Yuddha Kanda, Sarga 105

Meaning

Beholding Śrī Rāma, standing absorbed in thought on the battlefield, exhausted (as he was) by the fight, and Rāvaṇa facing him, duly prepared for an encounter, and approaching Śrī Rāma, the glorious sage Agastya, who had come in the company of gods to witness the epoch-making encounter of Śrī Rāma with Rāvaṇa now spoke as follows: (1-2)

Meaning

“Rāma, O mighty-armed Śrī Rāma, hearken to the following eternal secret—in the form of a holy, eternal, immortal and supremely blessed and excellent encomium, entitled “Āditya-Hṛdaya”, which is intended to propitiate Brahmā, installed in the heart of the orb of the sun, the blessing of all blessings, by means of which, my child, you will be able to conquer once for all your adversaries on the battlefield, and which is calculated to bring victory, root out all sins, allay all anxiety and grief once for all and prolong life. (3—5)

Meaning

“Worship you the sun-god, the ruler of the worlds, who is crowned with rays, nay, who appears at the horizon everyday without fail, who is greeted by gods and demons alike and brings light to the world. (6)

Meaning

“Indeed, he is the embodiment of all gods and full of glory and creates and sustains the gods and the demons as well as their worlds by his rays. (7)

Meaning

“Indeed, he is the same as Brahmā (the Creator) as well as Viṣṇu (the Protector of the universe), Lord Śiva (the god of destruction), Skanda (son of Lord Śiva), Prajāpati (the lord of creation), the mighty Indra (the ruler of gods), Kubera (the bestower of riches), Kāla (the Time-spirit), Yama (the god of retribution), Soma (the moon-god), Varuṇa (the ruler of the waters), the Pitṛs (manes), the eight Vasus, the twelve Sādhyas, the two Aśwīs (the physicians of gods), the forty-nine Maruts (wind-gods); Manu (a progenitor of the human race), Vāyu (the wind-god) and the god of fire. He constitutes all created beings, he is the life-breath of the universe, the source of the seasons, the storehouse of light, an offspring of Aditi, the progenitor of all, the sun-god, the courser in the heavens, the nourisher of all, the possessor of rays, the golden, the brilliant, the one whose energy constitutes the seed of the universe and the maker of day. (8—10)

Meaning

“He has seven green horses yoked to his chariot, is myriad-rayed, full of rays, the destroyer of darkness, the source of happiness, the mitigator of the suffering of his devotees, the infuser of life in the lifeless cosmic egg, all-pervading and the cause of the creation, preservation and destruction of the universe. He is blissful by nature, the ruler of all, the bringer of day and the Teacher. A son of Aditi, he bears the fire of dissolution in his womb, is bliss personified and all-enveloping like space, the destroyer of cold, the lord of the heavens, the disperser of darkness, a master of the three Vedas (Ṛk, Sāma and Yajur), the sender of thick showers and the producer (giver) of water. He courses swiftly along his own orbit, carries in him the resolve to evolve the universe and is adorned with a circle of rays. He is death itself, tawny of hue and the destroyer of all. He is omniscient, all-formed, endowed with extraordinary brilliance, coppery, the source of all evolutes, the controller of all lunar mansions, planets and stars, the creator of all, the resplendent among the splendid. O sun-god! appearing in twelve forms in the shape of twelve months of the year, hail to you! (11—15)

Meaning

“Hail to you in the form of the eastern mountain and hail to the western mountain. Hail to the lord of hosts of luminaries, the lord of the day. (16)

Meaning

“Hail to you, the giver of victory, hail to you, the joy born of victory! Hail to you, the god having green horses yoked to your chariot. Hail, hail to you with thousands of rays! Hail, hail to you, son of Aditi! (17)

Meaning

“Hail to you, the subduer of the senses, the valiant one! Hail to you as denoted by the mystic syllable OṀ! Hail to you, the awakener of the lotus! Hail to you, the fierce one! (18)

Meaning

“Hail to you, the ruler of Brahmā, Lord Śiva and Lord Viṣṇu, the infallible! Hail to you, the sun-god, the (spiritual) light indwelling the solar orb, the resplendent one, the devourer of all, appearing in the form of Rudra, who drives away ignorance. (19)

Meaning

“Hail to you, the dispeller of darkness, the destroyer of cold, the exterminator of foes, the one whose extent is immeasurable, the destroyer of the ungrateful, the god who is the ruler of all lights! (20)

Meaning

“Hail to you, possessing the lustre of refined gold, the dispeller of ignorance, the architect of the universe, the uprooter of darkness, splendour-incarnate, the onlooker of the world! (21)

Meaning

“The aforesaid Lord alone actually destroys, brings into existence and sustains all that has come into being. He alone radiates heat by his rays and sends showers. (22)

Meaning

“Planted in all created beings as their Inner Controller, he remains awake when they have fallen asleep. Nay, he himself is the act of pouring oblations into the sacred fire as well as the fruit attained by those who pour such oblations. (23)

Meaning

“Nay, he comprises all the gods as well as the sacrifices as also the fruit of sacrifices. Again, he is the Supreme Controller of all activities which are found in all living beings. (24)

Meaning

“No individual, celebrating the aforesaid Lord through the foregoing encomium, in straits, in difficulties, in the woods as well as in times of peril comes to grief, O scion of Raghu! (25)

Meaning

“Worship the aforesaid Lord of the universe, the adored of all gods, with a concentrated mind. Muttering this praise as many as three times, one will come out victorious in combats. You will be able to make short work of Rāvaṇa this very moment, O mighty-armed one!” Saying so, the celebrated Sage Agastya thereupon left in the same way as he had come. (26-27)

Meaning

Hearing this advice, Śrī Rāma (a scion of Raghu), who was endowed with extraordinary energy and had a subdued mind, found his grief immediately dissipated. Nay, feeling greatly delighted, he retained the alleluia in his memory. (28)

Meaning

Sipping water thrice with the name of the Lord on his lips and getting purified in this way, nay, looking intently on the orb of the sun and repeating this prayer, the valiant one experienced supreme felicity. Seizing hold of his bow afterwards and fixing his eyes on Rāvaṇa, the hero, who felt delighted in mind, advanced on the battlefield with a view to attaining victory in combat. He stood vowed to kill Rāvaṇa with an intense and all-encompassing effort. (29—30)

Meaning

Delighted in mind to gaze on Śrī Rāma, nay, feeling supremely exhilarated on perceiving the destruction of Rāvaṇa (the ruler of the night-stalkers) at hand, the sun-god, standing in person in the midst of a host of gods, exclaimed: “Make haste!” (31)