- How to chant Aditya Hrudayam?
- How does it help in life?
- What is the story behind this?
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have bath fisrt then born doop close your eyes take your problam and helpd ypo win your battle rama then feelhelpless to win the battle agstya rishi give this aditya herdya storom after chanting this mantra he win the battle jai shree ram– user4402Dec 15, 2015 at 11:31
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It cannot be considered an interpolation simply because Rama was taught the Bala Atibala mantras by Viswamitra earlier. This is a Mantra for defeating enemies. That is for eradicating hunger, thirst. See the subtle difference.– HariOct 22, 2016 at 9:42
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Commentry + Aditay Hridyam Namavali: sanskritdocuments.org/doc_z_misc_navagraha/…– SecondFeb 27, 2021 at 16:08
2 Answers
The Aditya Hridayam, meaning heart of Surya, is a hymn to Surya the sun god that the sage Agastya told Rama on the battlefield of Lanka right before his battle with Ravana, as described in the Yuddha Kanda of the Ramayana. Here is what Agastya tells Rama:
O Rama, the mighty armed! Hear the following eternal secret, by which you can conquer all the enemies in battle, my child! This holy hymn dedicated to the Sun deity will result in destroying all enemies and bring you victory and never ending supreme bliss.
He then praises Surya effusively, after which he gives the actual hymn:
namaḥ pūrvāya giraye paścimāyādraye namaḥ |
jyotirgaṇānāṃ pataye dinādhipataye namaḥ ||
jayāya jayabhadrāya haryāśvāya namo namaḥ |
namo namaḥ sahasrāṃśo ādityāya namo namaḥ ||
nama ugrāya vīrāya sāraṅgāya namo namaḥ |
namaḥ padmaprabodhāya pracaṇḍāya namo.astu te ||
brahmeśānācyuteśāya sūryāyādityavarcase |
bhāsvate sarvabhakṣāya raudrāya vapuṣe namaḥ ||
tamoghnāya himagnāya śatrughnāyāmitātmane |
kṛtaghnaghnāya devāya jyotiṣāṃ pataye namaḥ ||
Hail to you in the form of eastern mountain and hail to the western mountain. Hail to the lord of host of luminaries and hail to the lord of the day. Hail to you, the giver of victory, hail to you, the joy born of victory! Hail to you, the god with green horses, hail to you, having thousands of rays! Hail, hail to you the son of Aditi! Hail to you, the fierce one, hail to you the valiant one! Hail to you, the one with variegated colours! Hail to you, the awakener of the louts, hail to you, the furious one! Hail to you, the ruler of Brahma, Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu the infallible, the sun-god, the light indwelling the solar orb, the resplendent one, the devourer of all, appearing in form of Rudra. Hail to you, the dispeller of darkness, the destroyer of cold, the exterminator of foes, the one whose extent in immeasurable, the destroyer of the ungrateful, the god, who is the ruler of all lights.
And here is the benefit he describes to Rama:
O Rama! No individual glorifying this sun-god, in distresses in difficulties; in the woods or in times of peril, comes to grief. Worship this sun-god, the lord of the universe and the god of all gods with undivided attention. Muttering this praise three times, you will come out victorious in battles. You will be able to kill Ravana at this very moment, O mighty armed one!
Agastya then left the battlefield, and Rama followed his instructions, sipping water three times and then saying the Aditya Hridayam three times, and as a result Surya himself (who was Rama'a ancestor after all) urged Rama on. And needless to say, Rama did indeed win his battle against Ravana.
By the way, I should mention that it's customary to recite the whole chapter, not just the actual hymn I quoted above.
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@@Keshav-the aditya Hridayam part is considered interpolation, but it any away doesnt impact supremacy of Lord Rama. Rama and Lakshmana were given bala and atibala secret mantras by Vishwamitra during Bala kanda itself and Vishwamitra says that those initiated into these two mantras will not become tired nor will be troubled by pangs of hunger etc.So, if you look at why and how Aditya hridayam came about, it says Rama become tired fighting Ravana.The very primise is wrong.If, Rama became tired, then Vishwamitras mantras have to be questioned.– user808Feb 6, 2015 at 14:22
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@@Keshav- So, Rama becoming tired is very questoonable. Hence, the Aditya Hridayam can be considered safely as interpolation.– user808Feb 6, 2015 at 14:24
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"the aditya Hridayam part is considered interpolation" Who considers it an interpolation? "The very primise is wrong.If, Rama became tired, then Vishwamitras mantras have to be questioned." But what if Rama hadn't uttered the Bala and Atibala mantras at that particular time? It may be that their effect only protects you for a certain length of time. Perhaps the effect had worn off, and then Rama would have said the mantra again if Agastya hadn't come onto the battlefield. Feb 6, 2015 at 15:02
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@@Keshav - Please read the bala khanda. Please read the actually, Sanskrit verses too. You should get the answer by yourself. If, you are questioning the very supremacy of Rama, then there is nothing to discuss. Please don't make assumptions that Rama hadn't uttered, effect wore off etc. There is no question of some thing getting worn off some things clinging on. The subject is Rama here. Not some tom, dick and harry. Ramo vigrahavan dharmaha; Ramo dvirnabhibashatey. These are sufficient to answer the greatness of Rama. Aditya Hridayam is considered interpolation by Vaishnavas.– user808Feb 6, 2015 at 17:06
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1@@Keshav - I got the following information from a well versed Srivaishnava. English translations of Govindaraja's commentary are not available, as far as I know. (And it is better to read in original Sanskrit since translations are often distorted versions). Govindaraja starts the commentary without any remarks first: अथादित्यहृदयोपदेशः । ततो युद्धपरिश्रान्तमित्यादिश्लोकद्वयमेकान्वयम् ।…. After giving a commentary to the entire chapter without compromising Vaishnavism, Govindaraja raises some objections and gives a couple of possibilities about its authenticity:(cont.)– user808Feb 17, 2015 at 7:03
- How to chant?
Take a bath early in the morning, face the Sun God and chant it. Make sure you do the namaskara mudra because Surya Deva is the lover of , and, easily appeased by namaskaram.
- How it helps in life?
Every word/phrase in the stotra tells us the greatness of both the Sun God and the benefits of worshipping him. But, in the introduction Sage Agastya says:-
"sarvanarin vatsa samare vijayishyasi ||"
It bestows victory in battle
"sarva shatru-vinashanam |"
It destroys all enemies (it has been extrapolated that it destroys all internal and external enemies as Surya is also the giver of knowledge)
"jayavaham"
It produces triumph
"akshayyam paramam shivam"
It grants everlasting (never deteriorating) supreme auspiciousness
"sarvamangala-mangalyam" "sarva papa pranashanam"
It imparts auspiciousness to all that is auspicious. It destroys all sin.
"chintashoka-prashamanam"
It alleviates worry and sorrow
Note: the prefix "pra" is used to indicate comparative/superlative effect and , when used, means that the job is done in a particularly glorious and most effective fashion.
"ayurvardhanam-uttamam"
This hymn that is of the highest order increases longevity ( life-span)
The stotram begins after this with "raSmimantam". However, it is better to chant the preceding verses as well.
In the concluding part, sage Agastya teaches Rama the specific phala sruti (i.e. list of benefits) and this has been explained by Keshav
In general, the Sun God is the visible parabrahma, pratyaksha nArAyaNa. Sun worship bestows health, wealth, knowledge as well as liberation. In particular, Sun is worshiped for good health and the Aditya Hrdayam is the easy means to achieving all these goals.
- What is the story behind this?
Already answered by Keshav. To add, Rama felt slightly tired after fighting of the last and most dangerous of Ravana's battalions, his mUla sainya. Sage Agastya appeared before him and granted him the Aditya Hrdaya. Upon receiving the initiation, Rama performed "Acamana" , chanted the hymn and killed Ravana.