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{{Short description|Hindu goddess of shadow}}
{{other uses}}
{{Infobox deity
| type = Hindu
| image = Suryadeva.jpg
| caption = Surya with consorts [[Saranyu]] and Chhaya
| name = Chhaya
| Devanagari = छाया
| Sanskrit_transliteration = Chhāyā
| affiliation = [[Devi]], shadow of [[Saranyu]]
| abode = Suryaloka
| mantra = Om Chhayave Namah
| god_of = Goddess of Shadows
| consort = [[Surya]]
| children = [[Savarni Manu]], [[Shani]], [[Tapati]]
}}
'''Chhaya''' or '''Chaya''' ({{lang-sa|छाया|Chāyā|shadow' or 'shade}}) is the [[Hinduism|Hindu]] [[personification]] and [[Hindu goddess|goddess]] of [[shadow]], and a consort of [[Surya]], the Hindu [[sun god]].<ref name = "monier">[http://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/cgi-bin/monier/serveimg.pl?file=/scans/MWScan/MWScanjpg/mw0406-chAta.jpg Monier Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (2008 revision) p. 406]</ref> She is the shadow-image or reflection of [[Saranyu]] (Sanjna), the first wife of Surya. Chhaya was born from the shadow of Sanjna and replaced Sanjna in her house, after the latter temporarily left her husband.

Chhaya the goddess of shadows is usually described as the mother of [[Shani]], the planet Saturn, and the god of karma and justice: a feared ''[[graha]]''; goddess Tapti, the personification of river [[Tapti]]; goddess Vishti , the personification of Kala; and a son Savarni Manu, who is destined to be the next and eighth [[Manu (Hinduism)|Manu]] (progenitor of mankind) – the ruler of the next ''[[Manvantara]]'' period.<ref>According to Hindu cosmology, man is currently in the seventh [[Manvantara]].</ref>

==Early Vedic and epic legends==
In the ''[[Rigveda]]'' (c. 1200-1000 BCE), which is the earliest narrative about the Chhaya-prototype. After the birth of twins to Vivasvan (Surya), his consort Saranyu - the daughter of [[Vishwakarma]] - abandons him and flees in form of a mare. The divine Saranyu places in her place a woman called '''Savarna''' ("same-kind"): similar to Saranyu, but mortal, unlike the later ''Purana''s where Chhaya is a mere shadow of Saranyu. Savarna has no children by Surya. A later (500 BCE) addition to the ''Rigveda'' by Yaska in his ''Nikuta'' says that Manu (the progenitor of mankind, called Savarni Manu in later Puranic text) was born to Savarna. While the original text says "they" (interpreted as the gods) substituted Savarna for Saranyu, Yaksa's ''Nikuta'' tells that Saranyu created Savarna and substituted her. ''Brhad devata'' calls the prototype of Chhaya as '''Sadrisha''' ("look-alike"), a woman who looked like Saranyu. ''Sadrsha'' begot Manu by Surya, who became a royal sage.<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}}</ref>

By the time of the ''[[Harivamsa]]'' (c. 5th century CE), an appendix of the epic ''[[Mahabharata]]''; Saranyu is called Sanjna and her double is reduced to her shadow or reflection Chhaya. It narrates:<ref name = "harivamsa"/> that Sanjna, after giving birth to three children of the Sun, abandons him, and leaves Chhaya - who she creates by illusion - to take care of her children. Surya mistakes Chhaya for Sanjna and begets Manu by her. As Manu looked just like his father, he was called Savarni Manu. When Chhaya, also called ''parthvi'' ("earthly") Sanjna, became partial to her own son and ignored those of Sanjna, [[Yama (Hinduism)|Yama]] threatens her by raising his foot. Chhaya casts a curse on Yama that his legs would fall away, but Surya reduced this curse so that some parts of Yama's legs would fall and would be consumed by worms on earth. Upon discovery of this, Surya threatens Chhaya, and she discloses the story of her creation; whereafter Surya finds Sanjna and brings her back. The text also states that Shani was a brother of Savarni Manu, though his birth is not explicitly stated. According to [[Wendy Doniger]], the substitution of the dark shadow was apt by Saranyu for the Surya darkened by her.<ref name = "harivamsa">{{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 = 158–60}}</ref>

==Puranic legends==
The ''[[Markandeya Purana]]'' tells the tale of Sanjna-Chhaya twice, the tale is similar to that in the ''Harivamsa'', but Sanjna leaves Surya as she is unable to bear his splendour and heat. The curse to Yama is a little different. Yama abuses Chhaya and picks his leg up to kick her. Chhaya curses Yama to have his leg affected with worms and sores. Surya grants Yama, a cock to eat the worms from his leg. In the other telling, the curse is almost same as the ''Harivamsa''. Chhaya also cleverly says that she is Yama's father's wife, but does not say that she is his mother.<ref>{{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|page = 163}}</ref><ref name = "wilson"/>

The ''[[Vishnu Purana]]'' also records the legend similar to ''Markandeya Purana'', but has few differences. Unable to bear Surya's intense heat, Sanjna after giving birth to three children - retires to the forest to practice harsh austerities in form of a mare, leaving her shadow-image Chhaya, her handmaid to take her place and tend for her husband and progeny. Surya mistakes Chhaya for Sanjna and fathers three children on her. Chhaya gives birth to Shani, Savarni Manu and Tapti. However, Chhaya became partial to her own children and ignored those of Sanjna. Yama, suspected the behavior of who he thought was his mother and offended her. Chhaya cast a curse on Yama (the details of the curse are not disclosed), which revealed to Yama and Surya that Chhaya was not the true Sanjna. After the extracting the truth from Chhaya, Surya finds Sanjna and brings her back.<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&dq=chhaya&pg=PA20|volume=8|year=1866|publisher=Trubner & Co.|location=London|pages=20–23|chapter=II}}</ref>

The ''[[Matsya Purana]]'' also presents a similar account about Chhaya, however the children of Chhaya are named as Savarni Manu a son and two daughters: Tapti and Vishti, who was dark blue colour and a personification of ''[[Kāla (time)|Kala]]'' (Time or Death) who dwells in [[Naraka (Hinduism)|Hell]].<ref>{{cite book|last=A Talaqdar of Oudh|title=The Matsya Puranam: Part I|series=The Sacred books of the Hindus|volume=18|year=2008|publisher=Cosmo Publications|isbn=978-81-307-0532-3|pages=32–34|chapter=XI}}</ref> Chhaya's tale is also found in the 11th century CE ''[[Kathasaritsagara]]''.<ref name = "monier"/><ref>{{cite book|last=Pattanaik|first=Devdutt |title=The goddess in India: the five faces of the eternal feminine|year=2000|publisher=Inner Traditions / Bear & Company|page=127}}</ref> The ''Markandeya Purana'' records that Chhaya had three sons: Shani, Savarni Manu and [[Revanta]], the divine master of horses. ''[[Kurma Purana]]'' describes only Savarni Manu as her son.<ref>{{Citation |title=The Myths and Gods of India: The Classic Work on Hindu Polytheism |first=Alain |last=Danielou |author-link=Alain Danielou |pages=96 |publisher=Inner Traditions / Bear & Company |isbn=0-89281-354-7 |year=1991 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1HMXN9h6WX0C}}.</ref> While in some versions of the tale, Surya abandons Chhaya after knowing the truth about her, Surya deserts Chhaya before bringing back Sanjna,<ref name = "Mani">{{cite book|author = Mani, Vettam|title = Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary With Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature|url = https://archive.org/details/puranicencyclopa00maniuoft|publisher = Motilal Banarsidass|year = 1975|location = Delhi|isbn = 0-8426-0822-2|page = [https://archive.org/details/puranicencyclopa00maniuoft/page/182 182]}}</ref> however a contemporary version tells that Chhaya was forgiven and lived with Surya, Sanjna and their children thereafter.<ref>{{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 = 166–9}}</ref>

While most accounts consider Chhaya to be the reflection or shadow of Saranyu (Sanjna) - Surya's first wife; ''[[Bhagavata Purana]]'' tells that Chhaya was a sister of Sanjna and the daughter of the divine architect [[Vishwakarma]].<ref name = "wilson"/><ref name="BP">{{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.|access-date=5 July 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110215012049/http://srimadbhagavatam.com/sb/8/13/en|archive-date=15 February 2011}}</ref>

''Markandeya Purana'' as well as ''[[Vishnudharmottara Purana]]'' prescribe that Surya should be depicted in images with Chhaya and his other wives by his sides.<ref>{{cite book|last=Shashi|first=S. S. |title=Encyclopaedia Indica: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q8cTA1jEMoMC&dq=chaya+surya&pg=PA877|volume=100|year=1997|publisher=Anmol Publications|pages=877, 917|isbn=9788170418597 }}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Hindu deities and texts}}

[[Category:Hindu goddesses]]
[[Category:Shadows]]

Chhaya - Revision history

ImportMaster at 00:38, 8 January 2022