Āditya Stava

Āditya Stava · āditya stava, “the praise of Āditya”

The Āditya Stava is the praise of Bhagavān Sūrya sung long ago by Brahmā and the devatās and by the ṛshis. Sumantu Muni tells it to King Śatānīka in the Saptamī Kalpa of the Bhavishya Purāṇa, in the Brahma Parva, Chapter 122.

It has four units of namaskāra (salutation), which together give twenty-two epithets of Bhagavān Sūrya: the one whose very occupation is to bring good to those who bow to him, who awakens the lotuses, who pierces the cloth of darkness, the unborn ātmā of all beings, Svayambhū, the eye of the world. Then the singers turn and address him directly, as the crown jewel of all the devatās, and declare that they serve his fierce form, which destroys the darkness over the three worlds.

The setting

Śatānīka said: “Tell me how, at that time, Bhagavān Sūrya, famed as the one being carved, was praised by Brahmā and the other devatās.”

Sumantu Muni said: “Rājā, I shall tell how that deva was praised long ago by Brahmā and the others and by the ṛshis. Listen with one-pointed mind.”

The first namaskāra

Namaskāra to Divaspati, the master of the day:

  1. whose very occupation is to be kind and bring good to those who bow to him;
  2. famed in the world by his own form;
  3. who awakens the families of lotuses;
  4. who pierces the cloth that is the mass of darkness.

The second namaskāra

Namaskāra to Bhagavān Sūrya:

  1. of surpassing holy and puṇya deeds;
  2. who bestows glory by fulfilling many desires;
  3. with hosts of pure and shining rays;
  4. who brings good to all the worlds.

The third namaskāra

Namaskāra to Sūryadeva:

  1. unborn;
  2. meditated on by the three worlds;
  3. the ātmā of all beings;
  4. dear to Varuṇa, the master of the waters;
  5. the best of the greatly compassionate;
  6. who holds the three worlds in his thought.

The fourth namaskāra

Namaskāra to Sūryadeva:

  1. adhipati (master) of all tejases (radiances);
  2. whose antarātmā (inner self) is full of jñāna;
  3. who has established the worlds;
  4. who desires the good of the worlds;
  5. Svayambhū, the self-born;
  6. Lokacakshu, the eye of the world;
  7. best of the devatās;
  8. of measureless tejas.

The direct address

“Prabhu Sūrya, crown jewel of all the devatās! You who move, you are great. You burn with vast thousands of rays.”

“We serve your fierce form, which destroys the darknesses by hosts of light spreading exceedingly over the three worlds.”

“Mounted on your chariot, as the doer of good to the world, you ever move through the whole universe.”

Sumantu Muni closes: “In this way Bhagavān Sūrya was praised long ago by Brahmā, Vishṇu, Rudra and the other devatās.”

Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapter 122

Sources

  • Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapter 122