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Savitr

Also called: Savitar, Savita, Hiranyapani

The Vedic god who sets things in motion: he rouses every creature at dawn and lays it to rest at dusk. Eleven whole hymns of the Rigveda are his and his name occurs about 170 times (Macdonell). He is golden-eyed, golden-handed and golden-tongued, raises his golden arms over the world, and drives a golden car with two white-footed bays. No god breaks his law (RV 2.38.9). The verse RV 3.62.10, the Savitri or Gayatri, is addressed to him. In the Brahmanas he is the impeller of the gods; the Kaushitaki Brahmana says a morsel of the sacrifice cut off his hands and the gods gave him golden ones. In the Puranas he survives as one of the twelve Adityas, while his verse becomes the goddesses Savitri and Gayatri.

impulse dawn and dusk law light prayer

Sources: Hymns of the Rigveda, tr. R. T. H. Griffith (1896), hymns read for the Vedic layer; Vedic Mythology, A. A. Macdonell (1897); Rigveda Brahmanas: the Aitareya and Kausitaki Brahmanas, tr. A. B. Keith (1920) · see Savitr's web

Relations 5

Savitr granted a boon to

The Ribhus (God) · The Ribhus make their parents young and sleep twelve days in the house of Agohya
Savitr gives the Ribhus immortality when they come to Agohya's house.
The Ribhus (God)
Savitr gave the Ribhus immortality when they came to his house.

Savitr child of

Aditi (God)
Savitr is one of the twelve Adityas born to Kashyapa and Aditi in the Vishnu Purana. In the Rigveda he is only once listed beside four Adityas (RV 8.18.3).

Savitr form of

Surya (God)
In RV 7.63 Savitr seems to be named as the same god as Surya; many other hymns keep the two apart.

Savitr rival of

Rudra (Form) · How Savitr came by his golden hands
Rudra breaks Savitr's arms with his bow and afterwards gives them back.

Stories 11

Aditi wins the first and the last offering
Origin · as finds a quarter · 2 tellings
The Ribhus make four cups from one
Legend · as gives them immortality; their teacher (Brahmana) · 3 tellings
The Ribhus make their parents young and sleep twelve days in the house of Agohya
Legend · as Agohya, their host, giver of immortality · 2 tellings
The verse of Savitr (the Gayatri)
Legend · as the god the verse addresses · 7 tellings
Savitr brings the evening
Legend · as the god who stills the world · 2 tellings
How Savitr came by his golden hands
Legend · as loses his hands or arms · 4 tellings
Pushan the pathfinder, his goats and his gruel
Legend · as loses his arms beside him · 4 tellings
Pushan at Surya's wedding
Legend · as gives the bride away · 5 tellings
Pushan, guide of the dead
Legend · as sets the dead where the pious dwell · 4 tellings
The wedding of Surya and Soma
Legend · as the father who gives her (Rigveda) · 3 tellings
Shunahshepa, the boy bound for Varuna
Legend · as sends the boy to Varuna · 6 tellings

Cited

Hymns of the Rigveda, tr. R. T. H. Griffith (1896), hymns read for the Vedic layer § 2.38 Primary text (translation)
Hymns of the Rigveda, tr. R. T. H. Griffith (1896), hymns read for the Vedic layer § 1.35 Primary text (translation)
Hymns of the Rigveda, tr. R. T. H. Griffith (1896), hymns read for the Vedic layer § 3.62.10 Primary text (translation)
Vedic Mythology, A. A. Macdonell (1897) § 15 Scholarly
Rigveda Brahmanas: the Aitareya and Kausitaki Brahmanas, tr. A. B. Keith (1920) § kaushitaki.6.13 Primary text (translation)