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What is the story of Savitṛ deity? I am really confused between him and Surya, are they related? As per Wikipedia:

Savitr disappeared as an independent deity from the Hindu pantheon after the end of the Vedic period.

But most of that wikipedia page made me more confused. So what does scripture say about Savitṛ? Is he and Surya same or different?

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    Savitar is just another name for Surya, just as Agni is also known as Jatavedas and Vaishvanara. The notion that Savitar and Surya were originally two different gods who were later conflated is just speculation by Western Indologists. But as far as Hindus are concerned, Savitar and Surya were always one and the same. There are no scriptures saying that they're different gods. Dec 7, 2016 at 18:38
  • @KeshavSrinivasan maybe you can answer it in bit details. As seems like a valid question Dec 7, 2016 at 18:40
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    While it seems a pretty reasonable explanation, I would appreciate some citations though on the Western Indologists' notion @kesav.
    – user1081
    Dec 8, 2016 at 6:26
  • @Keshav Actually, the list of 12 Adityas has both Vivasvan as well as Savita which would imply that they are actually brothers. Of course they are the same in the sense that both are sun deities but they are different in that they are two sons of Aditi. (?)
    – Surya
    Dec 8, 2016 at 7:16
  • sacred-texts.com/hin/hmvp/hmvp10.htm
    – Pandya
    Dec 8, 2016 at 7:45

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यु॒ञ्जते॒ मन॑ उ॒त यु॑ञ्जते॒ धियो॒ विप्रा॒ विप्र॑स्य बृह॒तो वि॑प॒श्चितः॑ ।

वि होत्रा॑ दधे वयुना॒विदेक॒ इन्म॒ही दे॒वस्य॑ सवि॒तुः परि॑ष्टुतिः ॥ Rig Veda 5.81.1

Men illumined yoke their mind and they yoke their thoughts to him who is illumination and largeness and clear perceiving. Knowing all phenomena he orders, sole, the Energies of the sacrifice. Vast is the affirmation in all things of Savitri, the divine Creator.

यस्य॑ प्र॒याण॒मन्व॒न्य इद्य॒युर्दे॒वा दे॒वस्य॑ महि॒मान॒मोज॑सा ।

यः पार्थि॑वानि विम॒मे स एत॑शो॒ रजां॑सि दे॒वः स॑वि॒ता म॑हित्व॒ना ॥ Rig Veda 5.81.3

In the wake of his march the other gods also reach by his force to the greatness of the Divinity. He has mapped out the realms of earthly light by his mightiness,– the brilliant one, the divine Creator.


Sri Aurobindo says about Savitri as follows:

But who, then, is Surya, the Sun, from whom these rays proceed?

He is the Master of Truth, Surya the Illuminator, Savitri the Creator, Pushan the Increaser. His rays in their own nature are supramental activities of revelation, inspiration, intuition, luminous discernment, and they constitute the action of that transcendent principle which the Vedanta calls Vijnana, the perfect knowledge, the Veda Ritam, the Truth. But these rays descend also into the human mentality and form at its summit the world of luminous intelligence, Swar, of which Indra is the lord.


Rig Veda 1.164.46 says as follows:

इन्द्रं मित्रं वरुणमग्निमाहुरथो स दिव्यो सुपर्णो गरुत्मान् ।

एकं सद्विप्राः बहुधा वदन्ति अग्निं यमं मातरिश्वानमाहुः ॥

They called him Indra, Mitra, Varuṇa, Agni; and he is heavenly Garuda, who has beautiful wings. The truth is one, but the sages (or learned ones) call it by many names or describe him in many ways; they called him Agni, Yama, Mātariśvan.

In Rig Veda, the Almighty God is called Indra, Vishnu, Agni, etc.(Rig veda 2.1.3)

Hero of Heroes, Agni! Thou art Indra, thou art Visnu of the Mighty Stride, adorable: Thou, Brahmanaspati, the Brahman finding wealth: thou, O Sustainer, with thy wisdom tendest us.


The same Almighty God has been eulogised by Vedic seers in many names, which are basically epithets. Savitr indicates the power of God, but not physical Sun.

There was no deifying in Rig Vedic Era.

Later in Puranas, deifying of Gods took place, which lead to confusion.

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