Surya mandala stotram

Carl sagan says “Ancient tamil festival of Pongal is not just celebration of harvest (unlike other festivals), as it marks return of Sun (Uttarayana), leading to earth’s seasonal cycles. As there is an evolutionary cycle of life & death in Earth due to its dance around sun, there is an evolutionary cycle of birth and death of cosmos itself, according to Hindu religion”. 

Same way, the worship of Sun is deeper than what it appears. Sun runs a process “nucleosynthesis” in which atomic nuclei is formed and energy is released. This process runs from Big-Bang to all stars, leading to creation of (heavier) elements and life. Vedic scriptures adore sUrya (sun) as savitr (exciter), this nucleosynthesis process. 

Salutations to Savir, the ‘lone’ eye of the Universe, that causes birth, evolves and perishes all worlds says the sloka of "Namah savitre jagad eka cakSuse..." Savitr (exciter) is nucleosynthesis that creates atoms. Primitive atoms are born from Big Bang nucleosynthesis. Surya undergoes stellar nucleosynthesis, producing light, which is the cause of all life and death in its mandala including our earth and its beings. 

It is in this context, the sUrya mandala stotram invokes honorable Savitr to purify us. Light from Sun is a great physical purifier is well known. But Savitr is also a great mind purifier. In Savitr, the nucleosynthesis process, positively charged protons repel, will never fuse. But a process called quantum tunneling in which protons tunnel through potential barrier, overcome repulsion, trigger fusion & further creation. Savitr represents this overcoming of barriers for creation. 

That's why, in Gayatri mantra, we invoke that Savitr in us so that we tunnel through our potential barriers and biases, trigger fusion with new ideas, create new opportunities like Savitr. What can purify our mind, but this thought that we should tunnel our biased potential barriers to enable fusion with new ideas and further creation..? 

The famous tamil epic Silapathikaram (100-200 AD) also invokes 'ஞாயிறு' and says 'ஞாயிறு" goes around the golden meru mountain. It's possible that the mythical golden meru mountain referred to as that exists in the center of Unvierse is the atomic nucleus that exists in the center of every atom and atoms make all the Universe. Hence it is possible ஞாயிறு is the equivalent of Savitr. Surya mandala stotram explains the same in 12 stanzas. 

Surya mandala stotram translation sung in tamil, essence in english with speeches of Carl Sagan.
Surya Mandala Stotram - YouTube

References
1. Surya mandala stotram lyrics in saMskrt 

https://stotranidhi.com/en/surya-mandala-stotram-in-english/ 

2. Surya mandala stotram lyrics in tamil 

https://tbtpoems.blogspot.com/2021/12/surya-mandala-stotram.html 

3. Credits Namah savitre jagadeka cakSuse song from Isha foundation - Shobha mudgal

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRY1RfD4zbk 

4. Gayatri mantra chanting 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eZiHF2YMmI 

5. Silapathikaram song 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7r0rJOBhsWs