Tapti (Tapati) is a goddess in Hindu mythology. She is the goddess of the Tapti river. She is the daughter of Surya Deva, the Sun god. She is called Tapti because she is the daughter of Surya, who makes the sky hot (tapa) by his brilliance.
Family
- Father: Surya
- Mother: Chhaya
- Brothers: Savarni Manu, Shani
- Sister: Vishti
- Half-Brothers: Vaivasvata Manu, Yama, Revanta, Ashvins
- Half-Sister: Yami
- Husband: Samvarna
- Son: Kuru
Birth
Sanjna (Saranyu) was the wife of Surya. Saranyu, unable to bear Surya’s powerful rays, created a superficial shadow entity and ordered it to act like herself. The real Saranyu left Suryaloka. Chhaya, the shadow entity, acted as Surya’s wife perfectly. Surya did not realize for a long time. During this time, Chhaya had two sons and two daughters. The daughters’ names were Tapti and Vishti and the sons’ names were Savarni Manu and Shani.
For the full story, read Surya
Tapti and Samvarna
Once, Tapti was playing with her friends. A king in the Puru dynasty named Samvarna happened to be passing by at that time while hunting. When he saw Tapti he got engrossed in her and kept staring at her. When Tapti saw Samvarna, she got engrossed in him and kept staring at him. Soon, both fell unconscious. A few Gandharva sprinkled water on Samvarna’s eyes, making him conscious. Tapti’s friend did the same with Tapti.
Then, Samvarna returned to his palace but kept thinking about Tapti. Vashistha, who got know about this, went to Suryaloka. There, he informed Surya about the situation and asked if Tapti could marry Samvarna. Surya accepted the marriage.
Vashistha went to Tapti and said, “The one you got engrossed in is Samvarna, son of Rksa, a king in the Puru dynasty. He is coming here soon.” When Samvarna arrived Vashistha said, “The lady you were engrossed in is Tapti, the daughter of Surya dev.”
Soon, Tapti and Samvarna married. After a few years, they had a son named Kuru. When Kuru grew up, he became the starter of the Kuru dynasty, in which the Pandavas and Kauravas took birth.