*[[Yama (Hinduism)|Yama]] — Lord of Death<ref name = "wendy" /><ref name = "Vettam" /><br />
*[[Yamuna in Hinduism|Yami]] — Lady of [[Yamuna]]<ref name = "wendy" /><ref name = "Vettam" /><br />
*[[Ashvins]] — The divine twin physicians.<ref name = "Revanta" >{{Citation |last=Singh |first=Nagendra Kumar |year=1997 |title=Encyclopaedia of Hinduism |volume=44 |chapter=Revanta in Puranic Literature and Art |pages=2605–19 |publisher=Anmol Publications <!-- PVT. LTD. --> |isbn=81-7488-168-9}}</ref><br />
*[[Revanta]] — Master of horses<ref name = "Revanta" /><ref name = "wendy" /><ref name = "Vettam" /><br />
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Some texts present a different list of her children. As per ''[[Kurma Purana]]'' and ''[[Bhagavata Purana]]'', Sanjna has only three children {{Em dash}} [[Shraddhadeva Manu]], [[Yama (Hinduism)|Yama]] and [[Yamuna in Hinduism|Yamuna]] (Yami).<ref name="Kurma Purana" /><ref name = "Prabhupada" /><br />
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==Legends==<br />
[[File:Birth of the Celestial Twins, Folio from a Harivamsha (Lineage of Vishnu) LACMA M.83.1.7 (1 of 2).jpg|left|thumb|upright|Birth of Ashwinikumar, a folio from the ''Harivamsa'']]<br />
According to many texts, the craftsman deity [[Vishwakarma]], also known as [[Tvastar]], has two children Samjna and Trisiras. After Saranyu grows into a beautiful maiden, he arranges his daughter's [[Svayamvara]], a custom in which a lady chooses her husband from the group of eligible suitors. Samjna marries Surya (alias Vivasvan), the sun god.{{sfn|Kinsley|1986|p=16}}{{sfn|Wendy|1984|p=154}}<br />
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Samjna is unsatisfied with her marital life. The Harivamsa states that power and heat of Surya has made him unpleasant looking to her, while according to the Markandeya Purana, Samjna's behaviour changes as she is unable to bear the heat of Surya's splendor or heat.{{sfn|Wendy|1988|p=158 (for Harivamsa)}} Her behaviour angers Surya and he curses her next born children. After the birth of Yama and Yami, she is unable to tolerate more and decides to abandon her husband. Before leaving, she creates a similar looking woman from her shadow ([[Chhaya]]) and asks her to take care of the children. However, in Vedic accounts, the lady is a similar looking woman named Savarna. According to Harivamsa and Markandeya Purana, Samjna reaches her father's abode but is asked by him to return. Helpless, she assumes the form of a mare and roams in the forest of [[Kuru kingdom|Kuru]]. In the ''[[Vishnu Purana]]'', a similar legend is recited by the sage [[Parashara]] but Samjna leaves Surya to gain control over his heat by performing ''[[tapas (religion)|tapas]]'' in the forest.<ref name = "wilson">{{cite book|last=Wilson|first=Horace Hayman|author-link=Horace Hayman Wilson|title=The Vishńu Puráńa: a system of Hindu mythology and tradition|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nuooAAAAYAAJ&q=chhaya&pg=PA20|volume=8|year=1866|publisher=Trubner & Co.|location=London|pages=20–23|chapter=II}}</ref><br />
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Meanwhile, Surya, unaware of the replacement, impregnates the look alike. After their birth, she becomes partial to her children. Yama later abuses and threatens her with his leg in the Harivamsa, while the Markandeya Purana tells that he kicks her. All texts mention that Chhaya casts a curse on him. In some versions, she curses Yama's leg to get infected with worms or fall apart or both. Surya gets to know that she was not Yama's mother due to the harsh punishment which a mother can't think of. This behaviour of a mother to her child makes Surya suspicious and after confronting Chhaya, she discloses the whole incident.<br />
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Distressed, Surya goes to his father in law, and asks him to cure his splendor. Vishwakarma then reduces Surya's glory, making him pleasant. Surya then locates Samjna, who was in the form of a mare, and after finding her, he assumes the form of a stallion and engage in love making with her in the form of a stallion. Samjna delivers twins Ashvins through her nose. Surya shows his normal form to her. Sanjana is pleased to see her husband's beauty and returns to her abode with her new-born twins.<ref name = "wendy">{{cite book|last=Doniger |first=Wendy|author-link=Wendy Doniger|editor=John Stratton Hawley, Donna Marie Wulff|title=Devī: goddesses of India|year=1998|publisher=Motilal Banarsidas| isbn=81-208-1491-6|chapter=Saranyu/Samjna|pages = 154–7|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CZrV3kOpMt0C&q=Samjna}}</ref> Unlike the previous version of Harivamsa, Markandeya Purana states that Surya asks his father in law to reduce his heat after the birth of Ashvins.<ref name = "wendy" /> Some texts also add [[Revant]], the divine master of horses, as the son of Sanjana.<ref name = "Revanta" /><br />
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In many Puranas, Vishvakarma uses Surya's heat to create many celestial weapons.<ref name = "Vettam">Puranic Encyclopedia: a comprehensive dictionary with special reference to the epic and Puranic literature, Vettam Mani, Motilal Banarsidass, Delhi, 1975, p. [https://archive.org/stream/puranicencyclopa00maniuoft#page/680/mode/2up Samjñā]</ref><br />
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==Notes==<br />
{{Notelist}}<br />
===Citations===<br />
{{Reflist}}<br />
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==References==<br />
* {{Cite book|last=Kinsley|first=David R|title=Hindu Goddesses: Vision of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Religious Traditions|publisher= University of California Press|date=1986|isbn=81-208-0379-5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hgTOZEyrVtIC&q=Sara%E1%B9%87y%C5%AB}}<br />
==External links==<br />
{{Commons category}}<br />
{{Hindu Culture and Epics}}<br />
{{Authority control}}<br />
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[[Category:Hindu goddesses]]<br />
[[Category:Sky and weather goddesses]]</div>2409:4060:117:7B14:0:0:A83:D8B0