Aditya Hridayam (31)

1. Behold! Sri Rama stood absorbed in thought on the battlefield, exhausted by the fight. Ravana faced him, duly prepared for war.

2. The blessed sage Agastya, who had come with the gods to witness the battle, approached Sri Rama, and spoke thus:

3. “Rama, Oh mighty armed Rama, listen carefully to the eternal secret, by knowing which, Oh my child, you will conquer all your enemies on the battlefield and win against your adversaries.

4. It is entitled the Aditya Hridayam, the Divine Sun in the Heart, the Holy One, the destroyer of all enemies, the bestower of victory, eternal and supremely blessed. One should always recite it.

5. It is the blessing of all blessings, the best means to destroy all suffering, remove anxiety, fear, doubt, worry, sorrow, and grief, and promote longevity.

6. Worship the Divine Sun, the Ruler of the worlds and Lord of the universe, who is crowned with effulgent rays, who is greeted by gods and demons, and who illumines the cosmos.

7. Indeed, He is the very embodiment of all gods, self-luminous. He creates and sustains all with His rays. He nourishes and energizes gods and demons and the worlds in which they dwell.

8. Indeed, He is Brahma, the Creator; Vishnu, the Sustainer; Rudra, the Transformer; Skanda, the essence of Rudra; Prajapati, the progenitor of the human race; the mighty Indra, the king of the heavens; Kubera, the god of wealth and lord of riches; Kala, eternal time; Yama, the lord of death; Soma, the moon-god that nourishes; and Varuna, the lord of sea and ocean.

9. Indeed, He is the Pitris, the ancestors; the eight Vasus, the elemental gods; the twelve Sadhyas, the departed souls; the twin Ashwins, the physicians of the gods; the forty-nine Maruts, the storm-gods; Manu, the first king; Vayu, the wind-god; and Agni, the fire-god. He is Prana, the life-breath of all beings. He is the maker of the seasons and the giver of light.

10. The Divine Sun is the Father of the Cosmos, visible as the Cosmic Sun who transverses the heavens. The Cosmic Sun nourishes all, with brilliant golden color. The Cosmic Sun is the possessor of a myriad rays: by illuminating all directions, He is the maker of daylight. He is the all-pervading, shining principle, the dispeller of darkness.

11. The Cosmic Sun has seven horses yoked to His chariot. He shines with brilliant light having infinite rays; He is the destroyer of darkness, the giver of happiness and prosperity, the mitigator of the sufferings, and

the infuser of life. He is the Omnipresent One who pervades all with immeasurable amount of rays.

12. The Cosmic Sun is born of the Divine Sun, in golden light. He is the destroyer of cold, snow, and fog. He is the bringer of light, the illuminator. He bears fire, removes ignorance, and gives fame.

13. He is the Lord of the heavens and ruler of the sky, the remover of darkness. He is the master of the three Vedas, a friend of the waters, and causes abundant rain. He courses swiftly along His own orbit.

14. He is adorned with a circle of rays. He is death itself, reddish, and the destroyer of all. He is omniscient, all-formed, endowed with extraordinary brilliance, the color of copper, and the source of evolution.

15. He is the controller of the lunar mansions, constellations, stars, and planets. He is the origin of everything in the universe. Salutations to Aditya as the Cosmic Sun who appears in the shape of the twelve months of the year, and whose glory is described in His twelve names!

16. Adoration to the Lord of sunrise and sunset, who rises at the eastern mountains and sets in the western mountains! Adoration to the Lord of the stellar bodies and to the Lord of daylight!

17. Adoration to the giver of victory! Adoration to the joy born of victory! Adoration to the Sun having seven horses! Victory, victory to You with thousands of rays! Victory, victory to You, Cosmic Sun!

18. Adoration to the subduer of the senses, the valiant One! Adoration to You as denoted by the syllable AUM! Adoration to the Awakener of the lotus! Victory to You, the fierce One!

19. Adoration to the Lord of Brahma, Vishnu, and Rudra! Adoration to Surya the Cosmic Sun, who -- by His power and effulgence -- is both the illuminator and devourer of all, and whose form is Rudra-fierce!

20. Victory to the dispeller of darkness; the destroyer of cold, fog, and snow; the exterminator of foes; the one whose extent is immeasurable! Adoration also to the annihilator of the ungrateful, and to the Lord of all the stellar bodies, who is the first amongst all the lights of the universe!

21. Adoration to the Lord shining like molten gold, destroying darkness, who is the transcendental fire of supreme knowledge, who destroys the darkness of ignorance, and who is the cosmic witness of all deeds of the denizens who inhabit the universe! Adoration to the Source of the architect of the universe, Vishvakarma!

22. Adoration to the Lord who creates heat by His brilliant rays! He alone creates, sustains and transforms all that has come into being. Adoration to Him who by His rays consumes the waters, heats them up, and sends them down as rain again.

23. Adoration to the Divine Sun who abides in the Heart of all beings, keeping them awake when they are asleep! Verily, He is the act of sacrificing into the sacred fire, as well as the results obtained by those who sacrifice thusly!

24. The Divine Sun is the origin and protector of all wisdom, the sacrifices needed to obtain such wisdom, and all other results obtained by sacrifices. He alone is the supreme controller of activities which are found in all living beings.

25. Listen, Oh Rama! Scion of the Raghu dynasty! No person singing the glories of Aditya in great difficulties, during affliction, while lost in the wilderness, or when beset with fear, will come to grief or lose heart.

26. If you worship the Divine Sun, the God of all gods, with concentrated mind and devotion by reciting the Aditya Hridayam three times, you will emerge victorious in battle.

27. Oh mighty armed one! You shall triumph over Ravana this very moment.” After blessing Sri Rama, and predicting that he would slay the demon Ravana, the sage Agastya took leave and returned to his original place.

28. Hearing this advice, that great warrior Sri Rama, endowed with extraordinary energy and a subdued mind, became immediately free from grief. His clouds of worry dispelled, the lustrous Rama happily obeyed the sayings of sage Agastya. With composed mind, he retained this hymn in his memory, ready to chant the Aditya Hridayam.

29. Sipping water three times, and becoming purified, Rama gazed at the Sun with devotion, and recited the hymn Aditya Hridayam three times. That great hero Rama, thrilled, lifted his bow.

30. Seizing hold of his weapon and fixing his eyes of Ravana, Sri Rama, who felt delighted in mind, advanced with a view to attaining victory. He stood unswerving in his resolve to defeat Ravana, with an intense and all-sided effort.

31. Sri Rama was feeling supremely exhilarated on perceiving the imminent destruction of Ravana. Looking at Sri Rama, the Divine Sun -- standing in the midst of a host of gods -- exclaimed: “Hurry Up!” “Be quick!” “Make haste!”