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!”