The Sun in Vedic astrology is called RAVI, or SURYA. He is considered to be mild malefic, in consideration of the hot, dry in nature.As in western tropical astrology, the Sun rules the Sign of Leo. He is exalted in the sign of Aries, and he is in his fall in the sign of Libra. The Sun is known as the ATMAKARAKA. This comes from the Sanskrit ATMA meaning soul, and KARAKA meaning indicator. As "indicator of the soul" the Sun is the giver of life. The Sun is the indicator of the father, our ego, honors, status, fame, the heart, the eyes, general vitality, respect and power.
The Sun is in his strongest placement directly overhead in the 10th House. He is also strong in the other Kendra's, or Angles. These are the Houses 1, 4, and 7. The Sun also does well in what are called the upachaya, or growing Houses. These are the Houses 3, 6, and 11. He is particularly beneficial for the fire sign Ascendants of Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius. His nature, or temperament is PITTA, or fiery, and the gemstone associated with the Sun is the red ruby. The Sun's metal is Ashata Dhatu and his direction is east. His day is Sunday, and he comes into full maturity and brilliance at age 22.
He is the God - a living God - whom everyone can see, perceive and pray. Though he is visible, he also has been presented in a variety of forms. He is the life-giver and time-giver. The Vedas adore him as a witness (Sakshi) of all actions. He is the lord of Leo in the Zodiac. He stays one month in each Rasi and takes 365 days or 12 months to complete a round of 12 Rasis. Worship of this Devata (GOD) on Sunday is supposed to bring in manifold benefits to the worshippers.
In the six sects established by Adi Sankara, Souram is one devoted to Sun God. Even in other religions, Sun worship has place. In the Zodiac, Sun occupies a prominent place - the Center. This graha is the source of life and he is therefore described as the life-giver - PRANADHATA. He helps one gain his eyesight and SURYANAMASKAR (worship by prostration) will strengthen one's bones, cure illness, however severe it may be, cleanses the devotee from his sins and bestows on him progeny, wealth, good-health and long life. He is the cause for rainfall benefiting the world.
The legend that depict the influence of the worship of SURYA goes as follows, and is narrated whenever a worship or offering is made to the deity.
The Sun tells whether or not you have leadership qualities, what kind of basic character you have, where your enthusiasms lie. The house in which it's found shows where you shine best, where you spend a great deal of your time. Here are your basic urges, your basic aims in life, whether or not you have direction or purpose. The Sun is energy. It shows the amount of energy you have. These things also apply wherever the sign Leo is found in your chart.Since the Sun rules the sign Leo, it retains all the characteristics of that sign and the 5th solar house but it's combined with the characteristics of the sign in which it's found in your chart.
For example, the leadership qualities of the Sun are washed out in the sign of Pisces and won't shine through. In Aries the Sun makes a good leader but is sometimes too quick or too overbearing; it needs tact and diplomacy supplied through another planet. In Virgo, the Sun takes a back seat and leads from behind the scenes because of Virgo's shyness. In Scorpio the leadership qualities shine forth once more but may be too intense.
The Sun also tells how you get along with influential people, men, how you conduct your everyday affairs. The Sun is the father figure in a chart.
The planets move around the Sun and are dependent on its energy for existence of life forms. Sun brings success, intellect, wisdom, fame and wealth and is the ruler of zodiac sign Leo. Good placement of Sun can give rise to fame in the area, field, or even the whole world. If ill-placed in the horoscope it is an indication of physical as well as possible, mental or emotional Saturn is Capricorn's Ruling Planet, which means it is at its greatest strength when it falls in Capricorn or in the 10th House.
The Sun is the largest body in our Solar System and therefore defines the dominant traits of your personality according to the zodiac sign it falls in. Newspaper horoscopes focus on the Sun sign, but it is only one of ten planets that influence your astrology chart. The sun and moon are called planets in order to make conversations easier.
The Sun is your basic life force, vigor, and vitality. It defines why you get out of bed in the morning. The Sun drives you to express your heart's desire in this life. While an Aquarius may want to revolutionize the ideals of the world, a Taurus may want to have a tangible and long-lasting impact upon the world. Aquarius opens you to innovative possibilities; Taurus wants to build a house make those ideas workable in the world.
The Sun represents leadership traits, how you express your power, pride in your accomplishments, and self-confidence. As you might imagine, negative traits of an afflicted Sun are excessive pride, undue need for recognition, and misuse of power. Used positively, you are a dynamo who brings forth your unique Divine Essence in service to planet earth.
The Sun is associated with your heart, spine and upper back. It is associated with both the color and metal gold. The house placement of the Sun indicates an area of life where you can let your light shine. The Sun is the ruling planet of Leo in the fifth house.
Side Note: Many people wonder what it means when they were born close to the day when the sun changes signs. Astrologers suggest that births that occur approximately between the 19th-22nd of any month are born on the cusp of a sign. The only way to know the exact sign is to cast a natal chart for the time and place of birth. Although there are differing opinions on the subject, the general consensus of opinion is that you are a blending of both signs. This is especially true if you were born at the end of a zodiac sign rather than the beginning. (Ex. Leos born on Sept 20th are near the end of the sign, so they may have some efficient and shy Virgo flavoring added to the dynamic Leo energy.)
Source : http://www.navratan.com





