||    Aditya Hrudhayam    ||

Suryanarayana Bhagavaan

Translation of the Canto containing Aditya Hrudhyam.
Verses 1-2:

Seeing Sri Rama standing deeply absorbed in thought and exhausted from his exertions in the battle field, and  seeing Ravana in front of Sri Rama ready for the battle,the celebrated sage Agasthya approached  Sri Rama. The sage had come to witness the extraordinary encounter between Sri Rama and Ravana.The sage  addressed Sri Rama as follows

Verses 3-5:

O, Rama! O  Rama of mighty prowess (arm)! listen to the following ancient, eternal, secret sthuti in the form of  a "holy, eternal, immortal and supremely blessed and excellent" salutation to the Sun God known as Aditya Hrudhayam intended to propitiate Brahman seated in the middle of the orb of the Sun. You  my child are  going to receive the most exalted blessings by recitation of this  sthuthi  and will vanquish once and for all your enemies in the battle field. The  recitation will bring you victory ,destroy all sins ,eliminate  all worries and  sorrow and give long life.

Verse 6:

please worship the Sun God (thru this stotra) , the king of all worlds, who is bedecked with splendid rays, who unfailingly dawns at the horizon every day , who is  greeted by Gods and  demons alike for illuminating the world and banishing darkness.

Verse 7:

Indeed He is the one  who is the embodiment of ALL Gods and is full of glory. He creates  the Gods  , Asuras and the humans  and  protects them and their worlds.

Verses 8-10:

Indeed He is the one  , who manifests  as Brahma(the creator), as well as Vishnu (the protector of the Universe), Siva(the destroyer of the Worlds) ,Skanda( the son of Siva), Prajapati (the Lord of creation), the powerful Indra (the king of Gods), Kubera (the God of wealth),Kala( the Time spirit), Yama ( the dispenser of Justice), Soma (the moon God), Varuna (the lord of waters), the Pitrus(the manes), the eight Vasus , the two Aswini Devas(the physicians of Gods), the 49 Maruts (the wind Gods),Manu(the progenitor of the human race), Vayu (the supreme wind God), and Agni (the God of Fire). He is  the Antaryami of all created beings , he is the life-breath (Praana:) of the universe, the cause of all seasons (Rutu Kartha), the storehouse of all effulgence (Prabhakara:), the son Of Aditi (Aditya:), the  progenitor of all (Savita), the Sun God (Surya:), the traveller of the heavens(Kaga:), the nourisher(Poosha) of all, the possessor of all rays (Gabhasthimaan), the golden hued , the maker of the day (Diwaakara:), the brilliant  one with his effulgence and and the one , whose energy serves as the seed of the Universe .

Verses 11-15:

With seven green horses drawing his chariot, He is a multi-rayed  resplendent destroyer of darkness , the root cause of all happiness, the remover of the sufferings  of His devotees,the spark that brings life to the lifeless cosmic egg, all-pervading and the cause of all creation, sustenance and destruction of the universe and its inhabitants.He is the Teacher (of Vyakarnam to Hanuman), the soverign of all,  of blissful svabhava  and the harbinger  of the day,. He is the son of Aditi(the Deva Mata). He bears the fire of dissolution in his womb; He is bliss embodied; he is pervasive like  Akasam and is the destroyer of cold (warmth giver). He is the soverign of the heavens and a master of the three Vedas(Rk,Yajur and Sama). He  is the cause of thick showers (Ghana Vrishti)and is the friend of water (Apaam Mitra:).He moves majestically and expeditiously in his orbit (Vindhya veedhi Plavangama: ).His vow is to generate life in the Universe and sustain it and he is  bedecked with a halo of rays. He is death (Mrtyu) itself, tawny  in color (Pingala:), and the scorcher of all (Sarva Taapana: ). He is the poet (omniscient), the form of the universe (viswa: ), possessor of tremendous effulgence, reddish like metal copper, the base of  all evolution. He is the Lord of all the planets  and  stars , the father of all, the most brilliant  among the group of
brilliant entities. O, God manifesting in twelve individual forms (twelve months of the Year and Dwasasa Adityas), Hail to thee!.

Verse 16:

Salutations to you in the form of the eastern mountains (where you rise) and Salutations to thee in the form of Western mountains (where you set).Hail to thee, the soverign of the assembly of luminaries(Jyotir Ghanaanaam pathi) and to the Lord of  the Day (Dinaadhipati).

Verse 17:

Hail to thee , the  giver of Victory (Jaya) and Hail to you , the Joy and safety born of Victory(Jayabhadra)!  Hail to you , the Lord with the green horses yoked to Your  Celestial chariot (Haryasva:). Hail, Hail to you (Namoh Namama: ),the one with myriad rays. Hail, Hail to you the child of Aditi!  

Verse 18:

Hail to you, the fierce one! Hail to you, the valiant one (in the battle)! Hail to you the controller of the senses! Hail to you, the awakener of the Lotus (one who makes the Lotus Bloom-Padma Prabhodan).  Hail to you, the one represented by the Divya Aksharam (OM)!.

Verse 19:

Hail to You, the Lord of Trimurthys, Hail to you, the spiritual essence residing inside the orb of the Sun! Hail to you, the resplendent One, the consumer of all, appearing as Rudra!.

Verse 20:

Hail to You, the banisher of gloom, the destroyer of Cold, the vanquisher of enemies, the one, whose magnitude is immeasurable, the eliminator of the ungrateful, and the Lord of all lights!.

Verse 21:

Hail to You the witness of the  World (and the deeds of the Inhabitants), the possessor of the golden hue, the destroyer of Ignorance (the architect of the World, the destroyer of Darkness (dark forces), and beauty  personified!.

Sage Agasthya was a Tapasvi of the highest order and considered an authority on the Veda Samhitas and Upanishads. He was also an authority on Tamil  grammar.

The praise he records for Aditya in the Aditya Hrudhayam is the distillation of the thoughts housed in Surya Namaskara Prasnam (SNP) found in the first chapter of the Taittiriya Aranyakam dealing with the Vedic method of worship of the Sun God. This Prasnam( Vediclesson) is a tribute to the Svayam Jyothi or the Tejas aspect and other Kalyana gunas of  of the Brahman or supreme being.
                                      
The number of Panchasats (individual mantras)found in SNP is 130. Those, who perform  the Surya Namaskaram through the recitation of SNP prostrate on ground at the end of each Panchasat and salute the Lord at  the centre of the Orb of the Sun as " Sri Chaya  Suvarchalaambha Sameta Sri Surya NARAYANA Swamineh Nama:, Om Namo Narayanaya".

Thus,  We get  a Clue about  the Identity of the Para Brahman at the epicentre of the Orb of Sun, who acts as the Witnes of all deeds (Karma Saakshin) from this mode of salutation..

A portion of the Sandhya Vandana Mantra taken from the Vedas states
"Asaavadityo Brahma". Here, Lord Aditya is equated to the Supreme Brahman. Sage Agastya explained thistruth to Rama on the battle field. He also included in his praise the message of Taittiriya Brahman , which points out that  anyone , who worships the rising and setting Sun as the Supreme Brahman  would be blessed with all auspiciousness on this earth.

In verses 8 and 9 ,Sage Agastya summarizes the Brahman aspect of Aditya and His Soverignity over all beings including Devas, Asuras and other Gods. He describes this Parabrhamam as the seed of the Universe (Verse 10), the source of Auspiciousness (Verse 11), the source of all evolutes(Verse 14), the  one denoted by the mystic syllable OM (Verse 18), the architect of  the Universe , the uprooter of darkness/Avidya (Verse 21).

The second to the sixth Anuvakas of SNP meditate upon Surya as the embodiment of Time and witness of all human deeds.The passage of Time is compared to the flow of a majestic river.The seasons are seen as beautiful entities populating the banks of that river.

Aditya Hrudhyam salutes the Sun God as the Rtukartha(verse 9). The specific beauty of the individual seasons and their relationship with Aditya are described in various mantras known for their piety and poetic imagery. The references in the Aditya Hrudayam about time punctuated events such as the birth of the species, its existence and its death.These references are directly correlatable to the Kalaswaroopam and the functions of the Trimurthys . The Rise of the Sun, the coursing thru the heavens and the setting again are time related functions alluded to in the Stotram.

As Surya travels in His celestial orbit, He is recognized by the Vedas as Urucakshas (far seeing) and Visvacakshas (all seeing). The Seventh Anuvakam begins with the majestic words "Chitram Devanaam Udagadhinekam". It says that Lord Aditya of myriad forms ,embodying all
Gods ,travels high on His celestial orbit.His Universal presence and energization of all living entities , from plants to animals to humans are saluted in this Mantra.We see an echo of these Vedic   passages
in  verses 7,8, 9, 12 and 13 of the Aditya Hrudhayam.

Verse 22:

In the 22nd verse, Agastya explains to Rama that Aditya as the supreme Brahman is responsible for the creation, sustenance and the destruction of all chetanas and  Achetanas. He also points  out that This Supreme Brahman is the one  who through his rays scorches the universe and produces  life giving water through dense showers. The connection between the force behind heat (Agni) and Water(Vadavaagni) is a concept, which finds its origin in the Anuvakams of SNP. One of the Anuvakas describe Surya as being present in the eight forms of Agnis. the homes of the 8 Agnis are as follows: Agni (East), Jatavedas (South East), Sahojas (South), Ajiraprabhavan (South West),Vaiswanaranan (West), Naryapas (Northwest), Panktiratas (North) and Visarpi (North East , the direction of Isaana). Aditya"s Omnipresence  is saluted here.

After recognizing Aditya  as the Life giving warmth (Agni), the 22nd Anuvakam deals with the frequently used Vedic text known as Mantra Pushpam that starts with the words, Yopaam pushpam Veda.The Mantra Pushpam  recognizes and pays homage to "water" as the most fundamental of "elements" (verse  13: Ganavrishti, Apaam Mitro).. The relationship between  water, Moon, Agni,  Vayu, starsand Surya  is described and saluted here. At the end of the 22nd Anuvaka, the Veda mantram visualizes the entire world as floating in the immensity of "water". The Matra Pushpam  riks are linked with Aruna Ketuka  Saayanam, which is important for Surya Namaskaram to gain  the boons of longevity (verse 5),,disease free life and other blessings.

Verses 23 to 26:

From the 23rd to 26th Anuvakas ,various prayers to Surya are offered to attain happy , healthy life and to realize union with the supreme being (Surya Sayujyam)  after departing from this world. In the final  32nd Anuvaka,the methodology is revealed for observing  the ritual known as Samvatsara Vrata. Surya is known as the embodimentof time,punctuated by the Samvatsaras or years.

The observance of this Vrata is therefore recommended as the essential route to attain the full blessings of Aditya Bhagavan , who is Samvatsara Swarupi.The recitation of Surya Namaskara Prasnam concludes with the  salutations to the Navagrahas, the head of which is none other than Surya.

Verses 25 to 27:

From verses 25 to 27, Agastya reveals the recitation of this stotram as a way for the sure  removal of all impediments to Rama and to gain  victory in hte battle to come.

Verses 28 to 30:

Verses 28 to 30 describe the exhilaration that Rama attained thru the
recitation of the Aditya Hrudhya Stotram taught by Sage Agastya and His mighty resolve to destroy the evil Ravana.

Verse 31:

In the final 31st verse of this stotram, we see Sun God, the object of praise of this stotram , standing among the other Gods exclaiming  " O Rama, Hasten and conclude the mission of your Incarnation"and blesses Rama .


THE UPANISHADS AND ADITYA
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The Upanishads that came at the end of the Vedic Period hail Aditya in number of places.  The CHANDOGYA  Upanishad pays homage to Surya as self-born (Svayambhu) and supreme ruler (Parameshtin). It states that Surya represents the supreme principle first in the nonmanifest and  next in the manifest form.The Madhu Vidya preached in this Upanishad describes the Surya"s rays as embodying the mantras of the four Vedas and spreading them in the four directions. The holy mantra  of Gayatri is related to this Vidya centering on Savita worship. This Vidya also
identifies Surya as being  present in the 5 centers of human heart.

The BRIHADARARANYAKA Upanishad describes Surya as the "honey" or the most delectable (life giving) principle for all beings. This Upanishad further identifies the radiant Supreme Being inside the Sun as the Same one resident in the eye of the man. He is none other than the immortal,
eternal Brahman enveloping all things in this Universe and residing in as Antaryami Brahman..

Among the other Upanishads, PRASNA Upanishad salutes Surya as "the ever present one giving life to all creatures as He rises." MANDALA BRAHMANOPANISHAD focusses on the method of Surya upasana revealed by the Sage Yajnavalkya, who was initiated into the study of Vedas by Aditya Bhagavan Himself.  SURYA Upanishad contains several mantras for use by Aditya Worshippers to gain material and spiritual benefits.

AKSHI Upanishad expounds the worship of Surya through CHAKSHUMATI VIDYA, which confers the benefit of unimpaired eye sight. SAVITRI Upanishad expatiates on the GAYATRI Upasana as an important aspect of the worship of Aditya. It also refers to the Bala and Atibala mantras taught by Sage Viswamitra to Rama and Lakshmana to ward off hunger and thirst.

SURYA TAPINI Upanishad invokes Surya as the supreme of all deities. The
methodology of worshipping Surya as Dwaadasa (12) Adityas  namely  Mitra, Ravi, Surya, BHaga, Khaga, Pushan , Hiranyagarbha, Marichi, Aditya,  Savitar, Arka  and Bhaskara are described here.

In another list of 12 Adityas, names such as Dhatru, Aryaman,Rudra, Varuna, Tvashtar and Vishnu are mentioned according to Vedic tradition. Several Surya Mantras are also revealed in the SURYA TAPNI Upanishad. Sage Agastya salutes Aditya as "DWadasaaatma" and "Tejasaamapi Tejasvi " in the 15th verse and alludes to the different names of  the 12 Aditya elsewhere in the  Aditya Hrudhayam.

NILA RUDRA Upanishad describes the image of Surya as Copper -Colored  as referred to in the verse 14 of Aditya Hrudhayam. This Upanishad describes Surya as auspicious, fearless  and surrounded by the 1,000 powers of life -the Rudras- who shelter Him in all directions.


ADITYA AND THE EPICS (ITHIHAASAS)
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During the time of the Epics, the Rg  Vedic Trinity --Indra, Agni and Surya--have been replaced by the Trinity (Vishnu,Rudra and Brahma). Vishnu of  the Vedic lore celebrated as the measurer of the Worlds  with three steps(Trivikrama aspect), and  as one of the 12  Sun Gods is
transformed into all powerful NARAYANA. Inspite of these changes in the position of Surya in the Hindu pantheon of Gods, He is still given an important place in the time of epics as revealed by the Aditya Hrudhaya Upadesam by Agastya  to the Supreme one , who incarnated as the  human son of Dasaratha.Even today ,we recite the Gayatri mantram and offer Arkyam to Him three times a day during the Sandhya Vandanam.

Besides Valmiki"s describtion of  Rama Chanting Aditya Hrudhayam in Ramayana, the poet also  points out in his composition that Vaivasvata Manu , the law giver ,was one of the sons of Surya.This Manu is the progenitor of the Solar race of Kings (Surya Vamsa). Hence , it is appropriate for Rama to salute the Aadi Karanam of his family at the most important moment of His mission on Earth.

The Mahabharata  extols Surya in many of its Parvas(Chapters). It describes the physical form of Surya;envisages Him as perpetually creating ,supporting  and destroying life (Verses 7,10,11 , 14 , 19 and 20 of Aditya Hrudhayam) and pleasing all by His multifold brilliance( Verses 6,7,9,10,12 and 14). The Mahabharata also states that Surya moves in His orbit  in a one wheeled Chair, while sitting on a Lotus flower .His Chariot drawn by the Seven horses is driven by Aruna (the Red One) ,who is the wise elder brother of Garuda.

SUMMARY
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The Stotram is about the Parabrahman , Sriman Narayana who is the one praised through the Surya(Aditya) Gayatri of the Maha Naraynopanishad:

BHAASKARAAYA VIDMAHE MAHAT DHYUTIKARAAYA DHEEMAHI
TANNOH ADITYA: PRACHODHAYAAT

SRI RAMA, WHO TOOK THE  INCARNBATION OF A HUMAN BEING  AND AS THE SON OF DASARATHA HAD TO OBSERVE THE DHARMA AND ANUSHTANAM TAUGHT BY AGASTHYA IN HIS ROLE AS A MERE MANUSHA  AS HE HIMSELF STATES  TO MINIMIZE HIS SARVA SWAMITVAM.HIS WORSHIP  OF RANGANATHA AS THE ISHVAKU KULA DAIVATAM ALSO COMES UNDER THIS CATEGORY OF THOUGHT.

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