Aditya Hrudhayam

From the Bhakti List Archives

• December 4, 1995


Dear Sri Ramanujam and the members of the Group:

I am happy to respond to the request of Sri Ramanujam. The Aditya Hrudhayam
Stotram 
is a part of the 105 Chapter of the Yuddha Khandam of the Adi Kavi"s Srimad 
Ramayanam. I will forward you a Sanskrit Version by  snail mail.Please let me
know
of your mailing address.

Meanwhile, here is the translation of the Canto containing Aditya Hrudhyam.

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
1-2):

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. (Verses 3-5)

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 6) 

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.( Verse
7).

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 8-10).

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 theuniverse 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 month
sof the Year and 
Dwasasa Adityas), Hail to thee! (Verses 11-15).

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 16).

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 17).

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 18).

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 19).

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 20).

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! (Verse 21).

I will post the translation of the remaining verses(22-31) tomorrow.

V.Sadagopan

P.S: In answer to your other query, the Translation of Padhuka Sahasram is
completed,
thnaks to Swami Desiakn"s blessings. When it was done,  It came to 323 Pages
 (3+2+3 pages adding up to the total numbers of Ashtaakshari)........ 

 
!  
,