Shri Surya Ashtottara Shatanamavali
The 108 names of Surya, the Sun god, with the Sun seed mantra and two meditation verses, each name offered with Om and namah.
Verses
Dhyāna & Invocation
Opening meditation and sacred mantra invoking divine presence before the 108 names.
Om, the seed-syllable mantra of the Sun: Om Hram Hrim Hraum Sah, salutations unto Lord Surya, the radiant Sun.
Verse Bīja Mantra
I revere Lord Surya, who is exquisitely beautiful, the supreme protector and Lord of the worlds, the nectar of immortality, the very essence of Vedanta, auspiciousness personified, pure consciousness imbued with the Supreme Brahman, the sovereign ruler of the gods, eternally stainless, and the singular self-illumined mind of the universe.
Verse Dhyāna 1
I eternally bow before Bhaskara, the radiant light-giver, who is the sovereign lord of Indra, the celestial Adityas, and earthly monarchs, the supreme preceptor of the celestials, the crowning crest-jewel of the three worlds, and the very heart embodying the unified divine forms of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.
Verse Dhyāna 2
The 108 Sacred Names
The 108 sacred names of the Deity, canonically chanted with 'Om' and 'Namah' for Archana and Japa.
Salutations unto Lord Surya, who is adorned with the rosy, radiant glow of the dawn.
Verse 1
Salutations unto the supreme Lord, who is the ultimate haven and refuge for all beings.
Verse 2
Salutations unto the divine Lord, who is an boundless ocean of the nectar of compassion.
Verse 3
Salutations unto Him of incomparable, matchless strength and divine might.
Verse 4
Salutations unto the merciful savior and protector of the afflicted and distressed.
Verse 5
Salutations unto Aditya, the glorious son of Aditi and the supreme solar deity.
Verse 6
Salutations unto Him who is the primordial being and the primal source of all creation.
Verse 7
Salutations unto the omniscient Lord, who knows the profound truth of all sacred scriptures.
Verse 8
Salutations unto the infallible and changeless Lord, who never wavers from His divine nature.
Verse 9
Salutations unto the all-knowing and all-wise Lord.
Verse 10
Salutations unto the infinite, boundless, and eternal Lord.
Verse 11
Salutations unto the mighty master, protector, and sovereign ruler.
Verse 12
Salutations unto Him whose cosmic form encompasses the entire universe.
Verse 13
Salutations unto the adorable Lord, who is the supreme object of all sacred worship and sacrifice.
Verse 14
Salutations unto the supreme Lord, who embodies the majesty, sovereignty, and glory of Indra.
Verse 15
Salutations unto the glorious Bhanu, the self-effulgent illuminator of the world.
Verse 16
Salutations unto Him who is attained by the gracious presence of Goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of fortune.
Verse 17
Salutations unto the most revered Lord, worthy of universal adoration and worship.
Verse 18
Salutations unto Isha, the supreme Master and Lord of all creation.
Verse 19
Salutations unto the gracious Lord, who is ever joyful, serene, and easily pleased with devotion.
Verse 20
Salutations unto Him who is endowed with a virtuous, noble, and gentle disposition.
Verse 21
Salutations unto the Lord of splendid radiance and dazzling brilliance.
Verse 22
Salutations unto the benevolent bestower of wealth, prosperity, and spiritual treasures.
Verse 23
Salutations unto the divine Vasu, the luminous essence indwelling all existence.
Verse 24
Salutations unto Lord Vasudeva, the all-pervading Supreme Lord in whom all things abide.
Verse 25
Salutations unto the luminous Lord, shining with blazing purity and light.
Verse 26
Salutations unto Him who assumes a fierce and formidable form to destroy darkness and unrighteousness.
Verse 27
Salutations unto the elevated Lord, who traverses the celestial heights of the heavens.
Verse 28
Salutations unto Vivasvan, the brilliantly shining and luminous Sun God.
Verse 29
Salutations unto Him who spreads an expanding canopy of golden, rising rays.
Verse 30
Salutations unto Hrishikesha, the master and director of all senses and faculties.
Verse 31
Salutations unto the mighty Lord, full of boundless vitality, strength, and vigor.
Verse 32
Salutations unto the heroic and valiant Lord of supreme courage.
Verse 33
Salutations unto the timeless and immortal Lord, entirely free from decay and old age.
Verse 34
Salutations unto the victorious Lord, who is the very embodiment of divine triumph.
Verse 35
Salutations unto Him whose celestial charioteer is Aruna, the form without thighs.
Verse 36
Salutations unto the exalted Lord, who is venerated and sung by the holy sages.
Verse 37
Salutations unto the divine healer, the destroyer of all diseases, pains, and sorrows.
Verse 38
Salutations unto Him who travels constantly along the celestial wheel of the zodiac and constellations.
Verse 39
Salutations unto the Lord endowed with a straightforward, righteous, and pure heart.
Verse 40
Salutations unto the eternal Lord, worthy of continuous and everlasting praise.
Verse 41
Salutations unto Him who embodies the sacred vowel sound 'Ri' within the divine matrix of creation.
Verse 42
Salutations unto the Lord of blazing splendor, supreme radiance, and luminous energy.
Verse 43
Salutations unto the loving friend and companion of the Moon, the ruler of the night stars.
Verse 44
Salutations unto the lotus-eyed Lord, whose gaze is pure and graceful.
Verse 45
Salutations unto Him who has lost his teeth.
Verse 46
Salutations unto the tranquil and peaceful Lord, who abides in profound stillness.
Verse 47
Salutations unto the divine bestower of beauty, luster, and radiant grace.
Verse 48
Salutations unto the concentrated, solid mass of pure consciousness and unyielding light.
Verse 49
Salutations unto Him who is adorned with gleaming, shining golden ornaments.
Verse 50
Salutations unto the celestial light of the firmament, who illuminates the vast skies.
Verse 51
Salutations unto the victorious vanquisher who destroys all demonic forces and negative tendencies.
Verse 52
Salutations unto Him whose very nature and divine form are absolute Truth and eternal Bliss.
Verse 53
I bow to the bestower of liberation.
Verse 54
I bow to the refuge of the distressed.
Verse 55
I bow to the solitary one.
Verse 56
I bow to the blessed Lord.
Verse 57
I bow to the one who performs creation, preservation, and dissolution.
Verse 58
I bow to the one whose essence is the three qualities.
Verse 59
I bow to the one who bears rays (the radiant one).
Verse 60
I bow to the great one.
Verse 61
I bow to the ultimate Reality.
Verse 62
I bow to the bestower of sovereignty.
Verse 63
I bow to Sharva, the Destroyer, a name of Shiva.
Verse 64
I bow to the one with green horses.
Verse 65
I bow to the valiant one.
Verse 66
I bow to the one who illumines the ten directions.
Verse 67
I bow to the one who is won over by devotees.
Verse 68
I bow to the one who bestows energy.
Verse 69
I bow to the victorious one.
Verse 70
I bow to the cause of the world's joy.
Verse 71
I bow to the one free from birth, death, decrepitude, and disease.
Verse 72
I bow to the one seated on a chariot stationed on a high place.
Verse 73
I bow to the enemy of demons.
Verse 74
I bow to the one with beautiful hands.
Verse 75
I bow to the beloved of the lotuses.
Verse 76
I bow to the one who illumines within and without.
Verse 77
I bow to the inconceivable one.
Verse 78
I bow to the one who is the Self itself.
Verse 79
I bow to the infallible one.
Verse 80
I bow to the Lord of the immortals.
Verse 81
I bow to the supreme light.
Verse 82
I bow to the maker of the day.
Verse 83
I bow to the radiant sun.
Verse 84
I bow to Hari, the remover.
Verse 85
I bow to the supreme Self.
Verse 86
I bow to the youthful one.
Verse 87
I bow to the most excellent one.
Verse 88
I bow to the lord of the planets.
Verse 89
I bow to the illuminator.
Verse 90
I bow to the one without beginning, middle, or end.
Verse 91
I bow to the bestower of bliss.
Verse 92
I bow to the lord of all the worlds.
Verse 93
I bow to the Sun.
Verse 94
I bow to the seer.
Verse 95
I bow to Narayana.
Verse 96
I bow to the supreme lord.
Verse 97
I bow to the one whose form is splendor.
Verse 98
I bow to Hiranyagarbha, the golden womb.
Verse 99
I bow to the bestower of prosperity.
Verse 100
I bow to the bestower of desired objectives.
Verse 101
I bow to the ever-gracious one.
Verse 102
I bow to the glorious one.
Verse 103
I bow to the bestower of supreme good.
Verse 104
I bow to the one who grants joy to millions of devotees.
Verse 105
I bow to the one known by all scriptures.
Verse 106
I bow to the eternal bliss.
Verse 107
I bow to the Sun.
Verse 108
Concluding Verses & Colophon
Traditional closing verses, dedicating the recitation to the Divine.
Thus ends the sacred garland of one hundred and eight names of the Sun.
Verse Colophon
Worship Guidelines & Chanting Benefits (Phalashruti)
Sunday (Raviwar)
Sunrise (Pratahkal) & Brahma Muhurta
Arghya (water in copper vessel), Red flowers (Hibiscus), Sandalwood & Akshat
- Vitality, radiant health (Arogya), and eye strength
- Removal of planetary afflictions (Surya Dosha) and career obstacles
Background
Surya, the Sun, is among the nine planetary deities of the Navagraha, and in Hindu tradition he is the visible god whom everyone can see each morning. This namavali offers his 108 names, each beginning with Om and ending with namah. It opens with the Sun seed mantra, Om hram hrim hraum sah suryaya namah, and then two verses of meditation that honour him as the essence of Vedanta and as the heart of the Trimurti, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. The Sanskrit Documents text is taken from Ashtottara Shatanamavali Shatakam, edited by R. Muralikrishna Srowthigal and published by Vidvath Sabha, Chennai. The names run from Aruna, the dawn-red one, through Aditya, Bhanu and Bhaskara, to the closing name Surya. They also call him Narayana, Hari and Hiranyagarbha, as a sign that devotees see in the Sun the one Supreme. A note in the same edition suggests Sunday observance: giving wheat or sugar candy, fasting on Sundays, and chanting at sunrise.
Did You Know?
Seed mantra and two verses of meditation
Verse 1 is the Sun seed mantra. Verses 2 and 3 are meditation verses that praise Surya as the essence of Vedanta and call him Shiva, nectar and the supreme teacher of the gods. The 108 names follow as verses 4 to 111.
One god in many names
Among the names are Achyuta in verse 12, Vasudeva in verse 28, Hrishikesha in verse 34, Hari in verse 88 and Narayana in verse 99. Verse 18 gives Indra and verse 67 gives Sharva, a name of Shiva. Verse 102 gives Hiranyagarbha, the golden womb of creation. The Sun becomes a meeting place for Vaishnava, Shaiva and Vedic names.
The sky journey
Verse 39 names Aruna, the charioteer, who is described as having no thighs, and verse 68 gives him green horses. Verse 42 says he moves along the wheel of the stars, verse 86 calls him the maker of the day, and verse 79 the beloved of the lotuses, which open at his rising.
Healer and giver of freedom
Verse 41 calls him the destroyer of disease and verse 75 the one free of birth, death, old age and illness. Verse 57 names him the giver of liberation, and verse 108 the giver of joy to millions of devotees.
A Sunday discipline
The note in the source says to give wheat or sugar candy at noon on a Sunday, to fast on Sundays, and to chant on Sunday morning at sunrise, especially in the periods that astrology assigns to the Sun.
Surya
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