Surya Shataka
The Surya Shataka is a 7th-century Sanskrit hymn composed in praise of the Hindu sun god Surya by the poet Mayura Bhatta, comprising one hundred verses.
Etymology
Surya Shataka translates to a "century of stanzas in praise of the Sun" in Sanskrit.Description
Tribhuvanapala, in his commentary of this hymn, makes six divisions of this work. Verses 1 to 43 extol the rays of Surya, 44 to 49 praise the horses of the deity, and 50 to 61 hail Aruna, the charioteer of the sun god. Verses 62 - 72 extol the chariot of Surya, 73 - 80 praise the Suryamandala, and 81 to 100 hail various depictions of the sun.Legend
The composition of the Surya Shataka is commonly regarded to have cured the poet of leprosy due to the grace of Surya. In other accounts, the illness cured is stated to be blindness.According to temple tradition, Mayura undertook a penance to propitate Surya at the Deo Surya Mandir located at Deo in present-day Aurangabad district, Bihar. While he was composing the verses, he was troubled by a brahmarakshasa, but he was able to defeat him and please the sun god to be cured of leprosy. The hundred verses he composed became known as the Surya Shataka.