India is called a land of Snake Charmers by the westerners, but little did they realize that our ancestors have indeed charmed the snakes - the snakes in the water, the snakes in the air; not just these but also the snakes in the anthariksham [space between the Sun and Earth] which bring the Surya Rasmi from the Sun to the Earth.

If this is not sufficient to invoke a parallel thought in the readers, then perhaps the Vedic discovery that the path through which Sun Rays travel to reach the Earth is devoid of any particles, and that the Sun Rays travel to their destination in a rising and falling motion would draw a parallel to the modern wave theory of light.

I put forth the two important sources which discuss these concepts; first the original in Sanskrit and then the English translation i made [without deviating too far from Sayana's]. The fundamental difference between the existing translations of these Sookthams and the current one is the premise that Savitha is taken for Sun's Rays and not the Sun itself. in fact, the Savitha Sooktham clearly mentions in one of the slokams that the Savitha travels from the Surya to the Prithvi through anthariksham but still Sayana tried to bridge the difference between the two by saying although both Surya and Savitha are the same, they have a source and flow relation.

सवित्रु सूक्तम्

ह्वयाम्यग्निं प्रथमं स्वस्थये

ह्वयामि मित्रा वरुणा विहावसे

ह्वयामि जगतो निवेशनीं

ह्वयामि देवं सवितार मूतये

we first invite the Agni for our protection
we invite Mithra & Varuna for the protection of this [yagnam]
we invite the Rathri [Night] which facilitates all the creatures to rest
for our protection we invite the Savitha


आक्रुष्णेन रजसावर्तमानो निवेश यान्नमृतं मर्त्यं च

हिरण्ययेन सविता रथेनादेवो याति भुवना निपश्यन

the Savitha is coming to us again and again on a golden/pure chariot through the blue[black?] anthariskham [the space between Sun and the Earth] illuminating the worlds to establish the living and non-living

Here the "aavarthamaana:" indicates the periodic/harmonic nature of the Sun's Rays


याति देवः प्रवतायात्युद्वता

याति शुभ्राभ्यां यजतो हरिब्यां

आदेवो याति सविता परावतोअप

विश्वादुरिता बादमान:

the illuminating Savitha comes to us from very far falling and rising [pravathaa , udhvathaa => crests and troughs?] with clean/pure horses to alleviate the troubles of these worlds [expel the darkness of the universe]

Here the wave nature of Sun Light is vividly described by picturizing the crests and troughs of a light wave

अभीवृतं कृशनैर्विश्वरूपम्

हिरण्य शम्यं यजतो बृहन्तं

आस्थात् रथम् सविता चित्रभानु:

कृष्णा रजांसित विषीं ददान:

the ratham [chariot ] driven by the Savitha is quite expansive and of several forms; the horses pulling the chariot [or the chains tying the horses to the chariot] are pure. the Savitha boarding this chariot is of various hues [colors - chithra bhaanu]

विजनान श्यावा: शितिपादो

अख्यन्रधम हिरण्य प्रवुगं वहन्त:

शश्वद्विश: संवितुर्देव्यस्तोपस्थे

विश्वाभुवनानि तस्थु:

the horses driving the chariot are named "Syaavaa"; their feet are white [clean|pure], the anchor [pravugam] to which these horses are tied are of gold [pure?]. these horses made the living beings [janaan] illuminating [sustain?]. the living and the worlds [viSwaa bhuvanaani] are always closer to the Savitha

तिस्रो द्याव: सवितुर्द्वा उपस्था

एका यमस्य भुवने विराषाट

आणिं नरध्यममृताधित स्थुरिह

ब्रवीतु य उतच्चिकेतत

there are three lights of Savitha, of which two exists closer [in the same plane?]; one travels towards the yamaloka [southward - in a direction perpendicular to east-west?]. the amrutha [jyothi or light?] is bound [to the Savitha] like a bolt fitted outward of a chariot wheel [keela = aaNim] which moves with the axle of the chariot but in a perpendicular direction. this can only be explained by those who understand this structure of Savitha

Although not very clear, the narrative here hints at the three components of light [electromagnetic energy] of which two are in one plane while the other is perpendicular to that plane

विसुपर्णो अन्तरिक्षाण्यख्यत

गभीर वेपा असुर: सुनीध:

क्वे इदानीं सूर्य: कश्चि केत

कतमांद्यां रश्मि रस्याततान

the many colored Sun Light [rays - Soorya Rasmi] illuminating the Space [Anthariksham] is coming from [or belongs to] the Sun [asura:] with very high vibration [gabheera vepa:] [Saayana says it is impossible to SEE the vibrations of Soorya Rasmi] brightening up the paths it travels. who knows where that Sun [Soorya] is? who knows which shing object this Sun Light [Soorya Rasmi] is coming from!

Here the wave nature of light [Sun's Rays] is firmly established by attributing an extremely high frequency to Soorya Rasmi

अष्टौ व्यख्यत्ककुभः प्रुधिव्या

स्त्री धन्वयॉजना सप्त सिन्धून्

हिरण्याक्षः सविता देवा आगा

द्दधद्रत्नादाशुषे वार्याणि

the Sun Light with the seven rivers [rays] and golden [perfect] eyes [axes?] is coming to the yajamana [performer of the yagna] in order to give wearable jewels [rathna] and illuminating the eight directions of earth, the three dimensions of Space [dhanva]


हिरण्यपाणिः सविता विचर्षणि

रुभेद्यावा प्रुथिवी अन्तरीयते

अपामीवांबाधते वेति सूर्य

मभिक्रुष्णेन रजसाद्याम्रुणोति

The golden-hoofed, multi-colored Savitha [the paaNi - hoof referring to the horses of Savitha?] is coming from the Sun travelling between the Star and the Earth removing the hurdles that come in between dispelling the darkness in the sky with brightness

हिरण्य हस्तो असुरः सुनीदः

सुम्रुळीकः स्ववायात्वराञ्

अपसे धन्रक्षसोयातुधानाः

नस्ध्धादेवः प्रतिदोषम् ग्रुणानः

--- i am not able to make relevant meaning of this verse; so leaving out the translation

येते पन्थाः सवितः पूर्व्यासो

ऽरेणवः सुक्रुता अन्तरिक्षे

तेभिर्नो अद्यपधिभिः सुगेभी

रक्षाचनो अधिच ब्रूहि देव

O Savithru deva! your paths were established in the Space [anthariksham] ages ago; are devoid of particles [areNavasya] but still traversable to you. come to us through those paths to protect us and tell greatly about us to the devas

Here it is established that the Space through which the Sun's Rays come to Earth is devoid of any matter - confirming that the Rig Vedhic people knew that light can travel without any medium

सर्प सूक्तम् (तै।सं।४।२।३)

नमो॑ अस्तु स॒र्पेभ्यो॒ ये के च॑ पृथि॒वी मनु॑ ।

we bow to the serpents on the earth

ये अ॒न्तरि॑क्षे॒ ये दि॒वि तेभ्य॑: स॒र्पेभ्यो॒ नम॑: ।

to those serpents in the Space and Sky we bow

ये॑ऽदो रो॑च॒ने दि॒वो ये वा॒ सूर्य॑स्य र॒श्मिषु॑ ।

those that are present in the radiance of Sky or those in the rays of the Sun

येषा॑म॒प्सु सद॑: कृ॒तं तेभ्य॑: स॒र्पेभ्यो॒ नम॑: ।

those that are firmly established in the celestial waters, to those serpents we bow

या इष॑वो यातु॒धाना॑नां॒ ये वा॒ वन॒स्पती॒ग्ं॒‍ रनु॑ ।

Those that are the missiles of sorcerers, or those that are among the trees

ये वा॑ऽव॒टेषु॒ शेर॑ते॒ तेभ्य॑: स॒र्पेभ्यो॒ नम॑: ।

or those snakes that live in the holes, to those serpents we bow

इ॒दग्ं स॒र्पेभ्यो॑ ह॒विर॑स्तु॒ जुष्टम्᳚ ।

these snakes are the remnants [prasadam] of the yagnam

आ॒श्रे॒षा येषा॑मनु॒यन्ति॒ चेत॑: ।

those when embraced rouse the awakening

ये अ॒न्तरि॑क्षं पृथि॒वीं क्षि॒यन्ति॑ ।

these reside in the Space [antariksham] and on the Earth [Prithivi]

ते न॑स्स॒र्पासो॒ हव॒माग॑मिष्ठाः ।

that is not the serpent which comes forth on your invitation

ये रो॑च॒ने सूर्य॒स्यापि॑ स॒र्पाः ।

this radiance is of the Sun's serpents

ये दिवं॑ दे॒वीमनु॑स॒न्चर॑न्ति ।

this day[light?] is accompanied by the goddess

येषा॑माश्रे॒षा अ॑नु॒यन्ति॒ कामम्᳚ ।

those when embraced rouse the desire [or those evil spirits that rouse the desire]

तेभ्य॑स्स॒र्पेभ्यो॒ मधु॑मज्जुहोमि ॥ २ ॥

to those snakes we offer the nectar/honey

नि॒घृष्वै॑रस॒मायु॑तैः ।

enemies of darkness joined together

कालैर्हरित्व॑माप॒न्नैः ।

from darkness rises the gold [purity]

इन्द्राया॑हि स॒हस्र॑युक् ।

coming from Indhra in thousand folds

अ॒ग्निर्वि॒भ्राष्टि॑वसनः ।

resides in the radiance of fire

वा॒युश्वेत॑सिकद्रु॒कः ।

___________________

सं॒व॒थ्स॒रो वि॑षू॒वर्णै᳚: ।

__________ many colored

नित्या॒स्तेऽनुच॑रास्त॒व ।

forever truly your attendant

सुब्रह्मण्योग्ं सुब्रह्मण्योग्ं सु॑ब्रह्मण्योग्म् ॥ ३ ॥

Subrahmanyam Subrahmanyam Subrahmanyam

ओं शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥

Om peace, peace peace!

The Sarpa Sooktham clearly propounds the wave nature of the Sun light that comes through anthariksham [the Space between the Sun and the Earth].

Perhaps our ancestors used serpent as a symbol for wave as that is what one notices when a snake is seen. So it is not with fear that we worship the Snakes but with reverence for the wave nature of light, the knowledge of which is transmitted to the dumbest person in the society by institutionalizing an annual ritual Naaga Panchami