Trimūrti Stotra to Sūrya

Trimūrti Stotra · tri-mūrti stotra, “the stotra of the three forms”

The Trimūrti Stotra to Sūrya is the praise of Bhagavān Sūrya made by Brahmā, Vishṇu and Maheśvara, in the Brahma Parva of the Bhavishya Purāṇa, Chapter 123. Sumantu Maharshi tells King Śatānīka what Brahmā told the ṛshis in Brahmaloka: when the first great tejas split the darkness, the three knew it by dhyāna to be Bhagavān Sūrya, Paramātmā, and praised him. In this text Bhagavān Sūrya is praised as the supreme. The same three speak again when the devas ask for his tejas to be calmed, and the devas stand behind them in a third praise. One who does japa of the stotra at both sandhyās purifies his family and goes to Sūryaloka.

The setting

Śatānīka asked to hear more of Sūryadeva, and Sumantu Maharshi told what Brahmā, the maker of the worlds, told the ṛshis long ago. The ṛshis, scorched by the rays of Bhagavān Sūrya, went to Brahmā in Brahmaloka and asked: “Prabhu Brahmā, who is this one who blazes so brilliantly, like Agnideva?”

Brahmā answered. When all things moving and unmoving had perished and all the worlds were filled with darkness, the guṇa in Prakṛti came into action. From it arose Buddhi, from Buddhi Ahaṃkāra, and then Vāyu, Agni, water, Ākāśa and Bhūmi. From them came an egg, and from that egg the seven lokas. Brahmā, Vishṇu and Maheśvara stood in the all-covering tamas, in dhyāna on Parameśvara. Then, seeing the great tejas that had split the mass of tamas and come forth, they knew by dhyāna-yoga that this was Bhagavān Sūrya. Each of them knew him as Paramātmā, and they began to praise him.

The stotra

The praise of Brahmā, Vishṇu and Maheśvara runs in this order:

  • “Deva, among the devas you are the Ādideva.” You are Prabhu Sūrya of all prabhus, the first maker of the bhūtas, Devadeva, Sanātana.
  • You are the life of all beings: devas, gandharvas, rākshasas, munis, kinnaras, siddhas, pannagas, birds and others.
  • You are Brahmā, Mahādeva, Vishṇu and Prajāpati. You are Vāyu, Indra, Soma, Vivasvān and Varuṇa.
  • You are the form of Kāla. You are the maker of sṛshṭi, sthiti and laya (creation, sustaining and dissolution). You are Īśvara.
  • You are the rivers, the oceans, the mountains, the lightning and the rainbows; you are pralaya and prabhava (origin).
  • You are manifest, unmanifest and eternal. You are higher than Īśvara.
  • You are the highest vidyā among vidyās. You are Śiva; you are higher than Śiva.
  • O Parameśvara, you have feet and hands on every side, and eyes, heads and faces in every direction. You are Sahasrāṃśu and Sahasrakiraṇa, the thousand-rayed.
  • You are Bhūr, Bhuvaḥ, Suvar, Mahar, Jano and Tapo loka.
  • Namaskāra to your form, which always shines forth, lights all the worlds and is hard to look upon even for the best of devas.
  • Namaskāra to your form, served by the hosts of suras and siddhas, and by ṛshis such as Bhṛgu, Atri and Pulaha, supreme and unshaken.
  • We devas all bow to your form in the Sūrya-maṇḍala, which cannot be reached by the five indriyas, nor the ten, nor the eleven with the mind, nor by the group of fifteen.
  • Namaskāra to your form, creator of the universe, made of the universe, standing in the universe, worshipped by ṛshis such as Viśvānara and by the devas, beyond thought.
  • You are beyond the best yajñas, beyond the devas, beyond the lokas, beyond the sky.
  • You are higher than that Para who is famed as the one none can pass beyond. Namaskāra to your form, renowned as Paramātmā.
  • Namaskāra to your form: unknowable, beyond thought, the inner Ātmā, the one into whom all return, without beginning or end.
  • Ever our namaskāras to the cause of causes, the destroyer of pāpa, the one who receives the salutations of those who are themselves worthy of salutation, the giver of all fruits, the treasury of jñāna, the Pañcadaśātmaka (the one of fifteen parts).

Thus praised, Bhagavān Sūrya, in the form of masses of tejas, said: “What vara shall I give you?” The devas said: “Bhagavān Sūrya, no one can bear your form of such great tejas. For the good of the world, let your form that is hard to look upon come into a state that can be borne.” Bhagavān Sūrya said “Tathāstu”. For the work of the worlds he became the giver of the three seasons: summer, rains and cold.

For this reason Sāṃkhyas, yogis and other seekers of moksha meditate on Bhagavān Sūrya in their hearts. Even one without any good marks, even one full of all pāpas, if he takes refuge in the karmas belonging to Sūryadeva, crosses over all pāpas. Neither agnihotra, nor the Vedas, nor yajñas with rich dakshiṇā are worth even one sixteenth of a Sūrya-namaskāra done with bhakti.

Sumantu Maharshi added: “I take refuge in that Bhagavān Sūrya, the best tīrtha among tīrthas, the auspicious among all auspicious things, the pure among all pure things.” Those who take refuge in Bhāskara are freed from all pāpas and reach Sūryaloka.

The second praise: taking refuge

When Bhagavān Sūrya‘s tejas burned the worlds, the devas, rākshasas and ṛshis went to Brahmā. He said: “Together with Mahādeva and the great Indra and the others, let all of us go to Bhagavān Sūrya and take refuge in him alone.” Then Brahmā, Vishṇu and Īśa praised him thus:

  • “Suravara, master of the hot light, Devadeva praised by the best of the devas, namaskāra to you.”
  • You cure the dull, the blind, the mute, the deaf, those with kushṭha (a skin disease) and those suffering from many kinds of sores, and you make them wholly healthy. Namaskāra to you, so full of compassion.
  • Your form is of many kinds: the fire in the belly, lightning, the great tejas, the common light that the eyes can bear, the fire placed in yajñas, the fire that is taken away, the fire that is set down.
  • The rākshasas who are enemies of the devas, who dwell in the waters of the ocean, who bear fearful nooses, swords and axes, who have very tall dreadful forms and go about the earth with minds set on pāpa, perish at your darśana.
  • You are the fruit of all tīrthas, and you are present in the yajñas; you give śānti to all men alike. Namaskāra to you.
  • What the wise call tapas is your great tejas alone; the paṇḍitas long for it.

The third praise: the devas behind Brahmā

All the devas, bowed in bhakti, set Brahmā in front, with Bhagavān Śiva and Bhagavān Vishṇu behind him, and all the devas behind them, and again they praised Bhagavān Sūrya:

  • We bow again and again to Sūryadeva, the giver of aiśvarya to the three worlds, the giver of the true fruit of yajña and other karmas, the witness of all the karmas done each day, the deva of a thousand lights.
  • He has the seven horses. He is undecaying. He gathers steady reins for the horses.
  • O Devadeva, unceasingly praised by the Vālakhilyas, apsarās, kinnaras, pannagas, siddhas, gandharvas, piśācas, humans, yakshas, the rākshasa hosts and guhyakas: we bow to you again and again.
  • By your rays, by the pouring out of snow, of water and of sweat, you gather the rasas of embodied beings. You also dry up the world.
  • Therefore in the world you are the one who shows the marks of the world.

Sūryadeva then consented, and Viśvakarmā planed his tejas.

The phalaśruti

The man who does japa of the stotra made by the Trimūrti at both sandhyās purifies his family. No disease troubles him. He has progeny and his works bear fruit, and he lives a full life of a hundred years. Having sons, having wealth, unconquered everywhere, he lives; and leaving the body of five bhūtas he goes to Sūryaloka.

Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapter 123

Sources

  • Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapter 123