Aditya Hrudayam

Adhithya hrdhayam

Adhithya hrdhayam  is the sthothra instructed by sage Agasthya to Rama  to ensure victory over Ravana. Surya is the head of the clan of Raghuvamsa and Ram ais advised to pray to him. This appears natural . But Rama even though acting like a human being, he was an incarnation of Vishnu who is also cited as one of the twelve adhithyas. ‘ aadhithyaanaam aham vishNuH’ says Krishna in the Gita. Moreover all the ede3vas which includes the Sun were described as powerless in front of Ravana. This made me study the sthothra closely and it occurred to me that all the names of the Sun can be applied to the Lord Narayana as well as he is the inner self of the Sun as the Upanishad says,  ‘There is seen inside the orb of the Sun a purusha of golden hue,’ whom Ramanuja describes as the Lord Narayana, who is synonymous with Brahman and who is described as having eyes like a full-bloomed lotus. Then I started to relate the names of the Sun in Adhithya hrdhayam to the Lord and here is the result of my effort.

Besides to me the purusha inside the orb of the Sun appears as Narasimha as the Upanishad passage says the purusha is all golden hue and from His nails to His beard all gold. Who else could  be that except Narasimha!

 

tathO yudDhapariSraantham samare chinthayaa sThitam |

raavaNam cha agrathO drShTvaa yudDhaaya samupasThitam || 1

To Rama who looked fatigued during the battle and was standing with anxiety while looking at Ravana who stood in front ready for battle,

dhaivathaiScha samaagamya dhraShTum abhyaagatho raNam |

upaagamya abraveeth rAmam agasthyo bhagavaan rShi: || 2

Sage Agasthya who came there to see the battle along with the devas approached Rama and spoke

raama raama mahaabaaho SRNu guhyam sanaathanam |

yena sarvaanareen vathsa samare vijayishyasi || 3

“Oh mighty armed Rama listen to this which is secret and ancient, by which you will vanquish all your enemies in battle.”

The words secret and ancient may refer to the Supreme Being and vanquishing all enemies can also mean internal enemies.

aadhithyahRdhayam puNyam sarvaSathruvinaaSanam |

jayaavaham japennithyam akshayyam paramam Sivam || 4

“This sthothra aadhithyahrdhaya which is holy and destroys all enemies and brings victory should be chanted everyday which brings everlasting auspiciousness.”

aadhithya hrdhayam may very well mean the Supreme Purusha who is seen inside theSun. The epithets , puNyam, sarva Sathruvinaasanam jayaavaham and akshayyam paramam sukham , that is, all fit Him perfectly.

sarvamangala maangalyam sarvapaapapraNASanam |

chinthaaSokapraSamanam aayurvarDhanam utthamam || 5

“It is the source of all auspiciousness and destroyer of all sins, pacifies all worries and the best means if long life.”

Sarvamangala maangalyam reflects the words of Bheeshma who said Vishnu sahasra nama, ‘pavithraaNaam pavithram yo mangalaanaam mangalam,’ that which holy among the holy and auspicious among the auspicious.

raSmimantham samudhyantham devaasuranamaskrtham | 

poojayasva vivasvantham bhaaskaram buvanESvaram|| 6

“You worship the one who has rays, who rises and who is  saluted by devas and asuras, who is shining and  who is effulgent.”

This may refer to the Lord who rises in all His glory to protect the devas and saluted by them whom the Vedas refer to as ‘thameva bhaantham anubhaathi sarvam thasya bhaasaa sarvam idham vibhaathi,’ one whose light all depend on and by whose lustre all this shine.

Then starts the names of the Sun.

sarvadhevaathmako hi eshaH thejasvee raSmibhaavanaH

esha dhevaasuragaNaan lokaan paathi gabhasthibhiH-7

eshaH – this one

sarvadhevaathmakaH- is the Self of all devas or comprises of all devas in His form which is His visvaroopa. It is the Lord who is the inner Self of all. The word dheva also means indhriyas and He is hrsheekaesa , the Lord of Indriyas.

Thejasvee- one who is luminant. The Lord is mentioned as mahaathejaaH  in Vshnusahasranama. It is His light that gives light to other luminous bodies which could not shine while He is shining. Gita says , ‘na thadhbhaasayathe sooryaH na sasaanko na paavakaH,’(BG15.6). Where the Sun does not shine, nor the moon nor fire. The Lord who is the inner Self of all is self illumined and His brilliance eclipses that of the Sun and the Moon and hence they do not shine there. Any other luminous body is like a glow worm in sunlight. Sanjaya says in Bhagavatgit describing the visvaroopa of the Lord that it looked as though 1000 suns were shining. The same idea is repeated in adhithyahrdhayam later in the nama ‘thejasaam api thejasvee.’

raSmi bhaavanaH-the one who showers rays. The Lord is showering His rays of mercy on all besides illuminig everything  by His rays of light, meaning, He makes everything manifest.

Esha – this one

gabhasthibhiH-by His rays

Paathi- protects

dhevaasuragaNaan –all the devas

lokaan- and the world of beings

The Sun is essential for life but the power of the Sun is given by the Lord and moreover the protection of the world and devas is only in His power.

eSha brahmaa ca vishNuScha SivaH skandhaH prajApathiH|

mahendhro dhanadhaH kaalo yamaH somo hyapaam pathiH|| 8

 

pitaro vasava: sAdhyA hyasvinau maruto manu: |

vAyurvahni: prajAprANa: rutukartA praBAkara: || 9

esha- this one

is Brahma, Vishnu, Siva, subramanya, and the progenitor of all beings. He is Indra, Kubera, (DhanadhaH)the Time, (kaala)Yama, Moon and varuNa(apaam pathiH).

He is the pithrs, vasus, saaDhyaas( aparticular class of celestial beings) asvini devas, the maruths( winds) , Manu( includes all Manus of each aeon), Vayu, agni, the life of all beings, the creator of seasons and the one who gives light.

This fact has been clearly brought out by the 10^th chapter of the Gita, vibhoothiyoga, where the Lord says all manifestations  are me only. Without Him all these beings lose their existence.

 

aadhityaH  savithaa sooryaH  khagaH pooshaa gabhasthimaan |

suvarNasadhRuSo bhaanu: hiraNyaretho dhivaakaraH|| 10

 

1.adhithyaH- means son of Adhithi . The Lord as Vamana was the son of Adhithi. Since Devaki was Adhithii in her previous birth this could also mean Balarama who was also called Sankarshana and also Krishna himself. As akaara denotes Vishnu, the nama can be derived as aath ithyaH , that which is got from ‘a’ that is moksha.

In vishnusahasranama we have the name aadhithyaH which means aa varnaath praapyaH , meaning one who could be attained by syllable aa, which is the beeja manthra of Sankarshna , a vyuha form of Narayana.

The word can also be derived as aadhatthe (rasaan bhuvah rasmibhih) ithi aadhithyah, one who brings essence of life on earth by his rays  or as aadhatthe bhaasam jyothishaam, one who gives light to other luminous bodies. In this sense the word can be ascribed to the Lord as He is the giver of life and light and

2.savithaa-suvathi ithi savithaa- one who moves could mean the one who moves everything, Brahman or Narayana without Him as the power behind nothing can move.  Soothe sarvam ithi savithaa. One who has given birth to all, Brahman or Narayana from whom everything came out. sarvasaya prasavithaa, He who creates the universe . The name is also in the Vishnusahasranama.

3.sooryaH –means the same , sarathi ithi sooryaH, one who moves. In Vishnusahasranam the name is explained as  vaayuH sadhaa sarathi yasmaath ithi sooryaH. The wind moves from Him.The Lord says in the Gita, pavanaH pavathaam asmi, I am the wind of all that moves.

Alternate meaning, is, soothe sarvam ithi sooryaH.  One from whom everything comes about.

4,khagaH-khagaH means one who travels in the sky. But kha also means the Sun and also means Brahman, while ga means moving, staying or being. All the three meaning s applies to the Lord. There is a nama sarvagaH in Vishnusahasranama, which means one who reaches out to all . In that sense kha meaning the sky it may denote Thrivikrama who reached out to the heavens. The word khaga normally means a bird and it is often used to denote Garuda who is supposed to be identical wth the Lord. Desika says in Garudapanchaasath,

svaarThaabhirooDaH bahiH abahiH abhivyakthim abhyethi,  Garuda, who is vedasvarupa  shine inside and outside by himself and by the Lord who is on him. Garuda is said to be the Sankarshana amsa of the Lord

5.pooshaa-pushnaathi ithi pooshaa- One who nourishes the life . Obviously this epithet  applies to the Lord who looks after the well being of all.

6.gabhasthimaan- one who has rays of light which are really the rays of mercy of the Lord shining over the world.

7.suvarna sadhrSaH- means like gold. The Upanishad says, ya eshontharaadithye hiraNmayah purusho dhrSyathe, there is this purusha of golden hue, seen inside the orb of the Sun. His limbs shining like gold. hiraNya smaSruh hiraNya keSa aapraNakAth sarva eva suvarNah,  continues the above passage from the upanishat, meaning His beard, His hair, everything from His nails is golden. He has eyes like full blown lotus. thasya kapyaasam pundareekam eva akshiNee .

8.bhaanuH-bhathi ithi bhaanuH- One who shines by Himself. Self illumined. He creates everything and remains unchanged and shines always. The Upanishad says, ‘thameva bhaantham anubhaathi sarvam thasya bhaasaa sarvam idham vibhaathi.’ All the luminous bodies like Sun , moon etc. resemble Him and they shine because of His light. The rays of the Sun, Moon and other luminous bodies are from The Lord only who illumines the world through them.

9.hiraNyarethaa-He has rays of gold. Hiranyam means hitham ramaNeeyam vaa. That which is beneficial and desired. The Lord is the source of eternal beauty and good.

10. dhivaakaraH- One who creates the day. The night is before the dawn of knowledge of God  covered with the darkness of ignorance . When the knowledge dawns it is the beginning of the day, as the Lord says in Gita, theshaam aadhithyavath jnaanam prakaaSayathi thath param(BG 5.16), meaning, To those whose ignorance is destroyed by knowledge of the self, the jnana, shines like the Sun. This is brought about by the grace of the Lord only and hence He is the creator of the day.

haridhasvaH sahasraarchiH sapthasapthir mareechimaan

thimironmaThanaH SambhuH thvashtaa maarthaanda amSumaan   11

1. harith+aSvaH- harith means Vishnu and aSva means rays. Harith also means green or yellow. The Lord is having pacchaimaamalai pOl mEni, and maragatha maNivaNNam, lustrous green form.

2.sahasraarchiH-This is one of the thousand names of the Lord, meaning that he has thousand rays of light because it is His luminance which causes that of Sun , Moon and other luminaries.

3.sapthasapthiH- The Sun has seven horses(sapthiH). There is a nama sapthavaahanaH in the sahasranama , meaning one who has seven vahana that cariies Him , meaning the seven horses of the Sun which denote the presiding deities of the seven manthras that reveal Brahman and are couched in seven metres, gaythri, anushtup, etc.

4.mareechimaan- mareechi means a ray of light. The Lord is mareechimaan because He is self luminous and could be seen even by those who are born blind like Surdas.

5.thimironmaThanaH- On who dispels darkness. The Lord dispels the darkness of ignorance and shines like the Sun when real knowledge dawns in the mind.

6.SambhuH- Sam means sukham . sukham bhaavayathi ithi SambhuH. The Sun brings welfare. The Lord is the giver of Sukham, as He is termed as  viSvaSambhuvam, in Narayanasuktham, one who brings sukham to the world. Sambhu is one of the sahasranama, meaning the source of happiness. 

7.thvashtaa- it means a chiseller. Like a carpenter the Lord gives name and form by chiseling every being into man, bird and beast etc. that is, He gives shape to the world of beings, both sentient and insentient. He created everything and having created, entered into it to give it name and form, says the Upanishad, anena aathmanaa anupravisya naama rupe vyaakaravaani.

8.maarthaanda-maarthanda means number twelve. There are twelve aadhithyas of which Vishnu is one, and the Lord says in Gita, aadhithyaanaam aham vishNuH. Also He has twelve names , Kesava, Narayana, Govinda, Vishnu, Madhusudana, Thrivikrama, Vamana, Sridhara, Hrsheekesa, padmanabha and Damodara.

9. amsumaan- Means one who is radiant. amSu means rays . The one who has rays is amSumaan. The Lord is called sahasraamSuH, which means that sahasraaH. aparimithaaH, innumerable, amSvaH, rays of knowledge, asya ithi,

 

hiraNyagarbhaH SiSiraH thapanO bhaaskarO raviH

agnigarbhaH adhitheH puthraH SankhaH SiSiranaaSanaH  11

1. hiraNyagarbhaH- This is also one of the sahasranamas which means hiraNyam garbhe yasya saH. HiraNyam means the cosmic egg. The Lord has given birth to the cosmic egg.

2.SiSiraH-One who is cool ( this cannot mean the Sun who cannot be cool but it may be taken to mean that the Sun is cool at the centre where the Lord resides The Lord is cool to His devotees.

3. thapanaH- one who is like fire. The Lord is klike fire to those who harm His devotees.

If we take the two words together, bearing in mind that the Purusha seen inside the orb of the Sun is all golden from His nails to His beard, we can visualize Narasimha only who is described by Desika as thapanendhu agni nayanaH , in his Kamsikaashtakam, meaning, He has three eyes, Sun, Moon and  fire. Thus He is also described by Desika as vishamavilochana, one who has unequal eyes, that is odd number of eyes which actually means that the eyes of the Lord is cool like the moon towards His devotees and fierce like the Sun or Fire  towards the wicked. That is why He is described as chandhraamSuH bhaaskaradhyuthiH in the Vishnusahasranama, meaning that he is cool like the moon and fierce like the Sun.

4.bhaaskaraH – One who gives light. All shine because of His light. He makes everything manifest.

5.RaviH-The Sun in utthraayaNa is called ravi. The Lord is ravih because rooyathe ithi raviH, meaning , one who is extolled. The word rooyathe also means creates sound( ravam means sound). Sound is the first element created by God. Otherwise it could also mean mahasvanaH , one of the names in sahasranama.

  As all the sound originated from the Lord, who is  pranavasvarupa He is Mahaasvana the great sound. Mahaan cha asou svanascha ithi mahaasvanah.  Or mahaan svanah (sabdah) yasya sah , the sound of whom is greatest of all.

6.agni garbhaH-One who has fire in himself. The Lord says in Gita , aham vaiSvaanro bhoothvaa praaNinaam dheham aaSrithaH(BG15.14),meaning, I enter the bodies of living beings as Vaisvanara. Brahman is the source of all energy and power by which all are sustained and is  the inner fire, vaisvAnara, this is the agni which is  in the garbha of the Sun also.

7.adhitheH puthraH- Which has been explained already.

8. SankhaH- It means 10000crores. The Lord created the whole universe of innumerable beings as per the Upanishad, which says thath aicachatha, bahu syaam prajayeya, ‘It(Brahman) willed to become many.’

9.SiSiranaaSanaH-One who destroyed cold. The Lord quells the fire of samsara, which consists of thapathraya, the three fires that scorch the beings,  and gives comfort.

vyomanaaThasthamobhedhee rgyajussaaaamapaaraga: |

ghanavrShTirapaam mitraH vindhyaveethee plavangama: || 13

1.vyomanaaTha- It means the Lord of the sky as of everything else.

2.thamobhedhee- one who destroys darkness of thamas or ignorance.

3.rkyajussaamaparagaH- One who knows all the three Vedas. alone is the knower of the true purport of the Vedas, because they were His utterings and the Vedas themselves have not fathomed the real nature of Brahman. Desika says in Yadhavabhydhaya,

yadhekaikaguNapraanthe SraanthaaH nigamavandhinaH

          yaThaavath varnane thasya

Vedas serving as bards, become fatigued in describing just one attribute of the Lord as it is

 amithasya mahimnasthe prayaathum paaramicChathaam

       vithaThaa vedhapaanThaanaaam yathra saayamgrhaa gathiH

 

The travellers called Vedas who wish to see the limit of your glory which is unlimited  with the intention of resting only in the evening walk in vain.

4. ghanavrshtiH-One who creates heavy rain.  The rain of mercy is limitless. He cools the thaapathraya, the heat of the samsara by His cool showers of grace. That is why in saharanama we have the nama parjanyaH to denote the Lord, which means rain.

5.apaam mithraH-It means the one who is the friend of Varuna or the ocean. The word aapaH of which the word apaam is the genitive singular, also means lokaaH, or people, ‘aapo naaraa ithi proktho aapo  vai narasoonavaH’    as per Manusmrthi. Thus the lord gets the name naaraayaNa, which is derived as naaraaNam ayanam ithi NaraayaNaH , the abode of all beings, or naaraaH ayanam asya ithi, He who abides inall beings.

6.vinDhyaveeThee- Literal meaning would be one who crosses the Vindhya mountain, or on whose path is across Vindhy mountain. But the to words VinDhya veeThee and plavangamaH taken together is also explained as the Sun passes the vindhya region which is the middle region of our body and sports in Brhamanadi which is also called soorya nadi. Brahma nadi is explained as the one which in inside all but concealed by ignorance. This refers to Brahman or the inner Self of all.

7. plavangamaH- means a monkey or a deer because they move by jumping. Plavanam.This name and the previous one is taken together as explained above.

aathapee mandalee mrthyuH pingalaH sarva thaapanah

kavirvisvo mahaathejaaH rakthaH sarvabhavodhbhavaH  14

 

1.aathapee-One who is like fire. In Bhagavatgita Arjuna seein the visvaroopa of the Lord says,

paSyaami thvaam dheepathahuthaaSavakthram

 

    svathejasaa viSvamidham thapantham

‘I see your mouth a flaming fire and you seem to scorch the whole universe with your effulgence.’

The Lord is the fire that warms the whole universe so that the life is maintained. This Arjuna experiences as the heat that burns the whole world because he is seeing the whole fire of existence at once.

2.mandalee- one who has a form like circle. It also means a group. It also means a group or assemblage. A circle had no beginning nor an end and  comprises of all that  it includes. The Lord also has no beginning nor an end and contains the whole universe within Himself.

3.mrthyuH-Death or annihilator.mrthyuH sarvaharaSchaaham says the Lord in gita (BG 10 34)

4.pingalaH- of yellow in colour. This also means the Lord who is known as harith as already explained which means yellow as well as green. He is peetha vasana, wearing yellow and green o in colour and also when identified with the purusha inside the orb of the Sun He is dexcribed as hiranyavarna, of golden  form.

5.sarvathaapanaH-One who burns  or heats everything. What does the Lord burns? Only the pain of samsara and the sins of His devotees.

6.kaviH- Means on who is omniscient.( this may refer to Surya teaching the Hanuman and Yajnavalkya) This is also a nama in Vishnusahasranama. It means, sa va kraantha dharSithvaath kavih

Kavi is the term applied to one  who fathoms the depth of learning. Kraantha means the limit. It denotes transcendental intellect. He who sees beyond. Also krouthi sabdham karothi ithi kaviH.which means mahaasvanaH (refer raviH-sloka 11) The Lord is called kavi because He knows everything past, present and future as He Himself said ‘vedhaaham samavethaani varthmaanaani cha arjuna, bhavishyaaNi cha bhoothaani maam thu na veda kaSchana’ (Ch.7.26) This denotes His sarvajnathva, omniscience. He knows everything because they came from Him who is the first and only existence.

7.ViSvaH- viSathi avayavaan ithi- Denotes fullness and perfection. This is the first nama of Vishusaharanama. ViSvam the universe is the effect of the Lord who is the cause and as the effect denotes the cause like the pot denotes the clay  this refers to Him. Also He is the whole. poorNamadhaH poorNam idham says Upanishad. That is whole and this is whole , meaning brahaman and also the universe. viS as a verb means to enter, and everything enters into Him in the end.

8. MahaathejaaH-of great effulgence. Of great effulgence.  This in sahasranama means Yena sooryaH thapathi thejasedDhaaH , the Sun shines due to His luminance.

9. rakthaH-Means red in colour, It also stands for rajas or energy. The Lord is the energy behind all activities. He says in the Gita,mayaaDhyaksheNa prakrthiH sooyathe sacharaacharam.(BG.9.10). ‘Controlled and supervised by Me the prkrthi gives birth to the world of sentient and insentient beings. And due to this the world revolves.’

10 sarvabhavodhbhavaH-One who sustains the universe and all actions. It also means  one who creates all beings. The Upanishad says, yatho vaaimaani bhoothaani jaaynthe yenajaathaani jeevanthi yasmin abhisamvisanthi thath vijinaasasva thath brahma- Know that to be Brahman from whom all beings originate, by whom all are sustained and in whom all enter in the end.’

nakshathragrahathaaraaNaam aDhipo viSvabhaavanaH

thejasaam api thejasvee dhvaadhaSaathman namosthu the  15

1. nakshathragrahathaaraaNaam aDhipaH- the master of the stars and planets (because they get light from him only).      But all luminous bodies get their light only from the Lord who is therefore  the real master of all luminous bodies.

2.viSva bhaavanaH-The word viSva besides denoting the universe also means sarvam, all. We have the namas in Sahasranama , bhoothabhaavanaH and bhaavanaH. The word bhaavana  is explained as saviour , bhaavayathi ithi bhaavanaH , meaning one who makes everything exist by being their inner self. Sarveshaam bhoothaanaam aathmaa, and thaani DhaarakaH poshakaH , He sustains  and protects all.

3.thejasaam api thejasvee- One who is the light of the lustrous, as given in the text, thasya bhaasaa sarvam idham vibhaathi, everything shines by the light of the Lord.

.

4.dhvaadhaSaathman- Sun has twelve names corresponding to the twelve months. The twelve forms  of the Lord, namely, Kesava etc. are also correspond to the twelve months, each one being the adhidhevatha of that month.  

namosthu the-salutations to you

 

namaH poorvaaya giraye paSchimaaya adhraye namaH

jyothirgaNaanaam pathaye  dhinaaDhipathaye namaH   16

1.poorvaayagiraye (pathaye) namaH – Salutations to   the master of the Eastern mountain .

2.paScimaaya adhraye (pathaye) namaH -     Salutations to   the master of the Western  mountain

  Poorva giri means the place of udhaya , creation and paSchimagiri is the place of asthamana ,   annihilation. Everything rises from the Lord and merges in Him.

3,jyothigaNaanaam pathaye- to the master of all luminous bodies. It is already been explained  that the Lord is the master of all luminous bodies.

dhinaaDhipathaye- and the master of the day  -The day is when the creation starts and the night is when they all merge back in the Lord. He says in the Gita,

sarvabhoothaani kountheya prakrthim yanthi maamikaam

    kalpakshaye punaH thaani kalpaadhou visrjaamyaham(BG9.7) .

‘All beings enter into My prkrthi at the end of the cycle of time and again I let them out at the beginning of the cycle.’

 

 Further He says kaalaH kalayathaam aham(BG10.30) ‘I am the Time among reckoners ‘which means that the  Time is the all powerful force of the Lord which is divided into hours days etc.

All beings enter into My prkrthi at the end of the cycle of time and again I let them out at the beginning of the cycle.

namaH- salutations.   

Jayaaya jayabadhraaya haryaSvaaya namo namaH

namo namaH saharaamSo aadhithyaaya namo namaH  17

1.jayaaya- One who ordains victory. We have the namas, vijayaH, Jethaa and samithinjayaH, given to the Lord . VijayaH means one who brings victory. He secures victory to the devas by His power. Jethaa means one who wins. He wins over all , devotees by His gunas and foes by His valour.samithinjaya measn victorious in battle.

2.jayabadhraaya- One who ordains prosperity. When the Lord showers His grace prosperity in the real sense follows because He is also Lakshmeevaan.

3.haryaSvaaya- This name is the same as haridhaSva, refer to sloka 11.

namonamaH- salutations

4. saharaamSo -one who has thousand rays. We have the namas sahasraamSuH and saharaarchiH in Vishnusahasranama. amSu and archiH both mean rays. The Lord could be called one with thousand rays as it is His light that makes others shine. Also it means  that He has innumerable rays of knowledge as the Upanishad says sathyam jnaanam anantham Brahma, truth, knowledge and infinity is Brahman.

5.Adhithyaaya namo namaH- salutations to Adhithya, son of Adhithi, which could mean both the sun and the Lord as Vamana.

 

nama ugraaya veeraaya saarangaaya namonamaH

namaH padhmapraboDhaaya maat rthaandaaya namonamaH 18

nama- Salutations

1.ugraaya- to one who is fierce

2.veeraaya – and valiant.

These two names leaves no doubt about their connotation. Ugram veeram mahaavishNum jvalantham sarvathomukham nrsimham bheeshaNam badhram mrthyumrthyum namaamyaham is the manthra of Narasimha and is known as manthraraja.  The purusha seen inside the orb of the Sun who is golden from nails to His beard or mane could only be Narasimha. Veera is explained in the manthrarajapadha sthothram as

sarvairavasdhyathaam praaptham sakalougham dhitheh sutham

 nakhaagraiH Sakaleechakre yastham veeram namaamyaham

Salutations to the valiant one who with His nails tore to pieces the son of Dhithi who could not be vanquished by anyone .

3.saarangaaya namo namaH-The word means variegated colour and the Sun is called so because of the colours of the rainbow which are the refractions of white rays or dueto his appearance as red , yellow and white in different parts of the day.  How this applied to the Lord Hari is due to the fact the word also means a large black bee, which when taken along with the next name makes ythis clear.

4.namaH padhmapraboDhaaya- salutations to one who makes the lotus blossom. Here padhma also means Lakshmi. The Lord makes Lakshmi blossom and hovers around like a large black bee. This can also refer to Krishna who is the brindavanasaranga, the bee hovering around the lotuses of the faces of gopis in brindavan.

6.maarthaandaaya namo namah- salutations to one who is fierce and omnipotent. This epithet fits Narasimha .

 

brahmeSaanaachyutheSaaya sooryaayaadhithyavarchase |

baasvathe sarvabakshaaya raudhraaya vapushe nama: || 19

1.brahmeSaanaachyutheSaaya- One who is the Lord of Brahma , ESvara and Achyutha-The name Kesava of the Lord who has the thrimoorthis under His control. kaScha aScha eesaScha keSaaH. thaan vashti ithi keSavaH. The one who has all the three under His control. Ka means Brahma , a means Vishnu and eesa is Siva. It means that He controls the three functions  creation, sustenance and annihilation.

2.sooryaaya – Soorya is one from whom everything comes about. Soothe sarvam ithi sooryaH. The Lord is the one from whom everything originates. WE have this nama among the thousand names of the Lord. The word soorya is also explained as vaayuH sarathi asmaath ithi sooryaH. The wind moves from Him. The Lord says in Gita, pavanaH pavathaam asmi.,(BG 10.31) ‘I am the wind  among things that move.

3. aadhithyavarchase-one who is the effulgence of the Sun. This could mean only the Lord by whose effulgence everything shines. The sahasranama has bhaaskaradhyuthiH as one of the thousand. bhaaH means light. Thath karothi, One who makes light is bhaaskaraH. Hence,

4. bhaasvathe- One who is shining

5. sarvabhakshaaya- One who eats everything. The Lord eats everything in the form of fire and the Sun. kaalaroopee sarvam bhunkthe- He eats everything as Time.

In Gita the Lord says,

kaalo asmi lokajshayakrthpravrdDho  (BG.11.32)

I am the all destroying Time. Now I am intent on destroying the worlds. The Lord says that His work is to destroy all the worlds as the annihilator.

6.roudhraaya vapushe namaH- salutations to one who has fierce form like Rudra

Brahman or Narayana, is one ony and assumes the threefold forms during creation, sustenance and annihilation and the fierce form of Rudra is that assumed duing annihilaton.

 

thamoghnaaya himaghnaaya Sathrugg\hnaayaamithaathmane

krthghnaghnaaya dhevaaya jyothishaam pathaye namaH     20

1. thamoghnaaya- One who destroys darkness. The Lord destroys the darkness of ignorance and shines like the Sun in the minds of this who has gained knowledge.

theshaam aadhithyavath jnaanam prakaasayathi thath param(BG5.16) To those whose ignorance is destroyed by knowledge of the self, the jnana, shines like the Sun.’

2.himaghnaaya-One who destroys snow or cold. The Lord destroys the coldness of the mind and intellect which is the result of lack of love and creates warmth in them so that one becomes a devotee and a jnani.

3.Sathrughnaaya- One who destroys enemies. This epithet applied to the Lord only. The implication is that by praying to the Sun one actually prays to the Purush who is in the Sun and he has the power to destroy the enemies external and internal.

4.amithaathmanE-One who has limitless or transcendental form. Visvaroopa.

5.krthaghnaghnaaya-One who destroys the ungrateful. This is of uncertain application to the Sun and when applied to the Lord, we can say that the ungrateful will experience a punishment from Him in the end. Actually this can be explained in another way. In fact all of us are ungrateful in as much as we forget what all He has given us and either we become arrogant and egoistic or we go on complaining forever , forgetting His gifts to us like good health , able body etc. This ingratitude is the result of o ignorance which is the real krthaghna, as it destroys the knowledge of our indebtedness to Him. Now the Lord destroys this ignorance which is the krthaghna and hence He is called krthaghngna, destroyer of that which destroys the knowledge of what the Lord has done(krtha) for us.

dhevaaya- a divine being. The term deva is applied to all forms of the Lord.

Jyothishaam patahye namaH- salutations to the one who is the master of all luminous bodies. (This has been explained earlier that He alone has the power to make all luminous bodies shine.

 

thapthachaameekaraabhaaya vahnaye viSvakarmaNe

namaH thamobhinighnaaya ruchaye loka saakshiNe            21

namaH- salutations to

 ‘1. thapthachameekaraabhaaya-One who has the lustre of molten gold, the Lord has a nama suvarna varna, of golden hue  and also hemaanga, whose limbs are golden. He has effulgence like gold. The Upanishad says,

ya eshontharaadithye hiraNmayah purusho dhrSyathe,

there is this purusha of golden hue, seen inside the orb of the Sun.

His limbs shining like gold. hiraNya smaSruh hiraNya keSa aapraNakAth sarva eva suvarNah,  continues the above passage from the upanishat, meaning His beard, His hair, everything from His nails is golden.

2.vahnaye-One who is fire. The nama vahniH in sahasranama is explained thus.

vahanaath vahniH. He bears all which are His sareera being their inner self. The general meaning of vahni, which is fire is also applicable as the Lord as the fire in the sacrifices makes the devas get their oblations.

3.viSvakarmaNe- One who makes or creates the world. The Lord is called viSvakarma in sahasranama is expalained thus. Visvakarmameans the agent of all actions. It denotes the one who existed  before creation of the world by Brahma and from whom the creation started. brahmasrshteH praak oorDhvam cha vidhyamaanam  viSvakarma. jagathvyaapaaraH asya eva ithi.

4.thamobhinighnaaya- own who dispels the darkeness. TheLord rmoves the darkness of ignorance.

5. ruchaye –one who is effulgent. The Lord has a nama suruchiH which means effulgent . Sobhanaa ruchiH dheepthiH.

6. loka saakshiNe- The one who witnesses everything. The Lord is sarva sakshee as He sees everything and remains as a witness. Sa +akshee=saakshee, meaning the one who is the eyes of everything. He is the witness self, not affected by the actions of all beings which form His body like the soul which is not affected by the  activities and the  transformation of the body

We  have the Upanishad text  as follows

dhvaa suparNaa sayujaa sakhaaya samaanam  vrksham parishasvajaathe

thayoH ekaH pippalam svaadhu atthi anasnan anya h parichaakaSeethi

There are two birds in the same tree (Jeeva and esvara). One of the two (jeeva) eats bitter and sweet fruits( sukah and dhuhkha) The Other without eating looks on.

 

 

naaSayathyesha vai bhootham thadheva srjathi prabhuH

paayathyesha thapathyesha varshathyesh gabhsthibhiH  22

 esha – this one

prabhuH – who is the Lord

naasayathi- destroys

bhootham- all beings

srjathi- and creates

thadheva – them again

esha- he

paayathi –drinks all

esha- he

thapathi- burns

esha- he

varshathi- rains

gabhasthibhiH- by his rays.

The Lord is prabhu, the Lord of all. In Gita He says that He is the Prabhu, (BG 9.18)The controller and master of the Universe.  The upanishat says that the elements and planets and the deities like Yama function under His rule.

He annihilates all beings, naasayathi  and He creates them again, thadheva srjathi. He absorbs everything into Himself, paayathi.

In Gita the Lord says,

. thapaami aham aham varsham nigrhnNaami uthsrjaami cha (BG. 9.19)

‘I give heat and hold back and release rain.’

The Sun gives heat and causes  rain. The power behind the Sun is the Lord Himself and hence it is He who gives heat and rain. When the rain is withheld it is also the act of the Lord.

esha suptheshu jaagarthi bhootheshu parinishTithaH

eshaa eva agnihothram cha phalam cha agnihothriNaam  23

vedhaScha krathvaSchaiva  krathoonaam pahlamevacha

yaani krthyaani lokeshu sarva esha raviH prabhuH          24

 

esha – this one

jaagarthi- is awake

suptheshu- when all sleep

the Lord is awake all the time , meaning that He never ceases to act. The concept of Him sleeping in the Milky ocean is not literal as He cannot sleep because if he stops His work even for a moment the world will collapse as He Himself says in the Gita,

uthseedheyuH ime lokaaH na kuryaam karma cheth aham

(BG.324), ‘If I cease to act these worlds will perish and there will be chaos all around.’ This means that if He stops His work, namely sustaining the world He Himself created, there will be chaos all around.

parinishTithaH- He is established

bhootheshu – in all beings

The Lord is the bhoothaathmaa(VS) situated in all beings as their inner self. He says in Gita also ,

sarvasya cha aham hrdhisannivishto, (BG15.15)‘ I am established in the heart of all beings.’

esha eva –He alone

agnihothram- is the sacrificial fire

phalam cha- and also the fruit

agnihothriNaam- of those performing the rituals.

vedhaaH cha – all the vedas

krathavaH chaiva- and sacrifices

krathoonaam phalam eva cha- and also the result of the sacrifices

yaani krthyaani- whatever work is done

loke- in the world

sarva – for all of them

esha raviH-this Sun ( This word is explained already with reference to the Lord.)

prabhuH- is the master, also means Master of the Universe, Brahman.

The vishnusahsranamasthothra is as follows:

Yajnabhrth yajnakrth yajnee yajnabhuk yajnasaaDhanaH

Yajnaanthakrth yajnaguhyam annam annaadha eva cha

It means, He is the creator of sacrifice, He is the one to whom all sacrifices are performed, He is the enjoyer of the sacrifice, He is the means of performing sacrifice, and one who effects the completion of sacrifice, and the secret of the sacrifice. He is the object of enjoyment (phalam) and He Himself is the one who consumes everything in the end.

In Gita also He says,

aham krathuh ahaam yajnaH svaDhaa aham aham

                                                                                     oushaDham

     manthro aham aham eva aajyam aham agnih aham hutham (BG 9.16)

“I am the krathu, I am the yajna, sacrifice, I am svadhaa, the offering made to pithrs, I am the herbs , I am the manthra, I am the clarified butter, I am the fire and the act of offering.”

And also in chapter 4,

. brahmaarpaNam brahmahavih brahmaNaa hutham

      brahmaiva thena ganthavyam brahkarmasamaaDhinaa

 

Brahman is the instrument with which the offering is  put in the fire. Brahman is the oblation. It is offered by Brahman into the fire of Brahman. By the  one who meditates on Brahman by his actions , Brahman alone is reached.

That is , the fruit of all ritualistic acts is the Lord Himself.

 

enam aapathsu krcchreshu kaanthaareshu bhayeshu cha

keerthayan purushaH kaschith naavaseedhathi raaghava   25

 

raaghava- Rama

kaschith – any one

keerthayan- praising the glory of

enam- Him ( The Lord)

aapathsu- in calamities

krcCreshu- and difficulties

kaanthaareshu- in dense forests

bhayeshu cha – which are frightening

na avaseedhathi- he does not become desperate.

It is so because He has promised,   ‘Take it from Me Arjuna, my devotee never comes to harm.’

Kountheya prathijaaneehi na me bhakthaH praNaSyathi,(BG.9.31)

 

poojayasva enam ekaagro dhevadhevam jagathpathim

ethath thriguNitham japthvaa yudDheshu vijayishyasi      26

poojayasva- worship

enam- this one

ekaagraH – with one pointed mind

dhevadhevam- the Lord of devas, the supreme Lord

jagathpathim- who is the Lord of the universe.

japthvaa-chanting

ethath- this sthothra

thriguNitham-thrice

vijayishyasi- you will win

yudDheshu- in all battles.

 

asmin kshaNe mahaabaaho raavaNam tham vaDhishyasi

evam ukthvaa thadhaa agasthyaaH jagaama cha yaThaagatham  27

 “ Oh mighty armed one , you will destroy Ravana in this moment,” sayomg thus Agasthya went away as he came.

ethath  Sruthvaa mahaathejaaH nashta Soko abhavath thadhaa

Dhaarayaamaasa supreethaH raaghavo prayathaathmavaan        28

Hearing this Rama gave up his unrest and accepted that with pleasure , being self controlled.

aadhithyam prekshya japthvaa thu param harsham avaapthavaan

thriraachamya Suchirbhoothvaa Dhanuraadhaaya veeryavaan       29

Seeing the Sun chanting with great pleasure sipped water thrice and thus purified took up his bow.

raavanam prekshya hrshtaathmaa yudDhaaya samupaagatham

sarva yathnena mahathaa vaDhe thasya Dhrtho abhavath               30

Seeing Ravana who has come ready to fight, he was pleased and became firm in killing him by all means .

aTha raviH avadhath nireekshya raamam

mudhitha manaaH paramam prahrshyamaaNaH

niSicharapathisamkshayam vidhithvaa

suragaNa maDhyagatho vachaH thvara ithi                                  31

Then the Sun god from amidst the other devas, with pleased mind, seeing Rama, satisfied knowing that the end of the head of rakshasa is near , said , “hurry.”

The explanation given was not  against that set out in Valmiki Ramayana, because according to the story Agasthya  told the sthothra of Sun only and Rama also chanted it  in that spirit. But since all prayers go only to the Lord in all beings, the epithets could mean the Lord Narayana or Brahman, who is the inner self of the Sun, because He alone gives the power to the Sun and other devas. The implication seems to be right in as much as the Sun as a deva could not give the power to kill Ravana to Rama, who wa the incarnation of the Lord Narayana Himself, because Sun was also powerless in front of Ravana like other devas.  So the Lord within the Sun is invoked through the form of the Sun who gave the blessing. In other words the inner strength in Rama, who was the Lord Narayana Himself came to Him through the medium of the Sun and He realized His real self and became firm in resolve. The epithets  may well suit the Supreme Self or Brahman no matter in which ever form He is worshipped, not necessarily as Narayana but also as Siva or Devi etc. Thus the sthothra can be chanted by all with their mind centred on their favourite deity only remembering that the form they worship does not limit God who transcends the name and form.

One word about chanting the  sthothra. It is said that if one chants this 9 times with specific  prayer to fulfil any wish, they will get what they want. But the traditional way has been explained to me by some one who was a great follower of Chandrasekara sarasvathi (mahaperiyava) that you have to start from the beginning and continue till  21^st sloka and after that without going to the 22^nd you have to go back to the 7^th sloka and continue till 21srt and repeat this for 9 times. Then during the ninth repetition continue the slokas from 22^nd till the end. But nothing wrong in chanting the whole sthothra twelve times but this is the traditional wa