Lord Surya’s wife is the Goddess Saranyu the Swift-Flying, also called Saraniya, Saranya, Sangnya, Sanjana, Sandhya, or Randal, Goddess of Clouds and Twilight. She is the daughter of Twashtar.
Once Saranyu created a semi-illusory shadow-form or double of herself, the Shadow Goddess Chhaya, who is also considered Lord Surya’s wife.
Lord Surya has many children. By Saranyu:
* Yama, God of Death, a close brother to Yami
* Yami or Yamuna, close sister of Yama, Goddess of the Yamuna river
* Vaivaswata Manu, progenitor of humanity in the present cycle
* The Ashwin twins, Gods of medicine, health, the dawn, and horses
* Revanta, another God of horses and chief of the Guhyaka spirits
By Chhaya:
* Surya Savarni Manu, who will be the next Manu in the future cycle
* Shani, God of the planet Saturn and deliverer of Karma’s fruits
* Tapati, Goddess of the Tapati river, Mother Goddess of the South, Goddess of heat
* Vishti, a fierce Goddess presiding over certain spans of the time-cycle
* Bhadra, Goddess of the hunt, wife of Kubera and Queen of Yakshas.
* Some Stotrams say that Lord Surya has a daughter named Suvarchala by Chhaya. However most of the Shastras give Suvarchala as another name of Lord Surya’s wife. Perhaps there is a daughter who shares one of the same names as Saranyu? It is said that she is Hanuman’s wife, or will be in the future cycle when Hanuman rules the universe as Brahma.
Lord Surya had two other children by other mothers, on Lord Vishnu’s orders or in the fulfillment of a boon:
* Sugriva, Raja of the Vanaras or monkey-people of Kishkindha in the Ramayana
* Karna, son of Princess Kunti, in fulfillment of Durvasa’s boon
* Lord Surya had at least one more son named Prabhata.
