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Undid revision 1019819715 by Qwerfjkl (talk)

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'''Saura''' is a religion and denomination of [[Hinduism]],<ref>{{cite book|title=Early Medieval Art Of Haryana|page=46|author=Chander Pal Singh|publisher=Koshal Book Depot}}</ref> [[originating]] as a [[Vedic]] tradition. Followers of Saura worship [[Surya]] as the [[Saguna Brahman]]. At present the Sauras are a very small movement, much smaller than other larger denominations such as [[Vaishnavism]] or [[Shaivism]]. There was a rapid decline of the Sauras in the 12th and 13th century CE, due to the Muslim conquests.

==History==
The sun has been worshipped in various forms since the time of the [[Rig Veda]] in India. The prominence of the Saura sect is expounded by the supremacy of the Gayatri mantra in the Vedic prayers. The theology of the sect appears in a number of documents like the [[Mahabharata]], [[Ramayana]], [[Markandeya Purana]] and a fifth century inscription.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Farquhar |first1=J. N. |last2=Dupont |first2=J. C. |last3=Milon |first3=H. |last4=Froment |first4=A. |title=Outline of the Religious Literature of India |date=1984 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publ. |isbn=9788120820869 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lwggjSPrjxUC&lpg=PA205&dq=saurya%20sect&pg=PA152 |language=en}}</ref>

===In the Mahabharata===
On one occasion, when leaving his chambers in the morning, [[Yudhisthira]] encounters one thousand Saurite brahmins with eight thousand followers.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Farquhar |first1=J. N. |last2=Dupont |first2=J. C. |last3=Milon |first3=H. |last4=Froment |first4=A. |title=Outline of the Religious Literature of India |date=1984 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publ. |isbn=9788120820869 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lwggjSPrjxUC&lpg=PA205&dq=saurya%20sect&pg=PA152 |language=en}}</ref>

==Surya worship==
The priests of the saura sect were called magas, bhojakas, or sakadivipiya brahmins.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Farquhar |first1=J. N. |title=Outline of the Religious Literature of India |date=1984 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publ. |isbn=9788120820869 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lwggjSPrjxUC&pg=PA205&dq=saurya+sect#q=saurya%20sect |language=en}}</ref> In the Saura sect, the god Surya is the lord of the [[Trimurti]], the eternal Brahman and the supreme spirit, the soul of all creatures, self existent, unborn, the cause of all things and the foundation of the world. Saura followers worship [[Surya]] as the [[Saguna Brahman]].

==Texts==
The most important text of the Saura sect is the Saura Samhita. Its only extant copy is currently in Nepal and has been dated to 941 A.D. but is considered to be older. Another text of importance is the [[Surya Satakam]], a Sanskrit poem of a hundred stanzas. The poem was composed in the sragdhara meter and written in the gaudi style by [[Mayurbhatta]], a poet in the court of [[Harshavardhana]] and a rival of [[Banabhatta]]. Surya as the bestower of [[moksha]] (release) is emphasized in this text. The [[Samba Purana]], a Saurite upapurana, is a text entirely dedicated to Surya.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Farquhar |first1=J. N. |title=Outline of the Religious Literature of India |date=1984 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publ. |isbn=9788120820869 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lwggjSPrjxUC&pg=PA205&dq=saurya+sect#q=saurya%20sect |language=en}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Hindu denominations]]

{{hinduism-stub}}

Saura (Hinduism) - Revision history

>Qwerfjkl: Undid revision 1019819715 by Qwerfjkl (talk)