dityah dayam

Intoduction
Befoe we begin, let us bow to Aditya, the Sun god, who bestows upon us all pospeity and who is
capable of destoying all ou enemies.
Aditya hidyam is a hymn to the Sun god and foms pat of the canto 107 of the Valmiki Ramayana. The
setting is the battle field and the fight between Ravana and Lod Rama has just been suspended. The latte
entes into a contemplative mood and is instucted by the sage Agastya on the gloy of Aditya, the Sun God.
The geat achaya without any equal, Shankaa achaya, established the woship of five deities :
Ganesha, Vishnu, Shakti, Shiva and Aditya. The woship establishes the unique function of each deity while
emembeing the unity between Them. The unity between all of us is Bahman. Established in the space-time
domain, the mind mistakes that the sun ises and sets. In eality, the sun is eve-pesent. Similaly, we mistake
ouselves to be the body-mind complex and suffe, while in eality, we ae Satchitananda, one without a
second. To become awae of this Tuth, one has to destoy all the enemies within (like kama, kodha, lobha,
mada etc.) and establish ou minds at the lotus feet of the divine at all times. And ecitation of this hymn will
accomplish this seemingly impossible feat.
Though this hymn is said to Rama, who appeas to be in a state of distess, Rama is well awae of His
divinity. As Sita says,
'Know Rama to be the Supeme Bahman - the existence knowledge bliss (Satchitananda) absolute, the
one without a second. He is pue consciousness devoid of all adjuncts, whom the senses can not peceive as
thei object.'
But Rama behaved vey much like a human to set an example to all of us humans. By His gace, we
have the teachings of Yoga Vasistha since Rama petended to be ignoant and asked questions to vasistha.
Similaly, hee we obtain an hymn capable of destoying all ou intenal enemies and which will bestow
supeme felicity upon us, because Rama petends to be distessed. Rama's behaviou is also to set an example
on how outwadly we may act ou oles and petend to be happy o sad, while inwadly undestanding that
the wold is meely a miage and the only eality is the Self, Bahman.

atha stha dityah dayam

tato yuddhapaintam samae cintay sthitam
van am cgato d s t v yuddhya samupasthitam
1
daivataica samgamya das t umabhygato an am
upgamybavdmamagastyo bhagavn s ih 2
Rama, exhausted and about to face Ravana eady fo a fesh battle was lost deep in contemplation. The
all knowing sage agastya who had joined the gods to witness the battle spoke to Rama thus .. 1,2
ma ma mahbho n u guhyam santanam
yena savnanvatsa samae vijayis yasi 3
Oh Rama, mighty-amed Rama, listen to this etenal secet which will help you destoy all you enemies
in battle. 3
dityah dayam pun yam savaatuvinanam
jayvaham japennityamaks ayam paamam ivam 4
This holy hymn dedicated to the Sun deity will esult in destoying all enemies and bing you victoy
and neve ending supeme bliss. 4
savamagalamgalyam savappapan anam

cintokapaamanam yuvadhanamuttamam 5
This hymn is supeme and is a guaantee of complete pospeity and is the destoye of sin, anxiety,
anguish and is the bestowe of longevity. 5
amimantam samudyantam devsuanamask tam
pjayasva vivasvantam bhskaam bhuvanevaam 6
Woship the One, possessed of ays when he has completely isen, held in eveence by the devas and
asuas, and who is the Lod of the univese by whose effulgence all else bighten. 6
savadevtmako hyes a tejasv amibhvanah

es a devsuagan ~llokn pti gabhastibhih 7

He indeed epesent the totality of all celestial beings. He is self-luminous and sustains all with his ays.
He nouishes and enegizes the inhabitants of all the wolds and the ace of Devas and Asuas. 7
es a bahm ca vis n uca ivah skandah pajpatih

mahendo dhanadah klo yamah somo hyapm patih

8
He is Bahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Skands, Pajapati. He is also Mahenda, kubea, kala, yama, soma and
vauna. 8
pitao vasavah sdhy hyavinau mauto manuh

vyuvahnih pajpn a tukat pabhkaah 9

He is the pits, vasus, sadhyas, aswini devas, mauts, manu, vayu, agni, pana and, being the souce of all
enegy and light, is the make of all the six seasons. 9
dityah savit syah khagah ps gabhastimn
suvan asad o bhnuhian yaet divkaah 10 o bhnuvivaet
He is the son of Aditi, ceato of the univese, inspie of action, tansvese of the heavens. He is the
sustaine, illumination of all diections, the golden hued billiance and is the make of the day. 10
haidavah sahascih saptasaptimacimn
timionmathanah ambhustvas t mtn d a amumn
11 o mtan d a
He is the Omnipesent One who pevades all with countless ays. He is the powe behind the seven sense
ogans, the dispelle of dakness, bestowe of happiness and pospeity, the emove of misfotunes and is the
infuse of life. 11
hian yagabhah iiastapano bhskao avih

agnigabho'diteh putah akhah iiananah 12

He is the pimodial BEing manifesting as the Tinity. He ushes in the Day and is the teache (of
Hianyagabha), the fie-wombed, the son of Aditi, and has a vast and supeme felicity. He is the emove of
intellectual dull-headedness. 12
vyomanthastamobhed gyajuh smapagah
ghanav s t iapm mito vindhyavth plavagamah 13

He is the Lod of the fimament, dispelle of dakness. Maste of all the vedas, he is a fiend of the
wates and causes ain. HE has cossed the vindya ange and spots in the Bahma Nadi. 13
tap man d al m tyuh pigalah savatpanah

kavivivo mahtejh aktah savabhavodbhavah

14
He, whose fom is cicula and is coloed yellow, is intensely absobed and inflicts death. He is the
destoye of all and is the Omniscient one being exceedingly enegetic sustains the univese and all action. 14
naks a tagahatn madhipo vivabhvanah
tejasmapi tejasv dvdatmannamo'stu te 15
He is the lod of stas, planets and all constellations. He is the oigin of eveything in the univese and is
the cause of the luste of even the billiant ones. Salutations to Thee who is the One being manifest in the
twelve foms of the Sun. 15
namah pvya giaye pacimydaye namah

jyotigan nm pataye dindhipataye namah

16
Salutations to the Easten and westen mountain, Salutations to the Lod of the stella bodies and the
Lod of the Day. 16
jayya jayabhadya hayavya namo namah
namo namah sahasmo dityya namo namah
17
Salutations to the One who odains victoy and the pospeity that follows. Salutations to the one
possessed of yellow steeds and to the thousand ayed Lod, and to Aditya. 17
nama ugya vya sagya namo namah
namah padmapabodhya mtn d ya namo namah 18 o mtan d ya
Salutations to the Teible one, the heo, the one that tavels fast. Salutations to the one whose emegence
makes the lotus blossom and to the fiece and omnipotent one. 18
bahmencyuteya syydityavacase
bhsvate savabhaks ya audya vapus e namah 19
Salutations to the Lod of Bahma, shiva and Achyuta, salutations to the poweful and to the effulgence
in the Sun that is both the illuminato and devoue of all and is of a fom that is fiece like Ruda. 19
tamoghnya himaghnya atughnymittmane
k taghnaghnya devya jyotis m pataye namah 20
Salutations to he tanscendental atman that dispels dakness, dives away all fea, and destoys all foes.
Salutations also to the annihilato of the ungateful and to the Lod of all the stella bodies. 20
taptacmkabhya vahnaye vivakaman e o haaye vivakaman e
namastamo'bhinighnya ucaye lokasks in e 21

Salutations to the Lod shining like molten gold, to the tanscendental fie, the fie of supeme
knowledge, the achitect of the univese, destoye of dakness and salutations again to the efflugence that is
the Cosmic witness. 21
nayatyes a vai bhtam tadeva s j ati pabhuh
pyatyes a tapatyes a vas a tyes a gabhastibhih
22
Salutations to the Lod who destoys eveything and ceates them again. Salutations to Him who by His
ays consumes the wates, heats them up and sends them down as ain. 22
es a suptes u jgati bhtes u painis t hitah

es a evgnihotam ca phalam caivgnihotin m 23

Salutations to the Lod who abides in the heat of all beings keeping awake when they ae asleep. He is
both the sacificial fie and the fuit enjoyed by the woshippes. 23
vedca katavacaiva katnm phalameva ca
yni k tyni lokes u sava es a avih pabhuh
24
The Sun is veily the Lod of all action in this univese. He is veily the vedas, the sacifices mentioned
in them and the fuits obtained by pefoming the sacifices. 24
phala utih
enampatsu k cches u kntes u bhayes u ca

ktayan puus a h kacinnvasdati ghava 25

Raghava, one who ecites this hymn in times of dange, duing an affliction o when lost in the
wildeness and having fea, he will not lose heat (and become bave). 25
pjayasvainamekgo devadevam jagatpatim
etat tigun itam japtv yuddhes u vijayis yasi 26
Raghava, woship this Lod of all Gods and the Univese with one-pointed devotion. Recite this hymn
thice and you will win this battle. 26
asminks an e mahbho van am tvam vadhis yasi
evamuktv tad'gastyo jagma ca yathgatam 27
O mighty amed one, you shall tuimph ove Ravana this vey moment. Having spoken this, Agastya
etuned his oiginal place. 27
etacchutv mahtej nas t aoko'bhavattad
dhaymsa supto ghavah payattmavn 28
Raghava became fee fom woy afte heaing this. He was geatly pleased and became bave and
enegetic. 28
dityam peks ya japtv tu paam has amavptavn
ticamya ucibhtv dhanudya vyavn 29

Gazing at the sun with devotion, He ecited this hymn thice and expeienced bliss. Puifying Himself by
sipping wate thice, He took up His bow with His mighty ams. 29
van am peks ya h s t tm yuddhya samupgamat

sava yatnena mahat vadhe tasya dh to'bhavat 30

Seeing Ravana coming to fight, He put foth all his effot with a detemination to destoy Ravana. 30
atha aviavadanniks ya mam
muditamanh paamam pah s yamn ah
niicaapatisaks ayam viditv
suagan amadhyagato vacastvaeti 31
Then knowing that the destuction of the lod of powles at night Ravana) was nea, Aditya, who was at
the cente of the assembly of the Gods, looked at Rama and exclaimed 'Huy up' with geat delight. 31
iti dityah d ayam mantam