16 - Contemplation of Hari and Sun-worship 

Rudra said:

1. O Lord, the holder of conch, discus and club, please narrate to me further the process of contemplation on Lord Vişhnu, the pure and the Supreme soul. 

Hari said:

2-3. O Rudra, listen to the procedure in the contemplation of Lord Hari which destroys the tree of worldly existence. There is the great Brahman whose form is invisible, whose end cannot be seen, who is omnipresent, unborn, immutable, imperishable, all-pervasive, eternal the root-cause of the whole universe and the supreme lord of all. 

4. He is seated in the heart of all living beings. He is the great lord of all creatures. He is the support of all, He is not supported by any thing else. He is the cause of all causes. 

5-6. He is stainless, free from bondage, contemplated by sages who are emancipated. He has no gross body, he is devoid of eyes, vital airs and sense-organs, all qualities of living beings, organs of excretion and generation and all senses. 

7. He is without mind as well as all its qualities. He is devoid of intellect and thought yet (functions as lord of all gods.) 

8-9. He is devoid of ego and functions of the intellect. He is free from Präna¹ and Apāna²; he is without the vital air called Praņa³ and all its qualities. (Such a Brahman must be contemplated). 

1. The first of the five vital airs enumerated as prána, apana, Samana, vyana and udana. Prana has its seat in the beings, hence it means the breath. 

2. One of the five vitals in which come out of the arms. v.l. vyana. 

Hari said:

I shall expound again the process of worship of the Sun that had already been explained to Bhrugu before. 

10. Om khakholkaya namah (Om salutation to the Sun, the meteoric planet of the sky). This is the Mulamantra (the basic mystic verse) that gives worldly enjoyment and final beatitude (Mukti). 

11. [Special Surya mantra] Om obeisance to lord Khakholka¹. Om in the rays that spread (vichi) tha tha obeisance to the head. 

1. Venkateshvara edition adds tridashaya. 

Om tha tha unto the knowledge. Obeisance to the tuft of hair. Om tha tha to the thousand-rayed, obeisance to the armour (amulet and mystic syllable) 

12. Om tha tha to the lord of all brilliance, obeisance to the weapon. Om burn, burn, blaze, blaze tha tha obeisance. 

13. This is the Sun's mantra of fiery species that destroys all sins. 

(Sakalikarana mantra)

Om Adityaya Vidmahe Vishvabhāvāya dhimahi Tannah Suryah prachodayat.

14. With this Gāyatri (a particular metre) of the sun the worshipper should perform the Sakali-karana (summing up). Then the salutation (special gesture with joined palms) to Dharma in the east, to Yama in the south, 

15. To Dandanåyaka and then to Vaivarna in the north. The dark-tawny (form) in the north-east and the Dikshita in the south-east to be worshipped. 

16. To Indra, the holder of thunderbolt in the hand, is to be worshipped in the South-west and the mystic syllables Bhūrbhuvah svah in the north-west. 

To Bull-bannered Shankara, the following should be worshipped in the eight directions beginning with east and ending with north-east. Om obeisance to the moon, the lord of stars. Om obeisance to Angāraka (Mars) the son of the Earth. Om obesance to Budha (Mercury) the son of the moon. Om obeisance to the lord of speech (Bruhaspati), the lord of all Iearning. Om obeisance to sage Shukra the son of Bhrugu. Om obeisance to Shanaischara (Saturn) the son of the Sun, Om obeisance to Rahu. Om obeisance to Ketu. 

17. Om obeisance to Anūruka¹. On obeisance to the Lord of Pramatha (goblins attending on Shiva). Om obeisance to the enlightened. 

1. v.l. anúru. 

18. O Lord! having rays measured all round, O Lord of the entire universe, having seven horses for vehicles, the four-armed one, giver of the great siddhis² tawny in colour due to the flames, the gentle one! Come on, come on. This is water-offering. Salutation unto the head. Take back the terrific form, O the un-naked, burn, burn tha tha obeisance. 

2. Superhuman faculty or power which is achieved by a sadhaka when he reaches the highest stage of sadhana. The following are the names of the eight siddhis-anima, laghima, mahima, prapti, prakamya, Ishitva, vashitva and, karmávasayita. (SP (AITM) p. 2114; CSL p. 458). 

19. With this mantra he should invoke the sun. He should discharge him with the mantra. Om salutation to the lord Aditya (sun) of thousand rays, go as you please, to come again.