Chapter 16 – Verses 22 and 23 of Adi Parva of Mahabharata in Aastika Parva states
विशिष्टम् बलमीप्सन्त्या पञ्चवर्षशतात् परः |
एवं शप्त्वा ततः पुत्रो विनितामन्तरिक्षगः || २२ ||**अरुणो दृश्यते ब्रह्मन् प्रभातसमये सदा |
आदित्यरथमध्यास्ते सारथ्यं संकल्पयत् || २३ ||
Which can be interpreted as ‘He should come out fully formed on his own and that will happen only after another five hundred years. Till then you have to patiently serve your sister and co-wife as her slave.” Having thus cursed Vinita, her son Aruna rose upwards and flew to the sky. There he became the charioteer of the Sun God guiding his chariot on the daily circumambulation of the universe. And one can see the form of Aruna guiding the chariot in the dawn when the sun is of reddish hue.’ [My question arises due to the verses 22 and 23, but does not pertain thereto]
Maharshi Krishna Dwaipayana states in verses 16 and 17 of Chapter 16 of Aastika Parva:
अण्डाभ्यां विनतायास्तु मिथुनं न व्यदृश्यत |
ततः पुत्रार्थिनी देवी व्रीडिता च तपस्विनी || १६ ||अण्डं बिभेद विनता तत्र पुत्रमपश्यत |
पूर्वार्धकायसम्पन्नमितरेणाप्रकाशता || १७ ||**
Vinita’s two eggs, however, remained unhatched. With her own hands, she broke open one of the eggs and beheld her son. He was not yet fully formed. The top portion of his body was well proportioned and complete. He shone with the brightness and lusture of Mitra (Sun), but the bottom half of his body was unformed and just a mass of flesh.
Maharshi Krishna Dwaipayana continues :
स पुत्रः क्रोधसंरब्धः शशापैनामिति श्रुर्तिः |
योऽहमेवं कृतो नातस्त्वया लोभपरीतया || १८ ||शरीरेणासमग्रेण तस्माद दासी भविष्यसि |
पञ्चवर्षशतान्यस्या यया विस्पर्धसे सह || १९ ||**एष च त्वां सुतो मातर्दासीत्वान्मोचयिष्यति |
यद्येनमपि मातस्त्वं मामिवाण्डविभेदनात् || २० ||न करिष्यस्यनङ्गं वा व्यङ्गं वापि तपस्विनम् |
प्रतिपालयितव्यस्ते जन्मकालोsस्य धीरया || २१ ||विशिष्टम् बलमीप्सन्त्या पञ्चवर्षशतात् परः |
एवं शप्त्वा ततः पुत्रो विनितामन्तरिक्षगः || २२ ||अरुणो दृश्यते ब्रह्मन् प्रभातसमये सदा |
आदित्यरथमध्यास्ते सारथ्यं संकल्पयत् || २३ ||
It is said that the son, angry at his mother’s haste in breaking his egg and bringing him forth not completely formed cursed her, “Due to your excessive haste to be equal to your sister and co-wife Kadru, you have made me handicapped, my limbs not yet completely formed. Therefore, for which co-wife you made me deformed, I curse you to become her slave for five hundred years. And Mother, your son in the other egg, he will liberate you from slavery, but that is possible only if you don’t break the egg and make him handicapped. He should come out fully formed on his own and that will happen only after another five hundred years. Till then you have to patiently serve your sister and co-wife as her slave.” Having thus cursed Vinita, her son Aruna rose upwards and flew to the sky. There he became the charioteer of the Sun God guiding his chariot on the daily circumambulation of the universe. And one can see the form of Aruna guiding the chariot in the dawn when the sun is of reddish hue.
My questions are these:
(a) Did the Sun God have a charioteer before Aruna was born?
(b) If so who was he? Where can I get the story and the proper scriptural references?
